[Mike M]

I could put this in one of several forums but chose this one since it has more posts.

Our dog – Wally, almost 15, small mixed breed, about 17 pounds, working towards 15.

Health issues – “sore joints” (we have set up a system of pillows where he jumps down from the couch or bed and in fact, I am considering having a trampoline floor installed though it could interfere with our getting around and cause some queasiness and vacuuming issues), collapsing trachea with an extra cough chaser that seems to have gone way down, after a course of antibiotics and changes in his diet and the addition of salmon fish oil.

I am brand new to making my own dog food, spurred on by Wally’s health issues and a change to the formula of Wally’s canned food (Wellness Chicken/Sweet potato) where they seem to be adding more “chicken broth”, effectively a price increase and it changed his poops. Anyway …. good that I’m doing this.

Have been researching and so far, am relying on (because they have the ring of truth):

Hound Dog Mom and others here
“Unlocking The Canine Ancestral Diet.”
Dogaware.com

Will be starting with the Urban Wolf mix and other supplements to add to my meats.

There is a lot to digest re supplements, fat balancing, meats, etc and I will have questions and comments as I go along. Appreciate any input – thanks!

[Ron M]

Hello Mike,

I think I read on Dog-aware that You might want to add less oil in the Urban Wolf as
it can be pretty high per their instructions.

[Mike M]

Thanks much Ron – yes I saw that and will try and guesstimate it down …..

[Cesar M]

Thank you for sharing the knowledge regarding dogs. its helpful for dog lovers.

Thank you

[Mike M]

Things apparently going well with the diet so far, if poop status, etc. is any indicator.

Wally is a 17 pound 15 year old Chihuahua mix.

So far, daily, using 93% lean ground turkey mixed with Urban Wolf, 1 sardine packed in water, no salt added (Trader Joe’s), a little canned Alaskan pink salmon (TJ’s, no salt, no oil), Alaskan salmon fish oil and 1 probiotic capsule. Several pet vitamins per day; Puritan’s Pride … they have some calcium/phosphorous in the right balance but not a lot of other vitamins and minerals, which I know the Urban Wolf has … the pet vitamins are more of a crunchy treat.

Several times per week – 1/2 boiled egg, a small dollop of cooked yam (wondering if that is too much sugar though), 1 200 IU Vitamin E twice oer week (guesstimating) which I have read may need to be boosted because of the fish oil consumed. Thinking of adding the occasional well cooked/processed broccoli …..

Resisting adding other meats like beef and pork because of my own vegetarian leanings and the reasons for that but remain open to it. Understand the nutritional benefits of some of the animal organs like heart and liver but am not using those. Always researching …..

Always looking for input – thanks.

[Mike M]

Have eliminated the yams from Wally’s diet as he seems to be getting — evidenced by his excellent poop status — plenty of fiber from the Urban Wolf mixture and probably doesn’t need the extra sugar in his diet. Plenty of “treats” with the other side foods.

The diet seems to be working great so far as Wally is doing well and bowels and digestive stuff seem to be great.

To the varying side dishes of water-packed sardines, canned water-packed Alaskan salmon and hard boiled egg, I’ve added small dollops of organic plain yogurt to his diet, here and there.

[crazy4cats]

Hey-
Glad to hear things are going great for your pup. I commend you for taking so much time to keep him healthy!

[Mike M]

For dog health reasons — Omega 3, good oils and extra calcium from cooked bones in can — and to avoid using poultry meat that has probably been raised non-humanely (that is, more confined than I want), I’ve switched over to:

Crown Prince Natural Pink Salmon – Low in Sodium, 7.5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)
Grocery
Sold by Amazon.com LLC

No sales tax or shipping via Amazon Prime

as the main meat source to mix with the Urban Wolf mixture. Will continue with the egg every other day and 1 sardine daily, along with the rest of it.

[Mike M]

Wally stopped liking the taste of the Urban Wolf mix, even though he was doing well on it so, I’ve substituted:

Nutri-Pet Research Nupro Dog Supplement and
Solid Gold SeaMeal Mineral and Vitamin supplement for Dogs and Cats
(these 2 supplements seem to be providing him with the necessary fiber – his poop looks “good.”)

Have also added ground turkey to the main protein items. Have also added TriCOX soft chews.

So, we now have:

Main proteins:

– Canned Crown Prince Natural Pink Salmon, no salt added
– Ground Turkey

Secondary proteins (in smaller amounts):

– hard boiled egg
– water packed sardine
– dollops of organic, plain yogurt here and there

Supplements:

– NuPro Dog Supplement, recommended servings for 15 pound dog
– Solid Gold SeaMeal Mineral and Vitamin supplement for Dogs and Cats
– Animal Essentials Seaweed calcium
– Salmon fish oil
– TriCOX soft chews
– Nutri-Vet probiotics

• This reply was modified 9 years, 8 months ago by Mike M.

[Mike M]

BTW, I’m having a bit of a conundrum with the calcium/phosphorous ratio. I’ve read the detailed analysis by the dog food experts of what that ratio should be but for me, I can’t tell how much calcium and phosphorous are in the meats (almost all phosphorous in the ground turkey, some calcium and phosphorus in the canned salmon, some calcium and phosphorous in the supplements.). So, I am guesstimating and adding “just a little” seaweed calcium supplement to the ground turkey.

Any comments, based on the diet listed above are welcome!

[Author]

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