[alexis w]

@Cannoli i love the idea of a kefir smoothie, my pup loves blueberries and bananas so those would definitely be in there! thanks for the idea

[alexis w]

@Cannoli, thanks for the info, it really helps. i didnt think fish bones were safe, and i learned something new, you can have the store debone the fish!

[alexis w]

thank you so much for your insight on the matter @Cannoli! that is a great way to feed fish, i had been told to remove the bones, do you leave the bones in? i see you feed sardines with the heads. i am still new to all of this so still finding out and figuring out what is safe and what is not.

[alexis w]

thank you all so much for your input, as for @anonymously, i talked to multiple vets, some of which said to bring her in that it was disptemper or a stomach bug of some sort, then i talked to other vets(mostly the hoslistic ones) that said it was most likely caused by something she ate. to clarify, its not so much diarrhea as it is loose poo. I would have gladly taken her to a vet if we had not spent our last $40 on a popped tire on our vehicle. forgive me if that sounds like an excuse, its not, i looked into payment plans and such but none of the vets in our area do them and we were not eligible for any 3rd party plans. Thank you to those who gave insight into the issue i was having with the poo as well as those who just chimed in on the original question of the post, it was all very informative and helpful, i figured out that the loose stool issue was due to me recently changing her diet and putting her on a bland diet of ground turkey, brown rice, peas, carrots, celery and bell pepper for a few days is clearing it up nicely. she does seem to be sensitive to some fruits like blackberries and strawberries but not to others like blueberries and bananas which she loves. i think my top 3 veggies and fruits are peas, carrots and blueberries but like you all it is so hard just to pick 3 as to have a well rounded diet variety must be had.

[alexis w]

@Coonhound Mama did your dog get the squirts from the strawberries or just pieces in the poo? im having an issue with the squirts and think that may be what it is, day after giving strawberries for the first time is when it started. sorry if tmi, just in need of some solid info, vets just say omg its distemper bring her in, i know its from a food, just cant figure which one(she gets into everything if its not chained up or swept up promptly)

[alexis w]

thanks @theBCnut what im currently feeding is 14% carbs 36% fat and 50% protein and most of my recipes seem to be within that range give or take a few %. as far as carbs im definitely mostly worried about the indigestible ones which is what most of the ones in my recipes are(coming from stuff like snow peas and then digestible ones from sweet potatoes) no grains in 99% of my recipes and the grains i do use are quinoa or oatmeal

[alexis w]

my dog refused to eat the food after i put dinovite on it and when i gave her the lickochops she gagged and choked on it, i didnt even think to check the expiration dates on it! i just sent it back for a refund. now i am using Nupro supplement, seems to be much higher quality

[alexis w]

thank you so much Shawna, i have been tweaking my recipes to have more moderation and variety and think that i am getting closer to a more permanent set of recipes.

[alexis w]

my puppy doesnt actually have any problems with stones i just had gotten the info about the kale and saw that mixed breeds are prone to getting the calcium oxalate stones so i figured i would share the info

[alexis w]

so what i am gathering from this is it is ok to use foods with calcium oxalate in it as long as it is in moderation and the dog gets plenty of water to flush the system and also watch the amount of veggies in the food in general, more meat less veggies. so basically i need to cut back on the veggies in my recipes or add some extra meat(which would just make it a larger recipe). since i only use a cup of kale for over a weeks worth of food and only use that recipe once a month it should be fine.

[alexis w]

thanks for that information @Shawna and @ZoeC ! that does make me feel better about giving my Callie the raw bones. On a different topic, I just was given some information that worries me considering I use kale in a lot of my homemade dog food recipes, https://www.mspca.org/angell_services/human-foods-to-avoid-feeding-to-your-dog/
a close friend of mine was looking out for me and let me know about this, I looked into it further and found it to be accurate information. I am currently in the process of modifying all of my dog food recipes to reflect this new information.

[alexis w]

You can put in your recipe and break it down into how many servings it should make and it will tell you how many calories and what vitamins, minerals and amino acids are in it as well as the percentage of fat,carbs and protein in it. its really cool

[alexis w]

i have, with the supplement they do, they are very close without it but there are a few vitamins that are lacking. i haven’t been doing this for very long and am still tweaking everything and as i get better at it the recipes will be more complete on their own and the supplement will be less and less necessary. they meet the standards for the amino acids and about 75% of the vitamins and the rest are covered with the supplement. I use this site to get a break down of the nutrients that are in it and then i compare them to the AAFCO standards and then add in what nutrients are added with the supplement. I was using the Dinovite supplement and they have a recipe that they recommend to use with it that is just ground beef, rice and eggs which seemed really unbalanced to me so I started coming up with my own and switched to Nupro which has been around a lot longer and has way better reviews from people that have been doing homemade food for years as well as from vets I have talked to. Here is the site I use to get the nutrient breakdown: http://nutritiondata.self.com/mynd/myrecipes/welcome?returnto=/mynd/myrecipes/edit-recipe/3791809&autosave=form.info.autosave

[alexis w]

thank you all for your replies, this has been very informative, it is very clear that we all have very distinct points of views on what is right and wrong concerning our dogs, especially concerning bones and that we all love our dogs very much.

[alexis w]

thanks for the seaweed comment, i will have to look into that, the supplement i use has Norwegian Kelp in it, is that the same? just curious because it also has a calcium supplement in it.

[alexis w]

to the person who said my foods are not balanced, that is why i recommend a supplement with each recipe, and i know dogs need calcium, i use ground egg shells like stated previously. the raw meaty bones would be an add on.

[alexis w]

for me the homemade food comes out cheaper than the high end kibble and she just wouldnt eat the bag of high end kibble that i bought and i dont have the money to play around with different brands, so homemade it is. i spend about $40-$50 a month and thats getting organic.

[alexis w]

thank you for the information, that is what i had read originally and was worried about, but my vet and the person that i had talked to that had the experience both said it was ok so its kind of a toss up i guess as to what to go with. I might steer away from the bones just to be on the safe side and stick with my egg shells for the calcium(i have chickens so egg shells are in abundance)

[alexis w]

i didnt state it as if i was a vet, never said i was, all i said is that is what i was giving my dog. it is what was recommended to me by someone who has fed homemade dog food with the help of a vet and nutritionist for many years. the bones cause problems when they are not properly supervised or are not the right size for the dog. please do not attack me.

[alexis w]

sorry didnt know it was considered spam, i won’t post a link again

[alexis w]

I am going to start supplementing with pre frozen(to kill the germs) raw meaty bones. you never want to give dogs cooked bones. if you prefer you can used crushed eggshell to give the calcium needed

[alexis w]

check out Nupro All Natural Dog Food Supplement, its what I give my 8 week old Australian Shepherd/Boston Terrier/Chihuahua/Pomeranian mix. I feed her homemade food and the supplement has everything needed to make sure her diet is well rounded and she gets all of her nutrients, also it is very well priced and has been around for quite some time, since 1989. Here is the link to it as well as a link to my blog with some dog food recipe ideas for you to check out: http://www.nuprosupplements.com/nupro-dog-supplement.html
http://www.calliefoodrecipes.wordpress.com

[alexis w]

i just started using this Neem Auras Pet Spray recently as i refuse to put the chemicals on my fur baby and it seems to be working well so far, neem oil is proven safe and effective against fleas, ticks and mosquitoes and i use it on myself and my children as well as it is safe for humans. we live in georgia so i know how bad the bugs can get and this seems to be working like a charm. plus feeding the homemade food seems to have been helping too(not exactly sure the science behind it)

[alexis w]

parsley is great for dogs with bad breath here is a link to a homemade doggy dental treat:

[alexis w]

in the mean time to make sure he is getting the right nutrients you could give him a supplement, I use Nupro All Natural Dog Supplement for my dog. I feed her a homemade diet and it adds in all the extra nutrients she needs just in case her food is deficient anywhere. Also I have never heard a dog being allergic to eggs, a lot of times what seems like an allergy is actually a nutrient deficiency(not a vet but from everything I have found in my 100s of hours of research thats what I have found). http://www.nuprosupplements.com/nupro-dog-supplement.html

also here is a link to my blog with some easy to make grain free homemade dog food, you can leave out the egg if you feel it is necessary: http://www.calliefoodrecipes.wordpress.com

[alexis w]

i know its been a while since this post but i thought i would sound off: i pay about $35- $40 a month and my recipes vary with what is in season and on sale my blog http://www.calliefoodrecipes.wordpress.com has some of my recipes on it.

[alexis w]

i love your recipe, i also have 2 muttloaf(as i call them) recipes that are people friendly on my blog http://www.calliefoodrecipes.wordpress.com check them out and let me know what you think. i will have to add the turmeric to mine, great idea!

[alexis w]

thats a great recipe, i also use sunflower seeds in some of my recipes. i don’t add in the sardines but i do feed salmon two or 3 times a week. if you would like you could check out my recipes and let me know what you think, im always looking for feedback: http://www.calliefoodrecipes.wordpress.com thanks in advance.

[alexis w]

from my research i have found that a lot of times what seems like a food allergy is actually a nutrient deficiency, have you thought about giving a good supplement with the homemade food? i see you were suggested to give a multivitamin. I have found Nupro All Natural Dog Food Supplement to be very high quality and it supplies calcium as well so you don’t have to worry as much about the amount of calcium you are adding to the diet. I actually feed a low carb, higher protein grain free diet to my pup and since I have started it she has stopped itching and licking. here is a link to my blog with some recipes and a link to the Nupro website at the bottom of each recipe: http://www.calliefoodrecipes.wordpress.com

[alexis w]

anchovies, salmon, mackerel, trout and herring are all high in omega 3 and low in mercury
on my blog calliefoodrecipes.wordpress.com there is an article for dehydrated dog treats with a recipe for dehydrated salmon treats you might like

[alexis w]

i don’t personally feed my dogs raw but rather lightly cooked(more out of salmonella concerns with the kids getting doggy kisses rather than for the dog herself) but from my research I have read that a raw egg or two are very beneficial, I also second the coconut oil idea, its very good for the body…human or dog. here is a link to a very simple coconut oil dog treat: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AYnmQSeFbOhygDrZaRulwt7a7KZtS6d5EEmZE_K6xUNJYlozNAY1jt8/

[alexis w]

http://www.nuprosupplements.com/nupro-dog-supplement.html
is a great supplement for kibble, wet or homemade diets. It isn’t vegan but it is a great supplement and my dog loves it.

[alexis w]

here is a link to my blog, it has a few good homemade dog food recipes and a link to a supplement to make sure that the dog is getting all the necessary nutrients.
http://www.calliefoodrecipes.wordpress.com

if you have any other questions you can email me at lexiwalker09@gmail.com

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