Dog Food

[Bula's Lady]

I tried to use the search engine on this board to find old threads about dog food, particular the home made kind. I know the topics are out there but this board has a hex on me.

 

Dog food is getting very expensive and with 3 dogs we are going through it like crazy.

 

I want to make it last longer, or make my own to balance out the cost.

 

I have been doing research online but wanted everyoneS opinion or thoughts or past links on the board.

 

THanks!

[Jack & Co.]

When using this version of the Search feature, I've had good luck selecting "More Options" every time it's offered. You will end up on a page that gives you more choices about dates of threads, etc. I tried searching "homemade" and came up with a variety of threads that you will probably have to go into to see if they will be helpful.

[Maralynn]

I really doubt that you will be able to make dog food much cheaper than you can buy it. Unless you feed raw and can get great deals on case lots.

 

What brand are you feeding now? You might want to try looking into the Diamond Naturals brand. It has pretty decent ingredients and the cost works out to about .50/# around here.

[sunshian]

I make my own pet food. This is what I do. Hope you can take something from it.

 

Cedar and my two cats eat a raw diet.

 

The staple meat is seperated chicken (aka: MSM) that I buy in 20kg boxes from the local poultry plant. ($30 Canadian) I portion it out into containers after I mix in the pureed veggies and keep it in the freezer. If I fed them this everyday it would last 6 weeks.

 

Organ meat/bones/extras I get from the local butcher. These items generally don't sell for much and you can probably work out a deal if you buy several at a time. The butcher will be happy you took them off his hands.

 

Also when I'm in the grocery store I look for discounted meats. Just keep an eye on the expiry date. This is when I usually will buy beef/rabbit/bison/fish etc...

 

Eggs we get from a local Hutterite colony...a flat at a time..cheap.

 

Oils are probably the most expensive item I add into the diet but the bottles last a long time. Add them to the meals fresh as freezing the oils really cuts down their value.

 

As for pre packaged dog food....I have no clue. I only bought it once and was in shock at the price. It takes DH and I an hour to make up a batch of homemade food that lasts over a month and is specifically tailored to my pets.

 

The only downside is it can take a few times until you figure out what veggies work best for your dogs so keep a written record of what you mixed in their food in case they are sensitive to some items.

 

Okay, I'm going overboard here...but it's because I love making food for my pets as much as I love making food for my kids! And the look in your dogs' eyes when you bring them home some fresh meat...priceless!

 

To help you out...check out some books at your library or bookstore. I can't remember the name of the book that I used to start out. I'm sure you'll find one that suits you best as there are lots out there. The books will talk about important topics like transitioning your pet to homemade food and things like digestive enzymes.

 

good luck!

[KJ]

I really like the book "The Veterinarians Guide to Natural Remedies for Dogs" by Martin Zucker. It talks about diet, views and suggestions for 4 different vets and their modalities, as well as addressing problems like allergies, gas or whatever.

 

It is very basic and probably would be viewed as a beginners book to making your own meals. It gives an overview, but lots of details too, of diets from raw to just homemade meals. It includes suggestion for supplementation as well as if you are in a hurry. I also have an intense book, "Dr Pitcairns...."can't remember the full name, and it's really intense but highly recommended by others. I refer to the first one more.

 

I am trying to do the same but I understand my own limitations-time, organizations etc., so I feed dry kibble, Natures Variety Instinct, Duck Meal and Turkey which is expensive no doubt but I supplement with brown rice, veggies, olive oil, ground turkey or canned salmon and still am trying to get a perfect solution. I plan on also adding Kelp and a multi-vitamin (as suggested in the book) to cover my bases.

 

Keep in mind I am just beginning and I have Curly has colitis and/or gluten allergy and am still trying to figure what works best for him.

 

Ideally to spend an hour to make food for a month is awesome but I am not so organized.

 

What I am having a heck of a time finding out HOW MUCH to feed these guys.

 

I will interested in answers and actually came to the board to search for other threads before I saw this one...so thanks for the search suggestion.

[Shetlander]

I also have an intense book, "Dr Pitcairns...."can't remember the full name, and it's really intense but highly recommended by others. I refer to the first one more.

 

 

Dr. Pitcairn's Complet Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats I bought it a couple of months ago on the recommendation of Quinn's new holistic vet who studied with Pitcairn. Lots of info there. I'm using a similar diet to some of the ones he has in the book for Quinn's IBD. It's the premix Sojo's European Dog Food which is a variety of grains, then adding cooked meat and water. Quinn also gets probiotic drops and 5 supplements prescribed by the vet. No meds and he is doing amazing so far.

 

What I am having a heck of a time finding out HOW MUCH to feed these guys.

 

Quinn has always been hard to put and keep weight on. He is eating double the meat Sojos says to use. He's filled out a bit but his energy level is now such that he is a maniac playing outside which keeps the weight down. But he's at least more solid than before the change to this diet and getting off all the meds.

[Chesney's Girl]

Are you looking for a home cooked diet? or just a home prepared diet, like raw? In southern California we have a raw food Co-Op which sell meat for a lot cheaper than you can find in the store. You might want to check around your area and see if there are others that feed raw and where they find cheap meats or if they have a co-op as well.

 

Chesney eats about 3% of his body weight (at 42# he gets 1#-1.5# per day depending on activity levels) Most of his diet is made up of red meat. I find I can get away with feeding a little less of the red meat on meals (about .75-1# per day) because there are more calories in red meat than white meat. Then he gets organs, some duck (for the edible bone and variety), along with lamb, and turkey. I feed him little to no chicken because I don't find the nutritional value in it for him (but thats just my prefernce LOTS of people successfully feed chicken). If he starts getting more chicken than he should his coat starts to get dry and he starts to itch. He gets other meats when they are cheap and available, but thats basically it. I feed him for about $1/day and can store enough meat for the school semester (4 months) from the co-op in California when we are in Louisiana. I supplement him with Salmon Oil and Ultra Oil and if I am cooking with veggies or fruit he likes he gets pieces of that but I don't make it a point to add veggie mush. Just more work and it just goes right through him usually looking the same way it did when it went it

 

Thats the basics of Chesney and Tucker (back in California) diets