Cooking for your dog

asala, we've been thinking of switching our dogs to a raw food diet as our pug suffers from severe yeast problems and has for years. We have him on a grain free food (expensive as all heck!) and that keeps the yeast at bay but if he so much as gets into the cat's or our other 2 dogs dry food, it's another week of him suffering.

There are a million links online and I don't know which are actually good sources to follow. Do you happen to know of any? Thanks in advance!

Michelle

reply to post by Michelle129th


Its always a nightmare and expensive trying to find foods for our dogs that dont contain the stuff that makes them ill,

What country are you in? As in the UK we have a store called "pets at home" and they sell a cheap frozen dog food that is basic ground up meat and bone .. nothing else, And its so cheap too! So ill look at the name and let you know so you can look it up over there if your not UK,

But for now here is a yeast free dog treat idea

Grain Free Dog Biscuit Recipes – Meaty Bites


½ pound ground beef or ground chicken (hunters try venison)
1 egg
¼ cup beef broth (chicken broth)
1/3 cup mashed pees (cooked mashed black beans are another option)
1/3 cup cottage cheese
¼ cup instant potato flakes


Mix all of the ingredients thoroughly, if your mixture is very mushy you can add some extra potato flakes. Make your favorite shapes and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Awesome thanks so much for that recipe! It sounds delicious for even me to eat LOL! I am actually in Canada, so don't worry about the link, but I will start researching around a bit. Even though it will be more work I think it will be healthier and a lot cheaper to do it on my own...and your dog is BEAUTIFUL by the way!! I missed the pic the first time in the thread

Michelle

I just started making my own dog food for my dachshund. After researching online I came up with this recipe:
1. 30 ziploc bags - fold the tops inside-out and you can set them all in rows like bowls
2. 1 bag of chicken breasts - thawed and either boiled in water for 15mins. or slightly broiled - cut into small pieces
3. 1 bag of frozen spinach - helps provide calcium
4. 1 bag of frozen broccoli
5. 1 bag of frozen carrots
6. 1 large can of pumpkin puree -NOT the ones labeled "filling"
7. 6 sweet potatoes (optional) - softened in microwave

For my 25lb. dachshund I only fill 1/4 of the ziploc bag with 1/3 meat & 2/3 veggies. Adjust your portion sizes to accommodate your dog's size.

Roll up each baggie, getting as much air out as you can, and zip closed. Place the ready-to-go meals in your freezer and simply thaw for 35 sec. (depending on your microwave AND please make sure it's not hot!) and serve.

For snacks or treats I use baby carrots or frozen blueberries.

2X a week he gets a small can of sardines or an egg (yolk raw and whites nuked- serve whites warm or cold) instead of his pre-made meals for breakfast.

I thought dogs were carnivores? They are only supposed to eat the flesh of other animals. It's probably not good for him to be eating human foods like biscuits.

reply to post by Jay Electronica


They are carnivores but do eat grass and other plant materials like veggies. The store-bought kibble dog food nowadays is just plain bad for your dog, even most expensive dog foods. Best to mix your own. There's many various recipes on the internet and even breed specific recipes for dogs that tend to overeat or gain weight easily.

As always proper daily exercise is also essential for optimum health and longevity of dogs.

reply to post by Jay Electronica


Cats are carnivores. They have to have their meat products, or they wont survive.
Also the more a cat is fed, the more they hunt, because of energy requirements. Then they're even more ensured to get their meat requirement.

Dogs can get by with less meat than cats. Other protein can be substituted sometimes. Some dog food companies will even use soy in place of meat - that would eventually kill a cat.
I don't believe in that practice, I think they should have real meat, fish, poultry, eggs....

reply to post by Phantasm


What about a daily fat source? The sardines and eggs twice a week is good, but I wonder if it might be a good idea to include one sardine daily? Or a bit of olive oil?

I've started cooking one chicken thigh every morning in a bit of olive oil for my Shihtzu, followed by a raw carrot piece. I even bust open the cooked bone and get the marrow out. Extra nutrients. Then at supper, some other meat with veggies. And a small piece of cheddar cheese every night about an hour or so before bed.

He's decided he wants to be hand fed lately so I've abandoned the stew I use to make him.
I guess it's cleaner, he has a little beard I no longer have to clean off.
I've had to cut soft boiled egg yolk out of it before, lol.

And yes, I have way too much spare time.....

Only if we're out, and don't have access to his food, we get junk food - a small package of dog food. Something decent.
I've also managed to get him extra chicken from restaurants sometimes.