Home Cooking - Where do I Begin??

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

So, I talked to the vet tonight and it's official that I'm going to "the dark side" (just kidding, of course). Because Guinness has a diagnosis of IBS the vet is recommending that I go fully to home cooking. I must admit I am surprised at this suggestion, since I fully expected her to recommend one of their prescription diets. She asked that I put together a plan including recipes that I would use and bring it to her this week to review. She will assess it to be sure that I'm not missing anything. So, now I'm panicked. I will copy and print some of the recipes here in the food group. I am at a loss when it comes to how much I should be feeding each time. Previously I just feed the amounts shown on the labels of the dog food for Guinness who is only 16 pounds. Since he's been on the chicken and rice diet for the past two days he's eating his whole bowl and acting like he wants more. I think that is only because he's so excited to have "people food". His "pooping" is still totally different than in the past. He is still only going once a day (and very little). Are there any important considerations that I need to be aware of as I make this switch. I'm thrilled to death that he doesn't have anything more serious, but right now I feel a little overwhelmed (and somewhat ignorant).

[Tammy & Gracie]

I keep Gracie's food frozen in single portions. No excuses! Just nuke for a minute and it's done!

[Tina J.]

I only cook 4-5 days supply at a time and I keep it in the frig. Maybe I should consider getting ahead and freezing too... She was so picky about that dog food anyway... I don't even know if she'd eat it...

Tina J.

[Tammy & Gracie]

I do big batches on the weekend and freeze in ziplock bags. Makes it ez, breezy! Right now I am cooking about every other weekend.

[Staci & Simon]

Wow! That's a great layout, Jane!
I've been seriously contemplating switching to homecooking too as my dog has IBD and really struggles w/digestion. I already boil potatoes or rice for him and mix that in w/his Nature's Variety Raw Lamb. But, we're hitting a brick wall w/this so it seems homecooking is the only thing that consistently works for our Simon. I've been delaying because it just seems like more of a hassle but you've really simplified it all and given me something to think about! Thanks, Jane! Good Luck!

[katherine willis]

I cook for my doodle too and love it. It's creative fun! I freeze canned sweet potato/yams and fill his Kong toy with them. He loves it and it keeps him busy for an hour. I've found that the sweet potato is very effective in keeping his poop solid.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I just heard back from the Vet, and she is comfortable with the plan but will supplement with a vitamin. Apparently I'm her first home cooking patient, so she does want to watch him closely. I think she's a little concerned about the fact that the premium dog foods are "scientifically formulated" to meet all the nutritional needs of the dog, and home cooking is less scientific. That said, I think right now there doesn't seem to be a better solution. She wants to monitor his growth, although he's 10 months so he's pretty much full grown. At least she's open to the possibility that this could be our solution and is supporting it. I'm wondering how vets in general perceive home cooking for young dogs who are still somewhat in a growth mode.

[F, Calla & Luca]

Not that I cook for my dogs but do we scientifically formulate the foods we eat? : )

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

My vets were not experienced with patients who are being fed homecooked foods but were very supportive of it. However, Jack was past 4 when I discussed it with them. I can understand the concerns with a puppy who is still maturing and developing. I think adding a multivitamin is reasonable. (Do not buy Nu-Vet...a waste of money MLM marketing scheme. Plain old multivitamins sold in your pet supply store are fine, unless your vets have one they want you to use.)
Jane, we are all here to help and support you, and nothing is written in stone. We all learn as we go. Guinness will be fine. Your experiences homecooking for Guinness will give all of us new knowledge and we are all excited to travel this new path with you!

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Jane, another point to consider, especially with cheaper commercial foods is they also claim to be "scientifically formulated" and "complete and balanced" and in many cases those slogans are nothing more than that. What does scientifically formulated even mean? They did a few tests, did some research, created a recipe, tested it to see if the dogs ate it, so they started selling it, is all it COULD mean. What you did was also "scientific." You did research, asked questions, got feedback and now are making it. In the advertising world, words and promises mean very little, especially if the item is not for human consumption. The FDA does not follow the same standards with pet food that they do with human food. As much as we think they do. Giving the vitamins, the oils and natural ingredients without all the fillers, by-products and chemicals is much more "scientifically proven" than what is ALLOWED by law.

[Lynda Kamrath]

I began cooking for my doodles in the summer of 2005 when Hondo had liver failure. He was hospitalized for ten days on IV's and has exploratory surgery. No results came from that but he got the same thing two years later. That time I knew what to watch for and he was at the vet immediately and was not hospitalized. He loses his appetite and starts to be jaundiced on his stomach. He takes liver meds (human) and antibiotics, along with a few other things. Learning to get his meds down was a task in itself when he doesn't care to eat. Now he has 1/3 human meat products (right from Safeway), 1/3 Happy Dog (a dry mix of veges and rice with vitamins) that needs to be cooked, and 1/3 Solid Gold dog food. He was just at the vets last week and all his numbers are fine except for his triglycerides. That means a low-fat diet. But it all is worth it for the best dog I have ever had. I couldn't see feeding them different diets, so Groucho Too eats the same with just a little less meat and a little more dry dog food. I cook the Happy Dog three times a week and the meat three times a week and store in the refrigerator in large plastic containers. It has just become part of our routine.