receipes

[simon]

Hi guys,

Bella had right dodgy stomach issues as a new pup, lets just say it was impossible to pick up.

So we took the plunge and cook her food for her...

Anyone else do this, and any receipes to share ?

[F, Calla & Luca]

Here' same group to start with. There is a recipe group too. And you can do a search in the right upper corner.
http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/thefoodgroup/forum/topics/homecoo...

[Deborah Brown]

I started homecooking for my dogs a few months ago.  They still eat Orijen for breakfast but homemade in the evening.  I have 3 60lb dogs and can't keep up with the cooking otherwise!

I guess I'm not overly creative because my recipes are all pretty similar with different protein added.  I try to find the meat on sale at $1.99/lb.  This week they got their first pork because I bought a 9 1/2 pound pork loin at Costco.  It was $2.49/lb with a $4 coupon so I bought it.

My most recent recipe:

6-7 lbs of ground turkey (another Costco special)

1 lb chicken gizzards and hearts

1/2 lb chicken liver

2 1/2 lb sweet potatoes

1 red pepper

3 apples

6 cups spinach and kale (chopped with food processor

6 eggs

1 1/2 cups brown rice (leftovers)

7t ground cooked egg shells

They also often get asparagus, green beans, carrots, squash and other leftovers.  I always put the numbers in a spreadsheet to make sure I get the balance of protein, fat and carbs that I prefer.  Sometimes with chicken, I have to add vegetable oil to get enough fat. I avoid veggies that cause gas.  I add up the total calories and split the food into approximately 500 cal servings.

I've done a bit of reading but always come back to this guide:

http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_7/features/Home-Prepared...

Your pictures look good enough to eat.  :)  Mine always looks good until I put the egg shells in.  ;)

[simon]

we make a stew, and there's nothing in it to stop us from eating it.. we slow cook over night it smells fantastic.

We pop into our local Tesco and head straight for the reduced shelf.

Invariably we can pick up a cheap stewing steak pack, and I try and pick up reduced price veg...

So we use..

Stewing steak
Liver or kidney
Carrots
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Broccoli
Turnip
Sweed
Brussel
Porridge oats
Rice
Cod liver oil tablets
Vegetable oil
Oxo cube

The veg we throw in anything we've got except onion

Comes to about 16 meals for £6.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

There are some important nutrients missing from this diet, though. Calcium for one. Do you give vitamins or supplements of any kind? 

[simon]

Its not a diet that's like a receipe for stew..

I've not mentioned marmite on toast... Or the egg shell, or scrambled eggs on toast, or venison bone...

Or horse manure, or frogs, or mice.... Or anything else she finds before I do when on a walk :-)

[Kelly & Zoe]

Looks great!

[Kelly & Zoe]

I started doing half home made half kibble.  I'm basing most of my meals and nutritional advice from Rick Woodford (the Dog Food Dude) Feed your best friend better: http://amzn.to/1rIpXAE

There's a nutritious supplemental stew recipe in that book that you can add if you do 100% home made.  He states that good quality kibble typically exceeds the RDA for supplements - so doing half and half should give your dog the RDA.  I've recently had much success with the following:

1 lb ground turkey

2 carrots shredded

1 small sweet potato shredded

1 c chopped spinach

2 eggs

Using a little olive oil I sautee the veggies then throw in the turkey (adding some water or some non onion broth) and cook until no longer pink.  I mix in the 2 eggs off the heat.  For my 50 lb dog I feed her 2/3 C of that with 2/3 C of  grain free Canidae for each meal.  She LOVES it.  You probably could easily do this in a slow cooker for 4 hours on high and add a little bit of white rice or potatoes.

Sometimes I'll supplement with a spoonful of tinned sardines (water packed - I can usually pick them up for $1 a tin).

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yep, if you feed 50% or more of a recommended kibble, you don't need to worry about the vitamins & minerals in the homemade food, as long as your dog doesn't have digestive disease or absorption issues.