Dog Food

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I lost a beloved std poodle to crap food 1 1/2 years ago. Since, we've rescued 2 labradoodles. 1 from a puppy mill, 1 from shelter. I have been cooking for them & would like to share dinnertime ideas. What do you all feed your dogs? If I try to go back to premade now, they turn up their noses. My 8year old Bijon, who ate crap food for years has no more arthritis or tear stains since "real" food was put into his life. Any ideas or comments, thoughts?

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Danielle, I really don't have a single recipe. When I first started, I got some dogfood cookbooks off Amazon.com and downloaded some recipies from a Google search. Since, through trial and error, I've simplified my regimine considerably. I buy the big bag of Frozen Chicken Tenders at Costco and bake them to 3/4 done (they cook more on the pan), then in a big pot I steam different veggies, sometimes blueberries, sometimes crazins (dried cranberry raisin like things, don't feed raisins) sometimes I'll add an apple chopped up, pumpkin or some seeds or nuts. I add plain oatmeal or flax seed and sometimes brown or red rice and lentils. Basically, my recipie changes every week with some similarities.

While I cook my families meal, usually on a weekend night, I cook dogfood once a week and ziplock bag and freeze. About every other month, I'll cook up some stew beef and salmon or other oily fish as their food. I use ground turkey and some ground beef occaisionally. I did pork once, mixed into the chx tenders, lamb is expensive so I only did that one time, what ever is on sale I buy. I always give a daily suppplement, salmon oil every other day and I started adding bone meal, yogurt or cottage cheese a couple days a week. It might sound like a lot but it takes me about an hour to cook, cut up and bag each week. The kids even help. When I shop for the family, I shop for the dogs, too. I also split 1, 13oz can of Innova Evo 95%, Natures Logic, Merrick Before Grain, Canidae or other premium dog food between 3 dogs every other day or so. I leave Premium Grade dry food out all day and they will pick on that here and there. I have never had a problem with overeating. I got a dehydrator for Xmas so every month or so I use a bag of chx tenders to make jerkey. The doods go crazy for that.

I read several articles while I was doing my research that made a lot of sense. They said that before the 1960's or so when dog food was created, dogs ate what the family ate or they hunted their meal. Dogs are carnivores. They ate different things every day. They didn't seek out anything other than meat. The only grains or fruits would be in the stomachs of their preys. And while there is a yuck factor to allowing my dogs to go out hunting, I try to match it to some extent.

They didn't eat corn or rice or wheat (gluten, drugs, etc) and they lived to 18, 20 or more. If people ate the same thing every day for years on end they would get sick of it and if they ate some of the crap that has been put into dog foods over the years, our life expectency would be a lot lower. I have taken this to my dog feeding.

Much of the advice here on this forum is excellent, too. I think, and I am really glad to see more pet owners take charge of the food they feed their dogs. I had absolutely no idea there was a problem with what I fed my dog until she died. Now, I research everything I buy for them to eat.

[Danielle]

Thanks so much. You have been a big help!

[Jacque Reynolds]

I understand your loss. I lost a puppy to toxic chicken tenders and almost lost a puppy to tainted dog food. I am sorry that you had to go through this.
If I only had one or two dogs, I would cook for them or feed raw.
But because we have so many, I feed Canidae canned and dry. We only feed food and treats that we KNOW are made in the USA.
For everyone's information ALL chicken jerky treats that I have seen, even if sold by a US company, is made in China!

[1v200f3rbrnxk]

I feed my doodle Canidae all life stages and recently added a 1/2 cup of Taste of the wild to it.
they also get natural food treats : pineapple, sweet potato, tiny bit of yogurt or cottage cheese etc

[Tamara & Giada]

Just found this online, thought many would benefit from it:

How to grade your dog's food:
Start with a grade of 100:

1) For every listing of "by-product", subtract 10 points

2) For every non-specific animal source ("meat" or "poultry", meat, meal or fat) reference, subtract 10 points

3) If the food contains BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin, subtract 10 points

4) For every grain "mill run" or non-specific grain source,subtract 5 points

5) If the same grain ingredient is used 2 or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. "ground brown rice", "brewer's rice", "rice flour" are all the same grain), subtract 5 points

6) If the protein sources are not meat meal and there are less than 2 meats in the top 3 ingredients, subtract 3 points

7) If it contains any artificial colorants, subtract 3 points

8 ) If it contains ground corn or whole grain corn, subtract 3points

9) If corn is listed in the top 5 ingredients, subtract 2 morepoints

10) If the food contains any animal fat other than fish oil,subtract 2 points

11) If lamb is the only animal protein source (unless your dog is allergic to other protein sources), subtract 2 points

12) If it contains soy or soybeans, subtract 2 points

13) If it contains wheat (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to wheat), subtract 2 points

14) If it contains beef (unless you know that your dog isn't allergic to beef), subtract 1 point

15) If it contains salt, subtract 1 point

Extra Credit:

1) If any of the meat sources are organic, add 5 points

2) If the food is endorsed by any major breed group or
nutritionist, add 5 points

3) If the food is baked not extruded, add 5 points

4) If the food contains probiotics, add 3 points

5) If the food contains fruit, add 3 points

6) If the food contains vegetables (NOT corn or other grains), add 3 points

7) If the animal sources are hormone-free and antibiotic-free, add 2 points

8 ) If the food contains barley, add 2 points

9) If the food contains flax seed oil (not just the seeds), add 2 points

10) If the food contains oats or oatmeal, add 1 point

11) If the food contains sunflower oil, add 1 point

12) For every different specific animal protein source (other than
the first one; count "chicken" and "chicken meal" as only one protein source, but "chicken" and "" as 2 different sources), add 1 point

13) If it contains glucosamine and chondroitin, add 1 point

14) If the vegetables have been tested for pesticides and are pesticide-free, add 1 point

94-100+ = A
86-93 = B
78-85 = C
70-77 = D
69 = F

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Wow! I was never very good at Math. I seems easier to continue cooking my own. I add only good things and know where all my homecooked dogfood is coming from. I mix things up every week so my three are getting many different meats, fruits and veggies. I wonder what can or dry food on the market meets an A grade on that scale.

[Tamara & Giada]

Already scored:

Authority Harvest Baked / Score 116 A+

Bil-Jac Select / Score 68 F

Canidae / Score 112 A+

Chicken Soup Senior / Score 115 A+

Diamond Maintenance / Score 64 F

Diamond Lamb Meal & Rice / Score 92 B

Diamond Large Breed 60+ Formula / Score 99 A

Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Ultra Premium / Score 122 A+

Dick Van Patten's Duck and Potato / Score 106 A+

Foundations / Score 106 A+

Hund-n-Flocken Adult Dog (lamb) by Solid Gold / Score 93 D

Iams Lamb Meal & Rice Formula Premium / Score 73 D

Innova Dog / Score 114 A+

Innova Evo / Score 114 A+

Kirkland Signature Chicken, Rice, and Vegetables / Score 110 A+

Nutrisource Lamb and Rice / Score 87 B

Nutro Natural Choice Large Breed Puppy / Score 87 B

Pet Gold Adult with Lamb & Rice / Score 23 F

ProPlan Natural Turkey & Barley / Score 103 A+

Purina Beneful / Score 17 F

Purina Dog / Score 62 F

Purina Come-n-Get It / Score 16 F

Royal Canin Bulldog / Score 100 A+

Royal Canin Natural Blend Adult / Score 106 A+

Sensible Choice Chicken and Rice / Score 97 A

Science Diet Advanced Protein Senior 7+ / Score 63 F
Science Diet for Large Breed Puppies / Score 69 F

Wellness Super5 Mix Chicken / Score 110 A+

[Marcia Stevens]

Kodie is currently on Royal Canin, but I think she has an allergy to the corn meal. need a grainless dog food.....I've heard good things about Candae....any suggestions..?

[Marcia Stevens]

Thank you Trina I will take a look at the other foods they carry...She does well on the Royal Canin..but, has the hot spots on her inner back legs.....I will do some research on the various foods.....

[Tamara & Giada]

We had to switch to grainfree also--Innova EVO Giada had too many upset tummy aches, and loose stool--we haven't switched totally(we are doing it gradually), so it might take awhile to help her--but it is a bit better!

[Marcia Stevens]

Kodie does well on the Royal Canin, and her stools are nice and firm...but, she chews on her legs until they are raw....someone said it could be the corn meal in the food. I have read about the EVO also, and that seems like a good food, but high in protein.....I was wondering on the cost of it also.....has anyone tried the Authority Harvest Baked dry food...? That also looks interesting....

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I had a similar problem unitl I cut out all corn totally. Now no more chewing on self. I use the Evo with no problems but have not tried the AH Baked dry. I switch the dry food with every bag between the EVO Red Bites & Solid Gold Wolfking, which I get from onlynaturalpet.com, and Life's Abundance, which I get from healthypetnet.com. No corn included. I leave dry out all day and feed wet homemade & 1/2 can Evo or Nature's Logic or Natural Balance in evening.