Homecooking for your Doodles

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

A place to talk about feeding our doodles a variety of home-cooked foods, with recipes included. Ask questions, check on safe ingredients, share some tips. Please see The DK Cookbook Group for recipes, too!
http://doodlekisses.com/group/dkcookbook

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

Welcome to our WORLD! Many of us now homecook. I lost my std poodle to the 2007 recalls and have been doing it ever since. BTW, nice to meet you!

[Mary Coleman]

I have been cooking doggie food almost from the first day we got her. She was never a picky eater until we switched her from her puppy food to adult food. I was worried that by cooking for her, she wasn't getting the proper nutrition. Now having read all these posts, I feel much better. We too, just load up the crock pot and use whatever meat and vegies we decide to buy this time. Always brown rice or barley added. Our dood loves the home cooked food so I guess I won't worry that she hates kibble now. Thanks for all the input.

[Susan & Hogan (6/12/2009)]

I've been reading about home cooking and a question that I have is at what age do you start feeding these foods? We have a 12 week old labradoodle...not sure if we should think of adding any of the home-cooked foods as yet. But would definitely be interested in any thoughts or comments.

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

You can probably start adding some boiled chicken, rice and mild veggies now, But I would not rely on only homecooking for a few months yet. 12 weeks is very young and would do better on puppy foods for now.

[Susan & Hogan (6/12/2009)]

That was what I thought but just wanted to get it clarified for me. Thanks for all the info.

[Kyoko]

I have been cooking for my 14 year old chow, since he seems to have tummy problem with kibbles now.
The other day, I had a large bowl full of his food cooling off, before I can pack them individually to freeze.
It was some rice, ground turkey, eggs and mixed veggies.

One of my kids called out " Whoes fried rice is this !?"

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

My kids often say, "The dogs eat better than they do." I have caught my husband before he put a big bite of my DF in his mouth, it looks so good. My dogs have kibble out all the time and barely touch it. I have 2 big bowls of it and maybe, every other day I have to fill one of them.

Why do you say: "he seems to have tummy problem with kibbles now.?"

[Kyoko]

Butter was doing well on Fromm, but started to have loose stool. Once I put him on rice & chicken or rice and fish type of home cooking meal, his stool firmed up, and back on kibble, loose again.
I tried adding pumpkin, didn't work, rather he had a bad run.( I guess because of the fiber?) My thought is that since he is 14, his stomach is becoming sensitive...... I now add a little bit of kibbles to the food, and he seem to be OK. I had his stool checked, and things were fine.....
Butter loves the cooked meal, and Charlie wants to eat it, too. I guess nothing is better than home cooked meal!!

[Lynne Fowler-Oodles of Doodles]

I just finished cooking, feeding and bagging up my weekly batch and had 4 doggies under my feet the entire time. They know what's good for them. At 14 years old, if he's not doing well on the kibble, you might consider doing without it. The Fromm might be too rich for him and he may be better off with the softer foods. And if he's doing well on them, go with the homecooking.

I never fed my Samoyed kibble...ever... and she lived to 16 on canned Alpo and Milk Bone Dog Biscuits. She's been gone since the mid-80's now, but I have never believed or relied on kibble for my dogs. I just leave it out now for the occasional bite. Their main food is my homecooking.

[Kyoko]

Once I started, it is not difficult to do.( Cooking dog food ) I learned a lot from DK on what to cook, how to manage, etc.....I also cook big batch of it and freeze them for daily use.

[Ann]

Thank you for all the hints & advice. Our beautifull Bella is nearly 5 months old now & I homecook her meals. Actually, I give her half homemade and half dry ( Chicken Soup for large Puppy ). I make it once a week and freeze in daily portions. I use ground chicken, lean ground beef, I add frozen & fresh veggies ( try to change them around) I also add blueberries ( she loves them) fresh cranberries and brown rice. .I have not tried fish yet or liver. I don't use corn at all. I was using brocholi , but someone told me it was a no-no, so I'm still wondering about that. She loves her homecooked meals and always tries to eat the homecooked parts first :) Thank you again , this site is so helpfull! Of yes, should I wait for a year till I introduce eggs to her diet? What about the odd piece of cheese?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Broccoli is fine in moderation; too much can give gas, especially with puppies whose digestive systems may still be immature. A little cheese is fine, also in moderation, since dairy products can sometimes cause digestive upsets. I don't know of any reason to wait a year to introduce eggs...they are very good for dogs. Just add new foods one at a time so you will know if there is a problem with something. Since Bella is accustomed to eating a variety of fresh foods, you shouldn't have any problems with adding new ones.