Homemade Dog Foods

Okay so I got kidney beans, eggs, brown rice, oats, hamburger, chicken, broccoli you name it. But how much of what do I put in? All the websites say something different and the math is killing me trying to figure it all out, like a pound of hamburger is 2 1/2 cups, etc….
Everywhere I read says give them some veggies like broccoli though….

My boxer is about 4 years old and she tested negative for worms, but she has lost from 49 to 44 lbs. although we feed her a rather large amount of food. The vet said to remove corn from her diet and we have done so. We’d like to get her up to 55 lbs.. I changed the main grains to brown rice and also oats, along with some potatoes. Her pup is flourishing on the same diet and weighs more than her. The vet suggested irritable bowel disease might be at fault. I estimate I feed her about 1800-2200 calories daily now, but after 2 weeks all her ribs are still showing (although she has lots of energy and even a little flab around her flanks). If we can’t get weight on her soon, we’ll have to take her back to the vet for more tests. Any suggestions? I use mainly lean meats and vary vegetables, always using greens or broccoli or beans/peas for fiber and vitamins. I rotate other types of veggies and use brown rice puffed cereal as a base. Thanks for any suggestions!
Thanks for all your great answers! To clarify, she is not nursing the pup; he is 8 months old. She was abandoned by her former owner and we adopted her; she used to be a lot more active than she is now, because she had to hunt to survive (we found her munching a deer carcass after our neighbor moved away). She was skin and bones and had had 6 pups. She weighed 49 pounds just after she finished nursing them (we found homes for the other pups and kept one). The vet told us we should see 3 ribs on her side, and we can see them all. 44 lbs. is rather small for a full grown boxer, although she doesn’t seem to be low in energy. Thanks for all your suggestions on food choices; I’ll consider them.

I have two ridiculous boys. An English Bulldog (1 year, 10 months) and a Saint Bernard (5 years, 5 months). We currently feed Innova, with Nupro (silver label) supplement, whole fat yogurt (non and low fat give us all the runs!), Vitamin E supplement, and parsley. I do not believe in feeding dogs wheat, corn, soy, etc. (You know, the adage about “if you can get it in the grocery store”…we’ll never find ours in a grocery store–although Whole Foods now carries some Wellness, so I suppose we’ll only find it in 1 grocery store, and a specialty one at that!)

I have researched and researched, and while I can find boatloads of information on Raw/Barf/Natural for Dogs and Wolves, Raw Egg loving diets, I can’t seem to find any information on feeding a strictly homemade diet, but without the raw factor.

Do you feed a homemade diet? Do you always supplement with some kibble? Anyone with experience to share?

Please, I completely understand the Raw philosophy. (Continued…)
I have chosen not to feed Raw, after much deliberation. I did not immediately poo-poo Raw diets, nor do I now feel that way. For my dogs and my home, I do not want to feed Raw, but I do not in any way have a problem with other people choosing to do so. We may decide to do it in the future, but at this time, we are looking for strictly homemade ideas, without the raw element.

Our boys are moderately active (during the winter, we can be much more active with them, but summer is hard because bulldogs are prone to heat stroke and saint bernards don’t really enjoy moving AT ALL in the hot hot heat of our area–in winter we can feed more because they are going a mile a minute every day.)

I want their meals to be balanced and to work for their systems, rather than dragging them down. Money is not an object in this case, as we’ll feed them the best of everything (and we eat ramen noodles instead–you know our type), but I would like it to be something that I can make at home myself.
I am a terrific cook, if I do say so myself, and I’m willing to do whatever they need. I do not want to *buy* their meals pre-made.

I appreciate all of your insight and suggestions, but please, I beg that you respect my wish not to feed raw and to attempt to get them off of kibble in general. I don’t want to waste your time by not being up front with my wishes. Thanks in advance for any help!

Are there supplements I should add?

How can I eat a healthier breakfast lunch and dinner? I am a very picky eater! I do not eat any meats besides Meatballs, ground beef, hot dogs, and chicken. I love pasta, vegetables,and fruits a lot!

My problem is, my family eats pretty unhealthy and I really want to start eating healthier meals. How can I eat healthier when I am so picky?

Also, how can I avoid temptations from junk foods? I have a huge container of homemade cookies in my house and I can’t stop myself from eating at least one a day! Throwing them away is not an option, my mom would throw a fit. haha..

I’ve seen these kids in every major city I’ve lived in. They typically hang out in touristy areas. WHAT ARE THEY? Is there anywhere on the web that talks about them??

Clothing style= Black and brown cotton/denim. Unidentifyable slogans crafted on, like with a paintbrush or sharpie. Torn off sleeves, ripped off cutoffs. Boots= always leather army boots. CROSS laced. No bright colors at all. No accessories except maybe shoelace necklaces. No nail polish or makeup.

Jewelry = NO SPIKES OR O-rings…..just the occasional nose ring or earrings. Always silver or iron looking. No gems. Sometimes a leather belt-like bracelet on one wrist.

Tattoos= Also minimal, often on the face. No words just tribal like decoration, blackwork. Look homemade.and are simple.

Hair style = Practically always home-done dreadlocks. Shaved undercuts. Artificial coloring or bleaching is rare and minimal. (like one odd highlight…)

Accessories= MOST COMMON= Camping-sized backpacks, sometimes even with musical instruments (violin, guitar, bongo). Sometimes the cases look expensive and sometimes they don’t.

PASTTIMES = Hanging out in public parks in a circle with mongrel dogs on rope-leashes. Rumor is that they travel the country on black-painted school busses or campers. Also a rumor that they fix up and squat in abandoned buildings.

PUBLIC INTERACTION = Hands out ‘zines” with titles like “FIX IT UP!” or “STOP ****ing and START A REVOLUTION!”. Sometimes even panhandle with signs that ask for specific items “NEED SHOELACES” or “NEED FLOUR”. I’ve never seen them ask for money specifically. They don’t give the “Panhandler’s Pitch” either None of that “dude I need 3 bucks for the bus and my mom’s sick blah blah blah..”

DIET/HYGENE = Most describe themselves as “FREEGAN” which means, yes, dumpster diving outside of supermarkets and bakeries. .Most are vegetarian or vegan also who eat like civilized human beings and keep gardens in vacant lots or even buy food with money from stores. They seem to know about soap+water, their clothes look dingy and their hair is wild but their faces and arms are clean-looking. Dispite ratty clothing and hair style, still have a nourished, healthy appearance, Some of the men even have well manicured facial hair like goatees…Dental care is same as any other population, varies with individual.

MUSIC = They carry their own instruments… Never seen with ipods or radios. They seem to just play whatever comes to mind, no identifyable style. Definitely not punk or rock of any kind in case you were wondering.

DRUGS = I don’t know…They don’t look strung out.

ANY IDEAS?
Nevermind, I found out what they were, they’re called Freegans.

And yeah I put it into this catagory among others because I also thought they’d be just runaways and well statistically a significant number of runaways are GLBT. No offense.

Hi everyone, I just got allergy testing done on a stray pup I found two months ago. He was in really bad shape and I had to spend over $2000 to get him healthy(mange,worms,teeth removed,hematoman,ect) and NOW he’s got major allergies. I am trying to find out if anyone knows any good treats to buy at PetsMart or the grocery store for dogs with allergies. I’m trying to avoid homemade treats from doggie bakeries. Most of his allergies are to trees,grass,and fungus, but the foods he is allergic to are CHICKEN,CORN,CARROTS,BARLEY AND EGGS. He CAN have BEEF, PORK,VENISON,DUCK, MILK, WHEAT,OAT, CHEESE AND FLOUR. Does anyone know of any good dog treats that are not homemade or doggie bones that he can enjoy, but will not have a reaction to. I am giving him allergenic shots every three days too, but I don’t know how well that works. I am loosing my mind! I just want to find a good treat for my baby bowser. Help please?