Homemade Dog Foods

We used to buy Nutro for our dogs because it was recommended to us as being healthy for them. Then we heard that there are some pending lawsuits regarding the safety of this brand of dog food. So we started making their food homemade. On Sunday nights I would steam some brown rice and veggies (that are safe for dogs, of course), and then make some lean meat to add to the mixture the night before (for example, chicken, turkey, lamb, etc.) But my doggies started gaining too much weight when I began to do it this way (though they LOVED it, of course!)…Does anyone know of a dog food brand that is actually good for dogs?

I just switched from Orijen Grain free and home cooked turkey and veg to Raw food. I am using The Honest Kitchen Force and Natures Variety Chicken, Turkey and Lamb. I want to know about anyone else’s success or failure on Raw (BARF) Diets. PLEASE Don’t tell me it’s expensive, etc., cause I don’t care. But do tell me if you use commercial or do it yourself! Tell me what changes you see in your dog! Tell me how you think it is benefitting your dogs, and if you reverted to cooked food again for reasons OTHER than money. Thanks!!!!
Yes I give my dog Cod Liver Oil, (1/8 tsp) and a Probiotic and Enzyme powder added to the food. The nutritionist I spoke to said that since my dog was so healthy already and since she ate probably the best kibble there is (lol, she said if there is such a thing…) that I wouldn’t notice too much of a ‘bad’ reaction in her, as she never ate grains anyway, and certainly never corn soy or wheat.

My 8 month old boston terrier mix has an extremely sensitive stomach and I dont know what to do anymore!
We have tried 4 different types of food and none seem to help him.
First was Orijen which was the worst because of how high in protein it was, he had blood in his stool and wouldnt eat it eventually. And yes we have had multiple stool samples done and all came back negative.
Then we tried Wellness which we kept him on for about 3 months….but he always had loose stool and sometimes extremely liquidy!
We were told to change his main protein in his diet so we switch to performance choice lamb and rice. He was on this for about a month or more and he was even worse then when we was on wellness…it was always super loose and watery. I did some research and found California Natural which is supposed to be for sensitive stomachs and allergies. It seemed to get even worse….he was going RIGHT after he ate like it just went right through him and it was all liquidy and green sometimes. I always do the transition very slow especially because of his stomach but that doesnt seem to make a difference.
The only thing that seems to be good for him is when I make him rice and chicken to settle his stomachs when it gets really bad…but I know that it doesnt have enough vitamins and nutrients in it to feed him all the time.
I feel really bad changing his food so much and Im sure that doesnt help his stomach either but its getting out of hand and I just dont know what to do anymore. We have even had the vet give us pills to make his stool solid and those barely help!
I have gotten to the point where I think a home made diet will be the only thing that will be good for him but I dont have the time to make something super complicated for him everyday.
If anyone has any ideas what to do, or a simple homemade diet that still gives him everything he needs please help me!
He’s lively and has tons of energy so hes not sick or anything but I dont want him to have a upset stomach anymore
Thank you

Hi, i have a 2 year old rottweiler, and i want to switch from commercial dry dog food to raw homemade diet, and would like some help with the list from which meat( prefer beef like steak or ground beef or chicken breast,) and what i need to use for the food etc etc.

i tried the primal raw beef beefore, he did fine, but i got lazy ( i know its a bad thing) and the frozen beef from primal( pre-made raw diet) expired, so few weeks ago i went back to the store where i bought the beef from, and wanted to try Lamb, same day i bought it he vomitted back out ( i gave her half of it only) then i found out i shouldnt mix dry dog food with it( but i did that with the raw beef one and he did fine) so, i stopped for a week and within that week i just gave him his dry dog food i usually give him because im guessing hes not use to eating lamb, usually i give him beef or chicken breast(cooked chicken breast.) i really want to switch fto raw diet. i am thinking about going back to the store today and get the beef one, but i really hope someone can help me with the list so i can make it myself instead as i heard its better to make the raw diet yourself. here is a list of questions i hope someone with a rottweiler that they make the raw diet food at home instead of the pre-made ones.

1. what kind of grinder or w/e do i need and where can i get this at to grind the meat/veggies together? ive never fed my dog raw food besides using primal brand which are pre-made, so please be more specific on how much do i give him to start off, etc etc. thanks

2. i bought the salmon oil which has omega 3/6 fatty acids, and i give him the Pet tabs ( i think thats what its called, i dont have the bottle with me atm) and it has pretty much all the vitamins/minerals. do i need anything else? is the salmon oil same as fish oil?

3. do i really need to mix the raw meat lets say beef with organs? what kinda of organs? can i just give him raw beef or chicken with veggies or do i need to add something else other then salmon oil?

4. since this is my first time making homemade raw diet, how much should i start with to completely switch over? since i cant mix raw meat with the dry dog food, do i just give a certain amount of raw meat per meal itself? and can i give him raw steak? * the meat only ofcourse not including the fats. if i want steak should i slice it intt bite size pieces or just trim the fat and toss it to him to eat it?

5. is there a time line i need to know like if i feed him a raw diet meal in the morning, do i feed him again 6hrs later? since i heard raw diet digest around 5-6 hrs and dry dog food takes about 10hrs? i dont know thats what i read, dont know if thats right.

atm, im feeding royal canin, i use to .feed him wellness, but i guess hes picky and he lost some weight until i switched to a new dry dog food and he gained weight. i have Orijen, i give him some here and there mixed in with royal canin some times, but im gonna switch him over to Orijen soon as roal canin is about to run out( i still have alot lol.) but i really really want to feed my rottweiler homemade raw diet instead tho. please help. thanks for reading and answering my questions ( hopefully)
Thanks, btw eggs, do i crack it and mix it with the meal including the yolk? or no? can i just give him only the meat itself? or do i really need to add the organs and bones? and for the bones, which kinda bones, and do i need to grind up the bones or what?
what kind of organs and is there a specific kind? like chicken heart/liver etc. etc. or just any kind?

I have a weimaraner that I switched from Nature’s Receipe that to Nutro Nature Choice Lamb & Rice ( dry and can food). She developed raised whelps on her back after the switch to Nutro. This happen to another weim that I had 10 years ago which was related to a food reaction. She does not like Nature’s Receipe so I thought I would Nutro a try. She loved it but it does not like her. I do know my first weimaraner was allergic to sunflower seeds. ( I know this from making homemade heathly dogfood!) I discovered tonight that Nutro can food varieties list Sunflower oil as an ingredient. I am trying to find out if anyone has this problem? Please respond! I believe Nutro is a good food. She sure did like it!

well i have a 7 month old siberian husky girl and i currently feed her a complete Junior dry food, but as most sibes not only does she not have a huge appetite but she is a picky eater, i bought her two flavors to help:
duck and rice
and
lamb and rice
and i mix them together at her two meal times.
but she eats but not as much as she should, she eats about three cups a day ..MAX…sometimes even 2 cups whilst getting 2 hours exercise a day!!!!! so today i cracked an egg (minus shell) over it and she loved it and ate a lot…which is good because she is high energy and lean, someone suggested adding some moist food, but this is the kind of dog to eat the moist bits and then look up at you as if to say "you didn’t add enough of the good stuff!"

so my q is:
how can i make it more interesting for her, so i know about the egg but i was hoping for some sort of doggie gravy or soup to add…homemade or bought….any ideas????
thanks

I have a 6 month old chihuahua, who refuses to eat dog food. So, I have learned to cook him dog food with the right ingredients (no onions, grapes, garlic, salt…)
Having said that, I am a bit concerned if he is getting the proper nutrition from eating people food ingredients.
I usually give him chiken meat, with brown rice and carrots. Or veal and oat meal. Chicken liver and beef….I also give him pigears as treats and sometimes bones (lamb bones) to chew on…
Any criticism, suggestions, or ideas would be helpful…
My concern is that his coat isn’t so shiny….

what am I missing out?

Hi! Ok- I’ll try to make it short. I had my pup on Eukanuba lamb and rice for about 6 months+ and she loved it. Then she wouldn’t eat it anymore, would actually put it in her mouth and spit it out. And if she decides to eat a few pieces, it takes her FOREVER. So after researching and seeing that there are better foods out there, I switched her to Natural Balance Potato and Duck. I like the grain free, wheat free diet…it appears her tear staining is getting better. Now, 2 months later, she doesn’t like to eat, spits it out…I know I can’t keep on changing her diet, but I don’ know what to do. She is a havanese and they tend to be "picky eaters". I’ve looked into Canindae but it is not grain free. I have to keep her on dry dog food- no homemade recipes please. Any suggestions???
Thanks for so many comments. I agree with some, I definitely cannot continuously change her food because it will affect her bowels.
She will eventually eat..I hope:)

Using ingredents such as lamb, chicken,beef,etc

For all of the people who have healthy dogs that eat healthy homemade food daily, I am planning on giving my dog homemade food rather than commerical dog food.

First, how old is your dog/dogs?

Did feeding them homemade food make them live longer?

How long have you been feeding them homemade food?

Do you think it will help add years to their life??

Well, heres what ill try:

30% Meat — Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Egg.
10% Grain — Brown rice, Wheat Pasta, Etc.
50% Veggie’s —Carrots, Cucumbers, Peas, Beans, Etc.
10% Dairy — Cottage Cheese.

I havent got a "recepie" yet but this is what ill use. what do you think?