I use organic food, which has recently become plentiful at the grocery store, such as organic fruits and veggies, and the hormone free meat.
Use chicken, lamb or venison (my hubby hunts) or ground beef or stewing beef cubes.
This is one of my homemade recipes adapted for feeding my two chunky girls who are both between 75 and 80 pounds, adapted from this feeding chart by weight.
One recipe gives me a full days supply for both of them.
I feed them twice a day, rather than one big meal. (This would feed one 80lb. dog for two days.)
*NOTE* I am not a vet or specialist and advise you read and understand the nutritional necessities of dogs before switching to a homemade dog food diet.
Just throwing together leftovers is NOT a homemade diet, and could be harmful…. Your dog needs specific amounts of calories per day and specific combinations of protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, salt, along with a very necessary vitamin/mineral and bonemeal supplement.
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LADY AND LOLA’S FAVORITE EVERYDAY MEAL
The veggies and fruits should be cooked and pureed. Use any combination your dog prefers. He/she will let you know quickly which are the winners. Don’t introduce several at once. Start with the basic carrot and apple combo. This adds sweetness to the food that most dogs love. I usually use approx. 3/4 to 1/4 ration of veggies to fruit. For my recipes above that is 3 cups carrots and 1 cup apples, pureed and mixed together. My girls like carrots, beans and peas mashed together so I use 3 cups of this and add one cup of mixed fruit consisting of apple and pears. (I use canned pears without sugar). Sometimes I use blueberries in combo with the apple or pears. I use frozen fruits and veggies a lot in the winter, and cook them till I can whiz them up in the processor. In the summer I use loads of fresh picked from my own garden and local fruit stands. Either way this is much healthier for your dog than the cheap commercial chemical filled dog kibble you can buy at the store. |
I was curious, as I have been doing some research myself and trying to derive a good quality home made food for my lab who has recently become tumorous after being pud on a diet of prescription dog food. (J/D Mobility by Hills Prescription Diet). He also gained about 4-5% in body fat, which was interesting because his tumors are called ‘fatty tumors’. The prescription diet was 17% protein, 11% fat, and 12 Fiber. I’m assuming the rest are trace minerals , mystery ingredients and yes ALOT of GRAINS. Do you know how many grams of protein, carbohydrates, fat, and fiber this recipe has? And how many calories it is? I could do the math, but I’m thinking I would be off as it depends on if the meat is ground – or cubed, etc. – (this question is based on the apples / carrots / rice / meat product recipe you have on your site. )
The following recipe I have put together– based roughly on yours, with the hope that it’s close enough nutritionally as well as balanced enough for weight loss. For an 80# black lab wanting him to weight 75#- counting two meals at 550 calories each; 27% protein,(this is not straight meat based protein -42% is from the fruits, veggies, flax seed and brown rice) only 10% fat (Alaskan fish oil and flax seed fats), 17% fiber, 55% Carbs. 42% carbohydrates which doesn’t include the fiber (fiber included makes 59%).
I have included the Alaskan salmon fish oil because according Dr. Demian Dressler, “… omega 6 fat excess sets the stage for cancer development, stimulates cancer cell growth, and decreases the body’s natural cancer-fighting abilities.” and its quite possible these tumors have been instigated not only by the crappy dog food but all the omega 6′s we have been pushing on him because of his arthritis. The JD mobility has omega 6′s and another supplement (Synflex) I was giving him had them as well. The Alaskan Salmon oil has the fats plus the omega 3′s. I just hope that this natural diet will help with his limited mobility too, which the combination of j/d mobility and the Synflex definitely did improve.
I guess I will now need to order the supplement that you suggest on your site. Do you use it yourself religiously?
Do you feel that the above mixture/ratios would be okay when the supplement is added?
I do appreciate your time and love the site. Sincerely, North Central Idaho
That’s the reason making your own homemade dog food is so healthy. You can tailor your recipe specifically to your own
dog’s needs, activity level, health and size.
Feeding the right types of proteins, carbs and fats will always trump feeding commercial dog food, as their proteins, carbs and fats are overprocessed and usually seconds, leftovers, and undesirable products left after production of our processed foods. (Don’t even get me started about that!
)
Here a some articles I wrote on the subject:
Unfortunately the dog food from you veterinarian is the exact opposite of what is considered healthy.
My basic recipes are all around 40% protein, 35% carbs and 25% fat.
This the average generally recommended by the combination of animal nutrionists and veteranarians that the refer to in
my library of books about homemade dog food, and dog health and nutrition.
I urge anyone switching over to a new diet for their dogs, to educate themselves and understand at least the basic nutritional
needs of dogs through their own research, which you have obviously done.
A healthy, 80 lb dog needs between 1600 to 1900 calories daily, depending on activity level. My recipe above using cubed
turkey gives approx. 800 calories per serving, with the protein around 60 grams, carbs around 75 grams and fat around
29 grams.
You can make your own homemade supplement very easily, rather than ordering the supplement that I recommend.
I do use it without fail, but I tend to be lazy and this supplement is my favourite for dogs.
To make your own, when feeding a homemade diet to your dog, you definitely MUST add calcium and a multivitamin.
There is a fine line of the right amounts, but you can purchase bonemeal (NOT GARDEN BONEMEAL) and vitamins
for dogs at your local pet store, and these should have the appropriate dosages per weight of your dog.
I have and use this book regularly, and recommend it as the go to book for those that are seriously switching to a
healthier more nutritious lifestyle for their dogs.
This whole book promotes healthy homemade dog food, and addresses all of your questions with answers from those
way more educated than me. It took them a complete book to review and answer these question and make sure your
dog receives to proper nutritional additions needed with homemade dog food. (That’s why I use the already prepared
supplement) – They also address the Omegas in dogs.
Thanks for visiting – you have one lucky pup.
Jane
Are your ingredients listed in volume or weight? Should I wip out my cooking scale or my measuring cups?
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[...] have been feeding Lady and Lola homemade dog food for several years now and my vet has seen a great improvement in both of their overall [...]
[...] have been feeding Lady and Lola homemade dog food for several years now and my vet has seen a great improvement in both of their overall [...]
Thanks, sounds great, my girls will love it….as a treat I give them red or green peppers (julienned of course)it’s candy to them