For over a year now, I have been feeding my dog food that I prepare in my own kitchen.
WHY? 1) He was underweight. No matter which kibble I tried or what quantity of kibble I tried he was still underweight. 2) He would occasionally get sores on his skin, he seemed to shed a lot, and he had pet dander. 3) He had pink bumps (acne) on his chin. 4) Gas.
WHAT ELSE HAVE I TRIED? I have tried various kinds of kibble (Iams Giant Breed, Eagle Pack Holistic Select Giant Breed Formula etc). Then I tried raw (chicken quarters, beef) for at least four weeks. He had the runs the entire time he was on raw. Not only was it disgusting to have that in our yard, it seemed uncomfortable for him. So I tried a homemade holistic recipe.
WHAT IS THE RECIPE? The recipe is a combination of meat, root vegetables, broad-leaf vegetables, fruit, oil, water, and vitamins & minerals. The recipe is posted below.
WHAT BENEFITS HAVE I OBSERVED? Proper weight maintenance, no more skin sores, no more chin acne, no more pet dander, less shedding, and a shinier coat. Also, because the food is not dehydrated and because of the water content in the food he rarely drinks water. He only drinks water after a long walk on a hot day. Otherwise he never drinks any water. He is still plenty hydrated and urinates regularly. Not drinking water means less mess near the food bowls! Also less gas (it is pretty rare for him to have gas unless we include broccoli in the recipe).
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO PREPARE & HOW MUCH DOES THE RECIPE MAKE? Because I am feeding a Great Dane, the recipe makes less. I feed him 4.5 cups, two times per day. The recipe makes twelve 4.5 cup portions which means every six days I spend two hours making the food. The two hours includes, preparation, cooking, and cleanup. It does take a while, but if you think about it you cook for yourself multiple times every day so you can probably cook for your dog once per week.
WHAT DOES IT COST? This is a tricky questions because there are a number of factors. Our dog goes through a pound of meat every day. If you buy 5-6lbs at a time from the grocery store you will pay around $1 - $2. per pound. So $1. - $2./day not including all of the vegetables, grains, vitamins and minerals if you are buying it from a grocery store. You can also warehouse grocery shop, look for sales, hunt & fish, or buy bulk quantities of meat from a farmer or hunter to reduce your costs. If you have a garden that can reduce or eliminate the cost of fruits & vegetables. Creativity can equal less expense. The way I shop and the way I prepare it it probably ends up the same or more expensive than a premium food.
INGREDIENTS:
Water:
10 cups water
Meat:
2 lbs meat (or protein alternative)
Grains:
4 cups oatmeal or whole-grains alternative (see alternative suggestions below) (optional - if you don't use them substitute with extra vegetables) (see article at bottom of page regarding oatmeal).
Fruits & Vegetables:
2 cups root vegetable (sweet potatoes, potatoes, yucca, etc. - leave the skins on)
2 cups broad-leaf vegetable (collared greens, mustard greens, spinach, etc.)
2 cups fruit (apples (don’t feed seeds or core), bananas (cut off the stem and the end and leave the rest)
Basic Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar per serving (controls gas)
2 Tablespoons raw wheat germ (refrigerate unused portion)
2 tablespoons kelp powder (good for their skin/coat) (you can find it in powder form at pet health stores or kelp pills from a vitamin shop can be ground with the coffee grinder into powder form just grind all of the pills and put the powder back in the pill bottle for storage).
2 tablespoons brewers yeast (high in Vitamin B and helps controls fleas & ticks)
2 tablespoons bone meal (you can buy this at a vitamin shop or just use ground egg shells) – Rinse out the eggshells with warm water using the sink sprayer, then let the shells dry out a bit then grind them in the coffee grinder to a fine powder. If you rinse them and allow them to dry some, you will have a dryer, finer powder and not a powder that is clumpy. Keep unused portion in the freezer.
1 teaspoon oil per serving (Alaskan Wild Salmon Oil, other salmon oil, flack seed oil, grape seed oil, vegetable oil, or good quality fish oil for omega 3 and six fatty acids) (add according to directions on package based on dog’s weight). It is a good idea to vary the oil (in a few containers use salmon oil, in a few use flack see oil, and in a few use another type). Wait to add oil until the end because it will break down in the heat . Refrigerate unused portion.
Directions:
Prep: I do all of the measuring and chopping first. I measure and chop for three 2lb. batches. Cooking: In a large pot add water, add grains, add fruits, add vegetables. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Add basic ingredients and mix in. Add meat and mix in. Cook for about 5 to 10 minutes on low (not too long or you will cook nutrients out) stirring occasionally. Note: I add the meat and stir in and remove it from the heat almost immediately. I also portion it immediately using a measuring cup rather than waiting for it to cool. Time saving tip: measure the first three servings and just dump the remaining amount into the fourth serving container (the last amount almost always comes out to 4.5 cups or slightly more).
How to serve:
Let cooked food cool. Serve 1 cup per 30lbs of ideal dog weight. Feed two times per day. Just before serving add oil. (I measure out the serving amount into separate storage containers, then add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and salmon oil on top, then put the lids on and store in the refrigerator. When it is mealtime, everything is ready to go, just dump it in his bowl and serve). Our large cooking pot holds 18 cups (or 4 servings) of the finished product. I put out four plastic storage containers, put in the apple cider vinegar, and then measure 4.5 cups of the finished product into each container. I then put in the oil into each container, seal, and refrigerate.
Storage: You can cook large batches and store the extra. Store extra in the fridge for up to 6 days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months. If you freeze it, it may be easiest to freeze the food in single servings and pull them out and defrost them as you need them. I got a bunch of the Glad disposable/reusable storage containers that stack up when not in use and I pre-measure the servings into those containers.
Note: For the kelp, fish oil, brewers yeast, etc. you can find these at natural pet food stores, or natural food stores for people, such as Whole Foods or the Vitamin Shop. Raw wheat germ can be found at Wal-Mart inexpensively. You can make the bone meal yourself (see above).
Alternative Meat Suggestions:
1 lb Turkey
1 lb Cottage Cheese
12 eggs
Variety of Beans
I usually buy the five-pound portions of beef from Aldi (cheapest) or Wal-Mart (they come in a tube) or whatever happens to be on sale. Sometimes you will find the ground turkey on sale or boneless, skinless chicken breast. One of them is usually on sale for just over $1./pound. I make this recipe with the five pounds of beef and a dozen eggs as the sixth pound (or some other protein alternative). I make six pounds at a time in three 2lb increments because that is all that will fit in our large pot at once.
Alternative Fruit and Vegetable Suggestions:
Apples
Pears
Broccoli
Green Beans
Cucumbers
Bananas (cut the stem and very end off and slice the rest with the peel)
Ripe Tomatoes (don’t use green tomatoes)
Canned tomatoes (sliced or stewed but make sure they aren’t seasoned)
Green peppers (cut the stem and de-seed)Leggums (green beans etc.)
*We have a garden so I pull from that and keep switching it up.
*If we have fruits/vegetables that we bought for us but aren't going to eat before they go bad...I put them in his food. We waste very little food this way.
Alternative Grain Suggestions:
Quaker Oats/Oatmeal (see article at bottom about oatmeal)
Long Grain Brown Rice
Basmati Rice
Barley
Whole grains
Some foods you should not serve:
Chocolate
Onions
Garlic (in large quantities)
Macadamia Nuts
Mushrooms
Some other notes:
- I am not a veterinarian or a nutritionist. However, with that said, I have been feeding this to my dog for over a year and have witnessed a healthier dog take shape. I found this recipe from someone online who makes pet food for a living and I have modified it for a Great Dane and based on different personal experiences I have had making it.
- Variety is key. Just like with humans it is a good idea to vary the ingredients of your dog's food. Different foods offer different health benefits.
- Many argue when feeding a dog you should model their diet based on what wolves (truly wild, natural, undomesticated dogs) eat. Many refer to it as the Prey Diet. That is fine, except I am sure the original humans (uncivilized, undomesticated people) only ate a couple of things too. Their life span was far shorter too. Now with modern science, health studies, developments in shipping etc. we eat a much much wider variety of food, experience more health benefits, and live a longer life. These same people argue that wolves don't eat fruits, vegetables, or grains in the wild. I don't know about you, but I don't know a dog who won't at least occasionally snack on some grass (see article below on oatmeal).
- Others argue kibble is best because pet food companies spend a fortune studying pet diets and therefore should know what is best to feed a dog. In theory that is true except there are so many companies that are only concerned about their bottom line. They will put whatever they can in the food that is cost effective without regard for the dog's best interest. They also don't have the health standards in these factories that apply to human-grade food preparation which from time to time results in animal deaths and food recalls. Some dog food manufacturers include preservatives, food coloring, and other fillers and additives which sometimes are attributed to negative health affects.
- The arguments made for kibble diets and raw diets are often good ones, but I know what I feed my dog and I know how it is prepared. I also know he is fed a variety of foods with a wide variety of nutritional health benefits. And to top it off he looks and acts great!
- Dental health. Some recommend raw and kibble for dental health reasons. If you supplement this homemade diet with occasional hard biscuits, rawhide chews, dental sticks, and teeth brushings your dog's dental health should be fine.
- Use of oats: Here is an article I found in a Holistice Select newsletter...Oatmeal may be relatively new to the pet food industry as a whole, but it has been included in Holistic Select® recipes for years because of its effectiveness as a nutritious and effective natural and holistic ingredient for both dogs and cats. Natural, whole grains have always been known to be healthy and nutritious for our pets, if prepared properly and used in the correct amounts; oatmeal is no exception. In fact, Oatmeal is probably one of the best grains used in some pet foods today. Technically, oatmeal is ground oat groats. Groats are the hulled grain; in this case, hulled whole oats. Compared to other grains, oatmeal is higher in protein and fiber and lower in carbohydrate calories. It is a great natural source of iron, manganese, zinc and B vitamins as well as essential fatty acids and antioxidants.
The protein in oatmeal is an ideal complement to the meat proteins found in all of our foods. It contains almost a complete list of the essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein) vital to a complete and balanced diet. Many vets feel that the protein in oatmeal is very hypoallergenic (less likely to cause an allergic reaction) and therefore an ideal nutrient to be included in a diet formulated for pets suspected of having a food sensitivity or allergy. Due to its fiber content, pound for pound, oatmeal contains less carbohydrate calories than other grains. This makes it an ideal ingredient to support weight management as well as optimum bowl function. The soothing properties of oatmeal can help a pet with some digestive issues.
Natural antioxidants in oatmeal help to protect the pet from the toxins in our environment thought to be responsible for many of the diseases and conditions seen in pets. Oatmeal has a very low glycemic index, and is lower in glutens than most grains. Both are important in controlling blood sugar levels and reducing digestive issues for pets.
All Holistic Select dry cat food and dry dog food recipes include oatmeal as a healthy grain source.
