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I've had mine on Arcana Prairy Blend for some time and other then the initial sticker shock, it's great food and goes a long way.

I agree. Love acana brand. Tried orijen but it was too rich. Made him constipated. I have tried other flavors but he likes the 6 fish. Also, you only need to feed like 2/3 of what they recommend on the bag. He also gets leftover steamed carrots and other treats.
 
My dog is 15 this year and gets whatever she wants. Which is usually half of my meal and some of her dog food
Personally I think most of the better dog foods are great for most dogs without allergies.
Only time I do anything different is for puppies. You need to control the proteins so the don't grow too fast.
 
We feed each of our two full-grown Labs 6-cups of this stuff once a day (winter time they get 8-cups for extra energy) at the dinner hour when we eat. If there's anything "dog worthy" they'll get table scraps (i.e. leg of lamb bones) This food has kept them healthy and energetic for years, and oftentimes they don't eat the entire portion as there's still some left in their bowls in the morning. This stuff also seems to keep the "land mines" to a minimum, too!


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You guys that "cook" for your dogs... just go make 'em a flippin' sammich, or somethin'. :D
 
Some vets will tell you not to feed your dog ANY human food,but dog's systems are a lot like ours. But you have to take into consideration their size/weight. Someone in another thread said their vet said sugar is poison to dogs. Well some naturalpathic? Docs will say the same for humans.
Everything in moderation. Nothing too salty or too much sugar.
I heard one guy say pork wasn't good for dogs. Don't say that to a dog,lol. If it's real salty ham or bacon,maybe not
But my GSP/lab mix is 15 and has eaten my scraps for the 14 years she's been with me. Heck I like hot spicy food and she cleans that up!
 
Well, this is week two of cooking for the dog and so far so good. I did a LOT of reading as well as took y'alls input and assessed that and how I could best start.


This link was one of the ones that fit me best:
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/is...Dog-Food-Nutritional-Information_20568-1.html

Instead of every meal being 100% complete, it takes a more human approach and advocates well rounded and varied meals - plus has some good supplemental info.

Last week I slow cooked some lamb chops that got forgotten in the back of the freezer and were freezer burnt but dang if it didn't smell like heaven cooking (the dog ate better then I did last weeko_O). Added a small amount of brown rice to help soak up the extra liquid and added carrots and peas. Maybe not a complete meal but he still has access to his dry food and is still eating it but much less so.

I'd rather under feed him with the cooked food then make him fat, but for a 26 lb dog he is built like a pit bull mixed with a bull dog - hardly if any fat and a barrel of muscle.



Today I took two chickens that we had eaten on (I like the rotisserie stuff but I can not eat the dark meat and my wife won't so it was nice to find out it's good for the dog) and tossed them into a stew pot.

After 90 min of simmering, I ladled out the chicken and kept the stock boiling. Sorted the bones out by hand (in my reading I found out that Lhasa Apsos, amoung others, do not have the right kind of snout/teeth for chewing on cooked bones) and put the chicken back in the pot with a cup of brown rice (again for liquid absorption mostly, not for filler, he doesn't seem to have any issues with it allergy wise - which was warned about keeping an eye on).

I have a couple bags of peas and carrots to add once it's reduced. Then I'll lay it out in a baking dish to cool faster and have some bananas to add in and mash up before I put it in a large bowl and toss it in the fridge for a week.

Only being 26 lbs, middle aged and not all that active I am only giving him 1 cup per day in the afternoon.

I "plan" to walk him today and will do my best to get some energy out of him (when our female bubblegumzu died my buddy kinda stopped running all over barking at the neighbors and such and just hangs with me... So it's not just my health at stake now with this whole exercise thing).




I'll try to remember to updat this in another few weeks. I also need to keep an eye on his weight somehow - maybe I'll just swing by the vet and get him weighed on the big, on the floor scale.
 
Update on the food adventure:

I have been adding 1 thing per week or when cooking a new batch (I think this last one will last 2 weeks easily and cost me $17) and so far he hasn't had any reactions that I can tell to any of it.

I still need and am working on a calcium supplement (ground egg shell was one option) and omega oils to add in and I think I'll be fairly complete.

The last batch contained:
-Chicken Leg meat
-Chicken hearts
-Chicken Liver (1 ounce per pound of other protein - more or less can have thyroid side effects from what I've read and a little all the time is better then a lot every now and then)
-Carne Asade beef chopped up
-Kale (no stems)
-spinach (no stems)
-carrots
-yam
-apples
-brown basmati rice
-(I often add bananas but not this time)

All cooked down and mixed together. He goes bonkers for it still and knows when I'm making lunch or dinner that he is about to get fed lol. He is also very affection and playful afterwards so I guess that's a good sign.

I saved the receipt for what I made this last time so I can tell exactly how long the food lasted for. I bag up and freeze anything he won't eat in the next 4 days after its made to keep it fresh. When he has a day of food left, I just pop one out of the freezer and into the fridge and it's about ready when it's time to eat the next day.


The first few weeks he lost a considerable amount of body mass (he's always been a beef cake but never looked fat).

When his back spine started to show I upped the amount of food I was giving him and he stopped eating the dry food all together and has kept the weight off.

(Following me everywhere in the house and up and down the stairs has added to his weight loss I'm sure but he is looking real healthy right now).

He's getting a bit more then a cup (heaping cup?) twice a day and started at 26 lbs. I have not weighed him but his collar went from 2 fingers under the collar to being able to fit 4 between it and him - had to tighten it up for the firs time ever. I'm guessing he is closer to 22-23 lbs now.



Pro's:

-The above
-Knowing what's in his food
-knowing that I can now feed him in a grid down event without dry kibble.
-I want to think all the work is paying off but I Really don't know other then he has lost some weight.
-'IF' this last batch makes it 14 days then I will be saving money on dog food every month


Con's:
-Not a huge cost savings, even buying cheap meats and what's on sale.
-Last batch was about 3.5 hours of shopping and cooking.
-Some effort needs to go into what to buy and trying for a consistency that isn't just mush.


That's about all I have today. I'll check back in a few weeks when I make another batch.
 
We have been strong believers in high quality dog food for our dogs and for the most part our dogs live longer then most people we know.

However, $75 a month (probably 6-8 weeks now) isn't bad but I would like to slowly move over to feeding him more or less what we are eating (we eat mostly organic if possible and cook healthy meals with a variety of foods).

From what I keep reading on the net, it is recommended to give them a varied diet and not settle on one specific recipie unless it for sure contains all they need. A varied diet makes more sence to me so I figure that's where I'm leaning.

I will say I am not going the Raw diet or foods route - maybe raw egg but no raw meats.

Any of you cook for your dogs? Have any tips?

Thanks!:)
I usually put some regular kibble in a bowl, add some banana, carrots, and maybe some lettuce or chicken. If they are really lucky I will add some strawberries.
 
I usually put some regular kibble in a bowl, add some banana, carrots, and maybe some lettuce or chicken. If they are really lucky I will add some strawberries.

I found mine is a picky sucker. He will pull chunks of apple and anything else he doesn't deem worthy and drop it outside the bowl.

Let it sit in the fridge for a day though and let all the good stuff marinate and he cleans the plate.
 
I found mine is a picky sucker. He will pull chunks of apple and anything else he doesn't deem worthy and drop it outside the bowl.

Let it sit in the fridge for a day though and let all the good stuff marinate and he cleans the plate.
Wow. Almost as picky as my 8 1/2 year old maine coon who wants new water in her bowl every time she drinks.
 
Update on the food.

We had a vet visit the other week and he has lost 2 lbs.

Just having to make another batch today and the last one lasted about 2.5 weeks.

Feeding twice a day, lunch and dinner - he's getting old and likes to sleep in:D but man he is a fruit loop if he thinks it too late in the day and I may have forgotten him lol. Bounces around and barks like he is 6 months old.

Then after he eats he is very happy and wants a lot of attention;).

About a cup per serving now.
 
Whatever falls off the grill when I'm cooking dinner. He loves corn on the cob. I did some boneless pork ribs yesterday. The hound hasnt complained yet.
 
After going thru all the high end crap dog food that my dog had problems digesting properly, I found the Pure Balance line at walmart. It's dry kibble but no fillers or questionable ingredients. I switched him to that a couple of years ago after running through all of the free range, cage free, organic and rainbow/unicorn snob brands and he absolutely thrives on it. Oddly enough, he also like raw and cooked veggies.

IMG_20151205_112835.jpg IMG_20151010_181534.jpg
 
Mine loved carrots and sweet potatoes before I started giving him cooked food, now he kind of turns his nose up at them lol.

We use Arcana prairie blend grain free dry food to supliment. Very snobby if price is an indicator but all of the food is locally sourced.

He has food allergies of some kind so when we found one that stopped the ear infections we just stuck with it. Plus he is only 24 lbs and doesn't eat a ton.

I have reduced his cooked food to 2/3 cup twice a day to account for the dry food he is eating. On a small dog you can tell if they are gaining weight or loosing it fairly easily and now that he has the right curves and his spine isn't showing just a bit, I am happier with the combo.

I've stayed away from Walmart because of the issues they have had with pet food brands - I want to say one where a lot got sick and at least one where a bunch died. Not to try and change your mind on what works for you.
 
Mine loved carrots and sweet potatoes before I started giving him cooked food, now he kind of turns his nose up at them lol.

We use Arcana prairie blend grain free dry food to supliment. Very snobby if price is an indicator but all of the food is locally sourced.

He has food allergies of some kind so when we found one that stopped the ear infections we just stuck with it. Plus he is only 24 lbs and doesn't eat a ton.

I have reduced his cooked food to 2/3 cup twice a day to account for the dry food he is eating. On a small dog you can tell if they are gaining weight or loosing it fairly easily and now that he has the right curves and his spine isn't showing just a bit, I am happier with the combo.

I've stayed away from Walmart because of the issues they have had with pet food brands - I want to say one where a lot got sick and at least one where a bunch died. Not to try and change your mind on what works for you.
I tend to agree with you regarding Walmart's store brands, Ol Roy, Purina, etc. Like all the other store brands, they're loaded with grains, and miscellaneous fillers like sawdust, mechanically separated meat and likely floor sweepings.
On I went through a lot of the higher end stuff. I didn't mind being a snob about it, lol. I just wanted a good food for the pooch. It's just that he was a four legged fart machine after eating most of it, despite the mostly good ingredients.
Most of the high end stuff I tried on recommendations from Chip Sammons who is kind of a local expert on pet nutrition. He used to do a radio show on Saturday's on KPAM. Anyway, I was just lucky to find the right brand to get my pooch on track. It might not be right for every dog though. Like they say, your mileage may vary.
 
I had a malamute that flat wouldnt touch the Old Roy crap. Even the canned ground up chicken Wal Mart brand he'd walk away from. Smart dog.

Luckily my fox terrier will eat anything put in front of him. He eats better than I do.
 

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