Does anyone make their own dog food?
Hi there! McKenzie is about 1 and a half and my mom and I have been thinking about making her dog food instead of buying it, and we feel it might be a healthier option. We have done a lot of research on what vitamin supplements we need to put in it, recipes, etc. but my question is: does anyone on here have any experience with making their own food, or having a "raw diet". If so, how did your corgis respond to it. thank you in advance!
~Hannah
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Angie on
-
I switched my corgi to a raw diet when she had bladder problems at 5 months old. it was the best thing I have ever done. I buy whole ground raw turkey currently from a lady who has been feeding raw for years. My corgi loves it. It has solved her problems and she is leaner and has more energy. I add a cranberry supplement in the morning and a multivitamin at night. The key is to make sure you have enough calcium. If you buy raw ground meat from the grocery store you need to supplement calcium with another source. I don't like doing bones so I would do egg shells. I bought the book raw and natural nutrition by lew Olson. It helped a lot. Also try dogaware.com the vitamins I use are also natural. I have been slowly adding fruits and veggies but my corgi has a harder time with certain foods. She loves blueberries. I switched her to raw meat cold turkey and she had no problems. Some dogs need a slower transition. I also do more natural treats as well. Ones without preservatives.
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
-
An unbalanced raw or home cooked diet can be much worse than feeding your dog Ol Roy for its whole life. If you are interested in making your dog's food or going to a raw diet I would recommend talking to a veterinary nutritionist. Do your homework and look at the sources on many of the online websites. Jan the hairdresser who has a website about feeding raw or home cooked food is not a good source. You will find a lot of websites by people claiming to know all about dog nutrition and the best diets out there yet they have no medical, nutritional, or scientific background. If your current vet does not support raw or home cooked diets try consulting a holistic vet instead.
Since home cooked and raw diets can be time consuming, costly, and difficult you can buy pre-made raw or dehydrated diets. The Honest Kitchen makes a great dehydrated diet that is human grade and all natural. It is the only dog food company that has human grade on the label and they have a vet on staff that helps with the formulations of their diets. You can do WAAAAAAAAY more harm than good if you go about this the wrong way and if you do decide to do home cooked or raw I would definitely recommend annual blood screening to catch any possible deficiencies before it's too late.
-
Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
-
I wholeheartedly agree with Melissa. A little knowledge is worse than none. An older book that has good info for a home diet is Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog by Wendy Volhard
.
-
Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
-
Yes, please don't begin feeding your dog a homemade (cooked or raw) diet without doing a lot of substantial research. A badly put-together diet can and will seriously harm your dog.
I feed Waffle a prey model raw diet; it was the best dietary decision I've made for him in terms of palatability and health. We buy meat/bones/organs at the butcher every 2 months and package it into daily portions, then freeze it. A proper raw diet will not need supplements. The best source for all nutrients is from a whole-food source--I'd suggest that if you are considering a cooked recipe that uses a lot of isolated vitamin/mineral supplements that you find another recipe.
Get a full blood panel done a few months after starting your diet to see if anything is off or starting to go off. It's hard to catch organ failure or malnutrition before it's too late, especially if you're not aware of the signs of vitamin deficiencies or excesses.
-
Permalink Reply by Hannah on
-
Thanks everyone for your responses and input :) I appreciate you taking time out of your day to type that, as some were quite long :) don't worry, we will talk to our vet about it next time we see her to see what she recommends and more information on making sure McKenzie stays happy and healthy.
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
