I have seen a recipe that calls for tapioca starch for binding soft treats, but I have read that tapioca starch offers little nutritive value. Would garbanzo flour work in a similar manner? Or is it just kind of “try it and find out?”

I know this is controversial and I am not trying to start an issue - I’m just an anxious person. I’m starting down the journey of home cooked dog food. I have always included meat and a premix in my dogs’ food. One of my dogs is having continual GI issues that vets are struggling with. What are your thoughts on DCM? Part of me feels more comfortable without the pulses and part of me isn’t sure.

Lots of poop talk, just fyi

About 6 months ago my old girl (13yo husky malamute mutt) had a cancerous tumor removed from her chest, we started her on carprofen and switched her to a low carb homemade diet (was previously on wellness core healthy weight with a homemade topper) and she has been doing surprisingly well, she's happy, moving around much better, doesn't randomly vomit at 1am, her coat is shiny, she plays more, and is !finally! down to a healthy weight.

Yesterday the tech found a new growth on her anus that wasn't there at her previous appointment (three weeks prior), it's not very large, from the outside it looks smaller than pea-sized (I know tumors are always larger than they look from the outside). The vet said it would probably be fine as long as it doesn't rupture or get infected.

Her poos have been fine since the diet switch, occasionally she'll have some loose stools (pudding). She has toxic farts though, they smell like dead animal, she does eat questionable things when she's outside (farm life) so maybe it's garbage and animal poop?

Our other dog (3yo heeler) has had consistently perfect poops, his farts are a normal amount of stinky. Before the diet change he always had an upset tummy and would randomly have diarrhea and puke.

I have two questions:

1. Would it be easier/less painful for her to poo if I pureed her veggies?

I've just been chopping them they same as I would for my dinner and cooking them until soft. She doesn't have any trouble pooping, and doesn't act like it hurts at all, I just worry. I do notice bits of veg when I scoop (all the poops look pretty much the same, can't really tell which dog they came from), but assumed it was because they have a shorter GI track and don't digest fiber quite as thoroughly as humans.

2. Are the probiotics in yogurt and kefir enough to keep her gut healthy?

She gets ~60 grams of yogurt or kefir every morning, it's not her favorite, but she does eat it. When on antibiotics post surgery we switched her to the Honest Kitchen goat milk probiotic (she is very sensitive, and will stop eating if her tummy hurts)

I change the ingredients every week, just buying whatever is on sale, ratios are pretty much the same though:

4-5 lb muscle meat (pork loin this week)

200g berries (strawberry this week, but most of the time is blueberries)

400-600g green veg (spinnich and green beans)

200-400g red/yellow veg (carrots)

1 1/2 cups chia, flax, and/or hemp seeds

160g mixed sheep organs (liver, kidney, heart, balls, lungs)

When using lower cal meats (ground turkey or chicken breast) I'll add a few eggs

This is about a week of food for both dogs (250cal meals x2 daily)

For extras/supplements once daily:

10g Fish or olive oil (alternate days)

1/2 tsp green lip muscle

1 heaped tsp mushroom blend (turkey tail, chaga, rishi, shiitake, and maitake)

400ui natural vitamin E

1/2 tsp egg shell or calcium supplement (nutri vet? Can't remember exactly) every other day, they get backed up if given daily

60g yogurt or kefir

60g tinned pumpkin

5 almonds (probably won't buy more, they just pass through unharmed)

They also get chicken feet, various table scraps, bones, and hoof trimmings.

Thank you!

I have access to ground beef for free, thinking about doing a raw diet with veggies( my dog has been on Maev for a few months and his coat is insane) any thoughts suggestions? Anything I don't need to do? I love my large dog r but not spending $200 a month would be nice on his food. r but not spending $200 a month would be nice on his food.

Hi! I have a 14 year old Pug mix who is currently underweight. He has been diagnosed with heart murmur, cushings, and liver disease associated with copper he also recently has several teeth removed so chewing is a minor issue. He is on medication for his heart and cushings as well as a liver supplement. I am giving him distilled water because we have a well and copper in our water. Vet prescribed Hills Liver I/d and he hates it, even when I mix it with things he likes he rolls it around in his mouth and spits out the prescribed diet. Vet says I need a low copper diet and that I can not feed any commercial dog food that is not specifically for liver and less than 7% copper. (I am paralyzed and it is difficult for me to make too many things, my caregiver could help some) does anyone have recipes that would fit this bill. I have searched online and could only find regular diets or no copper calculations for the diets. The ones i did find with copper content were for a supplement and i couldn't get the recipe without getting a prescription (which I can).

Currently he likes beef, chicken, pork and egg for protein. Broccoli, carrots, sweet potato, green beans, spinach... Basically if it's "human" food he will eat it with a few exceptions.... he's not fond of regular potatoes and fish.

I'm trying but it's hard to find copper content on things and how to calculate it when making him food. So if anyone knows how to do that or could explain it to me I would also appreciate that greatly.

Thank you for any help or advice! I just want to do the best I can for my lil man!

TLDR: Need ideas or recipes for food with less than 7% copper and/or how to calculate copper content of food I make.

I don’t have a meat processor, so in the past I’ve been weighing it all out and cutting chicken livers and hearts into small pieces and including that in the mix I make, but once it’s all mixed together I don’t really have a for sure amount per cup they’re getting no matter how well I mix. To make things simpler, can I just give them each a whole liver or heart to eat in their bowls? In my mind, if they ate a whole chicken (which isn’t below them) they’d eat it just like that anyway. Can this be done daily or spread it out some? My dogs are 55lb and 30lb.

Homemade Dog Food Recipe: Beef lung Pork leg Eggs Carrots Sweet potatoes Spinach/ kale Turmeric Rice

Ingredients: Lean meat of your choice Active time: 20ish minutes Cooking time: 4 to 6 hours

Tested and works with raw chicken breast, raw lean red meat, boiled cow tongue. Fatty cuts will go rancid.

1. Choose an amount of meat that you estimate would cover the bottom of your air fryer basket in more or less one layer.

2. Partially or fully thaw if frozen. Slightly frozen is easier to slice evenly.

3. Slice your meat into small cube-like pieces roughly an inch across. They'll shrink while dehydrating. You can go larger on the pieces if you'd like, but thicker pieces will take longer to dehydrate. Smaller pieces means less cook time. Remove fat and skin if present.

4. Fill your air fryer basket with as much meat as will cover the bottom of the basket in about one layer. Because the treats will shrink, they'll take up less space soon.

5. Set air fryer to 165 degrees and set a timer for 4 hours. I do 180 for chicken at the same length of time. Start.

6. Easy work. Once you begin to smell the meat, give the basket a shake or agitate the meat so it can dehydrate evenly. Agitate basket occasionally throughout dehydrating for best results. Once will work, they'll just be stuck together at the end.

7. Periodically gauge doneness. Chicken should appear honey-golden and should not be easily squished between fingers. Red meat will appear extremely dark brown and should not be easily squished between fingers. If it bounces back, it's medium rare inside. Add time in 30 minutes increments to reach desired firmness.

8. Confirm doneness for poultry. Remove a larger jerky bite and cut it in half to make sure the interior is fully dehydrated. Add time in 30 minute increments as needed.

9. Store well dehydrated jerky in a paper bag in or outside of the fridge and consume within three days. Jerky with more moisture should go to the fridge. Stores best in a paper bag also for three days.

Tips: Shorter/impatient cook times can yield cooked jerky that is chewy on the outside and moist inside. In other words, the outside is jerky, the inside is medium well. These will store fine in the refrigerator. I don't do this with chicken.

Play around with cube sizes and cook time to figure out what works best for you and your air fryer. 4-6 hours has been pretty standard for mine, regardless of meat type.

I’m looking for a recipe to try for my 75lb German shepherd/ lab mix. Wanting to switch to from dry dog food so that I know what my pet is ingesting. Any suggestions/ recipes?

For my cats, I’ve been cooking their food some of the time and then they have their regular cat food (carefully selected) the rest of the time. My fourth fur child is a long haired chihuahua/papillon, we aren’t really sure because we found him on the street when he was approximately 3 months old and we’ve been told by one vet chihuahua mix and another papillon mix (given the way he was found, most likely chihuahua as they are more prevalent in general), and I started him off on royal canin chihuahua puppy kibble and then switched him to the same but adult variation along with their wet food. He started getting picky with that, so I tried purina kibble for small breeds and then for wet I mixed his wet food with freeze dried beef microwaved for a few seconds. He enjoyed the switch for a while until he got sick of that as well. It’s getting expensive for me to keep attempting to satisfy his particular tastes, so I’ve decided to start cooking his food. The switch to homemade food is finally giving me hope! It’s been working out because I can switch up the meat and vegetables, so he doesn’t feel like he’s having the same thing over and over. It’s also cheaper and I know exactly what he’s eating. I’m new to it, so I’d like to hear some opinions on it, some different recipes some of you may use for your dogs, and how it’s been working for you dogs if you’ve been doing it for a while. I’ll share a couple recipes I’ve tried so far:

Meat - Venison meat, heart, liver (approx 75%) Veggie - broccoli, carrot (approx 15%) Carb - brown rice (approx 10%) Seasoning - oregano, rosemary, thyme

I put everything with some water in a pot covered and boil for a while on low heat until everything is cooked. I make a lot at once and then package the portions and put the majority of it in the freezer except for the next day’s meals.

Meat - chicken (approx 75%) Veggie - carrot, peas (15%) Carb - brown rice (10%) Seasoning - oregano, parsley, a PINCH of cinnamon

I put the rice, veggies, and seasoning in the pot first with water on medium-high since all that takes longer to cook/soften up and chicken cooks fast. I then put the chicken in and lower the heat with the pot covered until the chicken’s fully cooked through.

I’ve done other recipes with different meats and variations of the above. Those of you who are well-versed in cooking for your dogs, any suggestions on mixing things up? Interesting recipes? And, is there anything wrong with the recipes above?

Thank you <3

I'm considering substituting eggshell powder for bone meal from a turkey. Does anyone know the mineral content of turkey bone meal? Mainly the phosphorous and calcium content by weight.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a topper/medicine for my dogs allergies? His skin has been so dry the last two weeks and there is a crazy amount of pollen on the ground now so I’m assuming that has something to do with it. Ik it’s not his food he’s super healthy and has a well balanced diet so looking for any natural recommendations! I’ve tried quercetin w/ bromelain but it did a whole lot of nothing.

Hi everyone my parents can't take care of our family dogs anymore and I've been vegan more than half my life, I've never once cooked meat or anything but I know dogs are carnivores .. I posted in the vegan group and everyone there seems to think I should feed my dogs a 100% vegan diet and they insist dogs are herbivores and to be fair, yes all animals eat at least a small amount of herbs/veggies but it seems cruel to me to feed my dogs no meat at all when I know if they lived in the wild they would hunt for food and forage here and there for additional nutrients

So I'm curious what is the best starter homemade meal? Any websites with recipes u guys have or anything? Ideally I would like to make homemade dogfood for a majority of their meals but plan to start out with adding meat and veggie toppers to their "pebbles" (processed dog food)

I myself am very passionate about eating from small local farms and like to avoi agribusiness and any mass produced foods and want my dogs to eat healthy as well

Any tips on websites with recipes or places to start are much appreciated! All I know is their diet should be 70% meat (protein), 10% fat, & 20% veggies, with a large portion of the meat portion of their diet being organ meat

Also, thoughts on a vegan only diet for a pet like a dog or cat or other carnivore? Imo it seems cruel to feed a carnivore a 100% plant based diet ..

First post ever. I am not a vet, but I've done some research. I have a large Bernese mountain and been making his dog food for years! We have a large 1hp meat grinder and get quality chicken from a wholesaler. Our RAW recipe includes:

60lb chicken back with leg attached
5lb Mackerel
10lb Chicken Heart/Beef Heart
10lb Beef Livers/Pig Livers or Kidneys
5lb Carrots
5lb Apples (no cores or seeds)
Turmeric
Cucumbers
Peppers
Pumpkin seeks (Raw)
Green BEans
Blueberries
Sometimes we add additional muscle meats if their on sale.

We grind everything up, chicken bones and all, and serve with 3 chicken feet, a cracked egg, and a toping of shredded cheese or yogurt... lol Its pretty over the top.

Our dog lives in ketosis, that diet was never checked out by a vet, the vets I have spoken to always told me to feed kibble and I think whole foods are better than a rending plant special..

What is the deal with everyone so scared to feed their dogs whole foods?? Perhaps the people telling everyone its super hard have never gone down this 'homemade' road? Probably to lazy to just learn how to do it? Or maybe they WeNt tO VETeRiNaRy ScHooL... funded by Purina lol.

Total cost per batch is about 200 bucks CAD, and we get about 55 to 60 days out of each batch.. roughly 15% more cost than kibble and it takes 2 hours to make and clean up..

YOU CAN DO IT! ITS NOT HARD OR SCARY!

Hi everyone, I am looking for recipes for homemade dog food or treats that is good for dogs with pancreatitis because I am helping my aunt who has a 5 lb Yorkshire Terrier who was diagnosed with pancreatitis less than a year ago and I believed that he developed pancreatitis due to not eating his normal dog food (Hill’s Science) and only eats dog treats which I think the ones he used to eat is very high fattening. Currently, he is eating the SquarePet Low Fat Dog Food, The Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Grain Free Chicken, and for treats he eats plain Cheerios (not the healthiest but its better then any high fattening dog treats) as well as a Vital Essential Salmon Skin Chew. Any advice or information about caring a dog with pancreatitis are welcome.

We have been making our **pets food for over 2 years, and have been through some trial and error 😅 but have settled on what we think is a decent recipe. We have quadruple checked everything, and even sent the recipe to our vet multiple times during our trial stages. I know that this group focuses on pups, so some suggestions might not work, but let me know what yall think!

**10 yr old, 15 lb Shiba inu ; 10ish yr old rescue street cat ; 1yr old cat -had since 5wks

10 lbs bone in Chicken thighs//drums

-apx : 8 lb meat -de-boned -mostly de-skinned ((still need a lil fat)) -boiled Calories : 3520 Protein : 418 Fat : 198

1/2 lb Chicken Gizzards

-boiled Calories : 212 Protein : 40 Fat : 4

1/2 lb Chicken Hearts

-boiled Calories : 130 Protein : 25 Fat : 5 g

Chicken livers - 6 -

-boiled Calories: 150 Protein : 25 Fat : 8

Mackerel - 2 - ((or equivalent weight in 'fish'))

-canned ; drained // fresh/frozen ; boiled Calories : 340 Protein: 60 Fat : 15

Eggs - 6 -

-scrambled in coconut oil -bake 3 eggshells ; ground fine Calories : 420 Protein: 36 Fat : 30

3 TB Coconut Oil

-used to cook eggs Calories : 360 Protein : 0 Fat : 42

1 can pure Pumpkin

Calories : 200 Protein : 11 Fat : 2

10 oz Carrots ((or mixed veg))

-fresh or frozen Calories : 90 Protein : 0 Fat : 0

1/2 cup Cranberries ((if available))

-fresh or frozen Calories : 23 Protein : 0 Fat : 0

2 Apples

-ABSOLUTELY NO SEEDS OR CORE Calories : 190 Protein : 2 Fat : 0

1/4 cup UNSWEETENED Coconut Flakes

Calories : 220 Protein : 2 Fat : 20

1/2 cup ground Flax

2 cups ground oats

ADDITIONS :

• taurine • multivitamin ((Nature Target Advanced)) • Quercetin • Melatonin • Knox gelatin

After everything that needs to be cooked is cooked, then we run everything through a meat grinder and make a sort of fine like ground sausage. We then use a cookie dough scoop, to form approximately 10g ((.88 oz)) "scoops", and we freeze them. This large batch usually lasts all three of our animals for just over two weeks. Our dog gets 2 scoops, with additional rice and veg and a healthy dollop of whole greek yogurt, twice a day. Our cats get 5 scoops throughout their day, with additional high protien snacks.

**we have altered some of the ways we cook things, so that we use less dishes and things go quicker... but yall get the gist 😘

Hello there! I am a newbie to making my own dog food and there’s just so much info out there that I don’t know where to start. My dog is a 2 yearold Bichon/Papillion/Poodle mix who is allergic to all poultry and egg products. She has a super sensitive stomach and skin. It’s been awfully hard to find a kibble that doesn’t have any egg or egg shell powder, the one she’s on currently she barely tolerates. Anyone have recipes for similar dogs? TIA

Do any of you do nutrient blend add ins in your mixes? Exploring it the farmers dog has packets but wondering if it’s really needed?

Hello new pup. He was a stray. Vet said he’s about 4 months old and seems pretty healthy so far. He’s a catahoula leopard mix. I want to start making homemade food for him. He does have a bit of runny poop so idk where to start. Any advice I would really appreciate (:

Howdy.

My almost 2 year old Italian greyhound is extremely picky. We finally found a frozen food she liked, and then a few months in she decided she didn’t like it anymore. Now I’m trying to start making her own food and testing out ingredients that she may like. She loves (cooked)chicken and beef liver, but hates every vegetable I’ve tried to give her. I’m glad to see her eating and enjoying the meat, but she needs some sort of fiber because she went from pooping twice a day to maybe once a day but usually every other day. Any suggestions on vegetables or fiber for picky dogs?

Hello!

I'm new to this. My dog's name is Gordo and he's an XL pitbull. He's somewhere between 1-2 years old. His previous owner had told me 1 (but she was his second owner) and the vet thinks he's more like 2. Not sure his exact weight right now, but I know he is definitely underweight.

A pitbull his size should weigh about 80 to 85 pounds. If I had to guess, he's probably around 70 at best.

I tried checking the caloric needs for his size, factoring in his age, and the fact that he's an intact male, and the number I got was 1777 using that formula off the vet website.

I've been slowly introducing a lot of new stuff, so he's dealing with some diarrhea, but he's got the most sensitive stomach on a dog that I've ever met, every little thing gives him diarrhea. That's why kibble hasn't worked for us.

Currently, what I've been doing is: Breakfast: -1 cup oatmeal (was thinking I may increase to two after he gets used to it) -1/4 cup blueberries -spoonful of peanut butter

Dinner: -2 cups shredded chicken -2 cups white rice -1.5 cups steamed veggies (carrots, peas, green beans, corn is I think everything in the mix) -3 bite sized pieces of freeze dried pork or beef liver (the serving size is 6-7 pieces for his size but they're a new addition so we're starting slow) -1 cup of homemade broth -Bernie's perfect poop supplement

When I counted all those calories myself I got about 1800ish, which would be fine considering he needs to gain, but I need some reassurance that I counted that right, that that sounds right, and that aside from eventually incorporating some dairy, have I covered all my bases?

He was doing good when I first started him on the dinner diet, the breakfast diet is the new thing, and he's been dealing with some diarrhea. I'm hoping it'll go away in a few days, but if it doesn't then ig I'll stop it?

Also, I don't know how to calculate fiber, but is this an ok amount? I know you're not supposed to overdo it.

If anyone has any kind advice I'll take all the help I can get!

My mini doodle is diagnosed with pancreatitis.. she isn’t liking the hill prescription low fat.. I want to make her homemade low fat meals.
Does anyone have suggestions??

Hey everyone!
My name is Lisa and I work for a small publishing house.

We're putting the finishing touches on our New Homemade Healthy Dog Food Cookbook 🐶
We're giving away FREE digital copies to get some early feedback.

If you're interested in reading it and discover:
✅ How to prepare delicious and nutritious meals for your dog at home
✅ +150 safe and wholesome dog recipes with step-by-step instructions
✅ Everything you need to know for transitioning your dog to a homemade diet if you're just starting out
✅ A chart with information to calculate the caloric needs useful for portioning correctly

📩 Please like this post and send me a private message. I'll send you your free copy right away.

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