Yes! You CAN Cook for Your Dog!
NO. Home prepared diets are not too rich, unbalanced, dangerous, and expensive.
YES. You CAN cook for your dog and have a healthy, thriving canine fur-child.
Let me start with the K.I.S.S. version of cooking for your dog. Feed a wide variety of meat meats, organs, eggs, fat and green tripe. You can feed any cooked muscle meats. ~Antelope ~Beef ~ Buffalo ~Chicken ~Duck ~Elk ~Herring ~Lamb ~Mackerel ~Pheasant ~Pork ~Quail ~Rabbit ~Salmon ~Sardine ~Tilapia ~Trout ~Turkey
You can use any part of the animal, including bones for cooking. Remove ALL cooked bones prior to feeding. ~Backs ~Breasts ~Brisket ~Eggs ~Feet ~Filets ~Ground ~Heart ~Hocks ~Legs ~Necks ~Ribs ~Shanks ~Shoulders ~Steaks ~Tails ~Tongues ~Wings
And try these yummy organ meats! ~Gizzard ~Green tripe ~Kidney ~Liver ~Sweetbreads (thymus gland and/or pancreas)
If you like, you can add veggies and fruit. Though they are not necessary, many dogs love their sweetness, and they are great filler for those dogs who can’t get enough to eat!
Now, take your choices, put them in a crock pot, and let them simmer, simmer, simmer. You can make a week’s worth if you want, but remember variety is key!
Now, for the add ons. I don’t recommend cooking these into the food. Mix these in with room temp food prior to feeding: ~Calcium. You can make your own by grinding egg shells take empty shells, boil, dry, and then grind in coffee grinder or use mortar/pestle. Use 1tsp per pound of food. You can also use steamed bone meal – ½ Tbs per 15# of dogs weight, but never exceed 2Tbs. OH! You can also feed non-weigh bearing bones as a treat! ~Essential Fatty Acids. I generally recommend animal sources such as sardine or salmon oil. Algae can also be an excellent source of EFAs. Coconut oil is another good option, as is cold pressed olive oil. Like food, give some variety with the EFAs
YES. It can be that simple. No recipes. No slaving over a hot stove.
Now for the no-nos and don’ts.
~No COOKED bones! If you cook whole carcasses, ribs, or anything else with bones, remove them before feeding.
~No nightshade veggies. These include, but are not limited to tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, egg-plant, and hot peppers. Think I am crazy? They are related to bella donna and tobacco!
~Fruit pits and seeds.
~Onions. (Maybe garlic, but that is still being debated.)
~Grapes and raisins.
~Chocolate, coffee, caffeine.
~Sweeteners
Create your own recipes or modify your family’s secret recipes.I know that when I cook for my family, I make sure that it is safe for my dogs to eat too. Though I am a franken-prey feeder, we do treat the dogs to family favorites, like meatloaf (I make mine without tomato and onion, substituting sweet potato or pumpkin) stews, and roasts!
