I've always cooked either meat and or vegetables for our dogs and placed it on top of their dry dog food. When one of our Maltese dogs, Leo, started to have skin problems due to a food allergy I started making the complete meal for him and of course, I had to do it for our other three also. I've also been making them homemade dog cookies for many years when Shih-Tzu Harvey couldn't eat any wheat due to bowel issues. For Leo, with the guidance of a dermatologist vet, I started cooking different meats and vegetables and by process of elimination determining which foods he was allergic to. It takes serving each combination for three months to determine if there is an allergic reaction. The only foods he doesn't have a reaction to are whitefish and green beans. He's even tried exotic meats from a butcher. Leo can have a limited amount of sweet potato, so I give him Sweet Potato Dogs Treats that I also make. After many visits to several different regular vets, a holistic one and even a dermatologist vet, I learned the process of cooking for dogs and I've been cooking for our dogs for over four years now. Leo's skin has cleared up and it remains so as long as I don't stray from his diet. I thought I'd share my knowledge with you so you could give it a try too. Even if your dog isn't having health issues, you should consider home cooking for him or her since home cooking has so many health benefits.
First, determine what you want to cook for your dog based on your dog's health needs, preferences, what's in your budget and easy to find in your area. Use the website Balance IT to determine quantities. Click on the ingredients you will use, then chose the recipe with the least amount of deficiencies, click adjust for your dog, enter your dog's weight, then click rerun and view. You'll need to convert ounces to cups. I use this website as a basic guideline. If your dog has health issues you want to address you can have your vet approve a special diet via the website. This recipe is for Leo who has a slower metabolism than other dogs so I don't feed as much as recommended. They recommend more green beans, but keep in mind I also give him treats that make up for it. You'll need to adjust your recipe after seeing how your dog does. Closely monitor him or her in the beginning. If they gain weight feed less and if they lose weight then feed more unless they need to lose or gain weight. Also, if they don't eat it all of the food served, use less or place it in the frig for later. You can also tell if they act hungry later in the day then they'll need more. I feed Leo his home cooked food in the early afternoon and his dry dog food late at night. I have found he does well on 1/2 a cup of cod with 1/2 a cup of green beans at lunch along with the addition of 1/3 of a cup of his dry dog food at dinner. My choice for his dry dog food is Orijen Six Fish. He also gets the cookie version for snacks and Polka Dog Cod Skins and Polka Dog Cod Chips as treats and my homemade dog cookies. I only use a few ingredients since Leo has an allergy to so many foods, but you'll want to use more ingredients and/or change the diet up every few days keeping something the same so as not to irritate their system. For instance, you could change up the vegetables and/or grains but keep the same meat or change up the meat but keep the same grains and vegetables. Note that I do not recommend this cod recipe for daily use unless it's due to allergy issues. There may be mercury issues from eating fish daily. Leo's health issue trump that since this is the only diet that keeps his skin infection away. Without this diet, he has to be on antibiotics and that's not healthy. I recommend this recipe 3 days a week, alternate with lamb, beef, bison or chicken the other days. You can purchase vitamins from the Balance IT website or do as I and just use a bit of dry dog food or a vitamin supplement from a different company. Ask your dog's vet for recommendations for their specific health needs. Now let's move on to Leo's dinner recipe:
Cod & Green Beans Recipe
Ingredients
2.5 lbs of Fresh Wild Caught Cod
2.25 lbs of Green Beans (36 oz.)
Makes 10 dinners for toy breeds
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Pour some olive oil on a baking sheet, place the cod on the sheet and sprinkle with turmeric, a sprinkle of pink salt, and some more olive oil.
Place cod in a preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. While the fish is cooking, cook the green beans via your preferred cooking method. If boiling or steaming use filtered water and salt the water. Leo prefers french cut green beans:
Take the fish out of the oven and make sure it's thoroughly cooked with a cooking thermometer. Place it on a plate to cool for about five minutes.
Place it in a food processor and grind for several seconds. Notice it's consistency:
Grind the green beans also until they are very small pieces as shown in the photo at the very top of this post. Serve 1/2 a cup of green beans and 1/2 a cup of cod daily. Mix in any supplements into the green beans then sprinkle with parsley.
I stir into his green beans 1/2 a tablet of refrigerated probiotic (recommended by dermatologist vet) from Whole Foods cut up with kitchen scissors, 1 scoop of Plaque Off Powder for teeth, and 1/2 tablet of Cosequin for joints. Decide what supplements are best for your dog with the aid of your veterinarian.
I serve Leo 1/3 cup of Orijen Six Fish kibbles at night:
Grab 9 freezer Ziploc bags. Place 1/2 a cup of cod and 1/2 a cup of green beans in each Ziploc. Feed one dinner that day on a plate or bowl. Keep three days worth of dinners in the refrigerator for the next 3 dinners. Place the remaining 6 Ziplocs into the freezer. For the next 3 days serve the refrigerated food. On the fourth day take one Ziploc out of the freezer and place it in the frig 24 hours prior to serving and make sure it is thoroughly defrosted before serving. You may warm the food, but make sure it's cool enough prior to serving. Do not warm any supplements, add them after warming the food. I prefer to cook fresh food so that I can freeze it, I don't think it's healthy to refreeze food. If you are using frozen food make enough for 4 days, serving one that day and keeping 3 in the frig. It takes about 5 frozen individual serving cod pieces for 4 days of dinners. I found that frozen cod wasn't any cheaper than fresh cod at Costco, so I use fresh when available. This process takes me about 1 1/2 hours, of course, you could cook daily instead but that would be more time consuming and I find my dogs are very impatient when I'm cooking! Somehow they know when I'm cooking for them.
Costco Wild Caught Cod
Himalayan Pink Salt, Ground Tumeric & Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Place cod in a preheated oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. While the fish is cooking, cook the green beans via your preferred cooking method. If boiling or steaming use filtered water and salt the water. Leo prefers french cut green beans:
Place it in a food processor and grind for several seconds. Notice it's consistency:
I stir into his green beans 1/2 a tablet of refrigerated probiotic (recommended by dermatologist vet) from Whole Foods cut up with kitchen scissors, 1 scoop of Plaque Off Powder for teeth, and 1/2 tablet of Cosequin for joints. Decide what supplements are best for your dog with the aid of your veterinarian.
I serve Leo 1/3 cup of Orijen Six Fish kibbles at night:
The food must be ground up in a food processor to ensure that your dog will absorb the nutrition from the food. Dogs can't process the food if you simply serve it cut up or feed whole. If you don't believe me, feed your dog a whole uncooked carrot and check his stool afterward, it will be intact! You will find your dog will drink less water on a home cooked diet. My vet assures me this is ok and it's because they aren't eating salty dehydrated food. Please offer your dog filtered or spring water only, this will help avoid tear stains and it's healthier. I add more salt if they aren't drinking enough. You could always add more salt after cooking, so don't over salt the food before cooking. I prefer pink Himalayan salt because it has 84 minerals and it's healthier. I use turmeric because Maltese dogs tend to have joint issues and this helps and it tastes good. I add parsley on top for fresh breath. You could do some research and chose spices that are best for your dog's health but make sure it's not a spice that is unhealthy for dogs.
Stay tuned for another dog food recipe that I make for Maltese Bentley and our Shih-Tzus. Have you tried cooking for your dog or even a raw diet, what has your experience been like? If you haven't what is stopping you? If the cost is an issue, remember that home cooking will reduce your vet bills and in the long run be less expensive. It also makes your dog happier and increases their life span. Shih-Tzu Harvey is 16 and Isabella is about to turn 16 in May. If you have any questions about our dogs' home cooking journey or how to accommodate yours, just comment below. Be sure to check out my Dog Cookie Recipes Pinterest Board for many healthy dog cookie recipes and check out photos of our dogs on Instagram. Happy Cooking!
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Have a PEACEful Day!
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thanks
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