[JMLandry]

Hello,

I am looking for a recipe to make for my dogs. I have access to any organic ingredient I would ever need. They are both healthy doggies but we are moving to a new city to open up a new restaurant and no one sells Blue buffalo over there. We were thinking of raising them on a home made diet in the first place and with this move we think now would be a good time to slowly merge them to home cooked meals since we would have to change them on something else anyway.

I need to know what ratios of meat to veggies to fish oils and cod liver oils and vitamins. I need to know all of that. I need numbers here.

Here are a few details on the situation.

- They are 15 months and 12 months old.
- Labrador(male) and Labrador/beagle(Labbe - female).
- Healthy dogs
- I am an experienced chef.
- I will do anything for my dogs.

ps: If i get the same ingredients as blue buffalo has on their labels and made the exact mix as it shows on the bag, would that be the equivalent to a home made version of that food or are there any other hidden facts about dog food companies I should avoid.

I hope to hear what you all have to say.

cheers!!

 

[Willowy]

Most ingredients on a dog food label are put in as cost-effective fillers. Look up "prey-model raw"--no veggies or other fillers needed . Although of course if your dogs like veggies they aren't harmful.

 

[GreatDaneMom]

ps: If i get the same ingredients as blue buffalo has on their labels and made the exact mix as it shows on the bag, would that be the equivalent to a home made version of that food

oh no, it doesnt work that way.

 

[Sibe]

Most ingredients on a dog food label are put in as cost-effective fillers. Look up "prey-model raw"--no veggies or other fillers needed . Although of course if your dogs like veggies they aren't harmful.

I agree with this. If you want to make your own food, do raw!

 

[Kathyy]

It would only work if you had access to the vitamin/mineral mix they use for one thing. BB is made with meat meals, you have to buy them by the ton I suspect and so on.

See the recent thread on feeding Great Dane pups. I posted an over load of info there.

 

[Mama Of 3]

research, research, research. The info is there if you look for it. I know I did, but found that it was easier and cheaper to feed my stubborn dog a canned option after buying many brands and flavors to find one she actually liked two meals in row. But that's another story.

You got some good info in the first post you made awhile back. Start with that info.
http://www.dogforums.com/first-time-dog-owner/98054-q-am-i-feeding.html#post1032812
Use google and search various key words. Look up old threads on this forum. It's all there if you want to take the time to read and find it.

Why not look into what foods ARE available where your moving to and research those brands. See how they stack up with that your currently feeding. If they don't then go with the worst of the two evils so to speak if that works the best. Go raw is another option and a really good one!!! But there again you need to research that as well because you need to do it right or don't do it at all from what I have read about it.

Otherwise just wing it. Use the info you gather by researching and go from there. Have questions about a possible recipe, post the recipe here and ask for opinions and feedback. Use http://nutritiondata.self.com/ to your advantage. Learn how to write recipes in terms of percents and covert them to weights. My childhood dog was acquired overseas and she never ate kibble other than on the plane back to the states and I doubt she ate that because she hated kibble. Even after we moved back to the states with her my mum continued to make all her food but she was just a little dog. She did just fine on the homemade that my mum made her. But from what I have read the worst mistake people make with homemade is not getting enough calcium into the food which is easily fixed with egg shells and a coffee grinder.

Good Luck,

 

[PackMomma]

I agree with Willowy & Sibe - if your prepared to do home prepared diet, I would go with PMR (Prey Model Raw). No cooking involved, you dont require vegetables or dairy , you only need to ensure you have the proper ratios of muscle meats, organs and bone, which I am not %100 the proper guideline but I believe it is something around %80 muscle meat, %10 bone, and %10 organ, give or take. Feeding ratio's are approximately %2 of the dogs body weight/day.

With cooking food, there is more time, and carefully thought out planning involved as you must ensure the dogs are getting a certain amount of nutrients each day, as cooking depletes many nutrients out of food. If you go raw, you just need to ensure they are getting an adequate amount of bone, meat and organs on a weekly basis as PMR is nutrionally complete on its own. Of course, PMR isn't always easiet route either, and it does require time, effort and careful research, too. You may certainly add some raw or cooked veggies as a topper, or a treat.. but certainly not required. You can also add raw eggs with shells, or some fish oils for supplements to get in some of the omega fatty, but I usually feed some raw fatty fish each week as well as some raw eggs.

Anyways, I'm sure you will find the information you are looking for but whatever you choose just make sure you do as much research as possible so you are doing what suits yours as well as your dogs needs, but I would think that if you have access to a lot of variety of raw meats & such, save yourself the extra step, do a little research on PMR, and just serve raw.. but thats JMO. Good luck