# Switch to homemade food only?



## Golden Leo (Dec 3, 2008)

Hi to all!

I wanted to tell you my story and ask you for help. 
I have 3 dogs and tried to feed them with dry food for years. With older bitch (7 years) we tried Hills, RC, Pro Plan- she had ear and skin problems with all of them. Then Leo (5 years old) tried K9, Eucanuba, Pro Plan, RC and always problems with anal glands, and with eucanuba & pro plan- skin problems. Youngest had horrible diarrhea last year from Pro Plan, he lost few kg, looked like bone & skin. For a while now I've been adding them mince chicken necks, some fruit and vegetables and olive oil. Seems like their problems are going away, no more skin problems, perfect poop. I managed to get beef for them, mixed with tripe and cartilage. I'm also adding beef hearts and from time to time liver (not often). And I cook it all, I'm a bit afraid of raw because of bacteria. I have big wish to switch to prepared meal only, without dry food. But I'm afraid they won't get all they need from it. Some of people say I'm crazy to give up on dry food, some say I'm crazy to continue with it. I am really tired of reading labels on dry food and praying that they will eat it for more than 5 days and it won't case sth new to happen. Here we get dry food made for "eastern market", so it's even lower quality....
I would appreciate any advice on homemade meals.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

while there's nothing at all wrong with homemade diets, you do need to be sure it's balanced and contains all the right nutrients and vitamins.
You can take a look at www.petdiets.com and see what they have. It's an excellent website run by a certified veterinary nutritionist.


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum (Mar 31, 2010)

I think if you're having constant problems on dry kibble and you're finding difficulty finding a good quality food where you live then I would not hesitate to continue the homemade diet for your pups. Many dogs respond very well to homemade diets either cooked or raw (that is a preference of the owner). A wonderful resource regarding homemade diets can be found at http://www.dogaware.com/diet/homemade.html
The lady that does this website writes articles for the Whole Dog Journal a very respected trade journal regarding dog health & nutrition. She reference so many experts and even gives sample diets. Her website tells you how much to feed based on weight and activity levels and gives you many meal ideas - and she shows you how to make sure everything is balanced so your dog is getting the proper nutrients required for optimal health.
Another site that has a wonderful series of newsletters - and a few dedicated to homemade cooked diets is http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/cooked-diet/
I have spent many, many hours on both these websites and they have both provided excellent advice regarding home cooking for your Golden.
I think if you have the time, a cooked diet will be a god-send for your pups. To me it sounds like your dog may have had a grain intolerance given all the ear and skin problems. Or it could have been any other kind of allergy. With a homediet, you will quickly be able to isolate what ingredient (if any) are causing problems for your pups, as you're using a very limited ingredient list (unlike commercial dog foods that often have over 50 ingredients in one bag). I hope these two websites help you. I know I benefited from them so much! They're both wonderful resources written by two people that take pet nutrition very seriously.
I wish you luck!!


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