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your thoughts on home cooked diet vs. commerical dog food

20K views 98 replies 31 participants last post by  Colbie 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,

My havanese is a very picky eater. I have tried all sorts of dog food brands with him (wet and dry). He usually gives it a try once or twice, but after that, he is over it and he goes on a hunger strike (he once went 5 days without eating because we wouldn't give him anything else other than kibbles).

Then a month ago, I decided to just feed him a home cook diet and he loves it! He never gets bored and he cleans up the bowl. I read up on a lot of ingredients to make sure I feed him only ingredients that is good for him. A usual meal would be boiled chicken, chopped carrots, green beans (no additives anything, not even salt). Sometimes I replace the chicken with baked salmon and the vegetables with something else (canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes, bok choy, kale, spinach, broccoli, blueberries, apple) I occasionally give him fat free plain yogurt or cottage cheese for calcium.

I have been feeding him a variation of these food for about a month now and he loves it and licks his bowl clean. He also looks really good - no health issues or bathroom issues. No diarrhea ever!

I keep reading that the food needs to be complete and balanced, and I wonder whether I am feeding him a "complete and balanced" meal but what does that even mean? I look at the kibble that I got him and then the food that I made, and I am not trying to be immodest, but there is no way that kibble that sits on the shelf for months and months looks more nutritious than the natural, organic ingredients I feed him. It is like feeding a human total raisin brand all their life instead of eating a varied diet of good, healthy ingredients. (I stress varied and healthy...obviously a lot of people eat very poorly).

I am a bit skeptical of commercial dog food, simply for the fact that it is processed and made to last a REALLY Loooooonnnggggg time on the shelf - how can food like that be good for you? I also know that a lot of commercial dog food use subpar animal flesh (not that human-grade animal flesh is all that great, which is why I am a vegan). Knowing all the antibiotics and crap that goes into the meat and the worse parts go into dog food - it pretty much makes me doubt that commercial dog food is really all that great (even the premium ones).

I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on homecooked vs. commercial dog food. Please share your thoughts.
 
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#79 ·
Well, we're all gonna die, but I like to feel good while I'm here. Cake and ice cream for dinner once in a while is OK, but I see a lot of sick old people in my work, and I hope to not be one of them. I mean I do hope to be old(er), but I feel better when I eat mostly nutritious whole foods, and I think that gives me a better chance of feeling good on a day to day basis. Pizza is my weakness, but I always feel kind of gross if I over indulge. I don't get the impression that dogs are overly concerned with their mortality, or even how they're going to feel in 10 minutes if they eat too much of that whatever it is. Thus, it is up to me to decide what to feed him! I mean aside from when he finds something like a half eaten moldy burrito and scarfs it up before I can stop him, which has been known to happen. :puke:
 
#81 · (Edited)
SOAPBOX....My concern about stout or overweight dogs is many owners are in denial about the situation; instead, they make excuses for their dog's size, such as s/he's big boned, they're still a growing girl or boy, or the vet says they're at the top of the scale so don't let them gain any more weights, which is interpreted as s/he's fine. None of these pet owners are getting the message (from their vet or other sources) that they're feeding their pet(s) too many calories each day. And this issue occurs regardless of the food type (e.g. kibble, raw, or home cooked diets). We damage our dogs when we give them more food than they need. We need to remember that just because a dog likes to eat and is begging for more food doesn't mean s/he's truly hungry; you need to be strong and not let your dog manipulate you into giving them more food than necessary for their optimal health. -Jeanne-
 
#82 · (Edited)
SOAPBOX....My concern for stout or overweight dogs is many owners are in denial about the situation; instead, they make excuses, such as s/he's big boned, they're still a growing girl or boy, or the vet says they're at the top of the scale but to not let them gain any more weight at all so s/he's fine.. None of these pet owners are getting the message that says they're feeding their pet(s) too many calories daily. And this issue occurs with kibble, raw, and home cooked diets. We damage our dogs when we give them more food than they need just because the dogs express a desire to eat more food. Reminder: just because a dog likes to eat doesn't mean s/he's truly hungry, so in these situations you need to not let your dog manipulate you into giving them more food than necessary for optimal health. -Jeanne-
Is there room for me on the soapbox, Jeanne??!! I SO agree. And it's not just dogs!!! Please, please, pretty please, look at the YouTube films I've posted on "Food For Thought". For all of us, including our dogs. PLEASE worry less about fat, and worry more about sugar, and that means ALL simple carbohydrate. Simple carbohydrate converts to sugar. It IS sugar. One slice of bread = two tablespoons of sugar. We have the ability to change our lives, we really do, and we need to stop listening to bonkers, out-of-date, rotten advice.
As far as my own dogs are concerned, NOT eating is more of an issue, but as long as they are energetic and healthy I don't worry. And as long as their food, including treats, is not stuffed with simple carbohydrate I know they won't get fat. It's all so easy as long as one updates one's knowledge and looks at recent information. Please don't go with gut (literally) feelings, but learn from actual research, it is SO interesting!!!!! End of rant, beginning of hope.
 
#84 ·
Makes me feel better that I'm not the only one obsessed with my guys weights:)!!! I weight them at least once a week. Scudder really is big boned though.... Lol I keep a close eye on his weight though. Always feeling his ribs, backbone and watch his waist line! He's definitely not built like Freddie and Bella who are very lean and moderate boned.
 
#85 ·
Pam King told me before I chose Kodi that he was "big boned". I didn't care for my (performance) purposes. He weighs very close to what Scudder weighs… 16.5 in fighting weight. At 16 lbs, he's really too thin. At 17 lbs, he'd be fine as a pet, but it's more weight than I want when he's sailing around agility courses. He's exactly 11.5". I have had him officially measured twice now at that height… the original measurement at the specialty was incorrect. They measured him there as 11.75" It doesn't change his jump height, so from an agility perspective, and he doesn't show in conformation either. So it really doesn't make any difference, but I was interested to know that he IS (just barely! ;)) in standard.
 
#86 ·
When I'm out if town and my dog sitter watches Scudder he gets close to 17 lbs! Not sure if she's not walking him as much or what..... So I'm out of town working and I know scuds with need to go on a diet starting tomorrow:)

Can't pictures scuds doing agility with his big bones. He is not as agile as Fred!
 
#88 ·
Like my sister-in-law always says, "Good, Better, Best". I have aggressive RA and can do very little. So cooking is not an option today. I use a high quality kibble mixed with a dehydrated raw. Dance does great and I plan to wean her puppies to this same mixture. Don't beat yourself up. Its not all about food anyway. There are other natural things you can do to help your baby be healthy.
 
#89 ·
I agree completely with Karen C. Most of us on this board are already light years ahead of the general "pet dog owner" population… or we wouldn't be here, reading about our wonderful breed all the time.

I fed Kodi kibble for about 4 years. I was very choosey about his kibble, and I only fed organic kibble. Unfortunately, the company that made his kibble dropped that line, and I had to look around for something else. I settled on Nature's Variety Instinct kibble for breakfast (because it's quick and easy for my husband to feed him, and he's usually up first) and at night he gets sort-of-home-made.

I don't have the time or energy to do all the sourcing, shopping, chopping and cooking that a completely home made diet requires. So I alternate between Honest Kitchen and Balance-it to make sure that Kodi is getting the non-protein nutrients that he needs, without me having to find and prepare all the other ingredients. And I mix that with organic chicken breasts that I get ground special for him at Whole Foods. (most ground chicken is thigh meat, and has more fat in it than I want in his diet) I brown the meat in a big stew pot, add the Honest Kitchen and/or Balance-it. (I often do a double batch, and use half Honest Kitchen and half Balance-it) I freeze the mixture in serving-sized portions in muffin tray, then pop them out and keep them in a plastic bag in the freezer, ready to thaw in the microwave.

I get the Honest Kitchen and Balance-It delivered mail order, and pick up his chicken when I'm shopping anyway. (I do have to call ahead and ask them to grind it for me) It takes me well under an hour (not counting freezing time!) to make about a month's worth of meals for him. I figure I'd spend that much time just going to a pet store to pick up kibble for him. And I have the peace of mind of knowing that he is getting a really high quality food.

That said, if you decide to stick with kibble, as long as you choose a high quality kibble, he will do FINE!!! Look at Mary's Tyler. He's 16 1/2, and has never had anything but kibble! :)
 
#90 ·
Hi Karen,
I'm interested in going the "Preference", "Balance-it" route also. I've already sampled the HK but I'm curious about the Balance-it. Does it give info about serving size/calories with varying types and cuts of meat? For example as you mentioned chicken thigh vs.breast vs. different cuts of beef etc. I like to rotate protein sources. Also is it like a powder you sprinkle on or is it more of a mush like the HK? Thanks!
 
#91 ·
Actually, Balance_it is the MOST specific. They help you develop a recipe (or more than one, whatever you want) specifically for your dog. There are a number of "free" recipes on the site, but you can also, for a reasonable fee, have them specially design a diet for your dog. (to do that, you have to have your vet's approval that your dog is healthy, or if not, what, if any dietary restrictions the dog has) What I like is that the people who design the diets are board certified veterinary nutritionists.

Balance it is available in 3 "flavors"… Carnivore, which contains no starch source, oat blend and potato blend. I bought the potato blend first, but I won't again. I don't like the idea of filling him up on un-needed starch. The next time, I'll get the carnivore blend, and use that in conjunction with HK.

In Balance-It's "free" recipe program, it warns that the carnivore blend + the chosen meat is higher in fat and protein than commercial dog foods. I have no problem with it being higher in protein… we know that isn't a problem for a dog who doesn't have kidney problems. OTOH, especially in a small dog, you DO want to avoid too high fat levels. That's why I chose to use the ground chicken breast rather than generic ground chicken.

Kodi CLEARLY like both WAY better than kibble, but he likes HK (or a blend of HK and Balance-It) better than the Balance-It recipe alone.

I also tried Sojo's, but won't again, after finding that they source some of their vegetable ingredients from China. That said, he liked that too! :)
 
#92 ·
Tippi eats a brand called Merrick, and the chicken, brown rice and green pea version makes her tail wag. But I've never heard anyone mention that brand on this board, so I'm thinking it must not be so good. My pet store is not one of the big box pet stores, and they think Merrick is good. But I suspect that you guys know more about what's good for a Havanese. Dave posted some brands for me yesterday that I'll investigate.
 
#95 · (Edited)
Dave -- I know that a lot of vets and canine nutritionists are in the pockets of the large dog food companies, but I just have to say... I don't think that holistic vets or canine nutritionists are completely immune from a financial incentive. They believe in what they do, but also have an agenda and are interested in attracting a market of "consumers" from whom they can benefit financially. Being fully aware of one's own motives is as difficult as it is for the fish to see the water he swims in. My own opinion is that life is complicated and it's not all black and white. I am weary of the romanticization of "dogs in the wild". The only ones I've known were when I briefly lived in Mexico, and they all seemed skinny and hungry and flea bitten. But maybe that's not a good example. Point being, I think that there are "conventional" vets (my own, for example) who are primarily motivated by their love for animals, are at least interested in learning more about nutrition, are open minded about limiting exposure to chemicals, and are busy enough that they don't have to generate business with unnecessary procedures such as extra vaccinations. I also think that there are some in the holistic movement who are unreasonably dogmatic and extreme, and probably "unconsciously" motivated by wanting to capture a niche. As I'm sure you know, Sabine is not "rabidly" (so to speak) against grains, and says that although they don't need the carbs per se, dogs can benefit from the vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in whole grains. It is true that they are harder for dogs to digest than meat, but can be used to a limited extent to good effect. It strikes me as paradoxical that many of the so called holistic people are so vehemently opposed to grains, but in my opinion it is not very holistic to not factor in the devastating effect that the meat industry is having on the whole freaking planet. Not to mention how animals, with feelings just like our dogs have, are tortured before we and our dogs can eat them. Even if we can afford to use locally and humanely raised, and humanely slaughtered, organic meats (my own goal is to drastically limit my own meat consumption and to use only limited amounts of these very high quality well raised animals), but it is not just about me, or my dog! We, and our dogs, live in an environment, and with China and other developing nations drastically increasing their meat consumption, we are scr**ed if we can't decrease our environmental impact. Though it's probably too late anyway and maybe we should just give up and keep doing what we're doing, but I think we've got to try to figure out this meat thing. Sorry for being a bummer, but it's reality! Just my 2 cents worth -- carry on! :D
 
#98 · (Edited)
well said Eileen , the key is to find people who are not biased and will give you honest information. That's why I like people like Sabine, she refuses to associate with any pet food companies and she has had numerous chances to do so , she tells you what she thinks is the best with no ulterior motives or kickbacks. You just have to take the time to research and question the professionals you deal with. People are catching on sort of speak, as the internet points out where we have gone wrong in the past. sorry for the late reply, we have had ice storm across southern Ontario and a lot of power outages . We had power but no internet.
 
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