Dog recipes - cooking FOR them, that is

Dubl07

I enjoy cooking and the cooking forum is a favourite haunt. Now that I have a pup, I'm anxious that she has optimum nutrition and portion control.

She's been with us since the end of July and in that time we've discovered that she has very marked tastes and preferences, even though her first 12 weeks were on Gain puppy!

Blueberries; raw carrot; mashed potato; peas; cheese strings are all on the 'stinkeye' status.

Raw liver with baked potato; casseroled lamb heart with carrot, potato, mint and garlic; minced lamb meatballs with some cumin; roast chicken are all on the happy puppy list. I've seen some references on this forum to liver cake and other pet recipes but there doesn't seem to be a 'live' thread and I'd like advice on just how much I should feed her when I cook something from scratch.

I'm not sure that all the epicures on Cooking would appreciate a dog-food thread so please help me out with your tried and tested recipes and tips.

muddypaws

Liver cake is for treats, not for meals, my lot would do anything for it.

I ran out of food on Tuesday, and didn't get the chance to get to a pet shop, refuse to feed them anything from a supermarket, so did a huge stew of the mince I'd bought for them, with spuds, carrots and then raw pumpkin. I know with raw you feed surprisingly little, so I imagine it would probably be the same with home cooked?

Dubl07

muddypaws wrote: »

Liver cake is for treats, not for meals, my lot would do anything for it.

I ran out of food on Tuesday, and didn't get the chance to get to a pet shop, refuse to feed them anything from a supermarket, so did a huge stew of the mince I'd bought for them, with spuds, carrots and then raw pumpkin. I know with raw you feed surprisingly little, so I imagine it would probably be the same with home cooked?

Which recipe do you use, muddypaws? There are a load of similar but different ones on the net.

scudzilla

I get a large pack of mince from supervalu, think it's 3euro

Fry it, drain all the crap out, add some sage/oregano and small bit of garlic powder.

Cook some pasta (small amount) and white rice, add the whole lot together, thrown in a touch of gravy (not too strong) and that lasts 2/3 days. Add a bit of mixer to make it go further

muddypaws

Dubl07 wrote: »

Which recipe do you use, muddypaws? There are a load of similar but different ones on the net.

I can't remember the exact amounts, but it does have garlic in, I probably use a different recipe off the internet every time. Your kitchen will stink though, be warned!

You could also maybe look into getting a dehydrator, TK123 has one, for doing treats for them.

I do sweet potato treats, just slice and put in the oven, how long you leave them for in depends on how chewy you want the treats.

njs030

Be very careful with Garlic there's a lot of confusion but it can be toxic to dogs. Especially garlic powder which is concentrated!
I'd leave it out all together and play safe.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/foods-are-hazardous-dogs

Dubl07

notjustsweet wrote: »

Be very careful with Garlic there's a lot of confusion but it can be toxic to dogs. Especially garlic powder which is concentrated!
I'd leave it out all together and play safe.

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/foods-are-hazardous-dogs

Thanks for your input but didn't the studies that reported toxicity use enormous quantities of garlic? Not just Irish or even Mediterranean amounts but biological-weapon equivalents?

TBH, I'd be happier feeding small amounts of garlic weekly than some commercial preparations but I'm open to education.

njs030

Dubl07 wrote: »

Thanks for your input but didn't the studies that reported toxicity use enormous quantities of garlic? Not just Irish or even Mediterranean amounts but biological-weapon equivalents?

TBH, I'd be happier feeding small amounts of garlic weekly than some commercial preparations but I'm open to education.

I wouldn't know as I haven't read huge amounts of studies but personally I wouldn't take the risk. Especially if you're cooking it yourself and it's easily avoided.

muddypaws

My lot also get a bit of garlic every week to help with flea control, just a small amount, I know the supposed dangers, but it really is a small amount. I would never advocate anyone else feeding it though, its up to you

Dubl07

scudzilla wrote: »

I get a large pack of mince from supervalu, think it's 3euro

Fry it, drain all the crap out, add some sage/oregano and small bit of garlic powder.

Cook some pasta (small amount) and white rice, add the whole lot together, thrown in a touch of gravy (not too strong) and that lasts 2/3 days. Add a bit of mixer to make it go further

If it's beef mince, isn't it normally a min of 85% lean? I've a relative who fries her mince and then rinses it in a colander by pouring over boiling water. Let's just say her dinners aren't fit for a dog. I'd imagine meat juices and natural animal fats have a place in dog food.

Glad to see another person adding herbs and garlic. Does anyone add salt? Do dogs need salt? When I was adhering to the kibble only diet I thought to myself 'I'd go demented if I had the same meal three times a day, 365'.

muddypaws

Dubl07 wrote: »

If it's beef mince, isn't it normally a min of 85% lean? I've a relative who fries her mince and then rinses it in a colander by pouring over boiling water. Let's just say her dinners aren't fit for a dog. I'd imagine meat juices and natural animal fats have a place in dog food.

Glad to see another person adding herbs and garlic. Does anyone add salt? Do dogs need salt? When I was adhering to the kibble only diet I thought to myself 'I'd go demented if I had the same meal three times a day, 365'.

No, definitely don't add salt. Humans have 9,000 taste buds, dogs have around 1700, cats have around 500, dogs really don't care if they get the same thing every day.

Definitely leave the fat for the dogs, thats where they get their energy. High fat, low carbohydrates is what dogs should have.

No offence intended, but maybe keep feeding kibble until you've done lots of research? I know people moan about dry food, but the companies that make it spend a lot of time and money getting their 'recipes' right, with all of the nutrients that dogs need. Cheap food has all the nutrients a dog needs to live, the dearer food will allow a dog to live well. If you're doing a home made diet, you really need to get it right to keep the dog healthy.

jonon9

We should have a dog cooking recipes sticky. I love cooking for my dog its a great way to see what their are eating like today the local butcher is having a deal on stuff, I picked up a box of chicken breast for €28.50 30 breast per box cant go wrong with that.

muddypaws

jonon9 wrote: »

We should have a dog cooking recipes sticky. I love cooking for my dog its a great way to see what their are eating like today the local butcher is having a deal on stuff, I picked up a box of chicken breast for €28.50 30 breast per box cant go wrong with that.

Do you cook the chicken?

Dubl07

muddypaws wrote: »

No, definitely don't add salt. Humans have 9,000 taste buds, dogs have around 1700, cats have around 500, dogs really don't care if they get the same thing every day.

Definitely leave the fat for the dogs, thats where they get their energy. High fat, low carbohydrates is what dogs should have.

No offence intended, but maybe keep feeding kibble until you've done lots of research? I know people moan about dry food, but the companies that make it spend a lot of time and money getting their 'recipes' right, with all of the nutrients that dogs need. Cheap food has all the nutrients a dog needs to live, the dearer food will allow a dog to live well. If you're doing a home made diet, you really need to get it right to keep the dog healthy.

I understand what you mean but she's never been much of a kibble fan, from the day and hour she came here. She didn't touch her Gain from the puppy pack, and only ate the 70/30 grainfree when it was soaked in hot water or stock, even when a meal was lifted and she had to be hungry. Now that she's getting home prepared food, the bowl barely needs washed - it's polished over and over. The mat her dishes are on needs washed when she carefully lifts out every single pea, but I can sympathise with that. :P

I've an order in for salmon oil but feed steamed mackerel twice a week in the interim and she seems to love salmon skin but I don't want to overload her system with oily fish either. Kelp also seems to have valuable minerals for dogs so if anyone has reliable info on that it'd be great.

So can you offer any advice on where to read up on feeding a dog scratch-cooked food? It's difficult to gain expertise when one isn't sure of which sources are reliable. (Like mites in all dried food; is that for real?)

jonon9

muddypaws wrote: »

Do you cook the chicken?

My JRT is on mostly raw but she doesnt seem to like raw chicken so I boil the chicken and and a few vegs she gets raw lamb and beef. I also completely cut out grain as she just didnt agree with it with all the scratching she was doing.

Irishchick

muddypaws wrote: »

the dearer food will allow a dog to live well. /QUOTE]

Just wanted to add that this isn't always true. I have seen some foods that are horrifically high priced considering the ingredients. You don't always get what you pay for.

OP Be sure to read the ingredients on the back of the pack and make sure a named meat is one of the first listed ingredients. Ideally dried meat as fresh meat is very high in water.

If it's beef mince, isn't it normally a min of 85% lean?

nope. Cheaper mince is made from off cuts of hundreds of different animals and has a higher fat content as its cheaper and bulks it out.

For lean mince you need to ask the butcher to mince up some round steak

lazeedaisy

I put a chicken in the slow cooker, skin & bone it, mix with brown bread & broccoli,

I also buy dog mince from my butcher, cook with a little herbs, add brown rice and carrots or broccolli, they love both,

Occasionally I will get lambs heart, but give it raw to them, they love liver too,

Have 3 dogs, but greyhound refuses to eat raw meat.