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HOME MADE PET FOOD RECIPES
We are adding information about making home made food recipes for dogs and cats here as we feel this the best way to feed your dogs and cats. We do understand that everyone is not able to cook for their animal on a regular basis and then need to feed commercial food. There are some new handling and storage suggestions for these foods as well including the dry foods. Please store your dry food in the freezer and take out what you need for each meal. There is recent evidence that dry food stored at room temperature is growing mycotoxins - including aflatoxins. Buy the smallest bag you can with a long date on it . Food that is 'naturally ' preserved may be at more risk than food with preservatives .
Much of the information on this page comes from a great recipe book that is now available called Dr. Becker's Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats. Simple Homemade Food. 3rd edition. Authors Beth Taylor and Karen Becker DVM. You can order it directly from www.naturalpetproductions.com. The other book that you should read about commercial dog food is written by Steve Brown and Beth Taylor called 'See Spot Live Longer ' and should be available through Chapters or Amazon books. There is quite a lot of information in there about the the highly processed commercial dog foods and their implications for your dog's health including the explosion of cancer and allergies we have seen in the last 30 years of practice. The following recipes can be cooked or fed raw. If you are feeding raw meat then take the same precautions to handling meat as you would yourself. Keep the meat frozen until fed and refrigerate any unused portions. The Veggie recipes are included here as well.
Beef Recipe- makes about 270 kcal per cup
3 parts meat / 1 part veggies Or 1 ½ cup meat / ½ cup veggies
Meat- Extra lean ground beef or bison
Large Recipe: 8lb (16 cup) beef – 90-93% lean 1lb (2 cup) beef heart 1lb (2 cup) beef liver
Small Recipe 14oz (1 ¾ cup) beef – 90-93% lean 1.5oz (3 tablespoon) beef heart 1.5oz (3 tablespoon) beef liver Grind or chop meat and organs. Mix meat and organs well. Freeze in daily portions. Add a supplement at mealtimes. These will be available from Panorama Veterinary Services and will include: Calcium source- bonemeal Mineral/Vitamin supplement Fatty acid supplement
Chicken Recipe with Liver for Dogs- about 270 k/cal per cup of food
3 parts meat mix to 1 part veggies Or 1½ cups meat mix to 1/2cup veggies
9lb (18 cups) boneless lean chicken thighs, no skin 1lb (2 cups) chicken liver Grind or chop meat and organs. Replace 1lb of the meat with gizzards if available. Freeze in convenient amounts to use within 2 days of thawing. Add supplements at meal times. These will be available at Panorama Veterinary Services or you can make your own with the information under the vitamin/mineral supplement section.
Turkey Recipe with Liver for Dogs- about 270 k/cal per cup of food
3 parts meat mix to 1 part veggies Or 1½ cups meat mix to 1/2cup veggies 9lb (18 cups) boneless lean turkey thighs, no skin 1lb (2 cups) chicken liver Grind or chop meat and organs. Replace 1lb of the meat with gizzards if available. Freeze in convenient amounts to use within 2 days of thawing. Add supplements at meal times. These will be available at Panorama Veterinary Services For the veggie recipes - see above.
Veggie and Fruit Recipes- Each recipe makes 7 cups
Recipe #1 2lbs (4 cups) chopped broccoli 12oz (1½ cups) celery 6oz (3/4 cup) blueberries 6oz (3/4 cup) watermelon
Recipe #2 1lb (2 cups) carrots 1lb (2 cups) Chinese (Napa) cabbage 1lb (2 cups) red or orange peppers 8oz cantaloupe
Recipe #3 1½ lb (3 cups) zucchini 8oz (1 cup) apple 1½lb (3 cups) cooked sweet potatoes
These are suggestions only. They are combinations that go well together and ones that have the relatively low carbohydrate balance. Feel free to substitute pumpkin and other winter squash or sweet potato ( well cooked) in any veggie mix, as long as you include most of the lower carbohydrate, bright green, yellow and red ingredients in the recipes Sweet potato especially can add needed calories for a dog that uses a lot of food. Puree the ingredients in batches that are small enough to allow your blender to work well. You will have to add a little water.
Feeding Guide - How much should you feed ?
There are no hard and fast rules and the following is only a starting place. Young and old dogs need different amounts and there are also specific breed differences. The dog food recipes average 270 kcal per cup of food so you will be feeding a larger volume of food than you are used to than feeding concentrated kibble which will average 350 - 500 kcal per cup and up. This is because real food, which has all the water still in it, often has less than half the calories of dry food. Puppies may eat twice as much for their size as adults but will eat the same food as adults. The diets are designed for all life stages. Do not increase any one component for puppies - just feed more food. Overweight dogs should not lose weight too rapidly. start out feeding them for slightly under their current weight and adjust so that they lose no more than 1-2 % body weight per month.
SUGGESTED RANGE OF AMOUNTS TO FEED PER DAY
Divide the amount by the number of meals fed per day. Total are for meat mixed with veggies. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dog's Weight Puppy Young /Working Active Adult Adult older / Inactive ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 lbs body weight 1 3/4 cup 1 1/4 cup 3/4 cup 1/2 cup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10 lbs 2 1/2 cups 2 cups 1 1/4 cups 1 cup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 20 lbs 4-5 cups 3 1/2 cups 1 3/4 - 2 cups 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 lbs 5 1/2 to 7 4 1/2 to 5 cups 2 1/3 to 2 3/4 cups 1 3/4 to 2 cups ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 lbs 6 - 6 1/2 cups 5 1/2 - 6 cups 3 - 3 1/2 cups 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 lbs 7-8 cups 7 cups 4 cups 3 cups -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 60 lbs 8-9 cups 7-8 cups 4 1/2 to 5 cups 3-4 cups ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 70 lbs 9 to 10 cups 9 cups 5 to 5 1/2 cups 4 cups --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 80 lbs 9 to 10 cups 10 cups 6 cups 4 1/4 cups --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 90 lbs 10 1/2 cups 10 to 11 cups 6 1/2 cups 4 3/4 to 5 cups --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We assume in the puppy column above that few puppies over 40 lbs of body weight would be at less than 50 % of their adult weight. For puppies 40 lbs and over, we have given you amounts for pups from 50 - 80 % of their adult weight. For puppies 5 - 30 lbs , amounts are for pups that are at less than 50 % of their adult body weight.
EGG ADDITIONS TO DOG MEALS
Eggs are an important contribution to the fatty acid profile of home made diets . They provide great protein. They may be fed lightly cooked. i.e. over easy or soft boiled and eaten right away. Add eggs to meals over a week instead of a whole meal of eggs. When adding eggs or sardines to meals your meat mix is reduced by 25 % to allow for the 25% eggs or sardine. The enclosed charts are for meat and veggie meals only. Add eggs to 4 meals a week in the portions of one egg for each cup of food- that is assuming that you feed your dog twice a day - so you are feeding 14 meals per week. So instead of adding 3/4 cup of meat mix and 1/4 cup of veggie mix - add 1/2 cup of meat mix and 1/4 cup of veggie mix. ( decrease the meat portion by 25 % )
ADDING SARDINES OR SALMON TO MEALS
Sardines and wild salmon are important to provide essential fatty acids and they provide most of the vitamin D that is needed. If you have never fed these to your dog - start slowly as they are fat-rich and calorie dense food. Start by adding a piece of sardine or salmon for a small dog, or a whole sardine for a large dog. If all goes well, then increase the amounts. Buy sardines in water, not oil or tomato sauce. The recipes are computed on drained weight, but you can include the water. For salmon, canned products are easy. Look for deals at stores such as Costco or Walmart. You should include the fish in at least 4 meals a week. - that is assuming that you feed your dog twice a day. ( 14 meals per week )
Feeding Chart - for adding sardines or salmon to meat mix
Dogs Meat mix and Sardines or Salmon and Veggies --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To Make Meat mix needed Sardines needed Veggie mix needed ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/2 cup food 1/4 cup 0.75 oz 2 Tbsp --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 cup 1/2 cup 1.5 oz 1/4 cup -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 cups 1 cup 3 oz 1/2 cup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 cups 1/2 cups 4.5 oz 3/4 cup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 cups 2 1/4 cups 6 oz 1 cup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 cups 2 3/4 cups 7.5 oz 1 1/4 cup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 cups 3 1/4 cups 9 oz 1 1/2 cups ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PROPORTIONS FOR INCLUDING EGGS IN DOG MEALS
DOGS MEAT MIX AND EGGS AND VEGGIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO MAKE MEAT MIX EGGS VEGGIE MIX -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/2 c food 1/4 cup 1/2 egg 2 Tbsp -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 cup 1/2 cups 1 egg 1/4 cup -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 cups 1 cup 1-2 eggs 1/2 cup ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 cups 1 1/2 cups 2-3 eggs 3/4 cup --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 cups 2 1/4 cups 3-4 eggs 1 cup -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 cups 2 3/4 cups 4-5 eggs 1 1/4 cup -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 cups 3 1/3 cups 5-6 eggs 1 1/2 cups --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vitamin Mineral Mixes
Some ready made mixes can be purchased at retail pet stores such as Know Better Dog Food - found at www.knowbetterpetfood.com or The Missing Link made My Veterinary Alternatives . These can be added to your homemade food to balance the recipes. There is also a vitamin mineral mix that Panorama Veterinary Service has made available at the veterinary clinic. If you are feeding a good rotation of food and including eggs, organs and sardines or salmon, use recipe A . Recipe B provides for situation that might have some deficits - such as not adding eggs or just feeding beef temporarily, or if you are just getting started and you haven't go all the pieces quite integrated. The Recipe A contains salt, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Iodine ( from standardized kelp ) Vitamin E and Taurine. Recipe B contains in addition to Recipe A: Vitamin D, and copper. You can purchase all these ingredients yourself if you like. Please call the office for the right amounts to make up your own mix. Bone Meal is added separately . These products vary between 20 - 30 % calcium.
Bone Meal - from 'Now' vitamins- feeding guide -' Now '- is 30 % calcium :
Adult Dog Calcium feeding guide - adding Bonemeal that is 30 % calcium
1/2 cup food - add 1/4 tsp - bonemeal for Adult Dogs 1 cup of food - add 1/2 tsp 2 cups of food - add 3/4 tsp 3 cups of food 2 tsp 4 cups 3 tsp 5 cups - 3 1/2 tsp 6 cups - 4 3/4 tsp
Feeding Puppies Bonemeal for Calcium- Puppies up to 10 months of age ( your individual pup's requirement may be different - consult Panorama Vet Service about when your puppy is mature enough to switch to 'dog' status.)
1/2 cup food - 1/2 tsp of bonemeal that is 30 % calcium i.e. 'NOW ' bonemeal: 1 cup food - 3/4 tsp bonemeal 2 cups - 1 1/2 tsp bonemeal 3 cups - 2 1/2 tsp bonemeal 4 cups - 3 1/4 tsp bonemeal 5 cups - 4 tsp bonemeal 6 cups - 4 1/2 tsp bonemeal
Fatty Acid Supplement
Dogs on real food programs that include salmon or sardines need only small amounts of supplementation for fatty acids. Dogs on dry food might need more. Krill oil is best and they are made my two major manufacturers. Few fatty acid products have small enough serving sizes to be convenient for daily use. The only product we found (mercola.com) Kid Krill comes in a small enough serving size to be useful for very small dogs. The Mercola ' kid Krill ' oil product works well for a dog that eats 1 cup of food per day. Panorama Vet carries this product or you can order it yourself on line. For larger dogs you can use a veterinary product that has the proper portions of fatty acids - consult Panorama Vet for a suitable product.
Fatty Acids : Daily servings for Dogs
Cups of Food Daily Serving Krill oil Approximate desired combined EPA and DHA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 cup 1 cap Mercola Kid Krill 65- 125 mg 20 mg ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 cups 2 caps Mercola Kid Krill 125-150 mg 40 mg ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 cups 1 cap of Mercola Adult 190- 375 mg 60 mg ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 cups 1 .5 caps of Adult Mercola 250-500 mg 75 mg -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 cups 2 caps of adult Mercola 300- 625 mg 95 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 cups 2.5 caps of adult Mercola 375- 750 mg 115 mg -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you choose a concentrated product, it is best to give it on days when you are not already feeding fish. Sample liquid fish oils claim up from 800- 1100 mg combined EPA and DHA per tsp on their labels. For capsules, divide over days you are not feeding fish.
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PANORAMA VETERINARY
SERVICE
32 YEARS OF PRACTICE
250-766-4310
