- Oct 31, 2011
- 4
- 0
- 7
I figured for my first post I would contribute. We always wanted the best we could afford for our dogs. However at $45 plus for a 50LB bag. We were understandably left wanting. We always looked for meat as a first ingredient....but even at that my hunting dog did nothing but poop.... every time she went outside...bummer... that previous mentioned golden dog food did the trick. But who besides the manufacturers and astronauts can afford that. So we did our research. Found a couple surprising facts. Dogs can be considered omnivores.... I would have never imagined. So here is our first recipe. I say first because it has been changing over the last year as we watch the dogs and how they are reacting/changing with it.
1- 32oz bag walmart brown rice. Over cooked to mushy stage
Doesn't need to be walmart. Just brown rice. For a reason I cannot remember...dogs can take brown rice better.
1- 16oz bag mixed veggies added raw
@2.5 pounds of either tongue, liver or heart. Either cow...pig...sheep... deer.. whatever ALSO MUST BE RAW!!!
Just like us they cannot have just one meat. All of the organs provide different nutrients. As well they need "muscle meat" that is where the tongue comes in
@ 2 table spoons garlic powder.
I hunt a bit and have never had to pic a tick or see her fight with bugs since we started this recipe.
Mix all together when the rice is cool. BAMM... dogs call you papi at mealtime. Make sure to refrigerate/freeze extra. I was feeding 2/3 of a cup to my 35 poundish springer and the other mutt at the same weight. They were maintain size...as in they were not looking sunkin at the hips like they were not getting enough quantity. Buuuuut they were loosing body fat, a lot. We could see too much rib and the tail head was becoming very defined. So we figured that with the very low fat ingredients they were needing more fat in their diet. So we started adding lard to the mix. I add to the cooking rice so as to mix in properly. We use lard because that is what we have on hand. Got it from pig slaughter. Or new lard for the recipe is un rendered so maybe even better for them?
So...recipe 2.0
1 Bag rice
16oz frozen mixed veg
@2.5 lbs of one of 3 meats
garlic powder
and ....
I then noticed that every time my dog went outside she would graze like a cow....every time. So I increased the veggie levels. The 32oz of veggies reduced her grazing to almost never. Assumed because now she is getting the higher amounts of plant matter she was needing.
recipe 3.0
1 bag rice
32oz frozen mixed veggies
2.5 lbs meat
garlic powder
Then came puppies. I was worried that the one we are keeping and getting this diet was not getting enough protein. Nothing led me to that assumption.... just a concern that I not hinder the youths development. So we started looking for another protein source. We went to the local feed mill and were going to try soybean meal. Got a weird look when we asked for 5 lbs of it. LOL... not surprising... they deal in 100's of pounds. So he asked what we were using it for. We told him dog food. Then he suggested bone meal. So, bone meal it was. Side note; he said the recipe we were using was a good mix for them. he isn't a vet but animal nutrition is their game so they can't be all dumb. They do produce their own brand of dog food there. I also made a change to how we add the meat. I now pick up a heart, tongue and 2 lbs of liver from the butcher. Run it through a grinder and mix the three together. Then divide that into three batches food. It makes it easier for us than trying to remember what they had last time. For meat it doesn't matter what. When we butcher chickens... we save the lungs,kidneys,liver, gizzards and sometimes the necks. During deer season they will get the same. We also add one egg per day to their meal. Raw of course, the only thing cooked is the rice. Possibly the bone meal. I am not sure how that is produced.
The cost is above what walmart carries as their best food. At least our local walmart. But it is way cheaper than the 45/bag stuff and seams to be on par if not better. Yes it is a lot of work. With the two adults I was making a batch every week or so. Now with the voracious pup.... about every 5 days. But it is worth it. Not as much poop.... and the connection. Plus I never have to worry about recalls. This makes my dog one sexy grump...lmao
Recipe 4.0
1- 32oz bag of brown rice
1- 32oz bag of frozen mixed veg
@2.5 LBS meat
@2-3 TBS lard
@ 1-2 TBS garlic
2.5 cups of bone meal
1- 32oz bag walmart brown rice. Over cooked to mushy stage
Doesn't need to be walmart. Just brown rice. For a reason I cannot remember...dogs can take brown rice better.
1- 16oz bag mixed veggies added raw
@2.5 pounds of either tongue, liver or heart. Either cow...pig...sheep... deer.. whatever ALSO MUST BE RAW!!!
Just like us they cannot have just one meat. All of the organs provide different nutrients. As well they need "muscle meat" that is where the tongue comes in
@ 2 table spoons garlic powder.
I hunt a bit and have never had to pic a tick or see her fight with bugs since we started this recipe.
Mix all together when the rice is cool. BAMM... dogs call you papi at mealtime. Make sure to refrigerate/freeze extra. I was feeding 2/3 of a cup to my 35 poundish springer and the other mutt at the same weight. They were maintain size...as in they were not looking sunkin at the hips like they were not getting enough quantity. Buuuuut they were loosing body fat, a lot. We could see too much rib and the tail head was becoming very defined. So we figured that with the very low fat ingredients they were needing more fat in their diet. So we started adding lard to the mix. I add to the cooking rice so as to mix in properly. We use lard because that is what we have on hand. Got it from pig slaughter. Or new lard for the recipe is un rendered so maybe even better for them?
So...recipe 2.0
1 Bag rice
16oz frozen mixed veg
@2.5 lbs of one of 3 meats
garlic powder
and ....
I then noticed that every time my dog went outside she would graze like a cow....every time. So I increased the veggie levels. The 32oz of veggies reduced her grazing to almost never. Assumed because now she is getting the higher amounts of plant matter she was needing.
recipe 3.0
1 bag rice
32oz frozen mixed veggies
2.5 lbs meat
garlic powder
Then came puppies. I was worried that the one we are keeping and getting this diet was not getting enough protein. Nothing led me to that assumption.... just a concern that I not hinder the youths development. So we started looking for another protein source. We went to the local feed mill and were going to try soybean meal. Got a weird look when we asked for 5 lbs of it. LOL... not surprising... they deal in 100's of pounds. So he asked what we were using it for. We told him dog food. Then he suggested bone meal. So, bone meal it was. Side note; he said the recipe we were using was a good mix for them. he isn't a vet but animal nutrition is their game so they can't be all dumb. They do produce their own brand of dog food there. I also made a change to how we add the meat. I now pick up a heart, tongue and 2 lbs of liver from the butcher. Run it through a grinder and mix the three together. Then divide that into three batches food. It makes it easier for us than trying to remember what they had last time. For meat it doesn't matter what. When we butcher chickens... we save the lungs,kidneys,liver, gizzards and sometimes the necks. During deer season they will get the same. We also add one egg per day to their meal. Raw of course, the only thing cooked is the rice. Possibly the bone meal. I am not sure how that is produced.
The cost is above what walmart carries as their best food. At least our local walmart. But it is way cheaper than the 45/bag stuff and seams to be on par if not better. Yes it is a lot of work. With the two adults I was making a batch every week or so. Now with the voracious pup.... about every 5 days. But it is worth it. Not as much poop.... and the connection. Plus I never have to worry about recalls. This makes my dog one sexy grump...lmao
Recipe 4.0
1- 32oz bag of brown rice
1- 32oz bag of frozen mixed veg
@2.5 LBS meat
@2-3 TBS lard
@ 1-2 TBS garlic
2.5 cups of bone meal
