Interested in making homemade dog food...

[Alisha]

hey bullie parents, I am thinking about cooking my baby lou's meals 100% of the time, he gets cooked chicken breast and carrots a few times a month, but we recently had a scare... we bought a new dog food since we moved across country and he broke out in hives and benedryl wasnt helping and he was just acting off.... we didnt know what was causing it.. well after a week of trying to figure out what was going on we changed his food and he was fine... thinking he was allergic. we wil be doing an allergy test for him soon to see if/what hes allergic to.

but with that said, what are some good easy recipes for cooking your dog actual meals.. and is it more cost effective?

 

[cali baker]

Hi Alisha, I have home cooked a lot for my two boys. Right now they're back on dry kibble, but I will likely do home cooking again after the holidays. I would make a big pot of steamed rice, mix in a protein like either ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork (or a mix of all of these), canned beans (kidney, black, garbanzo, or pinto), and a bag of frozen green beans. I have two bulldogs and so a big pot of this would last them about 4 days. I estimated it cost me around 60-65 dollars for a month of doing this. It's comparable to a bag of good quality kibble, might be even a little less $$. You will find lots of posts and recipes from other members who have home cooked for their bullies. Good luck!

 

[Rural mystic]

Hi Alisha, I have home cooked a lot for my two boys. Right now they're back on dry kibble, but I will likely do home cooking again after the holidays. I would make a big pot of steamed rice, mix in a protein like either ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork (or a mix of all of these), canned beans (kidney, black, garbanzo, or pinto), and a bag of frozen green beans. I have two bulldogs and so a big pot of this would last them about 4 days. I estimated it cost me around 60-65 dollars for a month of doing this. It's comparable to a bag of good quality kibble, might be even a little less $$. You will find lots of posts and recipes from other members who have home cooked for their bullies. Good luck!

Is the ground meat and vegetables cooked too or do you add the raw meat to the cooked rice

 

[Alisha]

thanks cali!!! and good question rural! i would assume that the meat is cooked and then tossed in but we will see what cali says!

 

[cali baker]

@Alisha and @Rural mystic, I do cook the meat…i've never tried raw feeding before and i'm not sure it's safe to add raw to cooked food…don't have experience with that. Sometimes I will also get a lamb or pork chops and cut up the meat so it doesn't always have to be ground meat and the boys LOVE it. Oh, and as a topper to their food i occasionally add some stir fried beef or chicken liver. The veggies are usually frozen or uncooked however. I don't cook it so that the nutrients still stay mostly intact. There are lots of different ways of preparing the food and adds variety!

 

[Alisha]

thanks [MENTION=1904]cali baker[/MENTION]!! whats your opinon on boneless skinless chicken breast? is that good for them is that just eh?

 

[cali baker]

thanks @cali baker!! whats your opinon on boneless skinless chicken breast? is that good for them is that just eh?

Yes, I do cook that for them too on occasion.

 

[Alisha]

thanks cali! i just havent seen many people talk about cooking chicken for them.. i was begining to think it was no good haha

 

[cali baker]

thanks cali! i just havent seen many people talk about cooking chicken for them.. i was begining to think it was no good haha

I think it's b/c some bullies are allergic to chicken so it's not always the best protein for some. Mine do okay on it though. Just see how Lou does if you do add some chicken to his food. Happy cooking!

 

[Alisha]

thanks!! he loves it when he gets chicken and carrots!! thats what he gets when we forget to buy dog food and we are low. LOL then he hates just his plain kibble cause theres no goodies

 

[Rural mystic]

I think it's b/c some bullies are allergic to chicken so it's not always the best protein for some. Mine do okay on it though. Just see how Lou does if you do add some chicken to his food. Happy cooking!

My dogs love chicken and seem to do fine with it as well. I have even boiled some chicken gizzards and they love them too.