Intimidated and overwhelmed with home cooked meals online

DawninMD · Jul 24, 2019

Hello!

I have a 18month old EBD named Sofi. When she was a baby when we got her from her Breeder she was on TOTW High Praire Puppy. At a year the vet suggested we switch her food because of all the reports of grain free diet (I know this is a controversial topic). We switched her to Canidae after MUCH research. Then she started showing signs of allergies, so after again much research we decided to put her on the adult TOTW. Now even though it’s the same formula just adult version she is showing further allergy signs. I don’t know if it’s environmental or food so plan to send in a saliva sample for a allergy test. I was wondering if anyone has any low ingredient suggestions for a healthy hearty home cooked meal for her. I was intimidated with calories and suggested feeding/ size and many don’t list that. I certainly don’t want to starve her, but also know she would eat as much as I gave her as she loves food. She is a small gal @ only 42lbs, her vet says she didn’t read the bulldog handbook and may be “broken” as she is very active and tiny and doesn’t seem to follow the rules .

. I want to do the best by her, but I’m overwhelmed and afraid to screw up.

On another note if anyone is looking to have a allergy test done I found a great deal online. Looks like it will only be $97 with a coupon code vs. $300 that seemed to be a common charge. I love a great deal so figured it might be worth mentioning.

Any help of advice is super appreciated!!!

helsonwheels · Jul 24, 2019

DawninMD said:
Hello!

I have a 18month old EBD named Sofi. When she was a baby when we got her from her Breeder she was on TOTW High Praire Puppy. At a year the vet suggested we switch her food because of all the reports of grain free diet (I know this is a controversial topic). We switched her to Canidae after MUCH research. Then she started showing signs of allergies, so after again much research we decided to put her on the adult TOTW. Now even though it’s the same formula just adult version she is showing further allergy signs. I don’t know if it’s environmental or food so plan to send in a saliva sample for a allergy test. I was wondering if anyone has any low ingredient suggestions for a healthy hearty home cooked meal for her. I was intimidated with calories and suggested feeding/ size and many don’t list that. I certainly don’t want to starve her, but also know she would eat as much as I gave her as she loves food. She is a small gal @ only 42lbs, her vet says she didn’t read the bulldog handbook and may be “broken” as she is very active and tiny and doesn’t seem to follow the rules . ��. I want to do the best by her, but I’m overwhelmed and afraid to screw up.

On another note if anyone is looking to have a allergy test done I found a great deal online. Looks like it will only be $97 with a coupon code vs. $300 that seemed to be a common charge. I love a great deal so figured it might be worth mentioning.

Any help of advice is super appreciated!!!��

If it’s kibbles stick to Acana ONE protein per bag.

If it’s home cook meals simply cook a cup of protein, 3 cups semi steam veggies. I use to boil a turkey for a good 8 hrs. Kept the broth and topped the meal with it. You still would need to give on a daily basis a probiotic like fermented sauerkraut or fermented veggies.

Or... simply go raw. I feed my 2 frozen raw. If you rather not go raw, you can do dehydrated raw like Honest Kitchen or Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried raw, Spot Farms.

https://www.treehousepuppies.com/dog/meals/best-dehydrated-dog-food/

https://topdogtips.com/best-dehydrated-dog-food/

Lalaloopsie · Jul 24, 2019

Great idea! I homecook for my 3 yo bulldog and he has no allergies! At the moment I use recipe with beef. I cook 2 times a week (because currently waiting for my big pot to arrive), but it’s perfectly good to cook once a week.
So, the 3 ingredient recipe. You will need 5 litre pot.
Beef - 7-8 pounds. Usually in US the best option for me was Sams eye of round beef, 3.80 per pound. Lean and nice. Feel free to replace some of the meat (10%) with offal - beef kidneys, liver, lung or heart. Where I stayed I battled to find offal regularly. You can check different multinational supermarkets, they usually have offal. Or local butcher. But it can reduce the price of food.
1.5 pounds of pumpkin. I cut pumpkin myself, but you can buy precut pieces (more expensive). Or frozen. I buy whole pumpkin and prepare 1.5 pound bags and freeze them for the future.
2 cups of rice.
First I throw pumpkin cut in quite big pieces and bring it to boil, cook it until pumpkin is soft and mashable. Now I take a potato masher and mash pumpkin until it is almost dissolved. Now you can throw 2 cups of rice into your pumpkin “soup”. From the very beginning while your pumpkin and later rice is boiling, you cut the meat into pieces size 0.5 inch X 0.5 inch. Amount of water I usually add during cooking, when everything is in the pot, I usually put enough water to just cover everything. You can add meat gradually as you want to empty your cutting board. Usually cutting meat takes 20 minutes, which is actually the time you actively involved with cooking. After you put last meat in the pot, and adjust amount of water, bring it to boil and make fire the smallest possible and let it stand on the small fire for 20 more min. Stir occasionally. Let it cool down in the pot. After it cools down I put it in the fridge. This amount will be enough for 4-5 days for you, and no need to freeze, it will stay good in the fridge. If you get a huge 10-12 quarts pot, you can double amount of ingredients butbetter to portion one half into ziplocks and freeze and microwave before feeding.
The amount you can give your 42 pound bulldog is around 450-500 grams X 2 times a day. My bulldog is 56-58 pounds, very active male. I give him 700 grams X 2 times a day, 1400 gram a day.
But you first start with 450- 500 grams twice a day and see how it goes, if she gains weight, reduce, if she will be loosing, add. Depends on activity.
If you have any other questions about cooking, feel free to ask! I can also give you a recipe with turkey, quinoa and pumpkin. I usually rotate food from time to time.
P.s. I supplement this food with several things - high quality Fish oil with high EPA and DHA, Nuvet vitamin every second day, Vit A and E not every day, but 2 times a week, probiotics, joint supplement.

Lalaloopsie · Jul 24, 2019

My friends like to try my dogs food and say it tastes good, just needs to add some salt and spice or curry! :yes:

Lalaloopsie · Jul 25, 2019

Also, I can tell you 100% that “saliva” allergy test is not informative. It will be a waste of money.

Cbrugs · Jul 25, 2019

Lalaloopsie said:
Also, I can tell you 100% that “saliva” allergy test is not informative. It will be a waste of money.

Agree.

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2BullyMama · Jul 28, 2019

DawninMD said:
Hello!

I have a 18month old EBD named Sofi. When she was a baby when we got her from her Breeder she was on TOTW High Praire Puppy. At a year the vet suggested we switch her food because of all the reports of grain free diet (I know this is a controversial topic). We switched her to Canidae after MUCH research. Then she started showing signs of allergies, so after again much research we decided to put her on the adult TOTW. Now even though it’s the same formula just adult version she is showing further allergy signs. I don’t know if it’s environmental or food so plan to send in a saliva sample for a allergy test. I was wondering if anyone has any low ingredient suggestions for a healthy hearty home cooked meal for her. I was intimidated with calories and suggested feeding/ size and many don’t list that. I certainly don’t want to starve her, but also know she would eat as much as I gave her as she loves food. She is a small gal @ only 42lbs, her vet says she didn’t read the bulldog handbook and may be “broken” as she is very active and tiny and doesn’t seem to follow the rules . [emoji23]. I want to do the best by her, but I’m overwhelmed and afraid to screw up.

On another note if anyone is looking to have a allergy test done I found a great deal online. Looks like it will only be $97 with a coupon code vs. $300 that seemed to be a common charge. I love a great deal so figured it might be worth mentioning.

Any help of advice is super appreciated!!![emoji2]

Nat and Hellene have given you great information ...home coming and raw can seem intimidating at first, but in no time you will be comfortable and happy, as well as your girl healthy, you did it.

As for small and feisty... that is not unusual, especially for a female.

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handsomedan · Jul 28, 2019

If you're interested in home cooking for your dog, Dr. Harvey's makes it super easy to start! My boys love it and it's been great for them!

Bmakj · Apr 9, 2026

I did this a while ago with Victoria, I do not exclusively feed her the home made "fresh food", about 60/40 with kibble (blue buffalo, as the 40).

it changes a little each week (ie which veggies, sometimes mixed organs instead of livers, etc,.)

3+ lbs of chicken, typically boneless/skinless thighs, I will trim some of the fat off, just baked on sheet in oven (renders a lot of the fat)
3 medium to large sweet potatoes, cubed, boiled till soft but not too soft(save the water); sometimes will supplement with can of pumpkin (plain, not pie filling)
one container (quart?) of chicken livers or chicken organs (incudes heart, etc,.), when sweet potatoes are done, use water to boil them
2 cans sardines
two cups chopped spinach
one "steam in bag" bag of peas and carrots (cooked as per instructions)
digestive yeast flakes (maybe a tsp or tbsp, jar with shaker lid)
2 tbsp of sunflower seeds (Raw, unsalted)
pinch of kelp powder
tbsp of crushed eggshells

mix well, package in the chicken liver containers, freeze half, as the above last approx 8 days

She is also on apoquel and simparica, dasequin supplement, as well as supplement to help urine not kill the grass (it struggles in my yard as it is).

each ingredient above was tested one at a time with only kibble (she didn't really have allergy issues on just kibble during first winter in our house, spring brought them on) for a week with no ill effects, so allergies are not food allergies per the vet, hence the apoquel

she loves it, licks the mixing spoon and bowl clean enough to put away when she is done (I don't, but I doubt anyone would be able to tell if I did

). Stool is fine (formed but not too hard, 2x per day normally).

and really, I did a comparison, it is much less expensive than commercially available fresh food, and not horrifically more expensive than her kibble (ie like 2x, not 5 or 6 x).

She is spoiled, she also gets plenty of treats: Charlie bear love em, can give her tons guilt free, 3 cal each), 100% duck jerky (but she still wont answer me when I ask her is it Donald or Daffy), and occasionally dehydrated chicken feet from a local farm.

2BullyMama · Apr 9, 2026

Bmakj said:
I did this a while ago with Victoria, I do not exclusively feed her the home made "fresh food", about 60/40 with kibble (blue buffalo, as the 40).

it changes a little each week (ie which veggies, sometimes mixed organs instead of livers, etc,.)

3+ lbs of chicken, typically boneless/skinless thighs, I will trim some of the fat off, just baked on sheet in oven (renders a lot of the fat)
3 medium to large sweet potatoes, cubed, boiled till soft but not too soft(save the water); sometimes will supplement with can of pumpkin (plain, not pie filling)
one container (quart?) of chicken livers or chicken organs (incudes heart, etc,.), when sweet potatoes are done, use water to boil them
2 cans sardines
two cups chopped spinach
one "steam in bag" bag of peas and carrots (cooked as per instructions)
digestive yeast flakes (maybe a tsp or tbsp, jar with shaker lid)
2 tbsp of sunflower seeds (Raw, unsalted)
pinch of kelp powder
tbsp of crushed eggshells

mix well, package in the chicken liver containers, freeze half, as the above last approx 8 days

She is also on apoquel and simparica, dasequin supplement, as well as supplement to help urine not kill the grass (it struggles in my yard as it is).

each ingredient above was tested one at a time with only kibble (she didn't really have allergy issues on just kibble during first winter in our house, spring brought them on) for a week with no ill effects, so allergies are not food allergies per the vet, hence the apoquel

she loves it, licks the mixing spoon and bowl clean enough to put away when she is done (I don't, but I doubt anyone would be able to tell if I did ). Stool is fine (formed but not too hard, 2x per day normally).

and really, I did a comparison, it is much less expensive than commercially available fresh food, and not horrifically more expensive than her kibble (ie like 2x, not 5 or 6 x).

She is spoiled, she also gets plenty of treats: Charlie bear love em, can give her tons guilt free, 3 cal each), 100% duck jerky (but she still wont answer me when I ask her is it Donald or Daffy), and occasionally dehydrated chicken feet from a local farm.

Wow!!! This is great