Nutrition requirements for Raw vs. Home Cooked

[Deestar]

I'm on the food roller coaster with Lucy because of allergies. She's currently on the bland diet and I'm reintroducing foods one at a time. I can't do Raw because the only proteins she does well on are beef and lamb which are too costly to buy raw.

My question is.....when people do Home Cooking they add things like veggies, beans, and rice while bones and organs are used in a Raw diet. I'm guessing that in Raw the bones do what the rice does in Home Cooking, firm up the stools. But why are organs added to a Raw diet? Are they a necessary nutrient? Why aren't they needed in Home Cooking?

Thanks!!!!

 

[laurendoodler]

[MENTION=4441]Deestar[/MENTION] I've always been told that the organs are necessary. Especially liver. I don't know all of the details, but all the people I've talked to have said you absolutely have to feed the organ on the raw diet. I don't know a whole lot about home cooking. But I don't know why it would differ between the two? Also, organ helps to loosen up the stools.

 

[Deestar]

Thanks for the reply! Our bullies look kind of similar!

 

[dieMuttivonBifi]

Hi, rice is carbohydrate it doesn't do what bones does for raw. We give bones to maintain and balance the ratio of calcium to phosphorous level in the food (just like in Kibbles they should be balanced). Meat is rich in Phosphorous and bones in Calcium. Organs are rich in Vitamins. Here is an excerpt from an article in Dogs Naturally Magazine about organs:

"organ meats are more densely packed with just about every nutrient including heavy doses of B vitamins such as B1, B2, B6, folic acid and vitamin B12.
Organ meats are also loaded with minerals like phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium and iodine, and provide the important fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. It’s important to note that animals raised outside on grass contain even higher levels of these essential nutrients than their grain fed counterparts."

Now liver is packed with Vitamin A. Again an excerpt from Dogs Naturally Magazine about liver:

"Liver is known to be one of the most concentrated sources of naturally occurring vitamin A of any food. Vitamin A aids digestion, keeps the reproductive organs healthy, and is a powerful antioxidant. Liver also contains one of the best, most usable sources of iron. Iron is necessary for many functions in the body, including the formation of hemoglobin, brain development and function,regulation of body temperature, muscle activity and catecholamine metabolism, to name just a few. A lack of iron will have a direct effect on the immune system; it diminishes the number of T-cells and the production of antibodies."

Why aren't they needed in Home Cooking?---says who? theres no rule that says you can't cook organs to give to your dog. Just go ahead and add what you like to your recipes for your baby. I used to cook liver and add canned codd liver (not a good idea lol, lots of sodium lots or preservatives. Stick to fresh then cook it) to my boy's meal. You can pretty much cook what you want just remember, and i know i'm being redundant here, no onion, no grapes, no raisins, not too much garlic either. Here's a quote from @Twice "You can safely give him 1/2 a clove for every 20 pounds of body weight each day". Hope it helps :D

 

[Deestar]

Thank you, diemutivonbifi!