Homemade Dog Food Update Part 1

My blog count up tells me that as of this post, I've been feeding homemade dog food for 1967 days. During these 5.4 years, I hesitate to think about how many pounds of leg quarters, chicken thighs, ground turkey, rice, beans, potatoes I've gone through.

The main reason for adapting this diet was Angel Marie...the fiercesome American Bulldog we adopted after our part Am Bulldog, Macey, died.  I made the mistake of looking on Pet Finder (same as I did after our English Setter, Lucy, passed, and I found Ella), and spotted a beautiful white and brindle full bloodied Am Bulldog. Who knows how this dog was named Angel Marie.

I drove 1.5 hours to Ivor, VA to adopt her.  She was through a Humane Society.  Most of those are loosely organized with committed volunteers who foster these dogs, and then spend their weekends at Petsmart to try to get these dogs adopted.  Please consider donating to one of your local Humane Societies.

When I went to view Angel Marie, the foster parent was not there.  She was still en route from Newport News at an adoption event.  She arrived shortly after I did.  Her backyard was surrounded by a sturdy wooden fence, and I could hear the dogs in the back.  When she got back, she returned the unadopted to the lot.

She brought Angel out, and she walked tentatively and painfully.  She had just been treated for a severe staff infection in her feet. As I saw her walk, I could only wonder what I was getting into.  She was advertised as 5.  However, her vet work had her at 5 years old 3 years ago.  I believe that it was an honest mistake.  When I asked about it, the foster mom seemed genuinely surprised.

So there I stood, watching this dog who was in the last third of her life, suffering from food allergies and a staff infection when the foster mom said, "I understand if you don't wish to take her."  Here was this woman, devoting her time to making a home for dogs that had none.  Shame on me, if I were not to take at least one dog off her hands.  With her food allergies and her staff infection, she was currently unadoptable.

They waived the adoption fee (which I did not ask for) and they would not take my $100 donation.  "You'll need it to care for her."    I emphasized that I would care for this dog.  She would get appropriate vetting and a loving home, but she would not get an extraordinary means to lengthen her life in the event of a life threatening event.  "We understand."

There began our odyssey on homemade diet.  She thrived on the homemade diet and returned to robust health.  No allergies.  Only one incidence of a staff infection return. But after that (and until her death at the ripe old age of 12) she was healthy.

I continue to feed this diet to my dogs, and I don't think that I'll ever return to regular dog food.  The cost of feeding is no more than buying super premium dog food.  But it does require a daily time commitment over and above scooping out some kibble, and a committment every 6-8 weeks to grind the meat supply.

I currently have 2 English Setters: 13 and 15 years old.  And Dexter, a Pit Bull, who will be 7.  I credit their collective good health to making the investment in this diet.  Bully breeds often have skin issues (as Angel did), but these disappeared for her.  They never appeared for Dexter.  Ella, one of my Setters, used to get a skin rash periodically, but this too disappeared on this diet.

In another post I'll point out some highlights.  Here's Part 2.

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Homemade Dog Food

We are 344 days into homemade dog food--rapidly approaching our one year anniversary.  Dexter was recently at the vet.  The vet asked what I fed him.  I mentioned that I fed him a homemade diet.  Without any retribution, she suggested that I ensure that I go to vet approved resources such as Cornell.  I thanked her and indicated that I had done my homework, to include UC Davis's Dr. Strombeck's work.  She said, "Good.  So many of owners don't bother to do any research."

I put in quite a few hours doing the research, and Dexter's body condition was given "Excellent".  He is perfect weight; his coat is shiny and soft; and his poop does not stink. (One of the many great benefits of a homemade diet!).  That he had to be manhandled to get vetted was very disappointing.  I've never had any dog

It seems so easy now, but I remember my trepidation that I would do something that would forever harm the health of my animals.  Oh, I still have to buy dry food, as with a recent trip where another hand to care for my 4 dogs.  So, they got dry food which I integrated into their regimen over the course of a few days.  It helped my daughter feed them easily.  They ate it (though Dexter was not crazy about it); and none were were for wear.

There is no question that there is real work involved over and above opening a bag and scooping it out.  It would be far simpler if I did not have 4 dogs which is an all time high for us.  But I have 3 seniors, so the crowd will naturally thin.  I have no desire to have such a large pack in the future.  It is simply just too much.  But we are giving a loving home; they give us love and companionship in turn.

So as they age; they have excellent nutrition which will help greatly. Skin, coat, teeth and eyes are all great.  And once I commit to making a batch of food, it lasts a about 6 weeks, which includes my getting about 30lbs of the mechanically separated turkey in 10lb chubs.

I'm down to my last couple of meals, and I need to make some more.  It is not something that I relish. But they love to lick the bowls! 

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Tonight's Canine Cuisine

Last evening., our crew of 4 had beef heart as our lean meat selection (from that 60lb frozen rectangle that I wrangled with).  I mixed it with macaroni and red lentils (both cooked; meat raw).  I added necessary accoutrements such as bone meal and sardines;however, in retrospect, I did not need the sardines as beef heart has lots of B12. Strombeck uses sardines to supplement for B12, typically found in organ meats. I guess they got an extra dosing of B12  Because I was using beef, I used walnut oil as recommended by Steve Brown to balance the fats.

(Steve does not use carbohydrates, but does use vegetables, but I'm following Strombeck and Pitcairn on this addition of carbs.  They,. too advocate,vegetables, and my dogs have ALWAYS enjoyed eating vegetables.  So long as my dogs' have acceptable scat and body condition and the right balance of carbs/meat then I'm confident that they are processing these carbohydrates just fine. This statement made despite the many admonishments that carbs do not belong in a dog's diet as well .   Plus, I'm using lean meats, ).  They did not get any vegetables with this dish as I had not ground up any in the meat, as I do with I grind their poultry from the restaurant supply place.

Now that I'm in a routine, my comfort level is so much higher.  Given that my vegetable ratio to meat in my underlying grinds is pretty high, it will not hurt to skip a few vegetables. I did add a dollop of pumpkin and cottage cheese.

It is next to impossible to work in the kitchen now, as any time I'm fixing anything in the kitchen, the canine minions converge.  My next spill will be in the kitchen from tripping over a dog.

Sigh...

At least they get excited about their meals.  But in fairness, they were excited when I used canned dog food as a topper to their kibble.  And, in fairness again, their poop is much more pleasant now.

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The Hazards of Homemade Dog Food

My freezer is rated for 700lbs of food.  There is no way that I have even a half that much in the freezer (upright).  Nevertheless when I opened the door, the @%#$^#!$^ some of the occupants of the first and second shelves came skidding out.  I was beaned on the forehead, my shoulder and my foot by about 30lbs of  food in various containers from 1 to 5 lbs.

I had a golf ball-sized knot on my forehead, and a bruised shoulder and foot.  I'm not so sure that I wasn't a bit concussed.  I surely cussed. Had I had red and white

striped socks on, I would have looked much like the wicked witch of the west with dog food on top of me rather than a house.  So while the freezer might be rated for 700lb or so, clearly the shelving is not quite up to the task.

On to recent shopping scores.  N&W Salvage is one of my favorite
shopping destinations--most particularly at Christmas time.  We don't give many gifts, but I like to find high quality well-priced items to give to folks.  I take my time going through the aisles, and armed with my smartphone, I look up interesting things that I spy to see if it is a good deal.  I would rather my husband jilt me than buy something that I could have found cheaper elsewhere!  Priorities!  The best deal that I EVER found were the 10" ScanPans for $19.99.  I bought them all (after I took one home, looked it up and gasped at the cheapest price I could find was $135 at discount). 

So while big scores cannot always be duplicated, there are still great and good scores to be had. To wit

•  Sable & Rosenfeld Mediterranean Olive Bruschetta for $2.99 (at least 1/2 price).  It is ever-so-good, particularly with cream cheese.  I made a layered cream cheese mixed with sour cream and then layered with drained Bruschetta and took to a party.  Great stuff to have around and to tuck in a bag to gift to others.
• 8" Galic Salt and Pepper mills.  Perfect to give as gifts and at a great discount @ $7.99 v. $22. A lagniappe from N&W was for them to put them in wine carriers.   Plus...some great large Comcast Bags to put my loot in.  I love that place.  I love the staff--they are friendly, and you can tell they truly enjoy their work.
• Sardines in tomato sauce:  2 for $1.  Sardines are a key ingredient in my dog food, so this was a great find.  Unfortunately, there was only one case of 25 cans to be had and a handful of others. 
• Taylor Scale:  $29.99 for $100 scale.  With weighing the dogs, the tap and step on the electronic scale just was not working.  I and keep it downstairs and do weekly weigh-ins for all but Angel, who we cannot lift.

I had to stop at Food Lion to get hamburgers for dinner.  Well, I was greeted by a meat case full of discounted ground round (85/15) that had been double tagged (markdowned twice).  The price of meat is exorbitant, and we eat more chicken/pork than beef due to the price. With a 2x markdown, the ground round was $2.20 per pound.  Exceptional. I put back my pre-made hamburgers at 4.69/lb and made patties when I got home.  I bought every package they had so that I could put it in my freezer to be beaned by it at a later date.

I also scored 2 Purdue Oven-stuffer Roasters on 2x markdown.  Hard to find chicken for .88/lb.  If that rolls out of the freezer on my head it will kill me.  Will store low...maybe get a broken foot.

Some of this will be dog food, some of this will be our food.  I'll have to boil the ground round to get the fat content lower--which makes it more cooked than raw.  Steve Brown in his Ancestral Diet, recommends very lean meats (93% for pregnant and lactating bitches and 90% for adults). Lean meat is expensive; fat is cheap.  His book is really informative to understand the role of fat and how the fat profile of meats that you use in your homemade diet affect the nutritional profile of your dog's meals. When nutrients are measured in percentages of calories consumed (and they are for pet nutrition), adding calories through fat dilutes the nutrition that is being fed.

No different than for ourselves. 

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