# Thinking about trying home cooked meals



## SPLAbby

I meant for Benjy, not us. LOL Seriously though, we bought a new stove and are doing a lot better about eating at home.

Sue and I have talked about making food for Benjy. He seems so perky if you give him a little chicken. I just saw a video on a recipe elsewhere that looked like a great idea, but then people disagreed with the ingredients in the comments. Like they can't digest this, or that is bad for him etc.

Does homemade completely replace store bought? Or is it ok to give him store bought when you run out of the homemade? Can you alternate?

Thanks
Jeff & Sue
& Benjy too


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## davetgabby

yes homecooking can completely replace commercial food. although once you home cook you may not get him to eat commercial again especially kibble.. If you home cook you need to follow a nutritionists plan or a book that is written by a reputable nutritionist such as
monica segal Optimal Nutrition

Dr. Pitcairn Dr. Pitcairn?s Complete Guide | ANHC Education Programs

Catherine Lane Cat Lane - The Possible Canine

Sabine Contreras The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?

Diana Laverdure Pet Food Diva - Powerful Pet Nutrition Information to Raise Awesomely Healthy Pets

Sabine has helped many people with this on the forum here. I highly recommend her. She is very reasonable and you'll end up with a plan for YOUR dog, .


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## SPLAbby

Great!

I was hoping someone would give us a lead in the right direction! Thanks


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## Teddy Bear

davetgabby said:


> yes homecooking can completely replace commercial food. although once you home cook you may not get him to eat commercial again especially kibble.. If you home cook you need to follow a nutritionists plan or a book that is written by a reputable nutritionist such as
> monica segal Optimal Nutrition
> 
> Dr. Pitcairn Dr. Pitcairn?s Complete Guide | ANHC Education Programs
> 
> Catherine Lane Cat Lane - The Possible Canine
> 
> Sabine Contreras The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare?
> 
> Diana Laverdure Pet Food Diva - Powerful Pet Nutrition Information to Raise Awesomely Healthy Pets
> 
> Sabine has helped many people with this on the forum here. I highly recommend her. She is very reasonable and you'll end up with a plan for YOUR dog, .


I agree with Dave,
I got a diet consultation (and re consultation) for Teddy through Sabine. She's really good and tailored his diet to what he likes as well as to what was available in shops out here (mostly meat and organs).

Teddy is really happy with his home cooked diet (he goes on hunger strike on the few occasions where he had to be fed dog food)

I had asked Sabine if I could also give kibble in addition to the diet and she refused. I was asked to cut out all commercial treats and Kibble and use what was in the plan as it was nutritionally balanced (I try in most cases but its too hard not to give him extras every now and then).


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## Annabellam

I think that is a good idea Benjy will love it. Davegabby is right on the difficulty of getting him back on kibble.


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## SPLAbby

Teddy Bear said:


> Teddy is really happy with his home cooked diet (he goes on hunger strike on the few occasions where he had to be fed dog food)
> 
> I had asked Sabine if I could also give kibble in addition to the diet and she refused. I was asked to cut out all commercial treats and Kibble and use what was in the plan as it was nutritionally balanced (I try in most cases but its too hard not to give him extras every now and then).


Benjy won't eat his kibble until he sees if we are going to give him chicken. I bet he would go on hunger strikes.

When we take Benjy to training classes, they always have us use reward treats for something done right. But then you wean them off the treats. I wonder how I would deal with not being allowed to have treats.


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## Teddy Bear

Teddy's plan has a generous amount of food and has a very high proportion of meat and organs.

I boil the chicken in his plan and chop it into tiny pieces to use as treats.... He loves chicken and I know exactly what he's eating! 
It's enough food to cover meals and treats and you could probably ask who ever you ask to develop the home cooked diet to add in an allowance for the training treats you use.


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## Edwood

For those that Sous Vide, plain chicken makes for very easy treats to keep in the fridge. You can cook it very low temps (130-140F) so you don't overcook. Also you lose a lot less nutrients as you would with traditional boiling. I usually cook in larger batches, and freeze the excess.


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## jabojenny

I feed my two Doctor Harvey's Veg to Bowl. This is a mix that you add any protein to, cooked or raw. My two LOVE it. I get the fine ground but the regular type has whole green beans and other veggies. I make a batch once a week and switch between cooked proteins, beef, chicken, turkey, buffalo. My two have no issues with any of the proteins I've used. They are a nice company to deal with and will answer any questions you might have. This is a nice in choice between prepared and totally home cooked.


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## SPLAbby

Edwood said:


> For those that Sous Vide, plain chicken makes for very easy treats to keep in the fridge. You can cook it very low temps (130-140F) so you don't overcook. Also you lose a lot less nutrients as you would with traditional boiling. I usually cook in larger batches, and freeze the excess.


That sounds great. We just got a Foodsaver (like a seal-a-meal) and we could freeze batches so they stay fresh.

Per the dog training treats -- we already cut the chicken into small cubes to make him think he is getting more. (We can give him 3 plates with a little on each, but spread around.) So he would already be accepting of the little pieces.

Thanks everyone. Every post is helpful.


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## Hanna

No matter what you decide to feed your dog, be sure you slowly transition your dog over, like so:

Week 1: 75% Old Food, 25% New Food
Week 2: 50% Old Food, 50% New Food
Week 3: 25% Old Food, 75% New Food
Week 4: 100% New Food

You can absolutely feed your dog people food if it works for them - just be sure you're feeding them the right kinds! Good luck and give Benjy a hug from me!


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## SPLAbby

tx so much!


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## Heather's

We feed our two chicken breasts or sliced roast beef with vegetables. I have always left a bowl of kibble for Scout and Truffles to nibble on. It is very difficult to get them to eat kibble now. I did start adding ZiwiPeak to their food a few months ago. So far they seem to like it. I'm happy because I want them to have a balanced diet.


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## Dee Dee

You will feel good feeding him fresh food! It's a lot of work but worth it. As everyone has said be sure you have a good nutritionist to guide you. If the diet isn't balanced it can cause issues down the road that you won't see coming until it's deficient enough to cause symptoms. Every dog is different too so what is best for one isn't good for another. We work with a great holistic vet and with Sophies darn IBD are having to tweak things often. I could never do it on my own. Also very important to have the right, and right amount, of supplements. right now Sophie is getting cooked turkey, overcooked rice, mixed fresh raw basil/dill/fennel and calcium (very important) and magnesium. As well as a plethora of chinese herbs, enzymes and supplements (it's a huge exhausting frustrating fight to try and keep on top of IBD symptoms)  We have to switch her protein every month (slowly) so her body doesn't have time to decide her food is the enemy and flare up. We keep testing the proteins we choose to be sure she isn't developing intolerances to it before feeding it again. There is so much to it and things can change. I agree that Sabine would be great to work with.


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