I've been working with my vet to get my dog's weight down for a while now but it's not working. My dog is older, mildly arthritic, and has hypothyroidism. With the arthritis it's hard to get him the exercise he should be getting. The lack of thyroid function also contributes to the weight gain and lethargy, only adding to the problem. My vet convinced me to try some special weight loss food a while back but my dog absolutely hated it, he looked miserable and kept sealing the cats food.

Right now his weight is 125lbs and he should be round 105. He gets 1 3/4 cups 2x a day, which for a dog his size is really not much, and I'm happy with the dog food I have him on now (Blue). The problem is the dog food is expensive and I can tell he is still hungry, I'm going to talk to the vet about it but I was thinking maybe if I made my own dog food it would keep him happier and fuller for around the same price and nutrition. Even if it did cost a little more I would be fine with that. I was thinking once a week I could make a porridge of rice and oatmeal with roast chicken, egg, pureed sweet potato, and frozen veggies. Any thoughts on the idea? Does anyone else make their own?

12/31/2010 8:44:54 AM

My roommate often makes her own dog food. One of our dogs has a tendency to pack on extra weight.
She substitutes a cup of dog food with a cup of green beans. He LOVES it and always gets back down to his healthy weight this way.

Additionally, she regularly feeds them brown rice with a bit of spinach or oatmeal when we run low on dog food. They love it, and it's fairly inexpensive.

12/31/2010 8:59:27 AM

I have two 80lb dogs and we make them all of their food. The reason we started was that our first dog refused to eat. We had to spend 20 minutes at each meal encouraging him to eat his kibble. Once, he went nearly a week without eating and he wasn't sick (mind you he was 100lb at this point). We don't have that problem anymore.

What do we use for food? Meat + frozen vegetables. Ground beef/chicken/liver + broccoli/green beans/spinach/peas. Fruit is good too. I'd also feed my dogs more organ meats, but I really have no idea where to get them.

Dogs, like humans, should not be consuming grains. Dogs split with gray wolves 15,000 years ago, so I would be skeptical about feeding them rice... especially if you want them to lose weight: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_wolf#Diet

If you read some books on the subject, you'll probably see people advocating a raw diet.

My mother in law had problems with her dog, started obsessively researching the matter, fed her dog an all raw meat diet, and the problems cleared up immediately. Before long she was saying shit like "They shouldn't eat peanuts... they're legumes." Then she bought me "Nutrition & Physical Degeneration" which is like a goddamn textbook. My mother in law (who eats microwave dinners standing up) is becoming a nutrition expert!? I feel like I'm in the twilight zone here....

I will say it's kind of time consuming (and expensive) because it's like feeding an extra adult human. But I wouldn't want to go back to feeding them kibble; that stuff is garbage.

[Edited on December 31, 2010 at 9:17 AM. Reason : f]

12/31/2010 9:13:54 AM

there's a lot of research that shows that the major groups of people who came to have elaborate 1st world type societies throughout history were able to do so because of grains (wheat & rice, potatoes too but they're not grains). i don't quite buy your peoplearen'tsupposedtoeatgrainstheory, but carry on. this thread isn't about people.

12/31/2010 9:21:22 AM

Yup. Civilizations prospered because of grains. But the quality of life for the humans within the civilizations suffered. If you want to argue it, maybe we should take this outside. http://www.scribd.com/doc/2100251/Jared-Diamond-The-Worst-Mistake-in-the-History-of-the-Human-Race

[Edited on December 31, 2010 at 9:26 AM. Reason : asdf]

12/31/2010 9:24:43 AM

well the others who didn't prosper couldn't because they didn't have grains. if you can't get to the starting point then you're doing it wrong.

okay seriously i'm dropping it now. no hijacking.

-----

how much does making your own dog food cost on a daily basis typically? what exactly do you do? are you cooking it? where are you buying your ingredients? i'm kinda interested.

[Edited on December 31, 2010 at 9:28 AM. Reason : ]

12/31/2010 9:26:01 AM

I also don't want to hijack this thread, but I'm interested in what you two (^ and ^^) are discussing... can we have another thread on it? that's the first time I've heard the suggestion that we're not supposed to eat grains - usually I hear we need to eat MORE grains than we are. Anyway, I'd like to hear the other side.

As far as the dog food goes, I don't have anything to add, other than I have considered cooking for my cats. However, I'm afraid I'll deprive them of some dietary need that I don't even know I'm leaving out.

12/31/2010 9:50:18 AM

the impact of gains on society is a really interesting topic, ive either read that article or heard it from another source. Sometimes wonder if i should cut it out of my own diet but that is besides the point.


As for my dog i would be hard pressed to do an all meat diet. For one, I don't think I could afford it. Second, my vet is always emphasizing the importance of fiber in his diet via sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or green beans. With hunger being an issue (thyroid) she tells me the fiber will keep him fuller longer and his stools firm. Plus, he has some high cholesterol a while back and incorporating dried oats into his diet brought it back down. EuroTitToss, I did get curious about the organ meat and made some phonecalls. I spoke to some super nice and helpful folks at The Meat House in cary. They stock organ meat (calf liver, kidney, chicken heart) but he said since its a specialty it is pretty pricy ~$15lb. However, you can also go to the Asian Market in cary. I know they have a ton of parts but not really sure where it comes from.

12/31/2010 10:10:33 AM

^^Done.

I usually cook my dogs 6lb of ground beef at once (this is a feat). At $1/lb and throwing in some vegetables, I'd say it costs $25/week.

Fiber. Give me a fricking break.

Vcorrecto

[Edited on December 31, 2010 at 10:15 AM. Reason : asdfasdf]

12/31/2010 10:11:31 AM

Quote :

"With hunger being an issue (thyroid) she tells me the fiber will keep him fuller longer and his stools firm. "

insoluble fiber does not make the stools firm. it adds bulk but kinda does the opposite for stool hardness.

12/31/2010 10:14:07 AM

I will also advocate the raw diet as a great way to help with weight loss and promote overall health. You just cant beat it.

12/31/2010 10:23:49 AM

paging Metricula's boyfriend...

12/31/2010 11:16:52 AM

when i was growing up this was called "leftovers".

12/31/2010 11:29:46 AM

Quote :

"I'd also feed my dogs more organ meats, but I really have no idea where to get them."

Grand Asia Market has every organ meat your heart could ever desire for cheap. I also buy pig ear, pigs feet, and beef tongue at the farmers market but that's for me, not my pets

12/31/2010 1:29:50 PM

I live in Greenville. It is teh suck. I have to drive all the way to cary for grass fed beef.

12/31/2010 1:34:33 PM

I would think the Piggly Wiggly in Greenville would sell organ meats.

12/31/2010 2:17:13 PM

Have you seen a wild dog?

Your dog on diet dog food is not starving.

12/31/2010 3:20:39 PM

excersize your dog more... for that much food your dog should way much much less than that..

My coonhound gets 2 cups twice a day and weighs 69 lbs.

12/31/2010 3:36:34 PM

Quote :

"With the arthritis it's hard to get him the exercise he should be getting."

12/31/2010 3:53:08 PM

Quote :

"Right now his weight is 125lbs and he should be round 105. He gets 1 3/4 cups 2x a day, which for a dog his size is really not much, and [...] I can tell he is still hungry"

most fatties crave food when they go on a diet...

12/31/2010 5:45:06 PM

some of you people have way too much time on your hands, making your own dog food?

fuck that, i have shit to do.

12/31/2010 6:12:38 PM

some of you people have way too much time on your hands, making your own having a dog food?

fuck that, i have shit to do.

12/31/2010 8:56:55 PM

^^ LOL

1/2/2011 11:17:10 AM

Lol^^, ^^^

1/2/2011 3:09:59 PM

some of you people have way too much time on your hands, making your own dog food?

fuck that, i have shit to do.

1/2/2011 3:26:07 PM

doggie arthritis?? gimme a break

1/5/2011 4:28:00 PM

^ Do all of your dogs die young?

1/5/2011 4:40:07 PM

that dont mean you cant get em out walkin

1/5/2011 4:42:42 PM