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Home cooked meals

JessieAndMe

Well-known member
Hi everyone,
Would love to hear from anyone who cooks for their Cavalier as their main diet. I would love to be able to cook for Jessie, as he seems to enjoy it so much more, and I enjoy cooking and have the time. He is already having cooked meals regularly, usually twice per week, just to make meal times interesting for him. Last night for example, he had kangaroo, steamed vegetables and rice. How involved is feeding a cooked diet? Is it necessary to add supplements to his food, if so, what else needs to be added to provide a more balanced diet? Of course i'll research recipes and work off those.

Just wanting to weight up my options before making a decision one way or the other.
 
There is a CD that benefits Rupert's Fund that has lots of recipes -- PM Nicki or order from Cavalier Maters. :D

Also we have some recipes in the Library section. Also you can get a booklet on home cooked meals and on meals for cavaliers from www.monicasegal.com.

A varied and balanced diet is important. You can alternate cooked meals with a complete balanced commercial dry or raw food 6to be sure of nutrition.
 
We don't cook our cavaliers' meals; we feed them well-balanced meals of raw meats and vegetables, with supplements recommended by our holistic veterinarian.
 
I haven't had any experience with a holistic veterinarian, how do they differ from the average veterinarian? We've been using lean cuts of meat for Jessie, kangaroo fillet, chicken breast and lean beef so far, but haven't really considered raw feedings. Is it only specific meats that are prepared for dogs? The cuts he is having at the moment aren't pet food.

Thanks Karlin, will pop onto Cavaliers Maters when i'm on the PC to order one. Do they come in PDF downloads or just on CD?
 
All diets must be balanced and supplemented! Calcium is particular crucial if you do not feed bones. Variety does not provide a balanced diet. I have been cooking for Misha (10kg/22lbs) for years and it usually takes me 6-8 hours every other weekend, but I can do house stuff while things are simmering. We have a separate freezer for his food which I put into individual portions in pyrex containers. Misha's nutritionist will be posting free recipes for healthy dogs soon on her blog. There are also generic recipes here by a DVM. Dr. Pitcairn's Guide to Natural Dog and Cat Health also provides recipes, but they depend on your dog being able to do well with nutritional yeast.

I believe a dog will be healthier if fed home cooked food - you know the source of the ingredients and preparation methods. Misha is nearly 16 and part of this I attribute to his healthy, home cooked diet.

ETA: It is even more crucial that puppy diets are well balanced, so please make sure recipes are designed for them!

Best of luck!
 
All diets must be balanced and supplemented! Calcium is particular crucial if you do not feed bones. Variety does not provide a balanced diet.

Bingo - you must balance calcium and phosphorus in a home prepared diet or you risk some serious illnesses due to calcium deficiency. Most people who do home prepared food (especially a cooked diet) do not understand the importance of this. You must balance at least one to one - i.e., you calculate the mg of phosphorus and the mg of calcium and add calcium carbonate powder to make sure there is at least a one to one ratio in the diet.

http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/minerals-in-canines/

The website nutritiondata.com is an excellent resource for calculating what's in a home prepared diet - protein, fat, carbs, vitamins, minerals, etc.

Pat
 
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