dog food made at home

Question
Hello, I have a 6 month old pit bull mix breed neutered male puppy named Eddy. He weights about 30 lbs. I have him currently on the natural formula science diet puppy dog food, chicken and brown rice formula. I know this is a good food but I am curious about home made dog food. I have been reading alot about home recipes and it sounds very promising to me. This may seem kinda funny but I ate one piece of dog food I feed my pup and it was very tasteless and the after taste was even worse. I know dogs may have different taste buds then we do but the food cannot be too tasty to dogs with how it tastes. My puppy has had skin issues since he was about 3 months and I wonder if the food is just not working with his body. He was diagnosed with mange but then he was negative for it and he still has some small spots so I am trying to give him the freshest and most nutrisious food he can get. I was adding some fresh green beans, peas, and carrots to his dry food and he loves them but I recently was feeding him my own blend of natural human food with a bit of dog food mixed in. I have been cooking white rice, boiling chicken, boiling lean ground beef, adding green beans, carrots, and peas. Each ingredient is about equal proportions. I have still been feeding him his dog food because I want to make sure he has enough vitamins and minerals. However, I have been wondering if I make a home made dog food how do I know he gets all the important nurtients he needs? I am going to take him into the vet for some blood tests to hopefully find out about his skin issues and am going to ask about homemade diets but thought I could do some research before I go in. Is it possible to prepare a home food and he have plenty of required nutrients? The food I buy him now costs about $40 per three weeks so its not cheap so making my own food would probably be cheaper. I also have noticed he loves the food I made (with ground beef, chicken, green beans, peas, and carrots). It just makes sense to me to feed him whole, natural, fresh food rather than compressed, processed food. If you could give me some idea of what is good to feed at home if I switch to a home diet and how he gets all his nutrients that would be great. Considering he is still a puppy, 6 months, I really want to make sure he gets everything he needs. Thanks for your help.

Answer
I don't suggest homemade nor does the AVMA, see http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/jan05/050115ww.asp  While one can easily find the requirements the AAFCO has found that dogs need, finding what is in an ingredient and how much is available to a dog is difficult.  Dogs don't digest raw vegetables very well, much of them pass through the dog undigested.  Formulating a good diet is a lot of work, and the consequences of not getting it right are grave.  Often a dog on a home made diet seems to do well for years and by the tiume it shows any symptoms, its liver or pancreas is fatally damaged.  

Yes the internet is full talk of homemade food.  Much of it by irrational people willing to risk their dog's health to show how much they know.  There are also those making money selling the harder to find ingredients.  Check the banner ads here.  Please don't turn your dog into a laboratory animal to test your own dog food.

While the chow you are feeding may be as good as anything, there is no scientific evidence to support all the popular rating systems.  They are all based on speculation on th eingredients.  There was never any testing to validate the ratings.  

I would keep working with your vet.  Perhaps rechecking some skin scrapings.  Feed a decent chow and as little else as possible, seldom if ever bathe the dog, and brush it daily with a soft bristled brush. You might add a teaspoon a day of liquid cooking oil to its food.