Natural Diet

Question
Hello! I am the owner of a 6 year old beagle and about to have a pomapoo puppy. I was wanting to switch to a homemade food diet. I was wondering if you had any experience and could offer any advice about what to use what not to use. and anything that could be helpful!  

Answer
Hi Kim;
I strongly advise against it.
You need a degree in nutrition, almost, to ,make sure they get the proper nutrition.
I know how to cook for my dogs, and give them all they need, but it would cost more than feeding a family of four, and then there would have to be a lot of suppliments given.
Qhen I have a dog that has a little stomach virus or needs a mild diet for awhile. I make chicken and rice for them. This has been cleared with their veterinarian.I remove AKLL tha fat, and use no seasonings.
Every once in a while, I will make scrambled eggs for them, or some chicken and rice. I allow for this in their regular diet, but more than 90% of their diet is quality dog food.
Puppies, active adult dogs, less active adult dogs, and senior dogs, all need different nutrition.
It would be such a headache to try and do this at home.
That pippy and the adult dog you have need very different diets.
The adult dog is just a couple of years away from needing to be put on the senior formula.
The dry kibble dog foods help to keep their teeth cleaned. Tooth diseases are very serious, and feeding home cooked people food a lot would foster these diseases.
The brands I recommend are,
Science diet, Walthams, Eukenauba, and Natures Choice.
These cost a little more than the dog foods you buy in grocery stores, but they are free of fillers, so you feed less food to get the proper amount of nutrition.
Fillers are non-nutritive products that do nothing but fill up the sack so it looks like you get more for your money. The actual cost per serving is just about the same.
The cheaper brands have such fillers as, would you believe sawdust? Yep
There are dog treats that provide nutrients and also help keep the teeth clean. Be sure to count treats in their total food consumption. Overweigfgt causes lots of health problems.
Keeping a dog's teeth clean is as important as keeping a human's teeth clean.
Tartar buildup can cause all kinds of gum diseases, that can be life threatening, and cost big vet bills.
If you think it punishes their taste buds, according to my youngest son, and his youngest son, they taste good.
Gary used to steal the dog biscuits when he was little, and his little boy does it now.
I'll take their word for it. Not going to taste it myself.
For better health of your dog, and for less cost, aggravation and hassle, I recommend buying dry kibble type dog food, in one of the brands I listed above.
DON'Y give dogs, ANY bones ! Steak bones can be just as dangerous as chicken bones. Any bone the dog can break up can do serious damage, even kill then.
In the wild, dogs, wolves etc DO NOT eat bones. They crack the bones open and get the marrow out with their tongue.
They don't swallow those sharp shards of bone. It is like feeding your dog razor bladed.
Give NO pork. There is an enzyme in pork, that is not harmful to humans, but it gives dogs a disease that there is no treatment for, and is always fatel. This enzyme cannot be killed by cooking or gtrrzing.
NO CHOCOLATE ! That can be fatal too. Dogs love the taste of chocolate, and the smell. I give them a lirrle bit of Carob coated candy every once in a while It tastes like chocolate and smells like it, but does not have the toxin in it.
Rawhide is BAD !
The strips can be broken up and swallowed while they are still sharp, and can cut up a dogs, insides on the way down. The larger bones etc, can be softened and a piece bitten off, gotten stuck in their esphogus or throat, swell some more, and choke tham to death.Yhere are some other feeding no-nos, but those are the main ones.
Buy dog biscuit treats for the size of the dog. small dogs can break a tooth on the bones for large dogs.
My veterinarian told me the majority of his emergency surgeries are from a dog earing rawhide products.
  If someone is suggestion it is cruel to feed them dog food, it is NOT. It would be gross neglect to feed them home cooked food, bucause it will not provide the proper diet
Hope this helps
Charlotte