Natural Foods for Dogs Recipe Book

***Dec 2010 Update --- we abandoned home cooked meals about 6 months into it because either directly or indirectly his urine developed a weird PH level and he started having pee dribbles. I suspect it had to do with our homecooked meal that was FAR from properly balanced. Since then we went to different commercial foods finally settling on hiring a proper canine nutritionist to make a raw food diet plan just for us. There are upwards of 8 different ingredients and 10 supplements used to make it balanced. Moral of the story: Don't just wing it like we did back then.****




Its been about 1.5 months since the change from kibble to natural food. I ordered a great book that has a ton of recipes that are easy to follow. The book also lists foods that are dangerous for dogs (ie. onions, chocolate, etc.) and also has a section on calcium supplements.

Read more about it here (including how to buy!)

www.naturaldogfood.com

I hypothesized that Duke's improved behavior may have been because of the food, but I'm convinced that its an absolute fact. In fact, the author of Natural Dog Food clearly states that a change in diet can fix behavioral issues.

Its worth noting that cooking for your dog doesn't mean cooking every day. We typically prepare batches of food and freeze it and serve throughout the week.

If you think about it, its worth it - after all - if kibble can sit in the open for months and not get moldy, it means that its either loaded with preservatives or it lacks nutrients to the point that bacteria can't even thrive off it.

we're really lucky that we have a beagle we can take off leash. his recall is pretty good and he is ball obsessed. duke gets a lot of exercise b/c he loves to play fetch!

2 days ago, however, the designated off-leash area was filled with tents and there were a lot of trucks and cars driving around getting ready for a festival on the weekend. so, i decided to play fetch in an area that is technically an on-leash area (despite 85% of all dogs being off leash there).

duke and i were happily playing fetch when all of a sudden he caught a scent and dropped his ball mid-way through bringing it back. despite calling him, he wouldn't come back. he started running across the park. he was definitely on to something.

that something was a lady's sandwich! as i was running after him, i saw him approach the lady and her baby on the lawn. as i got closer, duke jumped up and took a bite out of the lady's sandwich directly from her hand!! CHOMP!

needless to say, i received a well-deserved lecture on keeping dogs on-leash.

Homemade Food

In the last month we've switched from feeding kibble dog food (Wellness Super 5 Mix Chicken) and started feeding him homemade food. His meal typically consists of:

1. 50% Lean Protein - chicken breast/thigh, or baked salmon
2. 25% Complex Carbs - ground up brown rice.
3. 25% Vegetables - celery, carrots, bok choy, pumpkin, etc.

We've read that you need to use a calcium supplement as well. We've been adding cottage cheese or ground up eggshells.

There are a few books on dog nutrition at www.dogwise.com that I want to pick up to ensure we're covering all of Duke's nutritional bases but from the last month we've observed a lot of changes in Duke:

1. His bad breath is gone!
2. He doesn't fart nearly as much!
3. His poo is a lot smaller and richer in color (and less stinky)

Perhaps on a separate note, he's been very well behaved too! Not sure if there's a correlation with the diet or not...

getting better

going back to the basics of desensitization has helped us and duke is getting less reactive to dogs we see on dogs walks.

at the park and on our 2 walks today, duke was a star! good job duke!!

Spring Fever

The snow has melted and the weather is warming up. Duke's been eating a lot of rotten food that is thawing out of the snow and unfortunately he's had some farting and poo issues. This plus the seasonal change might be the reason why we've had some very naughty walks lately, including one afternoon where he was lunging, howling, and pulling as bad as before we started working with Joan! We've learned in the last year that all dogs have ups and downs and Duke might just be ill or feeling weird with the weather so we're just hanging in there.

congrats uno!

guess who won the westminster dog show?



... although, i don't know how they can compare all these different breeds to deem one dog is the best. but i'll take any excuse to celebrate a beagle!

the meeting of two great beagles

we have flown across the country to keep mr. cooper company while his parents are in hong kong for 2 weeks. this is the first time that duke and cooper have met, but they are getting along so well.

they love wrestling with each other!! ... and i have fallen in love with another beagle!!