A Healthy Homemade Diet and Preparing a Bland Diet Before preparing, make certain these diets are what is requuired for your breed of dog: http://www.wdcusick.com/free.html Chicken, Rice and Vegetable
Diet
All of us want a healthy diet for our dogs, so why not try this simple
recipe? Not only is it easy to make but since it makes quite a bit, the
remainder can be frozen in portion sized freezer bags for storing and
serving at later dates. Nutritionally it beats any commercial canned or
dry food on the market.
If using a whole chicken, boil until thoroughly cooked. Pour the broth
into another large pot to allow the chicken to cool for removal of
bones. Once the chicken has been deboned (do NOT give the bones to your
dog!) return the chicken to the pot containing the broth.
Next, add a 1 lb bag of brown rice and a bag of frozen mixed vegetables
to the recipe (frozen green beans, carrots and other nutritional
vegetables, no onions!). Allow all to cook together until the rice is done. For a gourmet flavour without the use of bullion cubes which are high in sodium (unless you can find the low sodium ones), try adding glaces and demi-glazes which are real soup stocks. These come in a gel-like consistency and are highly concentrated in flavor, low in salt, and require no refrigeration.
Here is a link to
their site: "More than Gourmet"
http://www.morethangourmet.com/products.htm
Superior to the flavor of bullion, just add water for a real gourmet
treat. Once all is cooled spoon into small zip lock freezer bags, the
size you would normally feed your dog for a meal or two for the day. To
serve, place the bag into a bowl of hot water until thawed. Diets for Dogs with Special Needs Urinary Tract
Urinary tract problems that produce bladder stones or crystals in an
acid urine (struvite) require a different diet.
Use 1.5 lb of cooked ground chuck beef, with the fat retained, 1/4 lb of
cooked calf’s liver, one cup cooked rice or mashed potatoes, 1 teaspoon
canola oil, 1 teaspoon of phosphorus-free calcium carbonate (crushed
calcium lactate or calcium gluconate) or 8 "regular Tums" tablets, one
quarter Centrum tablet, 100iu of vitamin E. Fifty-six-84 ml (2-3 ounces)
of water can be added during cooking if the dog prefers or needs a moist
food.
Bladder stones can sometimes be dissolved using a diet low in protein
(not under 15%) which has added salt or potassium chloride to increase
water consumption. Failing Kidneys
One-half cup of cooked ground chicken breast or two crushed large
hard-boiled eggs (no shells) to four cups of mashed potatoes or four
cups of boiled brown rice.
30ml (Two tablespoons) of Canola oil, one-quarter Centrum tablet, 100iu
of vitamin E, and 500mg of absorbable Calcium from any human calcium
supplement, that is free of phosphorus on the label.
The amount prepared should feed a 25 pound dog for a day or two,
depending on its activity level and metabolic rate.
Another recipe for dogs with renal failure:
¼ pound ground regular beef (not chuck or round), 1 large hard-boiled
egg, two cups of cooked white rice, three slices of white bread, and a
teaspoon full of calcium carbonate. Add a multivitamin with vitamin E to
this recipe. Overweight and/or Constipated Dogs
Ruling out a thyroid problem (T4 greater than 0.8-1.0) or an adrenal
gland problem, (Cortisol over 4.3), a weight reduction diet can be
considered.
Overweight pets will lose weight gradually. Use common sense, your pet
did not gain the extra weight overnight so do not expect them to shed
pounds in only a few days. Gradually decrease their food intake so as
not to cause them anxiety or have them in that constant begging mode. .
Food should be fed your dog three times a day and what has not been
eaten after one hour should be taken up. A good pet vitamin should be
purchased during this “diet”.
Depending on your dog's weight, you can also crush one eighth to one
quarter of a generic Centrum tablet into his food. Alternatively, the
diet can be bulked up with vegetable fiber from cabbage; chopped cooked
carrots, kale or broccoli can constitute the other third of the diet.
When preparing his diet, use either of the two recipes listed above,
with the addition of two to three cups of boiled miller’s bran and
exclude the vegetables.
It is best to increase the amount of bran slowly, starting below the
suggested level so your dog accepts the diet. Also expect bulkier
stools.
Increased exercise will speed weight loss, but in older obese animals it
may overtax the heart and joints so know your dog’s physical limit and
do not stress him! Be prepared for increased gas production since this
is the result of a bulkier fibrous diet.
Weight loss should be gradual, never exceeding 5-8% per month.
Heart Failure
No sodium restriction is necessary unless the condition has progressed
to retention of fluid in the lungs (night cough) or in the abdomen
(tummy). A diet prepared similarly to that for kidney disease is
applicable. The object is to keep salt (Sodium Chloride) to a minimum.
No added salt should be used and ingredients high in salt must be
avoided. Potassium chloride, rather than sodium chloride is the
ingredient of choice if the diet is too bland.
Fresh beef cuts are low in sodium.
Fish, shrimp and shellfish are quite high in sodium and so should be
avoided. Most commercial foods are
high in sodium. Milk products, salted snack foods, mixed seasonings and
canned vegetables are also high in salt – unless the package states that
they are salt-free.
Use ¼ pound ground round or other lean beef, 2 cups of cooked white
rice, one tablespoon of vegetable oil, 300mg of Calcium lactate and one
pet vitamin. Many pets with heart disease lose weight. In those animals
a product like Nutrical or Energel and a high-protein treat can help
maintain their weight. Older Dogs
Reduced fat diets are usually best since most dogs are less active.
Increased antioxidants including alpha-tocopherol, omega 3 and omega 6
fatty acids are needed in less active dogs. Also increased fiber as well
as lucopene (found in tomato paste, not fresh tomatoes) has been shown
to reduce the incidence of cancer in humans and may well do so for your
dog. Diabetic Dogs
Higher protein and lower carbohydrate diets help to stabilize blood
glucose levels since protein is converted to glucose slower than sugars.
Special diets are not a substitution for insulin injections. They are an
additional way to help control this disease. In people, dietary changes
alone often make insulin therapy unnecessary. This is seldom the case in
diabetic dogs but reduction to optimum body weight will slow the
progression of diabetes. Many diabetic animals have concurrent problems
with other endocrine (hormone-producing) glands in their body. Hypoallergenic Diet
Allergens are proteins that enter the body through the skin, lungs or by
injection. Signs of pets with food allergies include chewing on their
paws, itchy skin resulting in a rash, redness and hair loss, chronic ear
disease (otitis) and chronic diarrhea.
Inhaled allergens and infectious skin problems such as mange, ringworm
and primary staphylococcal infections need to be ruled out before
assuming the problem might be controlled with diet. Adding high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to a dog’s diet seems to help reduce skin inflammation even if your dog is inhaling the allergens. Remember, steer clear of dog foods with high grain content! http://www.k911.biz/Petsafety/DogFoodNutrition.htm
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