We have recently switched Ozzy over to a homemade diet. He started to refuse his food and was having alot of ear problems so we thought we would give this a try. He is loving the food and seems to be healthy on it. Wondering if anyone has any advice on what I should add in or take away from this recipie ? Ozzy has just turned 1 and I want to make sure he is getting everything he needs. The link to the recipie I am using is http://fiascofarm.com/herbs/Mables_Meatloaf.htm#meat
If any one has suggestions on altering this please let me know.

Thanks in advance for your time
Julia & Ozzy

WOW Julie, congrats on your big change! How's Ozzy doing on the meat loaf so far?

Because I've been taught by our vet to keep a homemade diet as simple as possible if I were making this meat loaf I would not put in/or change these ingredients:

-the corn flour, some dogs can't digest corn very well

-try all 3 grains but if he reacts to this diet, possibly look at the grains as the culprits

-the peas in the mixed veggies might put some weight on him, peas are higher in carbs than most veggies

-I'd withhold the Worcestershire Sauce (I think they use it for flavoring) but instead would use a little crushed/pureed tomatoes

-instead of glucosamine I would use slippery elm

A little high in fat and protein but with smaller portions that might be fine for Ozzy.

All in all a nice recipe, it covers all the vitamins and minerals a dog needs from a healthy homemade diet :).

Please keep us posted on how things go.

I use fresh veggies not frozen. He gets spinich, carrots & brocolli instead of frozen. I also was wondering about the corn flour and will omit it in my next batch. I worry about feeding him this because of its values and hope it is complete enough for my boy. Should I be giving him dairy on the side seeing as this doesn't really have much of it in it? Thank you so much for replying I was really hoping you would.

Julia & Ozzy

Thanks Julia

Probably moved over to Natural Diet from the regular Diet section to get more attention/advice from Natural feeders :)

That site is very interesting. Thanks for posting the recipe, too. I think my Java girl might really like a version of that. :) I agree with Black as Night on the changes I would make to the recipe.

As far as 'dairy,' you could add a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt or cottage cheese per meal.

Good luck!

Originally posted by ozzysmom
Thanks Julia

I moved it because this falls under the category of "Natural diets". If anyone sees it the the "Nutrition and Diets" forum, they'll see it there as well, but once clicked it will bring them here. Hope that's okay with you?

wrong. Was not sure if posting the link to the website was ok. I also wanted to ask about itching. Ozzy has always been very itchy and I was wondering if there was anything I could add into the food that might help his skin/itch problem.

Thanks
Take Care
Julia

Is Ozzy itching while he's eating the meat loaf?

I will second Black as Night's question about the itching.

Also wanted to add that I made two batches of this last night (slightly modified recipe) because we're leaving to go visit my grandparents-in-law so my DH can hunt for the week. I figured having this would make food prep in a strange kitchen much easier... As I was taking the first two loafs out of the pans, Java was sitting at my feet with strings of drool at the corners of her mouth! I think it will be a hit.

I made a similar mixture when we drove from NC to Utah and back. I didn't cook all of it, just the oatmeal before I mixed it in. It also didn't contain meat because I was worried about it keeping (I froze it before we left and it thawed out as we went). I gave her jack mackerel and sardines and I think hamburger mixed in per meal.

always been a very itchy pup .... scratching at his skin and always chewing at his paws. This is one of the reasons why I switched over to a homemade diet in hopes that it would stop the itch a little. It seems that the chewing/itching comes and goes. I am just wondering if his skin is dry or if I need to add some kind of supplement to his food that would help improve his skin. Hope this helps. Thanks again

Julia & Oz

I am sure Java will love it. How and what changes did you make? Let me know :)

Julia & Ozzy

Originally posted by ozzysmom
always been a very itchy pup .... scratching at his skin and always chewing at his paws. This is one of the reasons why I switched over to a homemade diet in hopes that it would stop the itch a little. It seems that the chewing/itching comes and goes. I am just wondering if his skin is dry or if I need to add some kind of supplement to his food that would help improve his skin.

If Ozzy is still itching and biting his paws on the meatloaf then there's still something in it that he can't tolerate...the trick is finding what that is.

IMHO, the only way to do this is through eliminating the ingredients that are most likely to cause flare ups. There are a lot of grains in this meatloaf, how about choosing only 1 and she how Oz does on that, if okay, introduce another 1, if still okay, you'll know those are the 2 he can tolerate, if not okay, never feed that particular grain to him again. Same goes for meats. Also, as CDuncan mentioned, not all dogs can tolerate the dairy products on this recipe, maybe that's what continues to bother Oz? Please read Zencat's thread on "grains".

I found another recipe called 'Dog loaf', not saying this recipe is better, but I see fewer ingredients in it and maybe that is better for dogs with food allergy problems.

http://www.softrain.com/natpaws/helpyour.htm

Another thought I have is our vet stresses the need for digestive enzymes with homemade diets. Why?...it helps the food to get utilized quicker and thus giving less chance of it 'sitting' there and allowing for allergic/intolerance reactions.

http://www.homestead.com/vonhapsburg/enzymes.html

Also, are you supplementing Oz with any additional vitamins, if so which ones?

Thank you so much for sharing all of your advice....I so appreciate it. At the moment I am not adding any vitamins perhaps I should be. What type of vitamin should I use ? I will take out all but the rice in the meatloaf...what do you think of that? If it were your pup what would you be feeding? I really do want to give Ozzy the best that I can and stop his itching. I feel so sorry for the guy when he is chewing away at his paws. Looking forward to reading your reply.

Julia

Good idea on keeping the meat loaf to only rice. If Oz does better on that then you know one of the other grains is a culprit.

As for supplements. These are ones we learned from our holistic vet for our allergy "queen" Zoe.

For starters to introduce them into their systems: Vitamins E - 1X daily, B-complex - 1X daily, Ester C - 1/8 tsp daily, garlic oil capsules - 1X daily and Quercitin - 1/8 daily. Kelp is great for the skin, we give Zoe and Heidi 1 tsp daily. Here are some links:

http://www.workingdogs.com/doc0039.htm

http://www.immunesupport.com/message/quer.htm

http://www.wholisticanimal.com/vitaminsupplement.html

http://www.dogstarr.com/vitamins.htm

http://www.wholehealthmd.com/hk/remedies/disp/1,1459,426,00.html

With all the supplements introduce slowly and one at a time over 3 to 4 days. Watch for any reactions, which would be soft to diarrhea poops, if this happens, cut back on the Ester C.

We also give our dogs additional calcium, but since it's in the meat loaf, I'd hold off on that for Oz.

The whole idea is to feed Oz a wholesome but simple diet and hopefully one that he won't react to. If he does, change 1 ingredient at a time and try another 1 to substitute it.

Good luck :).

Hello from dail-up in West Virginia! ;)

So far, so good on the 'Java loaf.' :p: Let's see if I can remember the changes I made from the Mable loaf...

I used:

4 cups cooked rice (1/2 brown and 1/2 white)
1.5 cups of cooked oatmeal
1.5 cups of beans
1 can of peas (weight isn't an issue for my super model girl ;) )
an apple
Two eggs
1 lb. of ground turkey
1/2 lb. of venison

I pureed the beans, peas and apple and only added enough water to losen the mixture in the food processor. The rice was also still a little moist, so I'm guessing that's why I could do okay with less overall grain. I actually meant to add some more dry oatmeal, in case it was too damp but it was okay.

I didn't mix in any vitamins or supplements because she gets those fresh with her meals so I know exactly how much she is getting. My concern is that they wouldn't get mixed in well and some servings would be low and others would contain mega doses.

I feed Java oatmeal with her morning meal about every other day, and I add a handful of flax seed, millet and groats also, so I know that isn't a problem for her. She doesn't get rice as often, but has had it for tummy upsets and has been fine with it, too.

I haven't looked at the recipe (my stupid work computer won't open links) but I was just wondering if it contains some form of Calcium such as bone meal, egg shells, or a supplement? Calcium is really important...

Also, Wendy Volhard's Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog has some cooked, homemade dog food recipies if your looking for variety!

I will be adding the supplements to his diet that Black as Night suggested. I hope that cutting some of the grain out will help my boy. You have all been so kind sharing your information with me....I so do appreciate it. I will let you know how he is making out with the next batch that we prepare.

Take Care
Julia & Ozzy

Julia: Good luck and let us know how Ozzy is doing. :)

McBain's Mom: Did you get to look at the recipe? It does call for egg shells and I forgot to add that I *did* include the eggshells from the eggs in the recipe. I also have Wendy Volhard's book and refer to it often. It is one of several resources that I've found really helpful.

Java is still loving the loaf. :)

Originally posted by CDuncan
Java is still loving the loaf. :)

So glad that Java is lovin' the meat loaf. Neato how we can feed our dogs so many healthy things in different forms :tup2:.

Continued good luck with Java and the meat loaf :).

I have made Oz a new batch and did not add any cornflour or wheat germ. I have also added in the supplements that Black as Night suggested. Oz stopped itching for now..*fingers crossed* I also left out the ketchup used a can of tomatoes and no worcestershire sauce. I am hoping that we have found his problem. My next meatloaf will have extra lean ground chicken instead of beef. Do you all think the chicken will be ok? Also would you include the chicken organs? Thanks Julia