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  1. #1
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    Home made cooked meals for senior labs??

    Hello everyone, first I want to apologize if this is a common question from a new member. I have done research on this site and many others but I get too overwhelmed and find contradicting information so I figure to just ask now.

    I have a 10 year old black lab that I've had since I was 19 years old. She is in great health other than showing beginning signs of arthritis. She seems to limp for a few steps on her front legs after laying down for a little while. She has been on glucosamine and fish oil pills the majority of her life. She has been fed purina one her entire life. I feel guilty not looking into home made meals sooner but honestly didn't know any better.

    Can anyone share a receipe with me that would be somewhat affordable home made cooked meal that is easy to understand but also gets her everything she needs? I've read her being older I should stay away from grains/rice but most receipes I find include them. Rather than reading, I'm hoping asking people with experience will benefit me.

    I've been asked at her age do I think changing her diet now to a home made meal will help the damage already done by commercial food? I like to think yes as it would in us humans!

    Thank you

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Two ladies I know both said home cooking helped rejuvenate their older dogs, one was a Lab. They both used the Dr. Pitcairn book. The first edition book says to feed grapes which we now know should not be fed to dogs. Both ladies said it took a lot of time and one was glad she had just retired and had time to cook for her dog. One recipe most likely would not be a balance food, to balance over time these ladies cooked several different recipes.

    https://www.amazon.ca/Pitcairns-Comp.../dp/157954973X

    WElcome to the board.
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  3. #3
    Senior Dog Meeps83's Avatar
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    Just wanted to pop and and welcome you. I do not cook for my dogs so I can't advise on that. My husband and I fed our last dogs Purina Beneful because, like you, we didn't know any better. I will say that as long as your dog can handle grains and rice, high quality ones are still perfectly acceptable. Not every dog can handle a grain free diet. Good luck in your search!

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    Home cooked is great just ensure you get the recipes from a reputable source. Lots of misinformation online. I am home cooking for my pup (he is 12) because of kidney issues (well I aim for 2 days home cooked and the rest vet kibble) and it's not cheap sadly (I am working on reducing cost by shopping around for deals) and it is time consuming. Which is why I am only at 2 days a week!

    If you are on Facebook there is a few groups that can also help (again always consider where the information is coming from though): https://www.facebook.com/groups/371592139642185/

    https://www.facebook.com/Kninekitchen/?fref=ts

  5. #5
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    Food may be fine, but you may need to revisit supplements. They are not all the same. My Maddy had elbow dysplasia when she was a year, and had surgery to fix it. She had to be on supplements her whole life. We did the vet recommended ones, we did Costco Glucosamine/Chondroitin, we did just about every one that someone else said they liked...never really noticed ANYTHING. She got older, heavier, loved to run, but got caught in that circle of, she wanted to run, but it would cause her elbows to hurt and her to limp. But she couldn't lose weight unless she MOVED more. But the more she moved, the MORE her elbows hurt. And with Glucosamine, Chondroitin, MSM, etc, you need to give the right amount to make a difference. We ended up trying Canine Hylasport...which seemed to have the right amounts, and also hyalauronic acid and vitamin C...and for our girl, it was finally the one thing that made a difference for her. She could run, no limping. She lost weight, and could run more. It's flax based so some dogs can't eat it. Maddy's gone now a few years, and our current senior, Grace, won't eat it, doesn't like the powder...but I have my boys who are 6 and 9 on it. They used to send out rather large containers of "samples" if you wanted to call them to try it....can't hurt.

  6. #6
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    Thanks for the replies. Tanya thanks for the Facebook recommendations, I first started looking there for groups but could not find any. I will be sure to post there.

    Jen with the supplements I also read a lot that there is a difference in human and dog glucosamine pills. I did some research and found great reviews on a gnc product I will share in a seperate post. I'm too new to share links, need atleast 2 post.

    For food I will share another link to a video I've seen on facebook but I started reading comments and started to get discouraged.

  7. #7
    Puppy
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    I have not found one negative review on these supplements. Reviews on amazon were great.
    GNC Pets Ultra Mega Hip Joint Health - Bacon Flavor - GNC PETS 1020873 - GNC

    Here is a link to the Rodney Habib meal I had thoughts on trying
    Homemade Dog Food Recipe - YouTube

  8. #8
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    That's a great idea but I go totally organic. If you can go organic that's even better. Thing is their digestive system becomes weak as they age so it's best to give them something they can digest easy.

 



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