Homemade food for my chihuahua puppy?

I am getting a Chi puppy and would like to give him the best diet possible. I have been searching the internet for the best diets. I know that commercial dog food is aweful and foods like chiken, carrots and pasta or oatmeal are best. But I also know that dogs need dry food for their teeth. So I am wondering if I could cook the food, blend it, and then roll it into little balls and dehydrate them or bake them? If this worked would it be a good diet for my chi puppy? I would start him on it slowly to switch from his current food. Any other suggestions?

Homemade food for my chihuahua puppy?
Innova makes a kibble that is the closest replica to the BARF diet possible. I would suspect dehydrating your prepared human food may have adverse effects on it's nutritional content and/or freshness. Besides, do you really have THAT much free time to keep doing this ball/dehydrate routine for the rest of your dog's life? You would be so busy making dog food that you would miss out on the more important parts of being your dog's companion - like going for walks, playing in the park, wrestling on the carpet. :) It's difficult on their bowels to change foods over and over, and changing too frequently can make your dog a picky eater.





Try Innova, they're an awesome company. http://www.naturapet.com/display.php?d=p... My dog's enjoy the EVO treats very much!





Innova EVO Dog





Evolutionary Diet for the Modern Canine





Innova EVO has been specially designed to provide all the key nutritional benefits received from the feeding of raw food diets but with the benefits of 21st Century nutritional research.





Innova EVO formula is based on ground chicken %26amp; turkey meat, bones, fat, cartilage and connective tissue. It includes whole, raw fruits and vegetables which contain health promoting phytochemicals and micronutrients. Low Carb, Hi-Protein and Grain Free.





At Natura, we understand that it isn't always possible to feed your pet a raw diet. This is until now. Innova EVO is also a convenient, complete and balanced supplement to a raw feeding program.





Innova EVO...What to feed when you can't feed raw





Animal feeding tests using AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) procedures substantiate that Innova EVO Adult Dog Food provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages.





Innova EVO is available in 28.6 lb., 13.2 lb., 6.6 lb, and 3.3lb. packages.
Reply:There are actually really good dog foods out there.


Check out these sites


http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/


http://www.dogfoodproject.com/index.php?...





General care for Chihuahuas off the Chi club site


http://www.chihuahuaclubofamerica.com/ge...


Really good chi info


http://www.blueboychihuahuas.com/
Reply:First you need to check with a vet and find out what he thinks would be the best thing for your chi. you could probably use this other food for a treat, but a puppy needs a nourishing food to give them a jump start on a healthy long life. I have 3 adult dogs and they have been raised on Pedigree dog food their whole lives. I have not had to make any trips to the vet for colds, muscle problems, etc.





Pedigree also has a real good adult food, too. my dogs love it. It has chicken, rice, peas and carrots in it , and my dogs prefer it to the regular Pedigree,
Reply:Hi there,


Had your same concerns at one time. What I did was ask my Vet, who by the way is known to be the BEST and most expensive in the county. Here is the recipe I was given and both my dogs love it,


In a large bowl, Mix (1) one large canister/box of Oatmeal, 32 oz. Honey, 2 eggs, and cooked/boiled Chicken (cut or ripped in small pieces). Mix all together as you would Cookie dough, Roll into balls,and gently flatten a little. No grease cookie sheet.


Bake in 350 Oven for approximately 10-12 minutes.Can store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks, Makes a lot,


Before giving these to your dog bring to room temp. They like them warmed in the microwave too. Just warm, not hot.


My vet said this is the best way to feed your dog.


Just another note: All ingredients are fairly cheap except for the Honey. Still-- much better than anything on the market, especially the foods they add food coloring to, to appeal only to the human eye. The packages picture are made, to make humans think they look delicious. Dogs just know they taste bad.


We want our dogs healthy, and happy with their food. Same as we want for ourselves.
Reply:Your dog is so lucky that you want to feed him the very best.


I have been breeding purebred dogs for the past 38 years.


Two years ago, I began feeding Canidae. I have tried nearly all the major premium brands of kibble, but since feeding Canidae, I would never want to feed anything else.


My old dogs became younger, my pups grew better than ever, and the in between are robust with good health. My dog's teeth don't need cleaned, and they have Sweet breath.


Take a look at the ALL HUMAN GRADE ingredients:


Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, Brown Rice, White Rice, Lamb Meal,


just for starters..


Other great kibbles are Innova, Wysong, Solid Gold, Wellness.


You will find these kibbles at your local pet supply, but never at the Grocer's or Dept store.





Premium dog food costs more per bag, but less per month, as the dogs eat less, and waste(poop) less. It is a huge savings in veterinary care, as they are so much healtheir, especially as they age.





If you decide to cook the cookies recommended by the other answer, be sure to add vegetables and cod liver oil, as there is not really enough nutrition in that recipe.
Reply:cooking the food then dehydrating it will take the nutrients out of the food and the pup will not be getting the best nutrition. RAW is the best when you feed all natural foods.


some good dog foods are innova, canidae, solid gold, and california natural, artemis is good and so is eagle pack go with a good dog food for a healthy dog, unless you want to feed raw. cooking the food is not good to do.
Reply:If you want to make your own food, I'd recommend a raw diet. Be sure of course to do your research first though, and until then feed a high quality kibble.





Cooking food destroys essential vitamins your dog needs, raw food is a great source of everything your dog needs. Yes it is ok to give dogs RAW chicken bones. Raw bones aren't dried and won't splinter the way a cooked bone would, and even your chi could handle them.





Dry food being good for dogs teeth is a myth. Its horrible for their teeth. It does stick to them, and the food that sticks to their teeth causes bacteria growth. Dogs have a lot of dental problems, and its due being fed kibble. Raw fed dogs don't have these issues, because chewing bones and muscle DO clean the teeth.





Raw food dogs also have less dog odor, less waste to pick and in general are healthier than kibble fed dogs.





I do realize that raw just isn't for everyone, and that's why I recommend some high quality kibbles.





Here's my article on choosing a dog food, it also contains some links to start you off on research into raw.





Anything by Purina is pretty low on the high quality foods list. In fact most of your better known brands are, this include Eukanuba, Iams, Science Diet, etc.





Vets are great sources of medical information but they very POOR sources of nutritional information. Vets are required to take very little in the way of animal nutrition courses, in fact these are usually just an elective. The few classes they are offered are either taught by or sponsored by major dog food companies. No bias in that teaching huh? Vets also of course make money on the foods they sell, as well as recieve 'perks' from dog food companies for promoting a certain food.





So when looking for a high quality food, I'd stay away from your better known, highly advertised brands, and look for the following:





Here is some information on finding a high quality food for your dog.





Nothing you find at a grocery store is going to be a good food. High quality foods can be found at large pet store chains, or online. A couple of foods I like are Nutro Natural, Innova, and Cannidae.





There are other high quality dog foods. Here's how to spot them:





A high quality food will have little or no fillers such as corn, wheat or soy. These aren't very digestable for dogs, and are common food related allergens. Since you were seeing corn meal in the first few ingredients, those are not high quality foods. Foods list ingredients by content, with the ingredient it contains most of at the top.





A high quality food will not contain BHT, BHA or Ethoxyquin, these are all chemical preservatives that have been linked to cancer.





A high quality food will not contain by-products of any kind. Meat meals are ok as long as the source of the meat is listed, such as Chicken Meal.





A high quality diet should have meat as at least the first ingredient., and be made from human grade ingredients. Foods that don't use human grade ingredients often get their ingredients from less than desirable sources, such as meat from animals that were diseased, or euthanized.





There is another diet option other than dog food. Some people choose to feed a raw diet. This involves feeding the dog raw meaty bones and organ meat. However it is not as simple as throwing a couple chicken bones in a bowl everyday. If you wish to feed this type of diet, do lots and lots of research first. Switching to this diet without knowing what your doing can lead to nutritional problems for your dog. I'll give you some links as a starting point in research if you are interested in this type of diet.





http://www.willowglen.com/barf.htm.........





http://www.bestfrisbeedogs.com/diets.htm...





http://www.rawlearning.com/rawfaq.html.....





http://www.rawfed.com/myths/index.html.....





http://www.rawdogranch.com





What's Really In Pet Food


http://www.api4animals.org/facts?p=359%26amp;m...
Reply:Actually, raw food is better for dogs - ie. meat



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