pet recipes

Does anyone know any reputable websites that have homemade pet food recipes on them? Also, is it better just to feed your pet all homemade stuff or should there be a mixture of puppy chow and homemade?

I would be extremely cautious as homemade diets require ALOT of research. Just because someone made a recipe online, doesn't mean its suitable for your dog..you have to take into account your dog's breed, size, weight, age, etc.... and the recipes have to be balanced... if I were you, I would check out some books at the library...about homemade and raw diets...it will give you an idea of how to start off on the right foot... and avoid websites that offer to make you recipes suited for your dog...alot of times these "personalized recipes" are not even properly balanced and its just a big money grabber...

good luck

i agree with pitbulliest, don't rely on websites for stuff like that. buy a good book or two, like for example dr. pitcairn's complete guide to natural health for dogs and cats. his recipes are properly formulated to make sure your dog gets everything he needs.

it is possible to feed half commercial food and half home prepared, but it's still a good idea to first learn a little more about nutrition before jumping into that. dr. pitcairn's book also has a few recipes that are specifically formulated as "kibble toppings".

the new edition of this book is available for example on amazon for just about $13, so it's not going to break your bank.

thank you guys

The only thing I HATE about pitcairn is that his recipes contain WAYYYYY too much grains....that's why when I read the book, I only took what I needed from it but the recipes weren't that reliable...either way, there are tons of books on dog nutrition...

thank you

from a strictly nutritional standpoint i agree, but for those dogs who have been eating rather mediocre (or outright bad) kibbles all of their life, the recipes are definitely an improvement. keep in mind that even the best kibbles (with very few exceptions) contain about 50% grains, and poor quality ones up to about 80%.

it's also a huge question of budget. not everywhere in the world meat is as cheap as it is in north america.

last but not least, pitcairn also formulates his recipes for minimal environmental impact - and growing animals for slaughter is very draining on the environment.