Raw dog food is easily digested and very nutritious for your dog.
NOTE: In an effort to simplify the recipe I have incorporated the use of supplements. Without the supplements this recipe would need an additional 10 to 20 ingredients. Unfortunately, our current agricultural practices yield foods with a fraction of the nutrient content of wild counterparts.
That said; this dog food recipe is deficient without the two supplements that are essential to the recipe: Dinovite supplement and LickOchops omega fatty acid supplement. Feeding this dog food recipe without the supplements will result in multiple nutritional deficiency diseases.
Purchase the dog supplements needed for this raw dog food recipe.
- Click here to view Dinovite dog supplement. I use 1 tablespoon of Dinovite per cup of dog food.
- Click here to view Lickochops omega fatty acid dog supplement.
Easy Raw Dog Food Ingredients:
- 10 lbs. of raw ground beef
- 18 hardboiled eggs including the shells-cooled (the egg shells supply digestible calcium to your dog. Yes, studies have proved that the calcium in egg shell is highly absorbable.)
- 15 cups of cooked white rice-cooled (This is made from 5 cups of uncooked rice. Use white rice not brown because it is more easily digested by your dog.)
- 1 tube of LickOchops omega fatty acid supplement (This supplies important omega 3 & 6 fatty acids in a 1 to 4 ratio, this is good! It also contains natural source vitamin E.) Click here for this supplement.
- Dinovite daily dog supplement (This supplies a host of vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, zinc and live direct fed microbials. Dinovite also has a nutritious plant component in the “Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate” that replicates the partially digested plant matter of herbivores. All great stuff!) Click here for this supplement. I use 1 tablespoon of Dinovite per cup of dog food or add 2-3 cups of the powdered Dinovite per complete batch. In the video I show the Dinovite Liquid but now I use the powder because Dinovite has discontinued production of the “Dinovite liquid” in the single serve packets.
Raw Dog food Recipe Yield: 48 cups of raw dog food.
This dog food recipe can be halved or doubled to accommodate the size of your dog or for multi-dog households. Do not feed this dog food recipe without Dinovite and LickOchops dog supplements as it will cause the recipe to be deficient.
Raw Dog Food Recipe Directions:
- In a very large bowl, bucket or in your plugged kitchen sink, crush the cooled hard boiled eggs (and shells) into small pieces.
- Add the cooled cooked white rice
- Add 8oz. of LickOchops omega fatty acid Supplement (1tube). Click here for this supplement.
- Add raw ground beef.
- Mix well and completely with your hands or with a large,strong spoon until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Storing your Easy Raw Dog Food:
Place 2-3 days worth of dog food in zip lock bags or plastic freezer containers. Store the containers of dog food in your freezer. You can also make individual patties or meatballs in single daily servings, freeze the raw dog food patties on cookie sheets and remove and store in larger bags/containers once frozen. Thaw the raw dog food as needed.
I personally prefer the freezer containers because they are easy to fill, thaw and serve the raw dog food. There is never any mess. I take one out and let it thaw on my counter. Feed my dogs and store the unused raw dog food in my refrigerator. When it’s empty I wash it and it is ready for the next batch of raw dog food. It works well.
NOTE: Remember you are handling raw meat so use common sense when making , storing and serving this raw dog food. Use the same precautions you would use when handling raw meat for your family.
Serving Size for your “Easy Raw Dog Food”:
*Special note: These are general guidelines, we are not trying to land a man on Mars. If your dog is losing a little weight eating the new dog food and this is not desired, increase the amount you are feeding. If your dog is gaining weight on the serving size then cut back a little. In short, adjust the serving size of new dog food depending on your dogs age, weight and activity level.
- 10 lb. dog – 1/2 cup dog food daily + 1/2 tsp Lickochops + 1/2 tbs Dinovite
- 20 lb. dog – 1 cup dog food daily + 1 tsp Lickochops + 1 tbs Dinovite
- 40 lb. dog – 2 cups dog food daily + 2 tsp Lickochops + 2 tbs Dinovite
- 60 lb. dog – 3 cups dog food daily + 3 tsp Lickochops + 3 tbs Dinovite
- 80 lb. dog – 3 1/2–4 cups raw dog food daily +3 1/2 tsp Lickochops + 3 1/2 tbs Dinovite
*Special Note: If you add the supplements to the whole batch when making the dog food recipe it is not necessary to add them with each serving. Use whichever method you find easier.
Introducing this new “Easy Raw Dog Food”:
- Fast your dog for 24 hours before starting this diet. Water should be available to your dog during the fast. This will give time for the old dog food to pass through your dog’s digestive tract. It is important to follow this procedure to limit digestive upset. This is an important step, ignoring this step greatly increases your dog’s chance of having digestive upset.
- Day one and two: Feed a portion 1/4 the size of a normal meal.
- Day three and four: Feed a portion 1/2 the size of a normal meal.
- Day five and six: Feed a portion 3/4 the size of a normal meal.
- Day seven: Feed a full portion.
- Special Note: The whole process takes 8 days when you include the 24 hour fast. This method will allow your dog’s digestive tract time to adapt to the new dog food.
This method will allow your dog’s digestive tract time to adapt to the new raw dog food. Please follow this introductory method, your dog will be fine. Your dog will not starve or hate you. Rapid diet changes can cause vomiting and diarrhea. A horrendous mess all over your house!
***Important Note: Do not mix kibble and the raw dog food together! Doing so will GREATLY increase the chances of digestive upset for your dog!
What would happen if you cooked this recipe?
Gayle,
I plan on posting a cooked version this week. Cooking does destroy many delicate vitamins and minerals. However, all these recipes require the addition of the nutritional supplements or they will be deficient. The supplements add digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals, beta carotene directed microbials and omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. All great stuff when it’s put together.
Hi!
I recently watched a video on commercial dog food.
It explained all the harmful things in it and that only
certain recipes were good enough for my dog. I want
to ask you, How did you obtain information on what
kind of foods are helpful to a dog?
Miranda,
For me it’s been a lifetime of constant reading and practice. I’ve been working with many different species for 30+ years. Formulating and tweaking their diets for optimum health. Perhaps, I will put in ten more years, call it a day then hop on a boat and try my hand at sailing:)
I am going to try this recepie for my 5yr old English bulldog. I give her kibble and want to make the switch because I started to see her hair fall out a lot. I wanted to ask you about the supplements, I recently bought wholistic canine complete from Amazon I haven’t used it but was wondering if I can use this instead of the other supplements you mentioned. Thanks !
Gaby,
I don’t know I’ve never used it.
Hi, what an excellent site, thank you so much for sharing this! I recently read an article which based alot of the raw homemade dog food on lentils or beans, while including veggies cooked and also meats and bones. What do you think of this? This may be even more economical for us, but wondering if it’s good for the dog? Thanks!
Dogs do best on a meat and bones based diet.
Thanks Ed, I’ll wait for the recipes. I’ve already ordered the Dinovite Liquid and the Lickochops.
I have several questions and don’t see where I can post so I just hit reply to a post.
I have always fed my dogs store bought food. I’m going to try the raw diet. Can I use venison?, or any raw meat? I’ve noticed in last few years my dogs breath is BAD. Do you think this will help or do you have any suggestions for bad breath. I’ve been using doterra peppermint oil in there water, seems to help
Yes, you can use venison. Stay away from raw fish like salmon because the flesh can contain liver flukes. For bad breath check and make sure your dog’s teeth are clean and tarter free. Bad teeth can cause bad breath. The direct fed microbials in Dinovite can help support proper digestion and this can help with bad breath.
I wondered the same thing so today I contacted Dinovite today before coming here. Bethany in Customer Support said Venison, Turkey, and Chicken were OK. The cost of Ground Beef has been ridiculous. I’m going to mix 5 lb ground turkey I got on special with 10 lb chub of ground beef. I’m feeding a 13 year old Lab with a horrible Yeast, problem and a Boxer who can eat anything.
We are just starting the Zero Carb -Dinovite with Supromega, beginning with the 24 hour fast this evening. I’m going to see if there is any improvement after 90 days.
Thanks Ed for posting this information. It is also nice to know you can freeze the recipe. I am going to use the fold and lock sandwich bags in 2 cup portions. I do this with ground beef and they stack nicely in the freezer and without getting freezer burn.
Gayle,
I posted the easy cooked dog food recipe. View this dog food recipe by clicking here.
I cant find where to post a question so I am replying to another post. My vet told me years ago to never give my dog chicken bones as they splinter very easily and can stick in his throat and stomach. What is your experience with this? I know you recommend meat and bones but I’m scared to feed them chicken bones.
I’ve fed raw chicken bones for about 20 years without a problem but you can grind them up if you are concerned.
I have a question, I have on order the lick o chops and the dynovite. In the recipie it says to add a full tube of lick o chops, and does not mention the powder.
Then it mentions the powder and lick o chops (again) to add to the food.
Do we add lick o chops to the food when we are making it?
Then again before serving?
What about the powder?
I would like to just add it all when I make it if that is possible? Thanks, Let me know.
Susie
Susie,
I like to mix the supplements into the whole batch. It seems easier to me. I ix in 1 to 2 cups of dinovite powder per batch of food. If you mix it in the batch then don’t add it when you feed.
I think me and the commenter was confused cuz you did not list the Dinovite in any part of mixing instructions… I am considering adopting an Australian Cattle dog and I hope to be using this recipe for him!
Hi Ed, I have been reading your correspondence for some time now and have taken the plunge and changed our dog to a homemade diet based on your recipe. Our dog (Tara) is a 25Kg cross standard poodle and golden retreiver. We live in Malaysia and a problem we have is not being able to obtain Dinovite and Lickochops locally. Importing would require an import licence which is too much hassle. We understand that you are busy but we have found some animal vitamin/mineral supplements which we would appreciate your comments on. The product is Dermatrix essentials by Kala Health, web site http://www.kalahealth.com/dermatrix.htm. In addition we add cod liver oil to her food daily. Before we switched her to home cooked food she was on a fish based kibble diet and developed skin problems. On the new diet, after only two weeks, her skin problems are rapidly clearing and she is a much happier and lively dog. Thank you for an excellent web site
Roy,
I’m glad to hear you made the plunge. I looked at the supplement and it looks good so it should be fine.
Thank you Ed. Kind of you to take the time out of what must be a busy schedule. Much appreciated.
In fact we are going to use human multivites and minerals as the pet ones are so very expensive here in Malaysia in comparison.
I have a question about the amount to feed a St. Bernard puppy as he grows. Do I always use his weight like a full grown dog?
Hi Ed, I have just discovered your website while looking up info for our new chihuahua puppy. He is now 4 months old and I was looking into feeding him home made dogfood. How early do you recommend starting a dog on the raw food? I really wanted to make him cooked food but read your raw food recipe and was intrigued. A concern I have about the raw food, what about when you travel on a week road trip? How do you keep it fresh outside of getting a motel with a kitchen and mixing some midweek? Anyway, my main question is how young can our pup be starting the raw food diet? Thanks for this website.
Bev,
I have started puppies on raw dog food for their first feeding. They do great on raw dog food. I use tupperware containers to store the finished dog food. I store it in the freezer. When we travel we bring some in a cooler. When we reach our destination, usually family, we just put the tupperware in the refrigerator. The finished food looks like uncooked meat loaf so most people aren’t grossed out by it. We also use human grade ingredients, again not disgusting.
When we went to the lake we brought some and made some while we were on vacation. It was easy. Your dog will be small so everything you do will be on a smaller scale. A little travel cooler will work great for you. We travel with three dogs and it’s not bad.
The supplements are easy for travel. The dinovite liquid is in single serve packets so you can take as many as you need. The lickochops you can bring or premix in the recipe.
Bev,
I posted the easy cooked dog food recipe. View this dog food recipe by clicking here.
How would you adjust this recipe for a puppy? Or is it the same for all age groups?
Kae,
This is actually a good question. I feed all dogs the same recipes. The only difference is when I am feeding raw meat and bones. In this case I grind the meat and bones so the young puppies can eat the food. If you are going to feed the “easy raw dog food recipe” this is not a problem because the egg shells replace the bones. Puppies don’t have any trouble eating that recipe as is.
My puppy is 8 mos old and weighs 10 lbs. I feed the easy raw 1/2 cup daily w/ dinovite & lico chops 1/2 tsp ea. question:: I Began feeding just once a day. She could eat all day. Is one time a day ok? Am I an oger?
Yvette,
Once a day is fine.
HI..I WAS WONDERING HOW TO PORTION THE FEED..IT SAYS 3 CUPS FOR A 60LB. DOG BUT HOW DO I KNOW HOW MUCH ONE CUP IS SINCE ITS NOT LIKE A LOOSE PEBBLE??
Michael,
Measure out 3 cups and see about how big a portion it is. Then feed this amount. If your dog starts to gain weight cut back and if he loses weight feed a little more. My wife and I estimate with our dogs. After you do it a few time it becomes second nature.
Hey, I just came across your site today. I’ve been looking for a good raw dog food recipe and this looks really easy and economical. Thanks for taking the time to share your recipes, I’m looking forward to you posting the intermediate and advanced recipes. To all those skeptical about raw fits, they really are wonderful for your dogs. My boy has been eating raw for the treat that I’ve year that I’ve had him and he couldn’t be healthier our happier
how fine do you get the egg shells when you crush them? i cook for my dog and add egg shells that have been finely ground in the cuisinart- i was concerned about sharp egg shells causing problems but if i don’t need to process the egg shells it is easier. thank you.
Grace,
I crush them by hand fairly fine so they mix well with them meat. You don’t have to blend them in a blender.
Hello Ed:
I am so glad I found your site.
I read one of your responses where you mentioned adding chicken bones; I was always told not to give dogs chicken bones. I guess the difference is that you are saying to crush the bones. Is that correct?
Eileen,
If the bones are uncooked dogs digest them without a problem. If the dog is small or a puppy I grind them in a blender and then serve the raw bones. If the dog is very old, no teeth or some other severe health problem then I would cook the bones until they dissolve in a soup stock then serve. I plan on demonstrating this procedure in a future post.
Ed, Just came across your website. I have a 50lb Boxer female. Recently she had giarda and was treated by our vet with antibiotics. The vet reccomended to put her on a boiled chicken and white rice diet. She has been clear of the giarda for a couple months now and I have continued with the white rice and chicken and eliminated the Innova that I was feeding her. She absolutely loves the chicken rice diet but I am concerned with her not getting some vital nutrients. I am going to add one of the supplements in that you reccomend. My question is: Can I switch her back and forth between a raw food and cooked food (ie…raw beef vs. cooked chicken)? Looking forward to reading more on your site. Thanks for your help.
Anthony,
Are you are feeding boiled chicken meat and white rice alone? If so, yes you are going to give your dog a nutritional deficiency. This diet lacks many vitamins (Vitamin E, B’s, A and K to name a few) and minerals (calcium). I would recommend trying the “easy raw dog food recipe” your dog will do well on it and it is easy to prepare. This dog food recipe is also very nutritious for your dog. I’ve not had good results switching back and forth between raw dog food and kibble. Switching between raw dog food and cooked chicken does not seem to be a problem.
I have a 12 yr. old Maltese. He is a finicky eater to say the least. He has developed arthritis in his hips and recently black spots, one the size of a half dollar on his back. I believe his diet as well as his age are the problems. Do you think: 1). Will changing to this diet help 2). Will he like this enough to eat it? Any other suggestions?
Sue,
All dogs will benefit from a better diet. It makes sense if you think about it. I’ve found most all dogs like the “easy raw dog food recipe” once they eat it once or twice. Sometimes it is a little foreign to them at first. After they know it’s food they tend to go a little crazy for it!
Hi Ed,
Thius is such great info you are providing! I am wondering about the fat content in the ground beef. Should it be extra lean or is the regular fat content ok for the pups?
Thanks!
Jenna
Jenna,
The regular ground beef is what you want to use. Dogs metabolize fat well and the fat will help keep their skin healthy.
Why do the eggs need to be hardboiled? This is an awsome website!
Dustin,
There is an enzyme in the egg white that binds with the B vitamin biotin. Cooking destroys this enzyme. You could actually just cook the whites of the egg and be fine. I’m glad you like the site. It’s a work in progress.
Why is it a problem that the enzyme in the egg white binds with B vitamin Biotin? A binding factor helps in the absorption of the element it binds to so I don’t understand your writing. Should dogs avoid the B vitamin Biotin?
Nance,
the enzyme prevents it’s absorption.
Have a 18 month old Shi Tzu . Had since puppy. Feeding is a nightmare. One day she will eat kibble next chicken , frozen, canned but nothing lasts. Some days she won’t eat until I find what she wants. She weighs 10 lbs. I am considering your easy dog food. Can I interchange chicken and beef? Am I being played or is she just picky? WHAT! Help this is not fun. .
Joan,
Try the “easy raw dog food recipe” and don’t give in. Your dog will not starve himself. I would feed the recipe as presented. I will post a chicken recipe in the future. I have four dogs and they are competitive eaters, voracious. My dad has one and she is picky. I think the competition is good for a dog’s feeding response. I would offer her the food if she does not eat take it up and put it in the refrigerator. Then offer her the same food tomorrow.
Do you have the chicken recipe yet?
Joanne,
I have a chicken and rice dog food recipe.
Where can you find the supplements listed in the ingredients
Heather,
The dog supplements listed in the recipes when highlighted in yellow gold are “clickable” links to the products. Actually, wherever you see the highlighted text on this site it is a “clickable” link to a point of interest on the site. For your convenience click here if you would like to view information on Dinovite liquid dog supplement. If you would like to view information on Lickochops dog supplement click here.
my dog has demodectic mange and needs to be fed a high quality diet….do you think would be good for her, if so what fat content should the raw hamburger be?
Sarita,
Use the 70/30 ground beef. Feed the “Easy raw dog food recipe” it is a great starting off dog food. Dogs with demodectic mange have been found to be zinc deficient. Dinovite Liquid dog supplement contains a highly absorbable form of zinc called zinc methionine that has a very high absorption rate. Prepare yourself for a slow process it often looks worse before it get better. You can click here to view this dog food recipe. There are links to the supplements on the recipe page.
Ed,
I love the idea of making all the food for my dog! That way I know what is in it and that it is HEALTHY food for her. I am the same way when it comes to my family’s food, healthy. Now that I have a good recipe for her meals I need a recipe for treats for good behavior and training. Any suggestions?
Thank you,
Alyce
Alyce,
I will post some treat recipes in the future. I can recommend a great commercial treat that is made of freeze dried beef. It is made in the USA. Click here to view the freeze dried treats.
hi ed, i had come accrossed your web site and it really suprised me of makeing this type of food i have read all the comments and questions but there is one thing that nobody has asked and i need to no the answer before i start on this new recipe. this raw food that is the ground beef does it not cause the dogs to get worms? also can yu use chicken then the beef to make the recipe. i have a toy chiuhiuia and he loves chicken but he is very very picky to just about everything. iam a gifted aninmal trainer with just about any animal. but i was always told not to feed animals raw food includeing beef, pork,chicken etc. i want to be safe in this for my baby. thank-yu
Kathy,
To view my page on parasites in raw meat click here. In short freezing the finished recipe for 48 to 72 hours will destroy any parasites. I would recommend using the recipe as presented. I will have a chicken recipe in the future. Check back from time to time.
:0 I’ve been making smaller batches, last 3 days. Was freezing a mandatory step?
Yvette,
No freezing is not mandatory.
I am a huge animal advocate, I network, rescue, transport, sponsor and foster dogs from death row in high kill shelters across the U.S…especially the poor souls that will face the gas chambers (mostly LA and N. C. Animal Shelters). They come to me at all ages, from 2 weeks old to seniors, and with all sorts of health problems. I truly believe homemade is the ONLY way to feed them all..one recipe fits all!!
Just wanted to ask a few questions, add some info, and maybe get some feedback.
I read labels, and I have seen cottage cheese..would you recommend adding cottage cheese, and if so, how much, or…would it be best to add it to a serving or to the recipe?
I heard that Salmon was a great source of Omega3 supplement so I am guessing fish of any type would also add to your dog’s diet?
What would oatmeal add, if anything? During the pre-depression years, my great-grandpa used a horse to deliver milk (I’m old!). He would feed his horse oatmeal. When we asked him why he only ate oatmeal for breakfast, he said, “I fed my horse oats and he was big, strong, and healthy…if it’s good for my horse, if oats were good for my horse, they are good for me!” My grandpa lived to almost 100!! Guess oatmeal must do some good for animals?!!
Also, a while back, I had tried feeding my dog raw chicken (he didn’t like chicken), and on another occasion I tried very lightly cooked livers, with the rice and carrots and I can’t recall what else, but he threw them up!! I can’t imagine why, he seems to do great with the ground beef…are those meats richer…maybe too rich?
I will be interested in reading any feedback on the above topics.
Thank you Ed, for all you do and providing this helpful resource.
” Good friends can’t be bought, Adopt a rescued pet! “
G.,
It sounds like you are doing some great work.
Cottage cheese: you can add a tablespoon or so to a meal.
Salmon: is a great source of Omega 3’s true. Not all fish are great sources of omega three. A good source is Supromega fish oil, click here to view. I like using fish oil because it is consistent and easy to measure. Supromega is made from Menhaden fish and preserved with vitamin E.
Oatmeal: is an acceptable carbohydrate but keep in mind dogs are primarily carnivores. Dogs will not benefit from oatmeal like a herbivore or omnivore.Horses do well on oats because oats are in the grass family. Horses eat grass and its seeds.
I’ve had similar experiences with livers, I’m not sure why. However grinding them u and mixing them with the ground meat works great.
Here is a link to some adopted dogs that need homes, click here to help.
I also heard, egg shells helped kill any intestinal worms…and adding a little garlic helps keep fleas and other parasites away…don’t know if this is just an old wise tale or truth!
G Andersen,
I’ve never heard that egg shell kill internal worms. This does not sound like it has any merit. The egg shell will dissolve in the stomach acid. I’ve heard the garlic has some merit.
Just discovered your website. We’re adopting a dog who is already on the raw diet, so I’m happy I’ll be able to continue this healthy diet for him. I do have a few questions, and I hope you can answer them for me. I was wondering if you mix it up for your dogs, or do they eat the same meal everyday? By adding the supplements, the dog receives all the necessary nutrition right? Would it be ok to add some veggies into this recipe? If so, which would you recommend.
Thank you for the recipe, and for answering my questions.
Jenn,
You can feed this recipe every day your dog will love it. My dogs can’t wait for mealtime. The vegetable nutrients our covered by the supplements so there is no need to add them to the dog food recipe.
Hi Ed, I recently started making my own dog food. I came across your website find it helpful but I’m confused. How come you don’t add vegetables into your food? I use regular alphapha sprouts that I mix with Zuccini, yellow squash, carrots, parsaley, apples, blueberries and celery. I also give pumpkin, sweet potatoes, reg potatoes. These I boil. I was also under the impression that brown rice is better for them then white rice. I sometimes give them oats. Although, I thought grains aren’t that good for them since they are carnivours. I don’t use hard boiled eggs for the simple reason that dogs can’t boil them in a natural habitat. What is the difference in feeding raw egg and hard boiling them? I feel I need to give more of the Omega fatty suppliments which is why I was looking on the internet. I was considering adding more salmon, sardines and other fish parts to the meats. What is your opinion? I’m interested in hearing what you have to say. I appreciate any help in feeding my puppies the best and healthiest foods possible. I see such a difference in them with homemade foods. Thank you so much. Toni
Toni,
I don’t include vegetables in the “easy raw dog food recipe” because the supplement “Dinovite Liquid” supplies the vegetable based vitamins and minerals through the alfalfa nutrient concentrate and kelp meal. As far as brown rice, a dog’s short digestive tract is unable to digest the nutrients of brown rice. White rice is a better choice. White rice also does not cause a glycemic spike like other carbohydrates. Eggs are hardboiled to destroy the enzyme in egg whites that prevents biotin absorption.
The two supplements I recommend truly simplify the recipe. They supply vitamins, minerals, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, direct fed microbials and digestive enzymes. The supplements make your life a lot easier and help support your dog’s good health.
Hi! I found your site today and am excited to try this recipe!!
Quick question that I didn’t see… how many CUPS does this “Easy Raw Dog Food” with 10# of beef make when made?
Also…we don’t usually buy or eat beef…we are hunters and have lots of deer and pork meat in the freezer. Could I substitute either of those? Or does it need to be beef?
Thanks!!
Jen,
This recipe yields 35 cups.
Hi Ed. Thank you for this excellent site and for sharing your knowledgable. My question is about clarification on the yield amount for the Easy Raw Food Recipe. Your reply to Loopy_Jen says 35 cups, but the recipe page says 48 cups???
Thank you in advance. Can’t wait to try it out!
One other question on lickochop, are you feeding an additional 1/2 tsp along with what’s mixed into recipe?
Haley,
No either mix it in the whole mix or add a little at each feeding.
Haley,
When we mix these recipes we give approximate amounts. In the videos I’m filling eight cup storage containers. Sometimes the dog food recipes fill 6 containers other times 4 1/2 or 5 cups.
I have heard a lot about how beef is a hit or miss digestively speaking with dogs, and I have a 3 year old Siberian Husky that currently eats a fish based kibble, however I want to start feeding her the raw food diet but I was wondering if there is a different meat that I could substitute in this recipe and also how much fish oil should I be using as a whole to go with this recipe as I do like the fish aspect of the meal for her.?
Heather,
You can try the chicken and rice dog food recipe and see how she does.
Can you substitute game meat for the ground beef? Like deer, elk, antelope, even duck or goose?
Chandra,
Yes, this is fine.
Hi, Ed!
Just found this website and already a fan!
Question: I am looking for a healthy alternative of food for my Pug. If my dog is eating Royal Canin SO. Would these recipies be safe for my little guy?
Thanks! =)
Kathy,
Yes, these recipes would be great for your pug. My Boston terrier Charlie love them and is super healthy.
Hi, I have a 65lb Lab/Doberman mix that will be 11 yrs old this June. I have cooked for him plus my other 3 dogs for many years. We now think he is in the beginning stages of Cushings. I am trying to find a proper diet for him. My vet would perfer I feed a prescription diet, but I would never feed my dogs hard kibble out of a bag made under conditions I know nothing about. If you have any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.
Wendy,
I’ve not had any personal experience with cushiness disease in any of my dogs. If you like you can click here to view my easy cooked dog food recipe.
Wow! What a great website!
I like the supplements you reccommended. Question: Know of any supplement company in Canada that would have similar products? More than $50.00 for shipping is just know sustainable, plus I know I will get hit with duties at my front door.
Thanks in advance for your help!
Ag
Ag,
Thanks! I’m sorry I don’t know of any supplement companies in Canada. Duties are a bear.
I am confused as to hard kibble versus soft meaty food. I was always told my dogs would fair better with hard kibble type food for their teeth if nothing else. Is this true? What is the truth about hard, kibble type food versus soft meaty foods? I have two small mini dachshies, one a little over weight and one perfect for her size. Are the supplements expensive that you have to add to the food? Thank you for your time and information!
Deborah,
Actually the high carbohydrate content of commercial dog food and a dog’s saliva are what causes all the tarter build up. I’ve found dogs fed a raw meat diet have clean white teeth. You can view the raw dog food recipe by clicking here. If you don’t want to feed raw you can click here to view the cooked dog food recipe. Each recipe has a link to the supplements and you can check out the prices at that site.
Was wondering if you had any homemade recipes that you would suggest for my Yorki. She has recently been diagnosed with kidney & liver problems. Actually she was in kidney & liver failure. I have been reading & know that milk thistle is a good thing to add to her diet but I am wanting to get her the best food to make her stronger & her levels to get better. Would you specifically suggest any of you recipes for her ?
Thanks
Susan,
I would recommend a dog food high in moisture content. Milk thistle is good to help the liver heal. Do you know what caused the the liver and kidney failure? Was it the commercial dog food? If so, start off with the easy cooked dog food recipe, click here to view.
I am concerned about adding the supplements. The reason that I am turning to homemade is to avoid all of the scares in the media about poisons and such. Is there any way I can get these vitamins and nutrients naturally?
Bekah,
Not easily. The dog supplements I recommend are all made in the USA. They’re good stuff.
Hi – I have a papillon that has many food sensitivities – am feeding raw but she cannot have rice – do you think I could substitute barley? It is the only grain she can have…
Penny,
Yes, you can substitute barley for rice or eliminate the rice altogether.
Hi Ed,
Appreciate your site. We have a 9-year old Havanese that has always been a picky eater, and she throws up several times per month. Vet told us she has acid reflux, but I wondered if it were her commercial food. I made the easy raw recipe. The first day she ate a very small amount. Today, she won’t eat any. Does it take dogs a while to adjust? I would have thought she would have loved the raw recipe. Please advise what to do next. I hate to see her hungry, and she had not eaten her kibble in a couple of days before we started.
Lisa,
Every dog is a little different. Just give her time to adjust. She won’t starve herself. As the new food goes trough her system she will come to love it.
Also, I forgot to ask how long I can leave the raw dog food out? If I set it out, and she does not eat it – how long before I pick it up and refrigerate it again? Her kibble was always out, so this will involve some retraining for her too.
Lisa,
My dogs eat it in 15 seconds. I never have anything edible last in my house. Put it down for 10 minutes if she doesn’t eat it pick it up and refrigerate then offer again in the evening.
WOW! Just what loving dog owners needed. This is my first visit to your site. I’ve been wanting to do this with my next dog, of which I am about to purchase. Many folks have been trying to talk me out of raw meat feeding; but my comment has always been but they are carnivores….do you know what that means? Thank you. I’m sharing your site with every dog owner that I know. This is absolutely great….I will be back. Thanks.
How do you call this raw food when you have cooked ingredients??
Useless!
Ron,
The cooked ingredients are rice and eggs. The eggs are cooked so the enzyme that prevent biotin absorption is destroyed. If not it could led to a biotin deficiency. The “easy raw dog food recipe” is a great recipe and dogs thrive on this dog food. I will be posting more advanced recipes in the future.
My dog is a mini Schnauzer and daschund mix and on walks she often stops to eat grass. Sometimes she eats the long leaves of path side grass for a long time and refusses to continue walking by until she has had her fill. How can I help her with the eating of grass as she seems to know her diet is deficient in something. She does not vomit the grass along with bile like my previous dogs have done
Marlew,
Try feeding the easy cooked dog food recipe. The supplement Dinovite will help with the grass eating. Click here to view this recipe.
I have looked at the contents of ground beef and one of the ingredients is sodium. I believe salt is something a dog cannot process so how does one deal with this ingredient in the raw dog food recipe?
Marlew,
I don’t think there is any animal who cannot live without sodium. Sodium is one of the minerals animals seek out and eat in the wild.
I have 3 dogs, a 3 lb chihuahua, a mix breed 3 month old puppy, and a 6 yr old Jack Russell. I cook for them and my chihuahua does not like beef. Can I substitute chicken breast for the beef? Of course I would still give her the supplements.
Thanks!
Diane,
Yes you can substitute chicken for beef.
I just came across your website and I’m considering your easy raw dog food recipe for my 2 dogs, a 7 year old Siberian Husky and a 7 year old Yellow Lab. Both are over weight and my Lab always has ear infections. My question is when (before freezing or when serving) and how much Dinovite do you add to the recipe?
Andrea,
Your dogs are both large and if big for their breed might be considered giant. The Dinovite Liquid comes in single serve packets that you tear or cut open, squirt on your dog’s food, mix then serve. You may want to buy the giant size and squirt half on each dog’s food. Click here to view the Dinovite Liquid dog supplement. I hope to have the video and pictures posted by Friday. The cooked dog food recipe has a video that shows the supplement and how to serve it to your dogs. Click here to view the cooked dog food recipe and see the video.
Ed, what do you recommend for healthy teeth.? I have always supplemented home made food with some dry for my 7 yr old terriers teeth, but maybe not?? I do dry in the AM and fresh in the PM. Thanks – this is great info!
Jan
Jan,
My dog Charlie has eaten the raw dog food recipe his entire life and has the whitest teeth with no tartar. The raw meat helps keep teeth clean. You can offer raw meaty bone for you dog to chew. I stay away from kibble it actually causes tartar build up.
Click here to view the raw dog food recipe.
I believe my 50 pound dog has allergies to the dry food we have been feeding her, as she is itchy, stinky and chewing the fur on her behind. She seems miserable. I want to make her food and your site is just a fantastic thing. Thank you! Should I transition her with the cooked food and supplements like in the video?And after a while introduce the raw chicken legs/thighs a couple times a week? Thanks again.
Brian,
You can do what you suggest, I think it will be fine.
Hello! I just adopted a 6 yr old dog last week. He’s thought to be a black lab/great dane mix and probably weighs 80lbs. I walk him for an hour a day, but other than that he isn’t very active. He gets those yeast infections in his ears and has been biting his paws so I’m hoping to help him out by changing his diet, but I’m afraid I can’t afford the raw food diet with the supplements. Do you think you could help me estimate the cost of feeding him that way? Thanks for your time.
Chrissie
Chrissie,
It’s hard for me to say. I have found feeding dogs the raw dog food reduces vet visits. This saves money. The yeast starvation dog food recipe can help your dog’s yeast infections. Think of it as medicine or an apple a day to keep the vet away. Click here to view this dog food recipe.
I am going to be getting a 5 week old puppy next week can i start him on these recipes this early on in age? or should i wait and how old do u think the puppy should be before feeding these recipes?
Crystal,
My puppies first meals have been raw meat dog food recipes. They do well. In fact they digest them far better than kibble.
but do i have to give him the vitamins or is there anything else i can give in place of the vitamins?
Crystal,
Yes you need to give him the vitamins. I have found using whole food supplants is the best way to supply a nutritious diet.
Hi — your cooked meat/boiled eggs with supplements seems to have some of the ingredients suggested for my dog with kidney failure. It seems very healthy to me and I like the fact that the supplements take the place of veggies. Thank you for your website and answers. Very enjoyable.
I use to cook for my yellow lab but I came to this country and they told me better to feed him with only dry dog food. Now I have two german shepherds they only eat the dry dog food[nutro natural choice]but sometimes I gave them left over human food. I would love to cook for them [the receipe sounds great]My question is can I mix the dry and the homemade food or just give them the homemade food?
Marian,
Just feed your dogs the homemade dog food. Mixing kibble and homemade dog food usually leads to digestive upset.
After discovering this website, I plan on switching my dogs over to the raw recipe and seeing how they like it. I’d love to switch my cat over to a raw diet as well since he has terrible skin. I’ve been told he has flea dermatitis since he breaks out in scabs all over his body. Do you currently have a raw recipe for cats? I would think that this is something that they would benefit from as well.
Leyna,
Try the yeast starvation recipe, your cat will do well on their food. Click here to view this recipe. Dinovite makes a cat supplement that you should substitute for the dog supplement. Click here to view the cat supplement.
My dog has CKF. He just started a KD only diet and hates the food. I was told to keep him on a low protein diet. I have done research and am considering a raw diet. Have not seen any questions for you on this. Any suggestions?
Bobbie,
The old school of though on kidney problems was to reduce protein. This is starting to change. It appears to be more important to feed foods with a high water content, like raw meat. The raw diet is probably a good idea because it is around 70% water. Click here to view the “easy raw dog food recipe”
Do i need to worry about my dog getting worms from the raw beef?
Nicole,
No but if at any time you are feeding anything questionable freezing for 48 hours kills the parasites. So if you make the recipes and store them in the freezer like I suggest you won’t have any problems.
J have a 6 year old, overweight Shih tzu. She is very allergic to many things but the main thing is fleas. Just one flea on her can have her scratching and chewing for says. She is also sensitive to some foods. Vet has suggested a limited ingredient dry food with sweet potato and fish fed 1/2 cup in morning and again in evening.. It is not available in my town and expensive online due to shipping.
I have been feeding her some of our food, (small amount of meat, veggies like broccoli, sweet potato, and adding a small handful of the dry on top. She will eat the dry in order to get to the people food which is less than half cup.She is a spayed female and weighs 22 lbs.
Since she is overweight what do you think best for her, and how much? Does she need to be fed only once daily?
Ella,
If she is overweight then try feeding her the yeast starvation dog food. This dog food recipe eliminates carbohydrates and helps dogs shed excess fat. Click here to view the yeast starvation dog food recipe.
Forgot to add this. My friend gives diatamaceous earth to her dog and cat. Would this be like the egg shell?
Ella,
No, diatomaceous earth is mostly amorphous silica and trace minerals.
I was wondering what the differences would be if you used ground deer
Alicia,
Ground deer would be fine.
Hi,
I am planning on possibly making my own dog/puppy food I am a Breeder of Miniature Dachshunds & I started feeding Blue Buffalo Wilderness one of the Highest Rated Grain Free Dog Foods on the Market but it is very expensive to buy especially when feeding 20+ dogs including puppies, do you think making homemade raw food will save me money as well as be a better healthier choice as a Breeder?
Also is your recipe fortified enough for pregnant or lactating females?
One other question I have read feeding a whole raw chicken bone in is safe for
dogs to eat & I worried about worms etc that humans have to be careful of is this ok to do & if so shouldn’t I freeze the bird for 48 hours as you state help with parasites for the raw beef too?
I have never read anything additional about that they suggest like freezing to kill parasites maybe they should add this info when saying this is safe to feed our dogs.
Thank You,
Jamie W. WA State
Jamie,
I fed a kennel of about forty dogs raw dog food for years. This included puppies, young adults, breeders and older dogs. All dogs did very well. Pregnant females kept their condition well and their milk was very nutritious. I would feed the puppies ground up raw chicken, bones, white rice and supplements for their first meal. The puppies always did great. Their stools were good and they grew nicely.
I would feed the chicken leg thigh quarters raw. Cooked white rice that I added chicken fat to while it cooked. It smelled like chicken and rice soup. I would let the rice cool then add the supplements. At the time the chicken was 30 to 40 cents per pound. I currently pay 68 cent per pound. The white rice is cheap. The supplements are essential and kept me from any vet visits. I plan on posting this method in two or three weeks. Your dogs will never look better!
Hi Ed
This website is a great resource! Why do you add in rice? What about raw offal, such as liver and kidney, do you recommend them? Thanks in advance!
Mimi,
I add white rice in the easy dog food recipes” to safely bring down the overall cost of the dog food. Also most dogs are switching to these recipes from kibble dog foods. The kibble are 70-100% carbohydrates. The rice makes the overall transition easier. You can eliminate it if you like. You can also include organ meats.
I’m feeding the raw recipe to a very small min pin. I feed her both morning and night. Am I fine doing the dinovite only once per day or do I need to split it up between both meals?
Leyna,
It’s fine to just feed the Dinovite once per day.
Hi, I have an Irish Red and White Setter, and I am excited to try the “Easy Raw Dog Food.” She has been on a diet of dry kibbles with green beans. Would you recommend if I should add in some green beans since she has been eating them for a while now, or if that’s not necessary because of the supplements. Also, do you know if the LickOChops and Dinovite are available in stores or only online?
Thanks,
Michelle
Michelle,
I know a bunch of people like to feed green beans but I’ve never done it. If you do, cook them till they are mushy before feeding. They should be fine for filler. The Dinovite and Lickochops are only available online but they have flat rate shipping of $4.99 for orders of $50 or more.
I have a mixed breed puppy(rottie/lab) he is 3 months old and has had 2 surgeries for kidney stones already. Am looking for a food that will help prevent the stones from forming. Any suggestions????
Mary,
Dogs with kidney problems generally benefit from dog food with a high moisture content and no chemical fillers. The raw dog food recipe has a high moisture content. Click here to view this dog food recipe.
Isn’t a lower protein diet recommended for dogs with kidney problems?
Paula,
Actually they have found higher moisture content foods are best. Raw meat falls into this category.
Hi iam feeding my dog Origen dry dog food would it be ok if were to mix in some wet dog food?and is there anything else i can put in it..in time i would like to just give him raw …thanks!!
George,
Raw dog food is great for your dog. The easy raw dog food recipe is a great place to start. I would not recommend combining raw dog food and kibble. The combination of kibble and raw usually results in digestive upset.
Thanks !!!
Hi Ed,
I am so glad I found your website. I just received my order of LickoChops and Dinovite. My puppies love it. My 10 year old boxer licks his feet constantly so I have started him on the starvation yeast diet, however I am cooking the beef. My question is if I give him the raw beef should I freeze it for 48 hours before giving it to him.
Also, since I have 2 dogs that will be on this diet can I add cauliflower, green beans and broccoli to this just to give it some more substance. If so can I give it to them raw or should I cook it?
I am giving cooked chicken livers as treats. Should I be concerned with high cholesterol?
Thank you,
Randee
Randee,
I think the yeast starvation dog food is a good idea for your boxer. I strongly recommend feeding it raw. You can freeze it for 48 hours. If your other dog does not have skin issues add some cooked rice to his food. Dogs have a difficult time digesting vegetables because they are carnivores. Raw vegetables will largely pass through undigested. If you plan on feeding vegetables makes sure you cook them then blend them in a blender.
I have a pitbull need some good food 4 him to eat thank you
i noticed cocos question was skipped. are pitbulls not welcome here?
Jim,
I use to raise Staffordshire Bull Terriers I’m not sure what question got skipped? I’m answering 150 today!
Hello Ed,
We have an amazing Great Dane puppy (Drako) who is 7 months old and approx 80lbs. He was diagnosed with mange and we have been persuing natural tactics to clear it up. Would the raw food diet benifit the mange in any way? Also, how much do we need to feed him daily? How do we know when and how much to increase his meals as he grows? He has only had hard dog food his entire life with no human food. Will this be a tough adjustment on his bowels? I am also terrified of “Bloat” is there anything you would add to help ease my fears? Thank you so much, this is the best and most informative website I have found on raw food diets!!!
Jessie,
What type of mange? Scarcoptic is like fleas or lice and can spread. This type needs to be treated with pesticide. Demodectic mange is another form. This mange is an autoimmune disorder. There has been studies linking a zinc deficiency to dogs with generalized demodex. The supplement “Dinovite Liquid ” contains a highly absorbable form of zinc called zinc methionine. So if your dog has a zinc deficiency then this zinc will help.
Dogs do great on raw dog food. The raw food can help with bloat because it shrinks after eating. Kibble expands after eating and this is part of the problem.
I’ve been using the raw recipe for over 3 months, with the only change being my 5 y/o Chihuahua-Basenji mix smells good. He needs to loose about 5 lbs, and still sheds like mad. I’ve decided to give it another chance, and upped him to the ‘medium’. Without using the starvation yeast recipe, would it be okay to just cut the rice in half, or eliminate it, to help him lose weight? I’m asking, as I have oodles of Lick-O-Chops left, and no SuprOMega (sp?). Thanks in advance! -Trace
Trace,
Yes it is fine to cut the rice in half. The carbohydrate reduction should help. Be patient it takes time. Also it sounds like you are moving in the right direction. You may want to cut back on portions.
Thank you very much, Ed! We found him abandoned at a rest area when he was 6 months old, and for the first few years, he stayed at 12 1/2 pounds. When we got off the road, his weight slowly went up. Now he’s at about 17 lbs. Unfortunately, there’s no dog parks around, but I do walk him around our yard as much as I can – I can use the exercise myself!
Hi,
Is there anything wrong with adding Raw Milk Yogurt to the raw dog food recipe. I make it by the gallons for my dogs and they love it.
Thanks,
Belinda
Belinda,
No, raw milk yogurt is good stuff.
Thanks for your quick response.
That’s great! They love yogurt and it is a way for me to use up my milk as it is getting older. One more question. What about Quinoa in lieu of or along with the white rice?
Thanks,
Belinda
Belinda,
Honestly, I don’t know I’ve never fed it to any of my dogs.
Ok! Thanks. I’ve feed it to my dogs and they like it as well as the white rice I just didn’t know if it would be more like brown rice and harder for them to digest. It has twice as much protein as white rice but if they are not digesting it as well then they really aren’t getting any extra benefit by me using it.
I guess I will just add a little but not totally replace the white rice.
I appreciate your website. You have a lot of information and great advice.
Thanks,
Belinda
Hi Ed! Thank you so much for posting this information, it is very helpful. I was wondering, when feeding your dog the raw food recipes, do you need to clean out their bowls daily in case of e-coli? Thanks!!
Danielle
Danielle,
I recommend using stainless steel bowls because they are easy to clean. Wash them daily with some hot water and dish soap. It is best to keep things clean.
Hi Ed, my chihuahua is intolerant to beef, would it be acceptable to substitute ground turkey in this recipe? She hasn’t had beef in years, so we may try this recipe out on her to see if she can handle it, but looking for a plan B if it fails.
Mindy,
You can substitute turkey but I would also include some chicken leg/thigh quarters.
You might also try some form of game such as venison or bison. I know of at least one dog who was intolerant of beef but did very well on wild venison. We speculate that food additives and antibiotics might have been part of the problem as “farm-raised” venison appeared to cause the same problems as beef, while wild game did not.
HI,
Love the site. Been looking for something healthier for my dog. she is 9 years old and has been experiencing seizure like episodes. They started a couple of years ago and were only 1 time a year, now they are happening more often. I want to put her on natural and chemical free food and start supplements. The problem is, we are not sure if she is experiencing these because of her glucose level, she will only eat when someone stands next to her to eat, and so in making them fast for 24 hours, I’m afraid to make her do this. We are going to have some testing done in about 2 weeks, but I want to start her diet now so I can see if there will be any change in her episodes. What are your thoughts on this, please.
Cheryl,
You may want to skip the fast but break his feeding into five or six small portions throughout the day. Then if you see she is having a digestive issue you can make an adjustment.
Hello, Love the web site. I am looking forward to trying your easy raw recipe. A few questions though. I have an almost three month old English Mastiff. I have been feeding him Vital Essentials frozen raw patties. Should I still have him fast for a day? Also at 50 pounds for a puppy what are your feeding portion recommendations? And as he grows? Expected to be 200 lbs or better. Thank you so much!
Chrissy,
You may be able to skip the fast without digestive upset. As far as serving sizes goes, I would just watch his weight and adjust as needed.
Hi Ed,
First off, thanks for creating this great website. I’m still not sure if I will go raw or cooked…might mix up a small batch of raw and see how they react…I have 5 dogs (a yellow lab, a pug mix, a chihuahua, an Italian greyhound/rat terrior mix, and a west highland terrior mix). I have a couple of questions…are these diets considered low in ash? My vet recommended lower ash food for my lab after she recently got a urinary tract infection. I’ve also been adding pure cranberry powder to her food since then and wonder if it’s ok to continue this to help prevent future UTI’s. Also, I think the powdered Dinovite might be better for me since I have dogs of different weights…is there much of a difference between the powdered and the other type of Dinovite? Also, I still have a fair amount of Sea Pet cold pressed anchovy/sardine oil with vitamin E. Can I substitute that for the LickOChops until it’s gone, then switch over? Last question…I use Teddy’s Pride Oral Care enzyme powder and it REALLY helps keep my dog’s teeth clean (even my Chihuahua who has had major dental issues in the past). Can I keep using this with your diets? There’s nothing crunchy in it so I am concerned about their teeth. Thanks for your help…I look forward to trying your recipes!
Robert,
I’m not familiar with the products you mention. The diets are not high ash. You will find your dog’s stool will be smaller when fed these dog food recipes. This shows that most of the dog food is being digested. Ash is what is left over if the dog food were incinerated. Minerals are mostly what is left. These dog food recipes are highly nutritious without cheap fillers that are generally the cause of high ash content.
It is fine to use the powdered Dinovite with these dog food recipes. You can continue to use the oral care product but I think you will find these dog food recipes promote clean teeth.
We have a 3 year old, part black lab, part collie. About two months ago, she had pancreatitus. Is it safe for her to have the raw hamburger? The Vet told my wife and I not to feed her any fat.
Alan,
Your dog cannot survive on a diet void of fat. That said, his pancreas has trouble with excess fat. Try feeding virgin coconut oil as a fat source because it will not aggravate his pancreas. Then feed lean meats and try hard boiled eggs with the shells.
Hello – I am wondering what you think about a grain-free diet for a dog with skin issues?
I love your web-site and philosophy – do you have a grain-free recipe?
Many thanks – Binky
Binky,
Yes,
I like grain free dog food recipes. Check out the yeast starvation dog food recipe it is grain free.
Hi Ed,
What about organ meat: heart, kidney etc in the raw meat diet?
Michael,
All good.
Hi Ed! I am so happy I found your site! I have two border collie mixes with BIG appetites! Your recipes will help me not only feed them a much better diet (and a dinner they look forward to!), they will also help to save a great deal of money. The prices of some pet food is crazy! thanks!
hello, i was looking for recipe’s online that i could make for my staffordshire bull terrier and ran across your site! well i was just wondering if you could make a recipe for dogs that are allergic to wheat, grain and corn….as my dog is allergic to those. thank you so much! ill stop in here to check out your new ones whenever i can!
Barbara,
Try the yeast starvation dog food recipe. This dog food recipe does not contain any grains. Your stuffy will do well eating this dog food recipe.
Ed,
most raw dog food users that I’ve spoken to say that feeding boiled eggs &/or veggies is not necessary because carnivores can get everything they need from the RAW animal that you feed them (assuming that you feed them the “equivalent” of the whole animal i.e the liver, bones, gizzard, etc, and not just the meat by itself, and giving them variety i.e. fish, chicken, beef, etc.), what are your thoughts on this, and why do you add any rice (brown or white) to the recipe since dogs are (as you mentioned earlier) carnivores, and NOT herbivores, or even omnivores?
Dan,
The rice is added to help ease the transition from kibble and make it affordable. Sometimes I personally feed white rice and other times I don’t.
My husband and I just rescued a 1 year old husky who had only been fed… well, whole carcasses up until this point. She is underweight, malnourished and has worms. Transitioning her to dry dog food has been challenging so we’ve been buying raw food in the store (super expensive!). I’ve been thinking about cooking for our other dog for a while now and this seems like the perfect time to transition. He’s a 135 lb Alaskan Malamute. He is about 5-10 lbs overweight, could you give me serving recommendations for him? He’s 9 but still quite active playing with the husky and running with me (we do about 3 mile runs). Thanks and can’t wait for your advanced recipes!
Kathryn,
I think I would start her out on about 3 cups of food per day. See if she drops the excess weight. If so, after she hits the optimum weight slowly increase her portion till she stops losing weight.
Hi Ed,
I am glad I found your website. Thank You for sharing your experience. I have a 6 months old GSD and I have him on a boiled chicken/Rice & egg diet. Occationally, I give him curd & Rice. He feeds three times a day. I stay in India and I am not able to get the suppliments that you mentioned.
Is this a proper diet that I give him? What other suppliments would you reccomend? Can I replace the beef with chicken in your Easy Raw dog food reciepe and give him?
Sandip
Sandip,
You can substitute the chicken for beef, it will be fine. Try and feed the raw bones along with the chicken. Also include the egg shells. I’m not sure of available dog supplements in India. Try to include fish oil for omega 3 fatty acids. Also some multi-vitamins.
Ed-
Your website is a godsend. I just found out my basset is allergic to practically everything, including white rice, brown rice, wheat, corn, salmon, salmon oil, and the list goes on. I have 2 questions: 1) What would you suggest as a substitute for the white rice in the easy raw recipe? and 2) Since my dog is allergic to white rice, I peeked at the yeast starvation recipe and I wondered if the SuprOmega Fish Oil supplement contained salmon oil?
Thanks in advance!
Dani,
The Supromega fish oil does not contain Salmon it is made from Menhaden.
Hi Ed. Love your site – thanks so much for the information and advice that is sensible and easy to comprehend.
There was a previous post about someone whose dog has pancreatitis – my 6.5 lb Pomeranian does too and it’s been tough getting it under control. She’s currently being fed a prescription low-fat kibble but prescription or not, the questionable quality of dog food makes me nervous. I’d like to switch to the raw food diet but have questions, given her condition. Have you had any experience with a dog with pancreatitis? I know I can switch to chicken but raw chicken just doesn’t sound right – do you know if extra lean beef would still have too much fat (I’m supposed to use food that has 9% or less fat content and her prescription kibble has 5%). Could I add more rice/less beef?
Thanks for your insight!
Annabelle,
Try feeding lean meats and whole ground eggs with the shell. For additional fat feed extra virgin coconut oil. Coconut oil does not stress the pancreas. The omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil can help.
Finally someone who can guide me. I have 2 dogs (25lb snorkie) and Puppy (8lb snoodle).
My older dog got extreme diarreah when new puppy arrived,probably stress. This reaction caused me to explore his dog food (Iams) I found so much info on the dangers of kibble. I fell upon the BARF diet. I began immedately giving Max raw chicken wings for his morning feeding and bought holistic kibble (wellness) for his an Molly’s afternoon feeding. I was afraid of not supplying enough vitamines and nutrients. I have been trying to put a routine together with chix wings, hearts, gizzards and a few veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots. I see you are using supplements. Are they very expensive? Should I not be mixing raw an holistic kibble? I worry about the juices from the raw chicken on the dogs face, can it contaminate my family when we love up the dogs? Lots of worries bt still feeding the raw chix:) Any advice is appreciated.
Yvette,
The supplements I recommend work well and for small and medium dogs are not too expensive. Big dogs, well they just cost more all around. So do horses. Both eat lots. The bacteria on their faces can be a source of contamination. You can feed the easy cooked dog food recipe to limit this issue.
Thank you, I did check the vitamines and your right they are not too expensive especially if you factor in a healthy dog with no vet visits. Now I see you recommend the easy cooked diet. It actually looks pretty easy, but I thought the whole idea of giving raw bones was to force the dog to chew, therefore good jaw exercise and teeth health along with all the nutrients. Are you saying the risk of contamination to the kids out weighs that benefit? Thanks for your time:)
Yvette,
I’ve never personally had a problem but we take up all bowls when my grand daughter visits. She is just a toddler. Dogs get into garbage and all sorts of germs stuff on a daily basis. Most people are dropping over by dog germs. That said, I’m sure some do get sick.
Hey your website is great even though im feeding my dogs taste if the wild bison and venison dog food i wanted to know what kind of meat will have the highest protein i have two pitbulls that are gonna be huge both 3 months weighing in at 30 lbs already and i really don’t like ground beef so what would u suggest thanks
John,
Whole raw chicken is good.
I have a Leonberger puppy and he’s going to be about 150 lbs when he’s full grown (his dad was 175 and his mom was 140). He’s 4 months old and about 45 lbs and the food I’m giving him now I give him 26 oz (3 1/2 cups) per day but it’s getting really expensive…the only advantage is that it’s a complete diet…how much would I have to feed him now and then when he gets to be full grown?
Jennifer,
I’m not sure are you feeding him kibble?
The raw recipe does sound good and easy. I’ve tried raw meaty bones and whole ground chicken but found the recipes too messy and complicated for long-term use. Two questions: Is the calcium/potassium balance correct in this diet? and , you only mention using ground beef. Some of the other raw diets stress using a large variety of both muscle meat and organs. I’d appreciate your comments on that statement. Thanks . . . David
David,
My first two recipes are easy and nutritious to help people take the leap into feeding a homemade dog food. The calcium phosphorus ratios are good. I plan on posting more advanced recipes that include organ meats for those interested and taking their dog’s food to the next step.
My mom changed our dogs diet about 3 weeks ago. I can see the difference in our schnausers teeth and super soft hair. She gives him one raw chicken wing in the morning and has him eat it outside on patio. For his later feeding she is using your easy raw dog food recipe about a cup, he is about 22lbs. She recently purchased the dinovite vitamines and licochops to be added in there future feedings. My question is… Is this enough? Will he ever get bored of this diet? I’d like to help my mom by researching different options. Do you suggest keeping it the same or adding variety? Thanks for your opinion:)
Raelyn,
My dogs don’t seem to get bored. I will post more recipes as time permits.
I have a two-year old Airedale Terrier. She has an extremely sensitive stomach and has been that way since we first got her at 4-weeks old. She has regular check ups at the Vet and nothing is necessarily wrong with her-she just has a sensitive digestive track. We have tried all types of food-soft, dry, prescription. Nothing seems to permanently correct this issue. She’ll be better for a few weeks, then she’ll begin having flare-ups again. Its very frustrating and I hate seeing her sick!
I’ve been thinking of trying a raw food diet. Do you think this will aid in calming her digestive track and reducing her flare-ups? Is there a particular type of meat you recommend? She doesn’t do well on chicken at all-it makes her extremely ill. She seems to do okay on Salmon and Lamb, but we have never tried beef. Suggestions?
Thank you so much in advance for your insight!
Jessica,
I would try the easy raw dog food recipe and see how she does. Just start off slow.
So, I have been considering a raw food diet for our new puppy and wondering now if I should include the picky cat also. Our puppy is an Am Staff mixed with (we think) boxer. Should we be giving her the large dog amount (she currently is on 2 1/2-3 cups of dry large breed puppy kibble) even though she’s really only medium-sized now? I am concerned for proper bone development.
Also the cat will not touch anything that smells fishy–never had a cat do that before–but will eat the dog’s food which has more carbs than the grainfree/ gluten free stuff the rescue group we got him from suggested due to his immune deficiency and need for less junk. Will his aversion to the fishy smell be an issue with the Omega oil suppliments? He currently is recieving extra vitamins in his wet, sometimes eaten, food to improve his immune system, but I’m thinking we could eliminate them after the adjustment.
Finally–is there any reason not to mix the raw food for both, then separate and add suppliments before packaging?
Thanks for responding to everyone–huge plus.
Leurisa,
I think what I would try “for your picky cat” is the yeast starvation recipe with a modification. Eliminate the fish oil and add eggs with omega 3. Dinovite makes a cat supplement but it has some fish oil in it. Is there a fishy smell threshold? Are you sure it is fish? Cats like to eat very fresh food it could be an aversion to rancidity of fats.
For your puppy I would use the large dog size supplement.
Yes, you can mix before packaging The only problem is smell.
Hi. Thanks for all the information on your site. We have been feeding our labrador retriever raw for over a year. We started when she turned one year old. She has done very well, is very healthy and energetic, and at a great weight. We have fed her a combination of raw beef heart (morning) and chicken with bone (evening), mostly, with raw beef or chicked liver for “treats” sometimes, or other beef. We also give her doggie multi-vitamins. She has eaten strictly raw meet, no grains, for over a year. We did not feed her ground beef because we tried it and it made her ill. I believe you have to kind of experiment a little if you want to feed your dog raw – to see what works – and by introducing one type of meet at a time. Most people start with chicken from what I understand. One thing we have learned is that we have to make sure the meat is fresh – and does not contain any bad smell that a dog can detect when meat is not so fresh. We had to actually give it to her somewhat frozen to mask the smell a bit at times when we failed to freeze the meat immediately after purchasing it. The process of chopping up the meat in portions and freezing it is a lot of work. We were actually considering going back to commercial dog food since this is so much work. We plan to get another dog and we just can’t see doubling the work, not to mention the cost. We’re at a crossroads and quite sure what to do now. I would hate to throw away the obvious benefits of feeding her such a rich and healthy diet. I tried introducing “Taste of the Wild” brand dog food – which is supposed to be pretty good ingredients…and she turned her nose up at it without added gravy. At this point it might make sense to get a meat grinder and grind up the beef heart and chicken (seperately) instead of trying to chop it all up and portion it out. We have a serious meat clever and I still spend all evening in the kitchen doing this job when we first bring home a new batch of meat for her – it’s exhausting! Maybe with a meat grinder that you could add bone to and everything (the bone is a crucial part of the diet), and with added rice, we may be able to sustain feeding our dog(s) raw. I hope so. I kind of shudder at commercial dog foods after all the efforts we have made. I looked at the ingredients in Science Diet and was amazed at that crap. Anyway, thanks, your site is kind of inspiring me to consider sticking to it and maybe finding better ways to make it work. Any other suggestions are welcome!
Caitlin,
I’ve actually found my dogs prefer the meat the older it gets and less fresh.
The meat grinder is a great idea. I have the mother of all meat grinders! It makes short work of all the grinding. I can grind 30 pounds of chicken leg/thighs in minutes. I plan on posting this method and recipe soon.
Hi, I just found your wonderful site. I have been looking on line for homemade dog food, as I just rescued two male English Mastiff puppies (7 weeks old) I believe raw meat/veg. is better than cooking vit. out Because this breed grows SO fast I don’t want to feed more than 24% protein per meal. Wondering if you have already address this, you could direct me.
Rock & Boss thank you!
Robin,
A raw meat based dog food with bone will be great for your mastiffs. Mastiffs tend to gulp their food and can swallow bones whole. You may want to consider a meat grinder that cant grind chicken up bones and all. I bought one for $700 but it was worth it. It cuts the work down dramatically. Click here to view my meat grinder page. I will show it in action in a couple weeks.
Is it okay to give my dog a garlic capsule daily to keep the fleas off of her?
Connie,
I’ve not personally seen it work.
Ed,
Thanks so much for your raw recipe and words of advice. I just got the two nutritional supplements in the mail and when my 2 pugs finish their remaining dry food-it’s on to raw food for them. I have a question about freezing the meals. You say to freeze 2-3 days worth of meals in your recipe. I was going to make your original recipe that yields 48 cups of food (to save time) and freeze the food (in pre-portioned “cookie-shaped” meals) in a large storage freezer and rotate meals from the freezer to the fridge to thaw as they go through meals. Is this ok? Is there any harm in freezing the food longer than 2-3 days? Will freezing it harm the lickochops product that’s mixed in the food?
Thanks so much!
Emma
Emma,
Freezing a large quantity to save time is great. Freezing won’t harm any of the ingredients.
Hi, my 8 year old Boxer is going for dental surgery in a few weeks and will have to go on a soft food diet for a couple weeks post-op. I will probably do the cooked diet just because he will likely have open wounds in his mouth… does that make sense or do you think the raw diet will still be ok? ( I will run this by the vet as well, but haven’t talked to them yet)
Also, do you think it will be ok to totally switch him after the surgery to this diet (he is on dry kibble from Blue Buffalo currently)? Should we still do the gradual ramping up of feeding after the fast?
Another question – is this diet suitable for all life stages? (We also have a new 6 month old pit bull puppy).
Thanks in advance for your advice 🙂
Virginia,
I would feed the easy cooked dog food recipe and switch him over before the surgery. If you switch him over now he will have time to adjust and also get the benefit of a better dog food.
Hello, I am wantint to switch my Newf over to raw, however I know when he misses a meal he throws up bile and then starts to eat grass. If we are in a hurry in the morning and leave with out eating he will get sick. How do I not feed him for a whole day? He is 8 yrs old and hypo thyroid and has just lost 20 lbs and is 3 to 5 lb of his ideal weight
Christine,
I you think he will be fine then just cut way back on his first couple meals. However, prepare yourself for possible digestive upset.
I just recieved the supplements dinovite and lickochops. I added them in the easy raw food recipe. I also just started giving the raw recipe, I did it in small portions as suggested (1/4 cup then a 1/2 cup, trying to get to a cup by the end of the week ). It has been 3 days and he has thrown up the food each time after about 5 hours. I was going to cook one of the patties( I froze them in cup patty portions) and see if that helps. What do you think could be diagreeing with him? ( rice, 85/15 ground beef, boiled eggs with shells and vitamines) Where did I go wrong?
Yvette,
What exactly is he throwing up? Are you also giving him kibble or treats?
He threw up the actual chunks of the raw ground beef mixure all 3 times( was gross). As I mentioned I would cook the remainder of what I have to see if that helped. I did so last night for his dinner and so far he seems to have digested it ok. I also made him plain white rice earlier ( on the day he threw up) and gave a cup of pumkin. Then later I cooked up the ground beef mixure I have already mixed. ( the rwa food recipe) I still added the vitamines) He is off kibble completely. I onlyg ive a chicken wing in the early morning then the raw mixure in the evening. the chicken was introduced a few weeks ago and I have only seen positive results, such as whiter teeth and softer coat. No treats.
Yvette,
It could be a variation in food density between the chicken wing and the ground beef. It could be he’s not digested the wing completely and then he is fed the raw ground beef that has a different density. Is the chicken wing raw too?
Yes the wing is raw. I had thought the cooking the beef mixure was the answer but this morning I gave him a cup of pumkin to help with his diareah and his raw chicken wing. He ate all fine however 10 min later it all came back up:( the wing was chewed except for some fat skin piece) the pumpkin also was out. My 5 month old puppy who I thought was doing ok on the same diet had very bad diareah at 3am and 5am. I gave them both white rice around 2pm. I am not sure if it’s the vitamines or the beef. Could it be the boiled eggs? I don’t know what to give them for dinner. Should I only stick with chicken? My husband thinks I have poisoned the dogs so you have to help me fix this:) Thanks so much for your assistance.
Yvette,
I don’t think it is either the beef or the supplements. It sounds like you are throwing too many diet changes at your dogs. Fast your dogs for 24 hours to help settle their digestive system. Going forward stop feeding the chicken wings and pumpkin. Take the easy raw dog food recipe and cook it. Watch the easy cooked dog food recipe video. Do not add the supplements before cooking. Plan on feeding them once per day in the morning. Start off even slower, 2-3 tablespoons day one and see how they do. Then slowly increase.
Keep in mind dogs are easy vomiters. This is part of their design. If your dogs vomit the two to three tablespoons of food, they could have a blockage. This is unlikely. My little dog Stinky who is in the video had a blockage when she was younger. It turned out to be a 1/2 inch square of cardboard.
Hi Ed
May I please have some simple suggestions for feeding my 7 lb maltese…human food? I only give her 1/3 c of dry food because it smells peculiar…I give her egg whites, seet potato, apple, salmon, string beans, carrots, shiratake noodles, bits of cooked chicken, turkey and veggie burgers…should I use a vitamin for her?
Esta,
Try the easy cooked dog food recipe. This dog food recipe is easy to make and very nutritious.
I took my almost 1yr old rescue dog to the vet for gastrointestinal distress (frequent and stinky gas). The stool exam was negative for whatever it is they look for. The vet thought his intestines may not absorbing water properly (he was a parvo puppy and survived after hospitalization) and recommended a prescription diet. The idea of prescription food is utterly ridiculous to me, so I’ve been feeding him (and my Havanese) your easy raw recipe and the results after only 3 days have been good–no evidence of gas AND his activity level has increased. They both love it. Will post any problems that come up if there are any.
Do the antibiotics in non-organic ground beef effect dogs or can I just buy the 10 pound tubes from Costco? Also, I have read that buying pre-ground meat to serve animals raw is risky because the meat becomes contaminated in the grinding process. However, this was on a website for homemade cat food… is that just because cats do not have the same powerful stomach composition to kill bacteria?
Thanks!
Camille
Camille,
I buy my ground beef by the ten pound tube from Kroger. Keep in mind anything in dog food was not fit for human consumption. I’ve never had any problems with dogs getting sick from eating raw.
We have a 35 lb male boston-boxer and a 65lb female boxer. How much can we expect to spend per month feeding them a raw diet? I know food prices are different from area to area, but i love my puppies and really want what’s best for them, however, we’re also on a tight budget.
Dawn,
I’m not sure. My guess is they will eat 3-4 cups of food each per day. The price is usually comparable to a mid range kibble. I will post some chicken dog food recipes that are even cheaper.
My little Terrier is 13 and has an enlarged heart. The vet recommended a special diet for his heart and also to lose weight. Can you give me some suggestions as to what to feed him. His health is really declining rapidly.
Thanks
Verna,
This would be very hard for me to do without a lot more information.
Hello Ed:
My 12 year old lab mix is constantly scratching and now he has started chewing on his rear end.
I would love to start him on the cooked food; will he need to fast before starting him on the cooked food?
I am so glad that I came across your website; I have been reading all afternoon on alternative foods to help stop his problem but they all have something in the food that’s not good for him.
I pray that this is the answer
Blessings to you!
Arlene,
Yes, fasting for 24 hours is the best thing to do to help limit digestive upset. Then start off slow with small portions of the new homemade dog food. Doing so will give for dog’s digestive system time to adjust.
Also should I use raw or cooked eggs? I am a little confused on what’s best.
Thanks
Arlene,
I recommend cooked eggs with the egg shells for added calcium. Make sure you crush the shells up small. If you are going to feed the easy cooked dog food recipe then you will just blend them shell and all in the blender. Watch the video it is pretty informative. Hope this helps.
Im delighted to have found this site. Ever since the scare with dog food im not comfortable and wanted solutions . Thank-you!!!!!!!!!!!!
Betty,
You are quite welcome!
I have an 8 month old German shepherd mix, though I don’t know with what. She is currently eating 6 cups of food a day and almost 80 pounds already. She was having issues with puppy kibbles being too much for her so our vet suggested switching her to adult kibbles. She doesn’t poop regularly on this diet (always really really soft) and is sometimes interested in eating poop. Do you think switching to this raw food diet will help solve those problems for her, and how much would you recommend feeding an 80 pound puppy with high energy and a rapid growth rate? I’m guessing she will probably be over 100 pounds when full grown!
Rachel,
I think either the easy raw or cooked dog food recipe will work fine. I would make sure you follow the introductory method outlined to limit digestive upset. She will probably eat between 4-6 cups of food per day.
i’m so glad i found this! i’ve always been against non-natural diets for pets. i feed my cockatiels an appropriate seed diet and my mantis eats wild bugs. my family and i just adopted a four-year-old mini pincer/terrier mix and i plan on feeding her a natural raw diet. thanks! 🙂
Hi Ed,
I just ordered my supplements (per your recommendation). I live in a small town and am having a hard time finding 70/30 ground beef. Would 80/20 work? Do I need to add anything extra to increase the fat content?
Thanks.
Sabrina,
80/20 is fine.
I will be starting our dogs on the easy raw diet. Would it be ok to mix a tube of dinovite liquid in the raw meat mixture prior to freezing rather than using the daily supplements? Thanks!
Nursetia,
Yes, use a whole tube of Dinovite Liquid and a whole tube of Lickochops per recipe.
So I bought the dog vitamins at walmart they’re the chewable kind. Can I use those instead of what you recommended? Also I with the raw diet how do you do the rice do u just mix it in uncooked?
Kim,
I’ve not seen any dog supplements like Dinovite supplements. They are very nutritious. Make sure you cook the rice.
Hi, I have been feeding my young 16 month Schnauzer a truly vegetarian diet, all raw vegetable and raw meat, mostly lamb. She eats all vegetables, broccoli, cabbage, ( corn, squash and yams) cooked. She is eager and eats it and never gets sick. Thank you for your ideas with suppliments, which I have not been adding, except Omega/flax oil and sometimes olive oil. Anything is there anything I need to pay attention to what I am doing? Thank you
Jailan,
I guess not a strict vegetarian since you are feeding meat. Keep in mind dogs have a short digestive system and do not effectively digest vegetables.
Ed, I have a ,new to my family,2 1/2 year old golden retriever and he is a bit over weight . I started him on your raw recipe 3 days ago. He has not had a bm since yesterday morning, is that a common reaction. I was expecting diarrhea, can they also experience constipation?
Jo,
Your dog’s digestive system will produce less waste fed the raw dog food recipe. His stool will also be considerably smaller. Kibble dog food is typically full of worthless fillers and this contributes to more frequent BM’s.
Hi, I am considering trying this out for my 11 year old bassett hound. She is roughly 40lbs. When transitioning to the raw receipe after fasting for 24 hours – how much to give her each day and we are not mixing with the regular food we used to give her right?
Susan,
Right. Start off with about a half cup, see how she does then slowly increase.
I want to thank you for your effort and information. I have a rescued 5 yr. old neutered Korean Jindo who, besides being finicky (like most Jindos) has had all kinds of digestive upset. He’s nervous and insecure so he easily gets diarrhea from stress. He was a dangerously underweight 28 pounds when I got him from the shelter (he should be around 40) so I was very focused on getting a few pounds on him. My daughter’s Jindo did well on a raw chicken diet but this dog will not eat raw meat/poultry so I fixed boiled chicken breast and thigh meat with white rice and added that to Evo dry food. He’d eat unenthusiastically and sometimes would go 3 to 4 days without eating at all (despite 1 to 2 hrs of vigorous daily walks). After 4 months he’s gained about 9 pounds but his stool has always been loose or nearly diarrhea-like (the vet confirmed no worms or parasites). Recently he started scratching himself, licking his paws, biting at his dew claws and has a very itchy ear. I’ve checked his dew claws, ears and skin and there’s no redness, no mites, no tiny dark spots that might hint at a cause. He does have a mild form of canine lupus but that’s common in breed and not known to be related to this kind of scratching/itching/licking. Before I even found your web site I began to suspect food allergy. Instinctively I removed the grain free kibble from his diet. It seemed to help reduce the itchiness a little. Then I removed the white rice because it shows up in his poop undigested. Since this Jindo will not eat beef, salmon, lamb, duck or turkey, I’m left with the boiled chicken. When I found your web site last night — your experience and information and common sense approach to feeding a dog substantiated my Jindo’s got a food allergy with a resulting yeast infection. I’ve read every question and answer on your web site, viewed the video and am SO grateful to you and all those who submitted a question. I’ve learned so much. I’m taking him to the vet today to confirm whether this is a yeast infection or something else but I’m also going to add the cooked eggs with ground egg shell, LickOChops and Dinovite to his cooked chicken. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m sure my Jindo thanks you too.
You are welcome.
Thank you so much for your site. I’ve been googling raw dog food recipes for quite awhile and many of them contain what I consider down right silly ingredients. I came across an article on Pug Village about what commercial dog food is actually made from as well as the other equally unpalatable ingredients that can be found it. We are moving from one state to another and will have to kennel our 3 dogs for an entire month in total so starting them on a raw diet won’t be happening soon. I am looking forward to do so and will use your recipe with a few additions 🙂 I plan to add some herbs that are good for dogs… eventually from my new herb garden. Thank you again 🙂
Hi, I’ve been waiting and hoping for an answer that I posted (mistakenly) on June 28 in the intermediate dog food recipe. To recap, I have a twelve year old Jack Russell who was losing weight. He went down to 15 lbs from his regular 20. He went to the vet and after blood work and an ulrtasound, they only know that his liver enzymes are around 4000. They were in the 400’s 18 months ago. Without a biopsy (which I oppose) they only know that it is not cancer. They had me change his food (from Before Grain or Canadae) to Royal Canin Hepatic with cottage cheese for protein. It is REALLY expensive. They also have him on Denamarin and I put him on Standard Process, Canine Hepatic Support. And they do not think it is Cushings. I might add that he is still himself (goes crazy when someone comes in, tells us what he wants, goes nuts when it thunders, runs around, typical Jack). He seems healthly in every way. He has regained his weight and in about the same time period he lost it.
This was a long story to say that I started thinking it might be best to give him human grade food. I know that with liver disease in humans they want to cut down on the protein. I suspect that is the same with dogs, but the Royal Canin food is a waste of money. As far as I’m concerned the product is only vegtables, and what dog needs that?
Would you still recommend your recipes? Would it be best to use rice or not? Do you have any recommendations? I understand to use the Diovites, but should I use Lick O’ Chops or something different.
This post is much more detailed than the one in “intermediate food” You can skip that one. Thanks for taking the time to research all that you’ve posted and complied here. You are a true friend to Canines!!
Alice,
Is it possible the elevated liver enzymes were caused by his original kibble or does your vet suspect disease? Have you looked into milk thistle? I’ve not personally had a dog with liver issues but I’ve seen it in parrots. Many parrot owners will feed some milk thistle because it helps heal the liver. You can buy some capsules at a health food store. I don’t think it can hurt but you may want to ask your vet.
Thanks for the response. The vet has researched the problem and they do not have any explanation. The Standard Process Supplement has milk thistle in it. It was my first thought since I know how well it works in humans. The Denamarin is Sam-E and Sylbarin both of which I’ve read good things about. Do you think it is okay to change food at this point?
Alice,
I think I would wait a little. It is never a good idea to change too many variables at one time. Now, if you new the kibble is what caused the problem, then I would immediately change food.
Hello again,
I was reading up on the calorie intake for my dog and he should be getting about 1700 per day I was wondering if you know how many calories per cup are in this recipe.
Thanks again, and my dog is loving his food.
Jo,
The easy raw dog food recipe is approximately 450-500 calories per cup.
Hi, I have 4 dogs. I feed a salmon & sweet potato, grain free kibble freely, and they get a dinner each night of cooked meat and fresh or frozen veggies. My dogs love yams, peas, string beans, potatoes, collard greens, spinach, carrots, etc. I do not give them onion, garlic and sugar. They do not get pasta, white rice, corn, breads or junk food. The meat is usually chicken thighs, organic hamburger, turkey, eggs, mackrel, sardines, salmon or tuna. I have even blended up lettuces and mixed with the meat. Sometimes I mix in a little olive oil. I was thinking of not using kibble anymore and possibly going with raw meat when I found your site. My dogs love veggies and will even eat green beans right from my hand. I am wondering why you do not use vegetables and if veggies are used, would it still be necessary to use the supplements you mentioned? My dogs have gorgeous coats! Thank you for your time!
Debra,
It has been my experience that supplementing is always a good idea.
Our 13 year old black lab mix was diagnosed with senior vertigo. The vet wants him on no-grain and low fat. If I leave the rice out of this recipe, as you suggest to another commenter, above, should I adjust the amounts of other ingredients at all?
Colette,
The yeast starvation dog food recipe has the rice removed and uses fish oil instead of Lickochops.
Hi! I just found your site and wanted to thank you for sharing your knowledge.
My husband and I have adjusted our diets and are now eating healthy and we want the same for our collie. I just ordered the lickochops and dinovite. I can’t wait to make this for our ‘boy’!
Thanks again!
Jen,
You are quite welcome!
hey my two dogs have been on your diet for a long time now they wont eat and are both not capable of moving not even the sliest inch do you have any suggestions and is it from this raw diet that there on maybe constipated
Melinda,
Can you give me some more information? How big are your dogs? What exactly are you feeding? How much are you feeding?
So, I need to add one tube of the LickOchops to the recipe when I make the raw dogfood, and then add a little every day when I feed the dogs? (according to the serving size chart)
Also, can I just add the Dinovite to the recipe instead of adding it to the food every day?
One more question. The recipe above says that it makes 48 cups, but in a response to a question on March 20th you said it made 35 cups. Which is it?
Cara,
You can add the supplements daily or mix them into the entire batch. If you mix them in the entire batch try mix it well through out the dog food recipe. The cups are approximate and usually depends on the recipe and how much rice is added. The ground meat is about 20 cups, a few cups of ground eggs, 10 or 15 cups of rice. About 35 cups. The odd part is sometimes it fills six 8 cup storage containers.
hello i have 3 dogs a full-blooded red nose pit, a pit boxer and shepard mix and a chihahua terrier shitzit mix i wanna feed healthy and switch their food between wet and dry but my
dogs have horrible gas as i was lookin on the internet that raw chicken would be good for them said to feed them the backs i dont have the space to buy whole chicken and only give the dogs the backs can i also feed them the rest of the whole chicken and are they missing needed vitamins wit just a raw chicken diet and also can i feed bot your diet and the raw chicken
Missy,
I like to feed the legs and thighs and my dogs do well eating them. I do grind them up because I have some small dogs and dogs with missing teeth. I shot a couple new videos and will post them soon.
Hello,
Thank you for posting the Easy Raw dog food recipe, along with the important info about the vitamins and omega 3s and 6s. Do you suggest any less expensive supplement alternatives, (brands)? My dogs are loving the food, but I did not realize it would be so expensive to keep up with each month. I am a full time undergrad, I work part time, and I care very much about the help of my pups, but I do have to be frugal at this point in time.
Also, I think I will try the cooked recipe next time… although the ground beef in the “Raw recipe” is indeed raw, the eggs and the rice are cooked, so I believe it will save some time to just cook it all together like a meatloaf. Thanks again for your (free) advice and recipes!
-Crazy Casey the Frugal Animal Lover
I just adopted an 11 week old lab/great pyrenees mix from a shelter (so i’m not absolutely sure that is exactly what he is). He is about 15 pounds now. He will be a large breed dog, and I’ve been reading about excess calories causing legions in the skeletal structure,etc if they grow too quickly. I’m interested in feeding him the raw food diet but I want to make sure he gets the proper amount of protein/fat/calories/etc… Is there any advice you could give me?
Stephanie,
My experience has been very good feeding homemade dog food to puppies. You may want to consider a meat grinder and feeding the recipes with ground chicken legs and thighs as an ingredient. The extra bone really helps maintain proper growth. Or feed the cooked chicken and rice dog food recipe. Your puppy will grow nicely on this recipe. Include the bone stock to add the calcium back into the recipe.
Hi,
I have an almost 4 month old Great Dane. We have been feeding him blue buffalo food, which he was liking and suddenly stopped eating. I was searching for homemade foods when I found your site. Just wondering what you recommend for a Great Dane pup. Thank you so much!! He is loosing weight, as he is a lean bread already, and I am getting nervous. We just lost our lab and my kids would be devastated if we lost Thor too!
Mindi
Mindi,
Is he not eating because he is finicky? Is he sick? If it’s because he is finicky try feeding the easy cooked dog food recipe or the chicken and rice dog food recipe. Dogs love either and they are very nutritious.
Thanks Ed. I am making the chicken and rice today. I think that he is finicky. We fed him a leftover chicken breast from dinner last night and he ate it up. He also loves cheddar cheese (we use it for obedience training). I called the vet and they said that if he is drinking and not vomiting he is probably just being picky. I ordered the supplements online, the pet store and feed store do not carry the specific brands. Will he be okay for a couple of days without the supplements?
Thanks again,
Mindi
Mindi,
Yes, he will be fine. It is good to hear you are making the leap:)
Hi Ed,
I’m so glad that I found your page!
I have a 4 and a half month old American Staffy puppy… Who is growing at a very quick rate! (He’s gone from 2kg at 6 weeks, to 15kg at 18 weeks). We have him on a high quality kibble (if there is such a thing), however I’ve been reading about raw food diets and it’s the way I want to go!
Over the past few weeks he has started itching terribly… I’ve tried lots of other things (oatmeal shampoo and condition, washing all his bedding without chemicals in hot water, checking that there are no plants in the garden that will bother him, stainless steel food and water bowl), so I’ve put it down to his diet!
Anyway, my main problem is that I’m in Australia, and I’m having difficulty tracking down the two supplements that you say are vital to the recipe.. Are there alternatives that you are aware of that are available in Australia?? I’m wanting to get my puppy started on this raw diet as soon as possible!! The itching must be driving him CRAZY!
Tennille,
I wish I knew but sadly don’t know what supplements are available in Australia.
I started my 4 year old Boston on this recipe 6 months ago. After nearly losing him to pancreatitis last year I have battled with finding him a low fat/high protein dog food that he likes (as well as one that wont produce the awful gas that most of them did). He was lathargic and had no energy for playtime with the commercial foods. He was already taking Dinovite so having it incorporated into his food is great. He loves mealtime now ! Energy is back and his coat looks great! (Gas is gone too!) Not too mention I can make almost two months worth of this food for half the price. I love it! He loves it!
Shawn,
Super!
I noticed your raw recipe online is boneless. Is there a reason you prefer egg shells instead of including bone? Would it be too much calcium to include some eggs w/ shells in a recipe including bone – perhaps using less than the 18 as per your recipe?
Also my dog (who doubles as my service dog – mobility assist) has always struggled to keep weight on. Fed raw in the past – even double recommended amts for a dog his size had him looking quite “ribby”. (he’d been checked by the vet, who just believes that he just has a much higher calorie need than most dogs. – rare for a yellow Lab). Finally after more than a year on about 5 cups per day of a high cal (+ 600 kcals/cup), high quality organic food, he is just a couple of lbs shy of his ideal weight (he looks great now at close to 70 lbs). While I’d love to get back to raw, I’m concerned of his weight…
Thanks for any input!!
Andrea,
I don’t think there would be any issue with feeding additional bones. Dog’s are designed to eat lots of bone and will just pass the extra in their stool. I have dogs that seem to have a higher calorie requirement and these dogs benefit from the cooked white rice. My Border collie Jet is like this, she seems to do better with the Dinovite powder than the liquid.
When i get my puppy from the breeder he will be on whatever they feed thier dogs. As a potential 100lb dog do I feed his presant weight or more to grow on? should an 8 week old pup fast then eat such low calories at the start?
Kevin,
Just fast the puppy overnight. Puppies seem able to make a more rapid transition. The portion will slowly increase as he grows.
so if he is 10 lbs. do 1/2 cup daily? he should gain weight on this amount? as he gains increase it? what are good snacks? thanks
Kevin,
I think a 1/2 cup is a good place to start. You can adjust the serving size up or down accordingly. My dogs love Nubonubs dog treats and they are healthy.
Have you ever tried Quinoa instead of rice? I wonder, since white rice is pure sugar and quinoa is mostly protein/amino acids
I’m just starting to feed my finicky Shi tzu a raw diet and he loves it
Renie,
Try it and see how it works.
Hi, is it okay to alternate between a raw diet and cooked, or should I just stick to one or the other? Also, with the raw diet, is it necessary after the initial preparation to freeze before serving? Thank you!
Anna,
I’ve not had any problems alternation between raw and cooked homemade dog food. When I make a batch I usually end up feeding one container before freezing. The remaining containers go in the freezer.
I have a 1 1/2 yr old Mini Aussi – she was just dx with a pancreatic disorder where I have to give her 2 teaspoons of Pancrazyme to help her absorb the food nutrients. I have been giving her brown rice – which I will now switch over to white rice – and green beens for fiber – so she feels full, she came to me 3 days from deaths door from being starved to death from her previous owner. She was on a raw hamburger and rice meal before she came to me, so now I will put her back on it. Thank you for your recipes. I think with her health issue this is the best diet for her, and my other dogs will be on it too! I was wondering about the eggs – she needs high protein and now I will add a raw egg to her diet for the calcium and protein. If I am off base here, let me know, otherwise – thank you! I eat “raw” so I wanted my dogs to eat “raw” too (only I don’t eat raw meat!!)
Debi,
Sounds good. You can also add some organic coconut oil to her diet. Coconut oil does not effect her pancreas and supplies healthy medium chain fatty acids. Coconut oil is great for you too.
I have a questions concerning the raw diet and the use of your products. My wife and I are owners of a K9 facility in central Indiana. We have been big on feeding the natural raw diet whitch we order through a co-op also in central IN. My first question is, everything I have been taught about the raw diet states how important it is to feed organs to your dog. In your recipe there is no mentioning of organs. I spoke with a lady from your company and she said it is ok the add in the organs, but Im concerned on where the too rich of a diet comes in when doing that. Is the dinovite in a way just an organ replacer??? Somthing to make raw diet easier for the pet owner. My second is that in your diet the calcium is from eggs and im sure that is a good source of calcium but also concerned on it being the only source of calcium and is it really as good as actual bones with marrow??? My third is the amount of rice. It seems it is alomost half of the recipe and rice is obviously a grain. Is that much grain in a carnivours diet really right for them? Is the rice just a filler? I feed a large number of dogs in the business Im in and I am definately up for easier and quicker prep but not in the case of lowering their nutrition. I am also up for somthing easier to tell our customers that still feed the average comercial pet food. Just want to make sure Im on the right track and fully understand your recipe and how your able to do without bones, organs and adding so much rice. Thanks!!
Chris,
I think you are referring to the easy raw dog food recipe so I will answer in that direction. This dog food recipe is nutritious and often the first step people take into preparing homemade dog food. All the ingredients are readily available and easy to mix and prepare. Dogs will also do very well on this dog food recipe.
I have shot some other recipes that include bones and will post them soon. Some people will never feed bones to their dogs. So understanding this what do you do? I think prepare a nutritious meal a person will feed to their dog. So I did.
As time goes on I will flesh this site out with more advanced dog food recipes but shooting them is very time consuming. It ends up taking all day. I purchased a meat grinder and have used it to grind chicken legs and thighs. It works nicely but costs $750. It is an option for someone with multiply dogs.
The white rice makes the transition from kibble to homemade dog food easier on the dog and owner. I have shot a dog food recipe with sweet potatoes but have not posted it yet. I will soon.
Thanks for your reply. I’m still not sure you answered my questions. I am referring to your homemade raw diet formula 10 lbs meat, 10 cups rice, 18 hard boiled egg, dinovite and licks chops. I’m am reading on your website that dogs are canivours and I 100% agree with you. You also say stay away from grains and high carbs. This is why I am asking why so much rice and I think you answered the rice is to help switch over to the raw diet in this case do you eventually ween them off the rice. It seems that the level of rice( grain ) is almost half of your recipe. Yes I feed bone to my dogs. Chicken bones from leg quarters and other parts that contain small bones nothing too big to handle. I’m not worried about them being ground down except for obviously if for a puppy. Also there was no response on the organs and if ok to add in your recipe like Sondra said was ok, when does recipe become too rich for the dog. We feed an 80-10-10 ratio. 80% meat, 10% bone, 10% organs. I’ve never heard of a raw diet without organs so I’m assuming your supplements are replacing them??? I’m am very interested in your products and recipes but I need to know the nutrition behind them in order to use and promote them. I am assuming you know all the dirty secrets of the pet food industry as I do so this is why I must make sure they are as nutritional as an all raw diet meal such as the meat, bone and organ. Thank you.
Chris,
This site is a work in progress and requires a huge amount of my time. An hour per day just answering posts. I have grain free recipes one is the yeast starvation dog food recipe. You can add organ meat to it if you like. I plan on posting more complex recipes in the future but it all takes time.
Your ratio seems fine. I fed 40 plus dogs and puppies a raw dog food mixture for years with great results. The dogs weighed around 30 each give or take. I fed them each a chicken leg and thigh and a bowl of cooked cool white rice with Dinovite. I found without the rice I could not keep an ounce of fat on the dogs. I fed 30-40 pounds of chicken per day. I would grind up the bones for some of the puppies and small dogs.
It was possible to double the chicken and feed 60 to 80 pounds per day but I could not afford it. Most people are in the same boat. Dogs are not obligate carnivores like cats so they can digest simple carbohydrates like white rice. That said, some dogs can’t eat any carbohydrates without developing a yeast infection. So options are important.
The Dinovite supplies 60 plus trace minerals, live direct fed microbials and host vitamins. It rounds out the recipes. I have found that the dogs did poorly without it.
I think bones are more important than organ meat but that is my personal experience. You have to understand some people will NEVER feed organ meat or bones to their dog. So I have presented options. The recipe you are referring to is the easy raw dog food recipe. It’s highly nutritious and easy to make and feed without a huge gross factor. Dogs do great on it. I will present more advanced dog food recipes in the future. Dog food recipes with organ meat and bones but keep in mind most people will never ever feed them to their dogs.
Chris,
Also check out my page “Required nutrients of dogs” it talks about plant matter source in a dogs diet. Hope this helps.
Hey thanks for your time and I greatly appreciate it. You have been very helpful and after reading I will be trying your recipes. I will keep you updated on our results I have the same problem with some of my dogs keeping any fat and find myself increasing the lbs of meat/day and it is definately a cost increase. Again thank you very much !!!!
We have an 11yr old Bouvier. A year ago, my husband and I were saying how we didn’t think he would make it through the winter. Our dog has arthritis in his hips and was beginning to lose his vision. He would lie around and seemed to have very little energy. A friend of mine suggested a raw food diet. We purchased pre-made dog food raw patties and within a week couldn’t believe the difference! He was getting up on his own, and even started to jump a little when we would pull into the driveway! The difference in him is unbelievable! We have started to feed him your homemade receipe and he is just as energetic as ever. The cost is much less than the pre-made and is just as good. Keep up the good work.
I have a 9 month old boxer, with persistent diarrhea. She does well no diarrhea and eats well on Hills ID gastrointestinal diet, but it is far too expensive to feed her on a long term basis. The vet thinks the problem with the other diets we have been feeding her is that they are too high in protein leading to the diarrhea, do you think the raw food diet would be a good option for her?
Thank you for this great website and any advice you have.
Sarah,
You can introduce the diet and see what happens. Make sure to follow the introductory method to limit digestive upset.
the hamburg in our area is73/27 does that change anything?
Kevin,
No it’s fine.
I am keen to try the easy raw food recipe. My question is can the dinovite powder be added to the batch as you make it, along with the othe supplement, or does it have to be added at the time of feeding.? If it can be added during the making phase how much for the amount of the other ingredients you list?
Thanks
Jane,
You can feed the Dinovite either way. I add one to two cups of Dinovite per batch.
Hello. Would it work to just give the dogs a dog vitamin instead of using the supplements?
Thanks!
Chelsea,
The supplements I recommend are much more than just a multi-vitamin, so no.
Hello! I have a dwarf Black Lab who has awful skin irritation! We have tried different shampoos, oil, and supplements, but nothing has given her any relief. She scratches constantly, to the point where sometimes I think I’m sweeping just as much dry skin/scabbing off the floor as I am her fur. I’m considering trying this, but raw meat makes me a wee bit quesy so I figured I’d ask your opinion before jumping in full-force. If it works, then I will do it!!! Is this a treatment you would recommend for her with what I describe? I am so worried about her for she’s hurting herself so much with her scratching!! Thank you for your input!
Ashley,
You can cook the meat a bit if that helps but at least feed it on the rare side. A very good dog shampoo is Dogosuds, it is gentle and soothing.
Hi Ed,
I have a 4 yr old American Bull dog. We adopted him back in June 2012. When he came to us he was on Science Diet D/D Potato and & Salmon. He seemed to do fine on it however he weighs a healthy 110lbs and eats 8 cups of food daily (4cps 2X a day). The $60 17lbs bag of S.D. is gone within 1 week. So I have been trying other food options with no luck. His skin is horrible and ears get so inflamed. Oh and did I mention he SMELLS so bad and requires weekly baths (which I’m sure doesn’t help the skin). All while at the same time we have a 5yr old female that eats Holistic Select and has absolutely NO problems at all.
We have tried Wellness Simple and now have had him on California Naturals limited ingredient for a little over a month now but still needs baths regularly and seems itchy. The scabs have started to clear up with no new ones appearing. I am worried I am jumping the gun with considering switching him again. I know it takes the body a long time to eliminate the bad ingredients….
I am also a mother of 3 toddlers, wife and care giver of over 30 animals. No I’m not a hoarder just live/have a farm (egg laying chickens take up the majority of that number). So a raw diet may not be an option due to expense and lack of time. So if I can continue feeding a dry healthy food I’d prefer that.
Can you please give me some advice?
Ginger,
The chicken and rice dog food recipe may be an option. This dog food recipe is economical. Also, considering you live on a farm you may want to invest in a good meat grinder. A heavy duty meat grinder will cut down food preparation time to 1/10th.
I love the recipes for the raw -I just didn’t want the grains in there ie: rice, could I substitute
that with chickpeas or sweets potatoes, carrots ? and if so how would I – like 2.5 cups sweet potato or carrots & 2.5 c chickpeas or lentils?
Ann,
You can swap out an equal amount of sweet potatoes or eliminate them altogether.
I have been using your raw dog food recipe for 3 of my dogs for the past month and I’m loving the results. I have 1 more dog that I am feeding separately a prescription dog food because she is diabetic. I would love to get her on a homemade recipe but I’m not sure what to do. I know that this recipe is likely not good for her but I’d like to know what you would suggest.
Thanks for your help
Amanda
Amanda,
I’m not a veterinarian so recommend speaking with your veterinarian before changing your diabetic dog’s diet. That said, carbohydrate content can be easily adjusted with these dog food recipes. So ultimately a modified version could be fed to your dog.How well is she doing on the current dog food? Can you supply the guaranteed analysis?
Hi Ed,
I am encouraged by your teaching of raw, whole food diet for dogs! Great stuff. Can I use ground venison instead of beef? I’ve got hunters here and a puppy on the way!
Thanks so much!
Pamela,
Yes, but I’m not up on possible parasites in venison, if any.
We have been feeding our bulldogs a barf diet recipe that we got from another person & it doesn’t seem to be putting any weight on them. The recipe consists of 10 lbs raw chicken backs, 3 lbs carrots, 2 cups rice bran, & 2 oz. extra virgin olive oil. Our dogs weigh about 50 lbs each & we feed them 1 lb of recipe per day, is this enough? What would you change with this recipe?
Thanks.
Alicia
Alicia,
It is hard for me to say. Fifty pounds on a bulldog is about the right weight, no? Try one of the dog food recipes on this site they have worked for many dogs.
Can i feed my dogs just chicken & rice & give them a womens prenatal vitamin, will that give them what they need? What about a pregnant dog does she need anything extra? If we was to breed her would she need anything extra? I really apprieciate the response. Thanks soo much!
Alicia,
My best advice wis to feed the dog food recipe as stated with the supplements listed. I’ve used these with great results.
Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel has just been diagnosed with early kidney disease. We are currently feeding Natures Variety Raw. It has 13% protien. With kidney disease you are suppose to limit protein as it is hard for the kidneys to process. What is the protein content of your raw food diet. Thanks, Pam
Pam,
The dog food recipes on this site contain highly digestible proteins that a very good for your dog. Click here for a good article on the role of protein and kidney disease.
i have a question using venison instead of hamburger meat venison is naturally lean do you need to add beef fat to your ground venison or can you use just straight ground venison meat with no fat added and when you make your food up how long will it stay good in the freezer can i make 100+ pounds up at time and feed it over 6+ months . thanks john
John,
If you feed venison and it is lean make sure you add the Lickochops for good fatty acids. I think it will be fine frozen for a year.
Hi Ed,
Why do they need the white rice at all? As I understand it, dogs need a high protein and low carbohydrate diet.
Thanks!
Steve,
They don’t but it helps the transition from kibble and lowers the cost.
I can’t wait for my supplements to arrive so I can start my dog on this recipe. Thank you for your fabulous recipe and advice. Here is to a healthy life for my Lexi.
Katie Dover
I saw a few questions asking what the cost would be, I myself was curious so I did some research and number crunching. This isn’t really a calculation for every pup as there are so many variables (dog weight/quantity, food/shipping cost per state/grocery store), however I thought it’d be helpful to show a guideline to make one’s own calculations easier.
Ed says the recipe yields from 35 to 48 cups, I averaged it to 40. I have two dogs that weigh about 50 lbs each. I will be feeding them 2.5 cups each per day; this recipe will last me about a week.
Buying these supplements in bulk is a HUGE money saver! One 29.5 lb bucket is $199, while $99 only gets you 7 lbs! LickOchops reduces from $8.99 to $4.99 per tube when purchasing 12 or more, that’s 45%! Because of this, I estimated the cost for my girls for an entire year. That’s two 29.5 lb. (944 tbsp) buckets of Dinovite (5 tbsp a day/35 per week/1820 per year) and 52 tubes of LickOchops (one tube per week) for a total of $665 with shipping.
I then found the average price of ground beef ($2.73 per lb.), eggs ($1.81 per dozen), and white rice ($.71 per lb.) for the past year (Oct ’11 – Sept ’12) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. So, again estimating cost for an entire year, beef will be around $1420 (10 lbs per week/520 lbs per year), eggs $140 (1.5 doz per week/78 dozen per year), rice $95 (5 cups per week/260 cups=130 lbs per year) for a total of $1,655. That’s $140 per month or $35 per week- not including the supplements which are only purchased once per year. And remember, this is just an estimate, there are lots of variables- where/when/quantity per unit. Ask when your store marks down their meat. Buy the big 25 lb bag of rice. Maybe invest in a wholesale club membership.
Anyway, I hope this helps (and makes sense!) and kudos to you if you actually read this whole comment!
-Ana
Hi, I started feeding my 12 year old chow misx and 2 year old maltipoo the cooked version and they loved it for about a week then I started the raw diet and they ate that too for about 2 weeks and the little one stoped eating one day and now a week later my older one two is turning her head and won’t eat. I don’t know why? I thaught they where feeling sick but if I gave them a piece of lunch meat or something they ate it, so I think it’s just the food. I don’t know what’s wrong. I thaught raw was good for them? I even cooked it again and they still won’t touch it.
Helene,
I’ve never experienced this. Skip a day and make sure no one else is feeding them.
Ed,
I like the idea of feeding my dog a homemade more nutritious food, but realistically can’t provide for this at all meals, working full time with 3 small children. I’d like to feed him twice a day, once with the raw food and once with kibble. Is this ok?
Amy
Amy,
Feeding a dog in this manner tends to lead to digestive upset. However, your dog may be different.
Thank you for putting up such thorough information.all the questions I usually have were ansered.I tried a raw food before that was great but way too expensive.I’ve wanted to make my own for a while.keep up the great work!
Alan,
You are welcome.
I have a one year old Portuguese Water Dog. I’d like to convert from store-bought puppy food to home-made. PWDs were bred for working fishing vessels and historically and genetically (I’m told) they thrive on a diet of fish. What fish would you recommend using for the cooked and/or raw home-made dog food? Expensive fish, that is – I’d love to use salmon, but is there something cheaper that’s good for PWDs? THANKS for such an informative site!
Fish tends to be expensive. You can add Supromega fish oil and get many of the benefits.
I have a very itch dog and he is constantly chewing on the front of his leg. I have ordered your supplements and plan to make the raw homemade dog food following your recipe. I have a question of whether it is better for these problems to include the rice in the recipe or to leave it out? Which will get better results or does the rice have anything to do with that?
Thank you.
Sharon,
Feed the dog food recipe without the rice. I think you will have the best results without carbohydrates.
OK..great. Now, this will be my dogs first time on the raw dogfood recipe, next time I make it will it be OK to go to the cooked chicken recipe and should I include rice on the second batch…what do you reccommend?
Thank you so much for your help!
Sharon,
Which dog food recipe are you feeding?
I am on the fourth day of the ground beef (raw) recipe. I think I will do the chicken recipe next..should I also leave the rice out of it?
My dog ate the first two days (1/4 portions) great. Third day, he only ate 1/2 of the half portion…is that normal? I hope it is just him adjusting to the new diet?
I am sorry for all the questions….I just want this to work…but I also do not want him to be hungry!
Thank you.
Sharon,
Yes, it sounds like his system is just adjusting to the new food.
Hi Ed:
Thank you for your site and your video! So helpful! Our dog is still incontinent after an anal sacculectomy (7 weeks post surgery). She has always made too much poo for a 25 lb. beagle. She has been on a sweet potato and fish kibble diet after struggling with poultry and lamb based foods as a puppy (diarreah). Anyway, to get her through life, but more importantly through this period of incontinence post surgery, with less stool and fewer accidents, we are looking for low residue food. I found your site and think I could easily make the recipes. Which of your recipes would be best for the highest nutrition/lowest residue? We have always fed our dog twice a day with kibble bits in between for giving meds, etc. (she is 3 1/2 yo and has glaucoma) but I’m seeing you feed your dogs once a day, which would probably help with the amount of stool our dog is producing. I’m also trying to figure out about how or whether to treat our dog during the day…I mean she is a beagle and lives to find food whether it be garbage on the street or sticks or rabbit poo in the yard. Hard to beat her to the bits of edibles she finds on our walks. We are also thinking of trying accupuncture for her incontinence, but are getting a lot of eye rolls from people we mention it to. Any advice would be appreciated. Have an awesome day…you’re the best!
Laura,
The yeast starvation dog food will produce the least amount of stool give it a try. I like feeding dogs once per day. They are gorgers and fasters by design, so it works well for them. Good luck!
I was reluctant to feed my 2 dogs once a day; however they have maintained their weight just fine. The 25 lb dog gets 1 cup of easy raw mixure and the 10 lb dog gets 1\2 cup of the same. It seemed cruel but Ed said add or subtract the amount of food according to their weight gain or loss, but still one meal a day. He was correct. I’m 6 mos into using this diet and supplements for my dogs.
I have a few questions:
I am wondering why you mix cooked and raw foods? I am a firm advocate of raw feeding for dogs but from everything that I have read, books like Raw Meaty Bones by Dr. Tom Lonsdale http://www.rawmeatybones.com/ , say it is not safe to mix cooked and raw together. It can upset the digestive system. You probably have fed this to your dogs a million times without a problem, otherwise why would you put it on here. But I am just curious.
Also, I know from experience dogs can digest raw eggs easily, so why do you cook them?
The next thing is, what kind of ground beef are you using, what brand, etc?
My first concern is that beef companies are allowed to add “pink slime” (it is a term that the federal government uses). Pink slime is all the parts unfit for human consumption that are put threw a machine that separates muscel and tissues from the bones and cartiledge and they add ammonia, because they worry about bacteria. Then its all ground up and added to whatever. This nasty stuff is in food at school cafeterias and in the grocery stores, and companies dont have to tell you that pink slime is in your food.
My second concern is that I was told by a fellow raw-foodist that ground beef can contain a parasite, from where it was handled so much to process, and that you should leave it in your freezer for 3 months to kill the parasite. I don’t know too much about the parasite.
And lastly, do you know how much this costs?
Here’s my testimony to raw food:
I fed my dogs raw for 4 years, without any problems, but I stopped six months ago because of the expense. I am tired of the commerical dogfood, but all homemade recipes are much more expensive. I searched google for a cheap cooked recipe and that is how I found your site. I have never had so many issues with my dogs health, since switching. They have been severly itchy (no fleas either), their anal glands fill up often, their teeth have so much plaque, their poop smells 100 times worse, their coats have become rough, my four-year-old female has started to go gray on her muzzel, and they shed more. I really wish I could go back to feeding raw.
The only issue that I had with raw feeding was that my two males would hardly gain weight, my female gains weight easily on both. And the only good thats come from commercial dog food is that my boy dogs dont look like bags of bones anymore, for the most part their hips are covered. One was so skinny that his spine was showing. When I fed raw I would try to feed him (a 40lb dog) two whole chickens, which is about 4-6lbs of chicken (raw bones and all), so my dogs were not starving. The vets looked at them and they were both healthy, but just skinny.
I know my dogs health will suffer if I don’t find an alternative to commercial crap.
Kim,
I am trying to post more recipes and informative articles and should have them up soon. Dogs are scavengers and carnivores by nature. Raw is the best way to feed. That said, there are many people who will not feed raw for various reasons. Sometimes it’s germ concerns, time or often money. I’ve tried to make these dog food recipes healthy, easy and economical. I think they are. Try one and see how your dog responds.
I’ve fed these recipes for years with great results. I’ve not experienced any issues switching back and forth between cooked or raw. However, kibble is another story.
The chicken and rice dog food recipe is the most economical.
I have a 2 1/2 yr old female chihuahua and she is overweight. I wanted to change her over to an all natural homemade food because she isn’t losing weight on the weight control food I have her on. She weighs 13 lbs and should probably weigh closer to 9 lbs. how much should I feed her per day? And how long does the raw food stay good for in the freezer? I don’t want to make too much.
Thanks!
Pamela,
Try feeding her the yeast starvation dog food recipe. Dogs fed this recipe shed unwanted fat. Start feeding her 1/2 to 1 cup of food per day.
Can the Dinovite be added and mixed into to the 10 lbs ground beef, eggs, rice mix, etc. when making the food? It would be easier to add when mixing than at feeding time. If so, how much should I add? Thank you.
Robin,
Yes, it can be added to the whole batch. If you use the dinovite liquid I would add 1 tube to the mix. If you are using the Dinovite powder add 1-2 cups of the powder.
Hi Ed, I have a quick question:
I’ve tried doing some research, but I can’t seem to find a solid answer on whether or not Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE aka mad cow disease) affects dogs. Your recipe uses raw beef as a main ingredient, what are your thoughts on this? Any info to share on the subject? I’m thinking of switching my poor dog to this diet as she has terrible allergies and overactive anal glands. Thank you and love the website =).
Chloe,
I’ve never heard this being a problem. You can also cook the dog food recipe but don’t cook the dog supplements.
Hi Ed,
I’m going to give the homemade diet a try. A couple of questions I couldn’t find an answer to in the many posts so forgive me if these are repeats.
1 – Should you stick to either raw or cooked or can you switch the two around without any digestive problems happening? I am still wary about the 100% raw.
2 – In the raw recipe you crush the hardboiled eggs with your hands can you put them through the blender like the raw eggs in the cooked recipe? I don’t want my baby girl to choke on the egg shells and I would think the blender is the best for pulverizing them.
3 – Can the Dinovite be added to the mix and frozen or only added when feeding?
Thanks~ Sara
ps. are you sure Lady won’t hate me for fasting her and limiting her food for 8 days? 🙁 LOL
Sara,
I switch between raw and cooked dog food recipes without any problems. Yes, you can mix the supplements into the whole batch and free, this is what I do and it seems easier. If you mix the supplements into the entire batch then don’t add them daily. It is either/or not both. I have found blending the eggs with the shells works great!
I hope this helps.
When adding the LickOChops Supplement, if I add the entire tube when preparing a 48 cup batch, is it still neccessary to add it to daily portions? Or would it be better to skip the LickOChops in batch preparation and instead add it to invidual portions?
Jennifer,
Adding the tube to the batch is fine. You don’t have to add any more when feeding. I’ve done it both ways, either is fine.
Hi,
Im looking to start feeding my dogs homemade dog food. My question are I have a new Shitzu puppy that is 7 weeks old when is it ok to feed him homemade dog food? Is raw or cooked better for him? Is there a recipe just for puppies?
Also I have a senior Cocker Spaniel, 13 years old & does have allergies should he be on a different homemade dog food than my 5 year old Shitzu’s? And which is better for him, raw or cooked?
Do you also have recipes for cats?
Lots of questions I know, but I have 10 pets and want to do the best for all of them.
Thanks
Vicki
Vicki,
I’ve fed my adult dogs and puppies the same food. Any of these dog food recipes are fine. The cocker may do the best on the yeast starvation dog food recipe. I prefer to feed raw but cooked is fine. Try feeding your cat the yeast starvation dog food recipe because it does not contain carbohydrates so your cat should do fine.
I am picking up our newest addition to our canine family this friday- siberian husky boy. He has been on dry puppy food and I want to start him off right with your cooked recipe. What are your recommendations for 10wk old pups?
Andie,
Try the chicken and rice dog food recipe, it is great for all ages of dogs. Good luck!
This looks great, the only thing is my dog is severely allergic to chicken. What do you think I can add instead?
Thanks!
Katarina,
You can feed the beef version or cut up and roast a turkey. Either would work fine.
I have an 8 month old GSD and he was having loose stools contantly on several high end kibble foods. I have made the leap into feeding him the easy raw recipie. He loves it and his stool is now solid and formed, so that is fantastic! I have a question about the serving size and feeding frequency. As per the feeding guide he should get 3 cups a day. Right now we feed him twice a day, 1.5 cups in the morning before we leave for work and the rest at 5pm when we get home. He seems to be hungry after eating the 1.5 cups. Should I go to once a day or is still to young for that? He is in his crate during the day (until he no longer chews on the base boards!).
He has only been on the diet for about 4 days now so hard to tell if he is gaining any weight. He was for sure skinny before due to the constant loose stool and stomach upset. I am worried that perhaps the serving is not enough? What is your experience with larger dogs and thier needs on this diet??
Phil,
You can increase his intake to 4 cups per day and see how he does.
Hi Ed,
I am not sure if this question has already been asked I couldn’t find it.. could you tell me what percentage of fat is best in the ground beef? And would the same recipe apply to any red meat?
Alysia,
I use the 70/30 ground beef with good results.
I’ve been using this raw recipe for several months on three of my dogs. I use the Dinovite powder in it as well. My largest is about 60 lbs and I’ve noticed that she is eating poop. I have a 30 lb dog and the only thing I notice is that his stool is runny. Are they not getting the right nutrition? Should I supplement more? I cannot use the lickochops that you recommend because of allergies.
Amanda,
If you are feeding the easy raw dog food recipe with ground beef, eggs w/shells, cooked rice and Dinovite but not adding the Lickochops try adding the Supromega. The omega 3 fatty acids in the fish oil are beneficial to your dog. Supromega also contains vitamin E which is very good. I’ve not had my dogs habitually eat stool but sometimes this is because your dog has been on a deficient diet for a long while. You can increase the amount of Dinovite to double the serving and see what happens.
If he continues to have runny stool it could be worms. Depending on where you live, worms can be a regular problem. Usually as dogs get older they can develop a resistance to some worms but others no. Hook worms and whip worms are problems for me in Kentucky.
The reason I don’t use the lickochops or superomega is because my dog is allergic to fish. I will try to increase the dinovite and see if that helps unless there is something else you recommend?
Amanda,
Often allergies are associated with the protein in a food item. How allergic is your dog to fish?
When I had her tested, fish was one of the high allergy items. As far as a reaction goes, she used to itch and scratch for hours on end. Before I changed her diet and started her on allergy shots she used to drag her face on the rugs or grass to the point of bleeding around her eyes and lots of licking on the paws. She is also allergic to wheat and peanuts.
She has done very well with the raw diet and allergy shots for her outdoor allergies but I do fear that the fish oil could be a problem but I’m just not sure.
Amanda,
I’m not sure about the fish oil. Usually it is the protein that causes the allergic reaction not the fat. You could try a human fish oil capsule and see if she has a bad reaction and then know. If it is fish meal, keep in mind ALL the fish meal in dog food is preserve with Ethoxyquin.
Hi i accidently found your website but i am sohappy tohave done so i have a 5 week old siberian husky i feed him blue buffalo with some puppy formula. i want to change to raw food but i want to know if you think this is a good idea at such a young age? and if so hes 3 pounds how much should i feed?
thank you
Nancy,
I’ve fed puppies homemade dog food for their very first meal and they do great! Just feed about the same portion as you would kibble.
I have a question I don’t know if you already answered it so if you did I am sorry. We have access to Pastured grass fed Organic (no hormones or antibiotics). If we use this meat for our dog food including beef, chicken, pig, eggs, organ meat do I still need to add the supplements to the food since the food is already rich in nutrition especially the organ meat? They also already get the raw bones with bone marrow.
Cass,
I raise chickens on our farm too and add the supplements. I found the dogs develop deficiencies without the supplements.
Would ground wild game be suitable for as it would be more cost effective for us. (The processor does add fat, bout 10-15% sometimes pork.) Thank you for your time! Amber
Amber,
It should be fine.
Are my questions not going to be answered? At least in an email?
April,
I am buried in questions and comments and not enough hours in the day.
I’ve been waiting since the 4th to be answered so its not just you.
This page has MANY comments and questions. I have spent the better part of 2 hours reading each question/comment and REPLY. If more people would actually read what is written here, they would find that probably their question has been answered…possibly many times already. I think that Ed has done a fantastic job in REPEATEDLY answering the same questions over and over again, and it seems he does so with patience, never referring to the fact that he’s already answered this question six times (or more) in previous posts.
Please, be patient. Also, it might help to read EVERY SINGLE comment and reply, even though it will take some time. If you had done that from the time of your first visit to the site, maybe you would’ve gotten your answer more speedily. Patience…
I have just rescued a boxer which is extremely skinny, showing ribs and back bone. I have him on the raw diet of chicken, rice & egg. With supplements.
What kind of raw diet will help to put some weight on him.
Linda,
Any of the recipes on this site, cooked or raw will work fine.
Hi Ed,
Your recipe calls for lickOchops to be put in the mix, but then under serving size you say to add lickOchops to each serving. Am I reading that wrong? Or should I just add the supplements to each serving before feedings? That would make more sense to me. Please advise.
I’m also planning to add Liquid Health glucosamine to his feeding once a day. He has bad back knees. Do you think that’s ok to mix with the Dinovite & lickChops? I’ve been giving him glucosamine treats but it doesn’t seem to be doing the trick. Little guy doesn’t want to jump up any more. =(
He’s only 7lbs, so I’ll probably only do a quarter of the recipe at a time. Do you know how long the batch lasts in the fridge? And what about after it thaws, how long before it spoils? I’ve had issues in the past freezing his wet food (FreshPet Vital), when it thawed it got runny (liquid seeped from the food). Does anyone have this problem with the home made food?
Also, I’m curious to know why this dog food recipe calls for rice. Can you please explain? I currently feed him a grain-free diet. Are there any vital nutrients in the rice, or is it added as filler? I’d rather omit the rice if it’s filler. My understanding is that white rice has very little nutritional value. What is your view on this?
Thanks for your recipe & suggestions!
Natasha,
You can omit the rice, that is fine. You can also either mix the lickochops with the recipe or feed it at each serving. It’s either/or, not both.Sometime liquid separates out when thawing but I just stir and feed. Since your dog is small you may want to store the food in multiple small containers to keep it fresh. It stores well in the freezer.
Today we’ll be starting the easy raw diet for our three dogs. It’s a big change for us but we think it will be great for the dogs once they get adjusted.
So thank you for posting all of this information and answering all of the questions, we really appreciate it.
Good news and good luck.
First 24 hours and everyone seems great so far. The dogs didn’t eat for about 18 hours, then we fed them four small small servings of the easy raw food diet. Since we’re so overbearing, we’re watching for any small change. Two of the three are pretty picky eaters and they’re devouring the easy raw meal. We used to follow our morkie(spoiled) around with store bought wet pet food on a spoon trying to get her to eat.
Hi
I just happened on this site and am I ever happy I did! I have been gradually introducing cooked and some raw to our 170 pound Newfoundland male and to our recently adopted female Border Collie/Husky 13 week old puppy. I want to give them some either cooked or raw beef liver, tripe, white rice and eggs. Is this a good combo for either dog and especially for our puppy? Is 10% of the puppy’s weight of 21 pounds per day too much?
Jill,
Any of them are fine to feed.
How many cups does this recipe make?
Found it!
I noticed that you add more lickochops when you feed,did I understand that right,you add it when you mix and again when you feed ? thanks
Russ,
I either mix it in the dog food recipe or add as I serve not both.
I have been on he easy raw diet for 6 mos. I noticed my 25 lb schnorkie has had constipation. His anus actually was bleeding. What could I add to his daily meal that would aleviate any further problems. I feed the easy raw recipe. Every few days I substitute the easy raw meal for some raw chicken necks. Once a month I substitute a easy raw meal with a meal containing sardines and rice with supplements. Your thoughts? Thanks
Yvette,
You can swap some cooked sweet potatoes for some of the rice. You can also replace the Dinovite liquid with the Dinovite powder. The powder has more fiber.
Perfect, I am awaiting an order and I did switch to powder:) Thanks again . I’ll incorporate sweet potatoe in the next batch I make, I’ll write if I come up with anymore questions.
I received my powder and oils. Can you assist me in the amounts to give. Shnorkie is 25 lbs and gets 1 cup of easy raw recipe once a day, do I add a whole scoop of powder? I bought the powder for medium dogs. The scoop seems like a lot( the tube was a tsp)( that may have concentrated) then there is my 10lb shnoodle who eats 1/2 cup of easy raw recipe once a day, would she receive a 1/2 scoop? Please advise. Lastly I started them out w/ lick o chops but I ordered the other oil as well. How do you suggest I distribute them? One type at a time? Or Every other day? Which way will benefit them. Thanks
Yvette,
The scoops in the medium dog box are 2 tablespoons. So, your 25 pound Shnorkie would serve a whole scoop per day and your 10 pound Shnoodle would need 1/2 scoop per day. As far as the Supromega and Lickochops, you can alternate or cut the surfing size in half and use both. Whichever is easiest.
Just writing to say thank you, my grandparents used to feed their dog all raw foods. I don’t have them around anymore so I didn’t know what to feed mine. I have a 1 year old Blue Heeler. I was feeding him wellness but that was killing my wallet! I hope you all had a great holiday, and my dog should a have a great new year now! Thanks a bunch!
Hello,
I really want to try your easy raw recipe but I’m not able to buy the supplements online. I’ve been looking into other things I could put into the recipe like fish oil, kelp, and alfalfa. I’ve read that the kelp and alfalfa contain the minerals and vitamins dogs need. However, I’m new to all of this. I just can’t get those supplements online (if they were in stores I could). Is there anything else you would suggest I throw in? I also saw a suppplement called “Missing Link” at a pet store the other day that says it contains a lot of the same stuff. Do you know anything about this product?
Thanks!
Bobbie,
You can call the folks at Dinovite and order by phone, 859-428-1000. If you order enough shipping is $4.99.
Hi Ed,
In your Raw Dog Food Recipe, you have 18 hard-boiled eggs. Just curious… is there a nutritional benefit to hard-boil the eggs? Could the eggs be added to the recipe raw?
Thanks for all the great information you have on your website!
Erika,
You can add them raw. I cook the eggs to destroy the enzyme in the egg white that binds with a B vitamin.
HI, MY LHASA APSO 12 YEARS OLD JUST GOT DIAGNOSTICATED WITH DIABETES, HE IS ON INSULIN EVERY 12 HOURS AND A HORRIBLE CAN PRESCRIPTION DOG FOOD, I WANT TO KNOW IF HE CAN BE ON THIS RAW FOOD DIET! PLEASE ADVICE ME IM GOING CRAZY NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO.
THANKS JACLIE.
Jacqueline,
this is hard for me to answer because diabetes is series. I do believe feeding dogs a homemade dog food recipe is the best way to feed because they are very nutritious. Considering you dog has diabetes, I just don’t know.
Can vegetables be added to the raw recipe? What is the percent of fat in the raw meat?
Thank you.
Yvonne,
Dogs don’t digest raw vegetables well so steam them then puree. I use 70/30 ground beef.
Ed
I was wondering if I replaced the beef with Venison, or other wild game is there anything else suplement wise I would have to add? Thanks
Tim,
You can substitute venison or other wild game for the beef or chicken without a problem. Feed the recipes as stated with the substitution and use the supplements listed and it should be fine.
Thank you so much for spelling all of this out so clearly, and for including the information about the supplements. I do have two questions which I know are subjective, but I’m interested in your thoughts:
– What would you think of feeding your easy raw diet once a day, and just plain raw meaty bones (eg chicken thighs) once a day
– What do you think of dehydrated (ie not quite raw) prepared foods that claim that they are almost raw, and have the same benefits?
Thanks for your time.
Brooke,
Adding meaty bones to the mix is fine. I’m not familiar with the dehydrated dog food.
If you can’t find 70/30 ground beef, will 73/27 be fine. Also I noticed a previous question about using venison. Venison is a very lean meat. Would the fat content be high enough that you would not need to add extra fat? This would be awesome if venison would be an option. I can get my hands on a lot of free meat. I have a working lab that is 6 mo. old right now but he will be used alot for hunting next year and subjected to very cold and harsh hunting conditions. Will this diet be suitable for year round feeding for him or will I need to change it up during the winter months. Thanks for your help.
Keth,
Yes, the 73/27 ground beef is fine so is the venison. Make sure to add the Lickochops when feeding venison because it is so lean.
Ed,
What are your thoughts on using Elk/Deer meat in the easy raw diet? Would I still have to add the omega 3 supplement
Brad,
Adding elk or deer is fine. Both are very lean so I like the idea of adding the omega supplements.
How many times should a small adult 18-20 lbs dog eat?
Felecia,
I feed my dogs once per day.
Hi! I love the idea of raw dog food and will be speaking with my vet next week about it. My only question is about the DinoVite, I’ve looked at the website and the liquid is no longer available, it only comes in powder form. How do I adjust the Dinovite to the recipe? I would be using this recipe for 3 dogs, 1 is 30 lbs, 1 is about 10, and the last is a puppy that probably won’t get bigger than 5 pounds. Can I make the one giant batch and use that for all 3 or do I need to adjust the LickOChops and DinoVite appropriately? Thanks for your time!
Heather,
The dinovite liquid is still available but you can use the powder if you wish. I use 1 to 2 cups of the powder per batch.
Do I use 1-8oz tube of the LickOchops per batch or does it need to be portioned out to each dog at each feeding? Thanks for your time! I can’t wait to try this for my pets, they just don’t seem to want to eat the store bought kibble anymore and the “good stuff” is so expensive!!
Heather,
Either mix it in with the entire batch or add it daily. It is either/or not both. Hope this helps.
Our cocker Spaniel has terrible itchy skin. He scratches and bites himself raw, We have been feeding him dry dog food, sometimes with rice or an egg mixed in. Could the dry dog food be causing the itchiness?
Tom,
Yes, often times it does. Try the yeast starvation dog food recipe and see if the itching stops after 60 days.
Are there any other supplement brand or types you can recommend to replace dinovite and lickochops? I would like to buy some at a store instead of ordering them online.
Nancy,
I not seen any that compare so I would stick with them.
Hello Ed,
My dog Hailey loves your dog food and so do my cats she has to fight them off or I feed her in the kitchen with the door closed so the cats don’t bother her. Can I make this recipe for my cats using Feline Dinovite and LickOchops ?
Thanks
Myrna
Myrna,
Yes, that will work great.
Would I use:
10 lb. cat – 1/2 cup raw dog food daily + 1/2 tsp Lickochops + 1/2 tbs Dinovite
I have 6 cats that weigh about 10 lb each, would I mix 3 cups raw food + 1 1/2 tsp Lickochops + 1 1/2 tbs Dinovite. ( or Supromega for chicken) and devide it between the cats?
They are all over weight and do I introduce them the same way as I did my dog?
Thanks Myrna
Myrna,
Yes, this sounds about right. You can switch between Supromega and Lickochops.
Hello Ed –
So happy I found your web site.
This process of trying to find a cure for my dog’s itching feels like trying to find a cure for cancer.
We adopted a Jack Russell rescue – wonderful little dog named Chopper – in July 2012. Took him home and gave him a bath (his fur was like a porcupine’s – he hadn’t been bathed in months) – the shampoo was a prescription-type product from our vet; Chopper scratched for hours after his bath – it was heartbreaking and frustrating to watch. Next day the vet prescribed TemarilP for “itching” and Chopper began having runny stools (my husband described it as Dairy-Queen stools). Back to the vet – vet said TermarilP doesn’t “cause” runny stools. Vet prescibed an antibiotic (Dairy Queen became a liquid mess); he then prescribed some sort of powder to sprinkle on the food (none of this worked); he then prescribed a steroid and Chopper had muscle twitching and difficulty breathing. The vet’s office wanted me to agree to an expensive stool-sample test (the regular test showed nothing was wrong). At that point (November 20) I withdrew all the meds and put Chopper on a cooked chicken and rice diet. Within four days his stools were well-formed though still soft. His itching and scratching reduced considerably to maybe two or three episodes daily when he would writhe on the carpet.
To vary the diet I got some good-quality beef and had the butcher grind it. I cooked the beef and mixed it with the cooked (Jasmine) rice. Within two days Chopper began itching uncontrollably. We put him back on the chicken and rice diet – it took 10 days for the itching to subside. Chopper seemed to be doing well and then started to eat grass on his walks. Our neighbor suggested lettuce and raw carrots. Chopper didn’t know what to do with the lettuce but he loved the carrots. I mixed small pieces of raw carrot with larger chopped pieces of cooked carrot into the cooked chicken and rice. The stool was Day-Glo orange but was well-formed. Itching continued but was not more than two (maybe three) episodes per day.
Everything was going welll until several weeks ago – Chopper was stung by a fire ant in between a soft area in his paw (we have massive, nasty fire ants in Florida) – called the vet, was told to give him Benadryl and soak his paw in Epsom Salt. After a week of this there was no change in the paw – it was raw and swollen and Chopper was licking the fur off the paw. Back to the vet – and another prescription, this time methylprednisolone/medro, a steroid. Poor Chopper was completely lethargic (my husband said he was “spaced out”) after one pill. I couldn’t give the dog the steroids after that. It’s been three weeks, the paw is much better (I wash his paws after he comes in from his long walks – Florida yards stay green and beautiful because of the heavy use of pesticides administered by lawn services and these services don’t always post the fact they’ve sprayed someone’s yard; the dog walks on it and gets the pesticide on his paws – and licks it off when he gets home resulting in major stomach upset).
Ed, I will take your advice and use your specific recipe for chicken-and-rice (I will add the hard-cooked eggs and the other dietary supplements) though I wonder whether I should “test” this dog for egg allergies first since I was really surprised Chopper reacted to beef the way he did. If he does react badly to the egg, what do I use as a substitute for the egg shells.
Lili,
A substitute calcium source instead of the egg shell would be Fidocal.
Hi Ed-
I just discovered your site and I can’t wait to try out the diet. I am a professional chef and have tried my own versions of recipes with no great success. Now that I have seen your recipes I know where I went wrong. My question refers to the raw food recipe directions. It mentions mixing in the LickOchops but not the Dinovite in the recipe instructions. Is this your intention to suggest that it is better to introduce the Dinovite at service rather than in the bulk recipe? Just curious if the Dinovite loses any nutritional value when mixed in bulk. If mixing in the bulk recipe, what would the ratio/measurement be? Thank you.
John,
No, it’s just a different way of mixing. I tend to suggest adding the liquid supplements after because of the strong smell of the liquid. I personally mix the supplements in the whole batch. I find it easier.
Hi I’d like to know who to cook the white rice, I’m latin and I use salt some minced garlic and olive oil to make my rice. Is that ok or do I cook the rice with nothing at all?
Mayra,
I cook the white rice with nothing at all.
Hello Ed,
tomorrow i will be fasting my 4 month old cocka-poo to prepare her for you easy raw food diet. with one little change, I have 7 lbs of organic lamb, 3 of heart and 2 of liver instead of ground beef. My concern is about the portion guideline. At four months, Ellie is a solid 14lbs, while the breeder expected a full grown weight of 20. Her kibble portion is 2 cups for her age and expected full grown size, and she seems always crazy hungry. i avoid giving her more especially when i have been gearing up for your suggested portion of 1/2 cup per day. Is that why the rice is in the recipe, to add bulk? We have been feeding her 3 times a day to start, but I assume this would be once/day. Is going from 2 cups to 1/2 cup going to make her want to eat my children? Thanks for your help and your great website.
David,
Puppies make the transition a little quicker than adult dogs. So you may be able to speed up the introductory time a little.
Thanks Ed, do you mean that i may not need to fast for a day? or give her the full 1/2 cup right from the get go?
My main concern is about the portion? if she is eating 2 cups of kibble/day now, is she going to be ravenous with only 1/2 cup/day of raw food?
David,
I meant you could probably feed her a little more. The worst case is she will vomit and have diarrhea all over your house. Usually puppies are managed more because they are not yet completely house broken. So it’s less of an issue. They also adapt a little quicker.
Hello,
I have one complaint, I tryed your cooked recipe first my dog Hailey loved it. Then I made the raw recipe, she likes it so much she does not eat the cooked food any more. I have tried mixing the to but she just picks out the raw bits. What else can I do?
Myrna,
I recommend a little tough love. Put the food down for ten minutes if not eaten pick it up and repeat the next day. Repeat this until your dog stops this nonsense. Usually by day three dogs get the picture.
If this is too egregious for you then just feed raw, no worries:)
Thanks Ed,
I plan to feed her just raw but I want to use up the cooked food first.
I can’t beleive how the cats and the dog go for the raw food before the cooked food.
Thanks again for these recipes.
Myrna
PS one of my cats would throw up after eating he dry cat food. This has stoped she now keeps down all her food!!!!
Your web site seems to be about dogs as a pet lover could you include cats.
Myrna
Myrna,
I plan on including a few cat food recipes in the future.
Ed,
Thanks for taking the time to share all of this wonderful information. One of the reasons we switched our dogs to a higher quality (aka pricey) dog food is because our lab mix suffers from seizures. We have seen wonderful improvement in his seizures since switching their food, but we are looking for a more economical way to continue to feed them the best quality food. Would you recommend the raw food diet for a dog with seizures?
Thanks again,
Emily
Emily,
I can’t think of any reason a raw dog would not be an improvement. I would make the switch.
Hi Ed,
I love the ideal of your easy raw dog food recipe, but one of my dogs is allergic to eggs. So what could I use instead of the eggs? It’s been difficult to find a dog food that agrees with her. She is also allergic to potatoes and I also have a hard time from keeping her skin from getting very dry. I have tried several supplements for dry skin, but she still has dry skin.
Belinda
Belinda,
If you eliminate the eggs you will have to add calcium to the recipe. For calcium use fidocal calcium supplement for dogs.
I have a yellow lab that has food allergies which initially manifested as ear and eye infections. We had her on a hypoallergenic vet food for a couple of years and she did fine for a long time, then suddenly developed diarhea that would not go away. After fasting her and trying again several times without success, we switched her to another hypoallergenic vet brand and she did well for the first two bags but has now developed terribly itchy skin. I’m thinking of trying homemade food. Does anybody have any experience with dogs with food allergies? I’d like to know if this is likely to help her.
Michele,
Try feeding the yeast starvation dog food recipe it is great for dogs with allergies.
Hi, Ed,
I have been making this in half batches and I accidentally put 1.5 cups of Dinovite powder in the mix instead of 1/2 cup. Am I going to have a messy issue? I don’t have enough room in my freezer to store any more than 1/2 a recipe.
Jessica
Jessica,
It should be fine.
Ed,
Thank you so much for all of your hard work and sharing your experience and knowledge. I for one am very appreciative of it.
My husband and I try to eat healthy, fresh food, so we wanted to feed our new Jack Russell puppy a good, healthy diet as well. I had heard about raw diets for dogs, but your site has proved very informative about the whole thing. (I read all of the comments/question and your replies on this page, and if someone asked me about raw food for dogs, I could almost answer any question, since your information is given repeatedly.)
Now, I’m hoping I can convince my husband that a raw food diet is the best way to go for our puppy. Thank you!! (btw, we also live in KY)
Jessica,
Super! Feeding a homemade dog food recipe is great for dogs. Try feeding the easy cooked dog food recipe first, then just cook it less each time. You will be feeding raw before you know it:)
Hi Ed,
I need to talk to you, and my comments didnt get approved on here so please email me or give me a better way to contact you. Thanks
Kyle
Kyle,
I don’t have any posts from you, ask your question and I will do my best to answer.
Hi Ed,
Via a random Google search looking for home made dog food suggestions I stumbled across your site. I would love to try out the raw food dog diet on Kona, our rescue dog, whom we’ve had for less than a week, but I live in the UK & I can’t find a stockist for Dinovite or LickOChops! Do you know of one or could you perhaps suggest an alternative?
Many thanks in advance,
Laura.
Laura,
No, I’m sorry I don’t know of a comparable product in the UK.
Hi,
Is this recipe good for a cat too. Thanks.
Bernie,
I would feed cats the yeast starvation recipe because it does not have carbohydrates. Cats do best on a diet without carbs.
I have a new Shichon puppy. (9 weeks) He weighs 3 pounds 9 oz. What age can he start the raw diet? I would seriously worry about taking food away from a young puppy for 24 hours. Is there a specific age this food should be started?
Carol,
I start puppies off on any of these recipes as their first meal. You won’t have to fast the pup for 24 hours, 8 hours is enough.
Hi Ed,
Thanks so much for your website and vast information. My 18 month neapolitan mastiff has had demodectic mange since she was spayed at 5 months. She has been on Ivermectin for the past year. She currently weights 125 lbs. I’ve noticed that as she out grows her “prescription” by weight, she starts to experience hair loss again. Since her mange, I have been giving her a puree of apples, carrots, celery, cucumber, cabbage, pumpkin, yogurt, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries to go along with her afternoon kibble. She is given baked chicken breast along with her kibble in the morning. She also receives Sure Grow 100, brewers yeast supplement and Grizzly Salmon Oil. Again, with negative results in boosting her immune system. I am glad to have found your website and am looking forward to starting her on the raw diet. I was informed that cabbage and cucumbers were toxic for dogs and berries contain too many acids. I was also told that chicken is stuffed with antibiotics and hormones. Have you heard such things? I have a couple of questions. Is it okay to continue to feed her the puree with the raw food. She currently eats up to 4-5 cups of kibble and 2 cups of the puree. Also, I see that you suggest the suprOmega and Lickochops, do they provide the same benefit and do you know if the Grizzly Salmon Oil would be the same. Thanks so much! The information you provide is priceless!
JoAnn,
I would recommend trying one of the recipes on this site a presented and see how your dog does. Try the chicken and rice dog food recipe, it is nutritious and not gross to make. The Dinovite in the recipe also contains a highly absorbable form of zinc that will help with your dogs demodex but it will take about six months.
I started feeding my dogs the raw diet recipe from this site a week ago and they are doing great on it. My question in regarding the supplements. I have been giving them the Nupro Silver Daily Vitamin & Joint Supplement for a long time now and I was wondering if I could continue using this instead of the Dinovite? I am also giving them a liquid omega supplement.
Nicole,
For the best results feed the recipes as they are presented on this site.
Hi,
I was just wondering what kind of ground beef is better, medium, lean, extra lean or are they all the same?
Angela,
I use 70/30 but you can use leaner if you like.
I started my pom/chihuahua on this diet. He is 6lbs and I give 1/3 cup. He used to be a begger and scavenger. He seems to be satisfied enough on this diet he no longer shows an interest in what everyone else is eating.
Owen also had 14 teeth removed (we adopted Owen when he was 4years) because of major tooth decay. I consulted with the vet and she says his teeth should be much easier to maintain on this diet.
Thank you for posting this recipe. My next venture is to get our very fat cat on a good raw diet.
As I searched your web site I wonder which is better Raw dog food or cooked? Also each recipe says to freeze two to three days of food. What do you do with the rest of the food? Does the recipe only make that much or do I need to down size the recipe ? Sorry, but I am new to all of this.
Thanks for your patience and help.
Natalie,
The idea is to freeze the recipe in two to three day portions for easy thawing and storage in your refrigerator. I end up making 10 to 15 two to three day portions and they all go in the freezer. I then take them out one at a time thaw serve and put the rest of that unit in the refrigerator for the next day.
Hi. I have been researching the raw diet for a few weeks now and have decided to switch my 2 month old pit bull and my 7 year old akita to it as they are both lacking that “something” I have already started baking their dog biscuits and they love them. Should I get the dinovite for large or giant breed? my 2 month old puppy was a sad rescue case and have horrible dry skin and constantly licks his paws. Which of the omega supplements do you recommend I get? Also, I plan on putting the supplements into the food when I make the recipe, How much of each should I add to the Easy Raw recipe? or do you have another Raw recipe that you would suggest? Thank you so much for all your help and information on the subject. So happy I found your website
Deena,
You can buy either size because it is the same product. If you mix the dinovite into the whole batch use 1 to 2 cups per batch. I would start with two cups. I would use the Supromega fish oil for your dogs.
I found your site and have been reading for days ever since – so that I might know every answer my family is going to barrage me with when I tell them this is where we are headed with our two dogs (one a medium sized King Charles Cavalier/Spaniel/Brittany mix and the other a small miniature Alaskan Eskimo). The KCC has just returned home from having had bladder stones removed (I wrote you of same yesterday I believe). But now I’m even considering the other small dog’s problem of urinating in the house may not be social, but may be a urinary problem he can’t help…) either way, we are going to try this for our loved ones! But, one last question, the statement “This supplies a host of vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, zinc and live direct fed microbials. Dinovite also has a nutritious plant component in the “Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate” that replicates the partially digested plant matter of herbivores. All great stuff!” leads me to wonder what happens to all the living organisms when the supplements are frozen before being fed in the raw recipe? Thanks for all your years learning and sharing with the rest of us 🙂
Linda,
Freezing the supplements does not hurt them at all.
Most of the people on your site seem to just jump in and ask their question that pops in their mind. When I found the site the first thing I did was to read every post I became disalusioned very fast..because of the quantity of questions that are repeated over and over..Your name must be “JOB”
I have enjoyed the site, the knowledge, the patience that you show……I will continue reading and enjoying the knowledge I am gaining….
Margaret,
Thanks! I’m glad you are enjoying the site.
Great Website! I have a 7 month old miniature schnauzer. As each day goes by, I feel more and more guilty about feeding him garbage (aka kibble). I have been doing research on store bought kibble and was horrified to learn what is put into it. Lets just say, I am ready to start feeding him real food. I am still on the fence about whether or not to feed him raw or cooked. I realize that raw is probably the way to go, but due to the fact that I have small children in the house, I would feel more comfortable feeding him cooked food at the moment. I noticed in your recipe that you use ground beef and rice. I was just wondering if you have tried meats other than beef and do you add organ meat to your recipes. I’ve read that organ meat is an important part of their diet. I was also wondering if the recipe is the same for a puppy.Thanks again for your wonderful website and I look forward to your response.
Shari,
with small children in the house it’s probably best to feed cooked. The easy cooked dog food recipe is a great way to jump into making your own dog food. The chicken and rice dog food recipe is another great one. I switch from one recipe to another with good results, so can you.
These recipes are a lot like cooking a meal for your family, not a gross factor, so it’s also easy to get buy in by family members.
Hi,
I have had my dogs on the raw food diet for three weeks now. I have three dogs one small and two large. the cost of hamburg is not very cheap and I was wondering, can I add Ground turkey meat to this ? like maybe doing half and half or 3/4 and 1/4?
Amanda,
You can but I’m not a big fan of ground turkey because it seems watery to me.
Hi, my husband and I are (at my prompting 🙂 ) trying to eat more traditional, whole foods, which got me thinking about our remaining dog (Fly, a border collie mix) . Our other dog recently had to be put down because of spinal damage (she was 14) and there was no way for us to afford all the medical treatment for her. We love our dog very much as she’s been a part of the family since adopting her at 1, so I am really interested in what I can do to help prolong her life. We call her the Million Dollar Dog–she has had 2 surgeries to remove a tumor on her hindquarters, an auto-immune disorder that left her deathly anemic, fox-tail surgery removal, some sort of weird allergic reaction to an insect bite that made most of her very thick fur fall out (fun times). Add to that bad teeth (4 had to be removed)! But she keeps fighting, and we’ve been enjoying no drama for quite a while now. So, I am interested in trying your diet. I was looking at other websites and recipes and it was so confusing and the ingredient list was discouraging! We aren’t financially in the greatest position, and I am very busy, get up very early for work, so this looks a lot more feasible to me. All that to say, THANKS! I will let you know how it works out for Fly.
Thank you for this great information. I apologize if this has been asked already. Here’s the question.. Can I substitute venison for the ground beef? Does it have to be “burger” or ground venision with the fat added? Or can I just use regular cuts right off the bone.. such as venison chops or steaks?
Thanks
Matt,
You can swap out venison but add the Lickochops for the omega fatty acids because venison is very lean.
Thanks Ed. I was concerned due to the fact the venison steaks, chops and roast do not have any added fat like the burger does. Thanks for the clarification that I can use it without the added fat that the ground venison burger has. I will use both the lickochops and dinovite and the exact recipe that you have but just with steaks instead of burger.
Hi Ed,
I scanned the older posts to see if my question was answered already and didn’t see anything, but between an active almost 3 year old and a 9 week puppy, I don’t have a lot of time so it was a quick scan. 🙂
We just brought home our 9 week old pup, Ollie, yesterday (3-2). He’s a gorgeous, fluffy Golden Doodle. Though my husband and I had discussed raw food for dogs in the past, we sort of dropped the ball on planning Ollie’s food options. I’m sooo happy I found your site!
I want to transition him from the food he was fed at his first Mama’s house to raw, but I am wondering about the schedule you have posted. Is it safe to fast a puppy? Even for a day? Is there another option? (I understand mixing raw food with his current food is not an option.)
Also, we had planned on ordering him doggie fish oils so I’m wondering if that would substitute for the LickOchops. My husband knows the name, but he is at work, so maybe it is difficult for you to answer that w/o knowing the exact fish oil supplement we are getting.
Thanks!!
Grechen
*I’m excited to see your other recipes, esp with organ meat and other meat options.
Grechen,
Puppies make the transition quicker than adult dogs. They are also not housebroken so people manage that aspect with lower expectations. Use either the Lickochops or Supromega fish oil along with the Dinovite for best results.
Hi Ed,
Thanks for your valuable information. My 18 month neapolitan mastiff has been on the raw diet for two weeks now. I started her on raw due to her having mange for the past year. She is doing well, however, I notice that she does not drink water anymore. Is that going to be a problem for her hydration? Since I notice she doesn’t drink water I do add about half a cup of water with her meal twice a day. Thanks for your advice.
JoAnn
Joann,
She is not drinking as much water because the raw food contains 70% water so she has less need.
Thanks!
Hi Ed,
Another quick question….My dog has demodetic mange. I noticed you mentioned that Liquid Dinovite has a high zinc absortion which would be beneficial for her condition. Your raw diet receipe uses the small single use package. How much of the tube of Liquid Dinovite should I add for the batch? Thanks.
JoAnn,
Add a whole tube of Dinovite liquid per batch.
My dog( 7 lb Chi) has just been diagnosed with a 3 heart murmur. I want to start feeding him raw to optimize his health. Can you use other meats than beef for variety, or is it best to stick with one kind? Thanks!
Shannon,
You can use other types of meat for variety.
Hi Ed,
I have a 1 year old frech bulldog & a 8 year old chihuahua. I want to start making their meals, but not sure which diet to use, raw or cooked? What would you suggest?
Thank you!
Taylor,
Raw is best but cooked is also fine, feed whichever you are most comfortable preparing.
Hi Ed,
Your website & viewer responses are fantastic – alot of my questions have been answered, however; I’m still stuck on a few things. Multi Dog household – all will start w/ the Yeast Starvation diet as soon as I get my Dinovite. My youngest & biggest girl has been diagnosed w/ pancreatitis and she has an issue going on w/ her eyes. Tearing, light sensitive, swollen & discharge. Been to vet 3 times in as many mths & always sent home w/ pain meds & steroid drops. Still don’t have diagnosis. I’m thinking it might be a yeast infection coz multiple other symptons of yeast infec are present in each dog.
So my questions are:
? for their yeast starve diet – I would use chicken, HB eggs w/ shells, dinovite & virgin coconut oil (instead of Supromega) correct
?How much coconut oil would you recommend per dog weight
? Duration for Yeast Starvaton Diet (i.e. wks, mths, etc) or will each dog respond differently
? If after Yeast Starve diet I see significant improvements is it then possible to move to Raw Food Diet, this is where I would like to end up.
Any advice would be appreciated – thanks for your hard work & diligence to make our dogs lives more pleasant. God Bless!
Cyndi,
I would use the Supromega fish oil as well. Fish oil will help the process. You may have to skin the chicken and drain a lot of the fat. A tablespoon or two of coconut oil per day is fine. I would plan on feeding this diet for at least six months. Some dogs will have to remain on the diet indefinitely.
Hi,
I’m bringing home an 8 week old pug puppy on Sunday. I would like to switch the puppy over from puppy chow to your raw diet. Should I follow your time frame to switch listed above? Any harm starting this diet with an 8 week yr old? Also how much would you recommend I feed her at 8 weeks and less than 5 lbs? Do I add the two supplements only to the batch of food I make? Or on a daily basis to the bowl with the food?
Thanks for your help Ed! Can’t wait to report back the hopeful success I’ll have with your raw recipe!!
Thanks! Deanna
Deanna,
I like to mix the supplements in the batch but this is just preference. Fast your new puppy for eight hours then introduce the new food. Feed a similar portion that is normal eaten. I would estimate that your puppy will eat about 1/2 cup twice per day and this will increase as he grows.
Thanks Ed! What would you recommend I use for treats to help in training? I want to make sure to keep my new puppy away processed foods and dog treats?
Thanks
Deanna
Deanna,
I would boil some beef liver, let it cool, then cut it into little cubes and then store them in the freezer. Cooking the liver kind of stinks up your house. I also like using Nubonubs dog treats.
Thanks Ed!
This is very interesting to me as I have been searching for the right diet for my dog, Lucy, who has a histiocytic sarcoma mass in her lung. I’ve cut down on her carbohydrates and boosted her protein intake. At first I overloaded her on diet fighting supplements like flaxseed oil, selenium, brewer’s yeast, and Lucy who used to be so easy to pill quickly got to the point where she was refusing to eat at all. So, that’s all been cut back to just what she has to have to protect her liver and antibiotics she has to take shortly after her chemo treatments. She’s always eaten vegetables with her high quality hard dog food but I never realized dogs can’t digest the outer layer and it’s better to puree them so I will definitely start doing that. I just don’t know if she should go a home cooked menu with this cancer she has. Thanks for sharing all this good information. I learned a lot from your website! Keep your fingers crossed for Lucy- she’s doing great so far after 2 chemo treatments. We are also going to a healer which I think has helped her tremendously!
Ed, I wish I had more time and patience to read through more of the comments on this site, as I am sure I would find all the answers that I am looking for…but I don’t, so I will ask you. I would love to start making my dog’s food with your recipe. Can I use venison instead of the beef? Is there any advantage/disadvantage to using venison? I have a 10 year old husky mix who has just this year started showing signs of aging…slower movement, hair loss, dry skin, cataracts, etc. She is otherwise healthy, weighs 48 lbs., eats 2 cups of dog food a day, at this rate, how long would 1 batch of your recipe typically last? or what is the final quantity of the recipe?
Thank you!
Tiffany
Tiffany,
I chuckled when I read your statement:
” I have a 10 year old husky mix who has just this year started showing signs of aging…slower movement, hair loss, dry skin, cataracts, etc. She is otherwise healthy”
You will be pleased with any of these recipes and using venison is fine. The symptoms you are observing is the deterioration of your dog’s health, a result of feeding kibble. A batch will last a couple weeks.
Ed, Thank you for your response. As I reread that statement, I chuckled as well. I guess I meant to say that I know she still has a lot of life left in her, once I get her on the raw food. 🙂 We made our first batch last week. She LOVES it. Thank you again!
Hi Ed,
I have a dog newly diagnosed with exocrine pacreatic insufficiency (EPI). Do you have any experience with this? I’m considering a raw food diet for him. Too much bone is an issue for EPI dogs; I don’t know if the egg shells would be ok or not.
Stacy,
I would feed the easy raw dog food recipe. You can substitute the dinovite powder for the liquid. Mix the supplements into the mix and let it come to room temperature. This will allow the digestive enzymes in Dinovite to become active and start to predigest your dog’s food. The egg shells are fine but you may want to blend them in a blender.
Hi Ed,
If I’m making the raw dog food recipe. Do I add the supplements, lickochops and dinovite with all the other ingredients before I freeze the food? I was reading the recipe and it doesn’t mention when to add the dinovite?
Thanks!
Deanna
Deanna,
That is what I do and it works well.
Hi Ed,
I’m so glad to have stumbled upon this site while trying to find raw recipes. My 3 y/o Tibetan Spaniel has terrible sores all over and she is chewing her back constantly. I’ve only had her about 4 months and I was told she had skin problems so I started feeding her a raw diet of ground chicken, sweet potatoes or brown rice, broccoli, carrots, kale, apples and a supplement. I switched to turkey and that’s when the problems started, i think. is raw ground turkey that different from chicken?
I had read that chicken was better than beef nutritionally, but you don’t use chicken…is there a reason for that?
I am going to try your recipe and I wondered if I had to use the 8 day diet approach if she is already used to a raw diet?
Thanks so much for any help!
Kim,
Have you seen the chicken and rice dog food recipe?
Hi Ed,
I recently started to feed my dogs the easy raw dog food diet, they seem to love it. My question is: Can I alternate between that and your cooked chicken and rice recipe? Maybe one week of raw and then one week of the chicken?
Jo Ann,
Alternating is fine.
Hi Ed,
I have a 3 yr old Siberian Husky who has been very hard to feed. He does not like commerical dogfood at all wet or dry, he would often go days with out eating and was a thin as a rail. I decided after much research to try your raw dog receipe. HE LOVES IT!! He went from not eating at all to now screaming at me cause I am not fixing it fast enough! It is so funny to see because he is very vocal. THANK YOU from the depths of my soul for this receipe! It has made a huge difference in my huskie’s life and most likely has saved his life!! He looks fanstatic!!
All good news!
Hi Ed,
I’ve started making the raw food diet you recommended. After I made it I realized I mixed everything together before the rice and eggs had fully cooled. Any issues with mixing before they had cooled? Also I have two puppies and the containers right now seem to last me about 5 days. Any issues? How long should I use a container of food once it’s been taken out of the freezer?
Thanks
Deanna
Deanna,
It is best to let everything cool before you add the supplements. Adding the supplements to hot food will kill some of the live ingredients and destroy some of the delicate nutrients. If you were mixing it by hand and it was not burning you it should be fine. The five day old food is fine if stored in the refrigerator. Dogs like it and do well on aged food because it is easier to digest for them.
I just found your website last night and have already placed an order.
I have been feeding my dogs Raw Green Tripe (awful smelly stuff to humans) with supplements.
Have you ever substituted raw green tripe for the hamburger meat?
I may have to ween my dogs off of the tripe.
I am not sure if this would be good or bad. I would appreciate your input on this.
Thank you for a great website!
Gaylene,
You can substitute some green tripe for ground beef.
Hi, I started my dog on the raw diet today. I had him fast for 24 hour before hand also. I just feed him the 1/4 of the amount he should get. He just throw it all up……should I give him more now? Not sure if this diet is right for him, He had yeast problems for sure. So I want to do something to help him. So I keep going on this diet? He throw up all the food I just gave him this morning.
Andrea,
Take about one tablespoon of food and mix it with 1 tablespoon of cool water, let sit for about 5 minutes and feed this to your dog.
Hi again, He throw up again just now. He kept it down this morning. Sorry to bother you again….I am just wondering if he is losing lots of weight because of this. If so is that going to make him sick? I’m going to feed him more in a while. I’ll do what you said above. Thanks for your help!
Hi Ed,
Thanks for all of your help! Question for you, I have two pug puppies 9 weeks old. One puppy seems to tolerate the food fine with no problems. The other puppy seems to have problems with keeping the food down every so often. For instance, he ate the first two feeding fine today and started to throw up the last feeding of the day. I tried the water tip and it seems to help, but he loos like he’s lost weight. Should I keep him on the food or switch back to the puppy chow?
Thanks!
Deanna
Deanna,
I would check for worms most all puppies have worms and this can cause digestive upset.
My dog was on this diet for four days, and he kept throwing up. I didn’t know what to do, so I stopped it. Could you tell me if most dogs throw up after four days of changing there diet. I am scared he lost a lot of weight, and will make him sick from not getting enough food in him. I hope I can try it again soon. I just am having a hard time watching him go through this now. Please let me know if most dogs get really sick the first few days of this diet? I was so sad/hungry…and it made me feel so bad for him.
Andrea,
Did you fast him for 24 hours? Try mixing a tablespoon of the homemade dog food with a tablespoon of cool water, let sit for 5 minutes then serve.
Which recipe are you feeding?
Yes, I did fast him for 24 hours. I did the yeast Starvaton Diet. He licks his paws till they are raw. And has really bad ears. I just talked to someone else who has a Bernese mountain dogs also, and they are on a raw diet. He said it took a good two weeks of them throwing up, and getting sick. So I’m going to try it again in May! Thanks for all your help.
Ed,
Do you know anything about exocrine pancreatic insifficiency (EPI) in dogs? My dog was recently diagnosed and I am considering a raw diet for him. He’s currently on a holistic grain-free, but is not gaining weight despite proper treatment. Some EPI dogs only thrive on raw diets (alhthough salmonella and e-coli could be concerns with raw). What are your thoughts?
Stacey,
EPI is basically low digestive enzyme production. A raw diet along with the Dinovite will work great. Dinovite contains multiple digestive enzymes. I never worry about bacteria with my dogs, they eat garbage for heaven’s sake. A dog’s digestive system is very short and a dog’s stomach is extremely acid. Both keep them safe.
Mix the Dinovite in with the whole batch doing so will start the digestive practice. Also feeding your dog aged “a little rank” food is a good thing because it is predigested to some extent.
Is it ok to feed chicken in the morning and beef in the evening?
Sure.
My dog has been on a raw diet for 3+ years. I buy it fresh frozen from a local small business that uses high quality human-grade ingredients. But for the sake of convenience, I would prefer to make it myself. The variety I have been using is chicken, sweet potatoes, string beans and spinach. If I switch to your recipes, would I still need to do the fast, etc. since my dog is already used to raw food?
Carolee,
The fast will not be necessary.
I have field competition hounds- they are worked hard. Could I replace ground beef with beef liver? Also, could I add beef fat in an effort to not lose weight? If so, what % would you suggest of beef fat? Thanks.
Jared,
Beef liver is probably too rich to just do a straight replacement of the ground beef. You can replace the beef with chicken legs and thighs. If your dogs have trouble keeping weight then add the white rice, this will help weight stick.
What would you say your raw recipe costs per lb?
Jared,
It will be different depending on your local cost of ingredients. That said it is easy to figure out if you price the ingredients in your area.
Hi there,
I have two chinese crested dogs. One (the4yr old) suffers from vomiting and we were told she may have acid reflux and or allergies.
The other dog (1 1/2 yrs) just was diagnosed with colitis.
The vet suggested a home made diet. Although he says not to feed eggs daily. Maybe once a week. So I am confused bc alot of other info out there says the same.
One dog is on kibble and the other has been eating chicken and rice diet. Can we switch both to the raw beef diet immediately ? Is it ok to go from kibble then just switch to raw diet? Same question with chicken and rice.
Also, we have probiotics that we put in their food. Can we continue this if we are using the Dino. And the licochops? Or do we just omit it once we start your raw diet with the supplements u suggest?
Would really appreciate your help,
Thanks,
AnnMarie
Annmarie,
I would start with the easy raw dog food recipe and feed it as presented with the eggs and shells. I think your vet may be concerned with the enzyme in raw eggs binding with B vitamins. But this is not an issue with this recipe because the eggs are cooked and this destroys the problem enzyme. Dinovite contains “direct fed microbials” (probiotics) so your probiotics are not necessary but the won’t harm anything.
Last question, when we buy fresh ground beef do we have to freeze it first to kill off bacteria etc?
Confused about that,
Thanks,
AnnMarie
Annmarie,
Freezing won’t kill bacteria. Check out the FAQ page and see why this is not a problem.
Hi,
I’m getting ready to start my dog on home made dog food and have a couple questions. He is a large puppy (10months and 60lbs). He’s part old english sheepdog and part poodle so only going to get bigger. Since he is still a puppy, can I start him on home made dog food already? And the raw kind? After fasting of course.
Also for making it, if I would like to double the batches so I can divide and freeze portions. I notice you have the amount of Lick o’Chops but not the powder. It is an 8oz tube per 10lb of meat mixture but what is the amount for the powder per recipe? Thanks so much!!
I can’t wait to “spoil” my puppy with healthy eating.
Yes, you can start puppies on these recipes. Puppies do great on any of these dog food recipes. I use 2 to 4 cups of the Dinovite powder per batch. You will love the results of feeding your dog homemade food! I’m glad to hear you are taking the plunge.
This might be a silly question…
My dog is super affectionate and is CONSTANTLY licking. Would there be potential for bacteria contamination from his mouth to me from the raw meat?
Thanks!
Lisa,
A dog’s saliva has antiseptic properties but he could have bacteria on his whiskers. If you have a weakened immune system you may want to cook the food, just don’t cook the supplements.
Do you add the 8oz’s of lick- o-chops when you make the food and then again add the tsp or so of lick-o-chops and dinovite per lbs?
I have a 6 month old miniature australian shepherd that’s kind of a picky eater. The only time i’ve seen him truly excited about food was when I had him on a canned food diet when he was sick. I’m hoping he’s as excited about this food as the canned food. I just worry he’s stunting his growth by not enough.
Benjamon,
Add the supplements as you mix the food or as you feed the food, one or the other not both. Your dog will love the food.
My dog has been on the Dinovite powder and Super Omega instead of Lickochops mixed with her kibble and she likes it, only been on it 2 weeks. She is very yeasty. I was thinking of switching to the yeast starvation raw diet. Can I use the Superomega instead of Lickochops?
Sarah,
Yes, Supromega is what I recommend for the yeast starvation recipe.
Thanks Ed. I thank you. My dog thanks you.
I love the site. Thank you for working so hard on all of this. I will be ordering the supplements today. I fed the raw recipe to both of my dogs (80 pound Chow Shepard mix and 3 pound chihuahua) and they devoured it! I was wondering if I’d be able to feed the same recipe to my cat. Thank you!
Brittany,
Eliminate the rice out of the recipes and you can feed them to your cat with good results.
Hello Ed,
I ran out of Cat Dinovite and have been feeding my cats the Dog Dinovite recipe.
using
20 Lbs chicken 18 eggs and 2 cups white rice before cooking.
They love it, but should I stop with the rice?
Thanks
Myrna
Myrna,
Yes stop with the rice it’s not necessary.
Hello Ed,
Should I then up the eggs to 36 for 20Lbs of chicken?
Thank
Myrna
Yes, that is correct.
Hi Ed,
We’ve been feeding our dogs homemade cooked food (beef, veggies, rice, barley, and oats). Do we need to go through the protocol you recommend to switch them over to raw given that they aren’t getting any commercial kibble? Or can we just switch them one day to the next?
Thanks!
Anika,
You may be able to do an immediate switch but may want to feed them lightly starting off.
A local kennel finds a good home for their female breeders when they reach 5 or 6 yrs of age. We just got one of their Golden Retrievers who is 7. She was just diagnosed with a Subcutaneous mast cell tumor of left hock…the plus is that the cell division factor is O. The kennel feeds all their dogs Ol’ Roy but we won’t even consider that. We started feeding her Blue Buffalo Senior kibbles but now want to switch to the raw diet to help fight the cancer. What exactly would you recommend? Thank you for offering this discussion around individual needs.
Jane,
Start off with the easy raw dog food recipe. This recipe is a good way to get your feet wet making dog food and dogs love it.
Ed,
I have a 3 year old Shih Tzu, that I’m pretty sure is allergic to chicken, that said I also now that he tends to have upset stomach often and I wondered if, in the raw and cooked recipes, I could use ground turkey and other meats to add variety as well as if you have any suggestions that may help his poor tummy?
Thanks so much
Teresa
Teresa,
Try feeding either the easy raw or easy cooked recipes on this site, both are made with beef.
Ed, is it OK to alternate between the ground beef and chicken recipe, and cooked and raw, to give my dog variety?
Yes, this is fine.
So, can my dogs live of just this meal?
Yes, they can.
I just got a 7 week old doberman. I am wanting to make him, real foods and i saw your recipies. My questions is…all dogs are different and all have different nutrional needs…with these recipes how do i no my dog is getting the right nutrion for his breed? Iv read about dogs getting sick because although they have good intentions there dogs werent getting what they needed because each recipe should be made to fit the dogs breed.
Melissa,
Try one of the homemade dog food recipes on this site, you will be pleased. All these recipes are far more nutritious than kibble.
Ed, how should I adjust the raw dog food recipe to make it low fat for my dog that is susceptible to pancreatitis? Thanks!
Dee,
You can drain off the excess fat or use leaner meat. Also use coconut oil “organic” and the Supromega fish oil both are fine for dogs with pancreatitis.
Thanks Ed,
This is my first attempt at nutritious ‘raw’ food for a very finiky eater…so far, so good, with your recipe. Although I started with raw turkey, I’ve also got beef and salmon on the menu. Off to by more tupperware:)
I see that you are buying Tupperware I just found on amazon deli grade plastic containers that are reusable, can withstand the freezer, dishwasher, and microwave. they have all kind of sizes. I purchased the 8oz size and it came with 225 containers and lids and also got labels and it all came out to about 80 something dollars. I feel that this will be cheaper for us dog food makers in the long run. just a side note for you. the brand of containers is called Reditainers
Just so I know I’m understanding correctly….You must stay consistent with homemade dog food, for all meals, all the time? You can’t feed your dog the raw meal in the mornings and then dry food (I usually use natural brands) at night?
If not, why so?
Thanks!
Dom,
I found alternating between raw dog food and kibble leads to digestive upset so I don’t recommend it.
Hello,
I’m planning on using your raw recipe for my English bulldog. I can’t find Dinovite/Lick O Chops in a store nearby, but I did find a supplement called Halo. Is this something you’d recommend as a replacement for the products you’ve promoted?
Thanks!
Marie,
They are available online at dinovite.com
Hello, I have a few questions. I am getting a Great Dane puppy in August and am considering making food for her to start her off as healthy as possible to improve her life and hopefully add a few more years. I was looking up the dinovite and there are 3 different sizes. She will be a puppy but she will be a large breed, should I get the small dog box or the large dog box? I was wondering if this diet plan would be good for her? And would it be ok to say do beef one week, chicken the next, turkey another and pork for the last so she gets more than one type of meat. Anything to help me before I bring her home would be great! 😀
Sarah,
Ultimately, your dog will be using the Giant dog box. That said, you can probably start with the medium dog box and work your way up as your puppy grows. I feed any of the recipes with great results. I gravitate to the easy raw dog food recipe because it’s quick and easy.
Hi Ed,
I’m excited to be on day 4 of the 7 day intro schedule to this raw food recipe for my 11 year old beagle-sheppard. She’s loving it and I must say that it has <> stopped her digestive problems that i’ve been trying to ‘cure’ for years by changing dry food every two months (don’t ask!!). A few more days and I think we’ll be completely good to go. I’m just wondering: I got scared on day two when her stool was like black ink. I haven’t seen it since, but was wondering if that could part of her system getting used to it? Maybe the remains from the dry food still in her system? I’m not stopping the diet as she is happy, not gassy, and loves it, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks,
Talya & Peanut
Talya,
It just sounds like your dog’s system adjusting.
I would like to know about how many cups of food a whole recipe makes? That would help me to figure how much it will cost to feed this way. Thanks in advance!
Carol,
It makes around 30 cups.
My dog is rather picky. He picks out the meat and leaves the eggs and a good portion of the rice. Believe me, I have mixed it all together very well but he still finds a way around a lot of it. Can you give me suggestions as to how I can get him to just eat everything? And your portion sizes are per day so do I split it in half and feed a breakfast and then a dinner? Or is it best just to feed the dog once a day?
Gail,
Feed her every other day until she stops being picky.
Ed,
Thank you, I’ll give that a try. I am going to try your chicken stock recipe in addition. Would it be best to incorporate it into the raw diet recipe? Or feed it separately? Your recipes are really great – I am sorry my dog is so picky but I think you are right about feeding him every other day – he will certainly be hungry when the food is placed before him. Thanks again for all your hard work and research to put these recipes and website together!
Happy 4th of July to you!
Ed,
Can you tell me why you recommend white rice instead of brown? Nutritionally, brown rice is better, but you say dogs cannot digest it as well. Why is that?
Also, where do the ingredients in the Dinovite and the LickOChops come from? Are they organic? How is it processed? I am just trying to get a better grasp on healthy dog food and I was curious. Thank you!
Gail,
Check out the FAQ page for the answer. Thanks.
I would like help on starting my American Bull dog on a home made raw diete. He is just 8 months and weighs 97 lbs. He his that pink skin and it stay red most of the time I heard raw would help that… Any help would be great. Thanks Tug.
Linda,
Try the yeast starvation dog food recipe and see if that does not help.
My 8 year old black lab mix had allergy testing and is allergic to almost everything. She can have poultry and eggs, and the only grain she can have is oats. Have you listed the chicken recipe on this site? I seem to only find the beef one. Should I add in oats since I must leave out the rice? Also, since my dog loves vegies, can I provide her with enough that I would not need to add in the extra supplements?
Laura,
Hopefully, by improving your dog’s diet his immune system will start functioning correctly. And if this occurs he can stop being allergic to everything. Here is the link for the chicken and rice recipe. Substitute potatoes or sweet potatoes for the rice or omit it entirely.
What does chocolate icecream do to my Shih Tzua dog?
Bruce,
Make him ask for strawberries on top?
Hi,
This recipe looks great! Just one question — I went on Amazon to checkout the Dinovite reviews, and many were terrible. I read some comments about digestive problems. Any other options out there that you would recommend, or perhaps it’s a dosage issue? Thanks for your feedback.
Zooey,
This is a dog food issue. Often, people will not follow the introductory method outlined and start slow. Also, they ffed high carb dog food and experience the issue. If you follow the introductory method outline with the recipes you should be fine.
I have a pitmix, and being a lover of the misunderstood breed I plan on having more in the future not mention hopefully one day fostering. Do you think this is a good/reasonable diet for the breed. Also I’m in college to be a teacher so I wont be wealthiest person out there. I ask this because most of the comments I see are about small breed dogs.
Dayanara,
I raised Staffordshire Bull Terriers for years and they did very well on a raw diet. Your pit will be fine.
If I wanted to substitute quinoa for rice — would the amount be the same?
With the use of Dinovite and Lickochops — no other supplements are necessary?
This looks much easier than I am accustomed … thank you!!
I’ve never used the quinoa myself but it should be fine. Dinovite and Lickochops are fine, I sometimes swap out Supromega fish oil for the Lickochops.
started the raw diet,just wanted to know can i use raw ground chicken instead of the beef?My bullmastiffs are doing great on this food no problems at all,been about 2 weeks.I did mention that the male had arthiritis what can i use to help him he is 10 years old.I was wondering about the chicken cause it is cheaper than beef.Thanx for your support.
Gilbert,
Yes, chicken is fine.
I just ordered some dinovite & lickochop yesterday. We have a 5 year old yellow lab who has suffered for a couple years off and on with skin & ear problems. I have tried everything to my wits end to help her. From doctors at first with antibiotics & steroids..only to learn that that really only makes it worse in the long run. I’ve done several homeopathic things from the apple cidar vinegar to essential oils & special shampoos & baths every other day (which is not easy with a 65lb lab especially in winter when I have to bath her inside). I finally found zymox ears drops that help her with her ear problems if I use them at least once a week. Changing her over to a grain free food helped some..but not what I expected it to do for the price. I have read several blogs, websites..you name it & finally came across your website yesterday. After reading & watching the video.. I’m sold on it, what do I have to lose at this point really..is sorta how I feel. So I’m waiting on the dinovite to arrive at our house & I’m excited to try it along with your homemade dog food recipe. I’m all for the raw diet, it makes sense to me. I have learned in this process that the cheaper the food..the worse she looks. So there has to be something to all the cooked commercial dog food being bad, I truly believe this!! I do have one question for you. When you mix up the dogfood & store it… I know some will go in the freezer, but how many days worth can you keep in the fridge before it goes bad? Should I use ziploc bags for the fridge portions, since it may only be 2-3 days worth? I’m good with the ziploc containers for the freezer portions. We even have a vacuum seal machine that I could use if need be. I just want to make sure I get it all right..it breaks my heart to see my dog suffer & I just want her to be better. We have her sister, a chocolate lab…and she has no problems at all. She never has had any problems, just our blonde lab. Thank you for all your help & wonderful site & info!!
Sincerely,
Melanie
I forgot to mention..which I’m sure you can tell, that this is a yeast problem with Daisy (my yellow lab). From the hairloss, to shedding/flaky skin, odor, ear problems, eye leakage, and she looks so much older than she is. So after reading on here further.. should I maybe try the yeast starvation instead? I did order superomega as well, since it was dicounted with the dinovite purchase. I have nothing to lose here, except my baby if she doesnt get better. Any help or recommendations is greatly appreciated. Thanks again!
Melanie
Melanie,
Yes, I would feed the yeast starvation dog food recipe. Plan on feeding this for at least 6 months. In the process symptoms can get worse as the yeast die off. I’ve also found applying Bragg’s apple cider vinegar to the flaky, crusty skin helps in the whole process.
Melanie,
I divide it into 3-4 day portions and this works well. When it turns a little I still feed it to the dogs. Dogs are scavengers and like food when it get a little ripe.
What do you think about using a raw blend of ground beef, heart and liver instead of just ground beef? I get all my beef grass fed from a local farm and they offer a grass fed Pet Food which is a blend of the meat/organs listed above.
Also, I’m currently feeding my Pug, Nature’s Variety Instinct Raw Bites, but it’s pretty expensive. Do you think I would still need to gradually introduce your recipe (and fast her) if she’s already eating another raw recipe?
Here are the ingredients: Chicken (Including Ground Chicken Bone), Turkey, Turkey Liver, Turkey Heart, Apples, Carrots, Butternut Squash, Ground Flaxseed, Montmorillonite Clay, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, Dried Kelp, Apple Cider Vinegar, Parsley, Honey, Salmon Oil, Olive Oil, Blueberries, Alfalfa Sprouts, Persimmons, Inulin, Rosemary, Sage, Clove
Using the raw meat blend is fine. You also may not need the slow transition but it would not hurt.
Good morning, I haven’t asked a question in a while but once again I need a little guidance.
I do use raw food recipe for both my dogs ( 25 lb schnorkie and 10 lb shnoodle) I alternate between rice and sweet potatoes. I premake the boiled eggs and mix with raw beef 73/27. Then I daily make frest rice or sweet potatoe and add it into my mixure. Add a little h20 to my powdered dinovite, make a paste and fold it in. Lastly a tsp drizzle of lickOchops. I feed one time a day. Weight is good.
Question: dogs were recently at kennel while on family vacation. I supplied raw food while gone.
Since my return both dogs have been randomly throwing up and gagging and smaller one coughing. It’s been 3 weeks. Coincently I started a new box of Dinovite as soon as we came home. I bought 3 boxes and this is my last box, so I was worried it was expired. Not sure if that is a possibility. I notice the vomit is only the vitamine paste and egg shells, all food seems to be digested. My other thought is worms, could they have picked that up from kennel? Would worms eat the food and send back the undigestables? Should I buy a dewormer to be safe? I don’t see an expiration date on my box. Let me know your thoughts. Thank you
It sound like they picked up something while at the boarding kennel. Make sure the rice is thoroughly cooked and mushy. Also, make sure the Dinovite is mixed in well. I like the mixture to sit together, freshness is not important to dogs, actually aged food is better. Add a little water to the mix and let it sit for 15-30 minutes before serving, this will activate the enzymes in Dinovite and start to predigest the food. This is good for dogs.
You may want to worm them and also look into kennel cough.
I took my dog to vet and got his blood drawn. They said his liver levels were very elevated which is why he has been vomiting. They explained his liver isn’t taking out the toxins. They are giving me medicine but didn’t explain how he got this condition. Is the diet to blame? The vitamines? What should I do different?
Have you looked into milk thistle to help your dog’s liver? It’s worth a look. The diets on this site use human grade ingredients with whole food supplements. Do you think a highly processed kibble is somehow better?
What problem was your dog experiencing before you started feeding homemade dog food?
I actually think any problems are associated with the years of Iams dry dog food that I gave him. He is 5 and has been on homemade for a year now. Another issue, which I seem to think is related, is his teeth. 4 years of kibble gave him a whole lot of tarter and plaque. Once I switched to Raw I immediately noticed his teeth in the back and sides improved dramatically. However the four front did not, I believe the raw chicken, bones and all were the savior but he may not be using the front teeth as much to chew a. I was actually going to have his teeth cleaned by the vet the other day but because liver values were elevated they said to wait 3 wks and they’ll check blood again. They gave him a Rx to bring liver to normal. I did research and I wonder if he has periodontal disease which is causing toxins to affect the liver. I did see milk thistle and I think I will add that to his current easy raw diet. I looked around the web and still believe Dinovite has the best nutritional components. Would milk thistle be given everyday? Can I overdose him? I really appreciate your opinion and ideas. Please continue to share.
Yes, the periodontal disease is a problem. I would have his teeth cleaned and the bad ones removed. Here is a link to a Vet’s page that recommends dosage.
I am getting a 5 year old miniature schnauzer and she weighs 10 pounds. I plan on making the easy raw food recipe for her. Would it be easier maybe to roll 1/2 raw food into meatballs and flash freeze then store in a freezer bag? If I did that, how long is it safe to let these meatballs sit out to thaw? Also, do you only feed them once a day or should I feed twice?
I have found the plastic storage containers work best. Easy to fill, thaw and serve from bags can get holes and leak.
Ed,
I love what you are doing here, and the natural raw food is a great concept to share online. I have read through as many of the question and answer forums on your site as possible…but I still have to ask my question. Sorry!
Would you recommend feeding a 3-4 month Chihuahua the raw food? She is maybe 1/2 a pound and I have inferred that I would just give her similar rations as the dry puppy chow she came to me with from the breeder…
That is all I need to know- Thank you!
I’ve fed tiny toy rat terrier puppies raw without incident. Your puppy should be fine.
I adopted a greyhound last September and still haven’t found any kind of food he likes, for more then a couple of days. Thinking about changing to raw.
But need to make sure it’s safe for a greyhound . Which supplement should be added to the raw food. He is really doesn’t like anything for very long, and it’s driving me crazy.He does loves raw frozen turkey neck and chicken feet. Just want to make the right choice for my greyhound (Scorpio)
Try any of the recipes on the site with the supplements they are all fine for greyhounds. I would include the raw turkey necks and feet, he likes them and they are good for him.
Hello Ed:
I have two English Bulldogs; Otis/3yrs is Olde English & the other Gertie/8 mo. Omega English. Over the last year Otis’ paws look brutal. In between his toes is raw and sometimes this area gets cystic bumps or boils. At first I changed his food, giving each product its own time to work, but no success. The paws got progressively worse, so to the vet we went. The Vet said it wasn’t food, said Otis has hay fever and now has him on steroids on a constant basis. The medicine helped a bit at first, but are back to looking irritated and raw. I do a foot soak on him (using Povidone-iodine) and cover his paws while I am away at work so he won’t lick them. I am wondering if the yeast free diet will help him, his coat look fine everywhere else. I have both dogs on NuVet Plus and I wanted to know if this supplement can be used in leu of the Supromega and/or Dinovite. Lastly, Gertie is begining to lick her paws 🙁 This worries me. Thank you for your help Ed.
I would try feeding the yeast starvation dog food recipe how it is listed on the site for at least 6 months and see how Otis does. Be prepare that his condition can get worse before it gets better part way through the process. You can also add a little Bragg’s apple cider vinegar to his food (1 tablespoon) plus pour some on his paws.
What type of ground beef is recommended for this recipe? 90/10, 80/20, etc?
I use 70/30.
Trying to ask questions but can’t get through moderation my dog is having trouble with constipation what can I use to help with this problem using 10 lb raw chicken, super omega, dinovite plus recipe. You answered questions under mine trying again. Please give help
Gilbert,
Is your dog actually constipated or is his stool volume just smaller?
Hi Ed, first thank you for the milk thistle info. I planned on adding it as directed soon. Remember the vet gave my schnorkie S-adensol for 3 wks to bring liver values down. In order to get his dental cleaning and pull out some front teeth his liver must be ready. After 3 wks they checked his blood again and liver values still high, no cleaning. Instead this low cost vet freaked me out by saying he may have cancer or a tumor! Sent me to a specialist. There they gave him an ultra sound and said his organs are fine. They rechecked his blood and liver values are still high . I showed my supplements, Dinovite and licochops. I got mixed information; yes raw is good but your dog seems to be having a GI issue,possibly too much protein. So they put him on Hills GI canned food. Then he says yes digs need supplements but we need you to cease the Dinovite for now and they gave me more liver pills, a pill to ” clean out” his tract and omega 3 fish oil pills. $600 later I left in shock. Where have I gone wrong? Is the easy raw w/ the 70/30 beef too much protein? Do I give to much Dinovite? A scoop a day to the 23 lb dog and 1/2 scoop for 10lb dog. I see the chix / rice recipe the Dinovite is put in as 2-4 cups into the batch.. Is this a better strategy? I just want his liver to be well so I can get his teeth pulled to prevent blood poisoning I the future. My schnoodle is ok, so I think. I thought to start her on The chix/ rice and milk thistle along with maybe lowering my Dinovite dosage. Can you advise on why the dr says too much protein? Let me know if going to chix& rice is better? Thanks.
Yvette,
You may want to check out this page and maybe reevaluate what you are doing. I personally, do not agree with your vets advice.
I’m confused about the amount of Dinovite to add to the raw recipe. In your recipe, it calls for 1 tablespoon per cup of food. On the website for Dinovite, it call for one cup of Dinovite. So, my question is, what size box of Dinovite do I need to purchase? I have a very itchy Boxer but also have a yorkie and maltese with no issues that I would like to make this recipe for. Any help you can provide would be helpful. Also, for the Boxer, should he use something other than the Likochops?
Well, you have three dogs and one large so you may want to buy the large dog box. There are over twenty two cups of supplement in the large dog box. There are 16 tablespoons in a cup. This recipe yields around 32 cups of food so it would need two cups of Dinovite.I hope this helps. I like the Supromega fish oil if I am going to switch out the lickochops.