I have cooked my dogs' and cat's food since 2007. Dogs and cats are carnivores and their natural diet is meat and bones. I duplicate this diet by cooking meat (usually ground meats) and adding powdered calcium carbonate in place of bones.

The correct proportion is 1 1/2 teaspoons calcium to 6 cups of cooked meat. I save eggshells in a dish in the freezer until I have enough; then I bake them for an hour in a 350 degree oven and grind them with an electric coffee grinder and store the powder in the fridge. Ground eggshell is 98% calcium carbonate, so this can substitute for powdered calcium that I also buy to have on hand.

I also add digestive enzymes from GNC. I add the powder from 4 or 5 capsules to each batch of pet food. In the wild an animal would eat parts of a prey animal that contain enzymes which are not available in packaged meat.

Also I throw in a couple vitamins. Those that I use are for humans, and it is important to select iron-free vitamin minerals if you choose to add a vitamin/mineral supplement for people. Vitamins are just extra insurance that all the dietary needs are being met.

I also sometimes feed eggs, cottage cheese, milk, and other dairy products to supplement their regular food, and occasionally I will scramble eggs with cheese, meat scraps, and a pinch of calcium as a complete meal.

For the most part if you stick to the 1 1/2 teasp calcium to 6 cups cooked meat, your dog will be getting the proper nutrition for a canid. It is healthier than commercial dog food and far safer.

This post was edited by spedigrees on Tue, Feb 11, 14 at 0:57

There are some "groups" on yahoo (probably other sites as well) dedicated to cooking for your dog. Just go to their home page and do a search for groups, using dog food as your terms. They should come up. They'll walk you through it if you need support.

The previous message put it simply, though.

bk

Ye usually i prepare my dog's food. but if i m not at home or busy then i buy food from the market.

Over the last 8 years I have cooked for my dogs .I have gone back to the bagged variety a few times due to moving or not stocking the freezer with enough cooked food.
I started home cooking to find out if my black lab had allergies. He threw up after eating lamb and potatoes.

The internet has evolved with more information so if you plan on home cooking there are more educational internet forums.

You must supplement their diet with calcium either in egg shells, bones or calcium tablets. I cooked egg shells then powdered them in a mortar and pestle.
Keeping a record of their menu, amount, weight, and reactions gave me peace of mind knowing i was giving them a well balanced diet.
I bought in bulk and cooked up meals for several days rationing out the protein, vegetables, fruits and carbs. I added vitamin supplements at meal time.

I feed all sorts of proteins , brown rice, sweet potato, beans, spinach, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, an assortment of fruit. walnuts , pecans, almonds . pumpkin seeds, and flax seed.
I read that they need 40 percent of their diet should be protein and the rest a mixture of veggies and fruits.

I never gave them bones. I just was never comfortable with the idea although I have a few friends who do the raw diet.

Last weekend I spoke to a vegan chef who mentioned that her chickens love coffee grinds. THey go bonkers over coffee grinds. I have found a few web posts who also say their chickens also go bonkers over coffee grinds. I have found a few posts who say they offer no nutritional or medicinal value so don't offer the coffee.Which is correct? Makes no sense to me so I do no t offer coffee to the chickens.

Funny but my horse love watermelon , blue berries , strawberries and bananas. One thinks they only like timothy hay.
We have hybrid coyotes on my property. They eat the timothy hay, rattle the bird feeder for the seed and BOSS, pick the blueberries and strawberries.

If you go the home cooked route educate yourself on the needed variety in their diet, how much to feed, and all the supplements needed. THe nuts and flax seed gave them the oil.
HOme cooking is easy once you get organized.
Good Luck

Yeah I usually do it for my dog... He is so sweet

I cook for dog every once and a while as a special treat, I don't always have the time but my dog loves it much more than store bought food.