Hi,
my dog has had chronic ear problems and his arthritis is getting worse
and worse... i'm really worried about the quality of his last few
years (he's a 9 year old Golden).

I think i'm going to give him home-cooked meals, rather than the Nutro
dog kibble i have been giving him. I have heard to avoid grains and
certain starches like potato. i'd really like to give him a lot of
fruits and vegetables, but he keeps spitting it out! Any ideas on how
to get my dog to eat fruits and veggies? I also plan on cooking some
chicken or lamb for him everyday... probably just boiled or something.

I also plan on buying a book or two on this, but can anyone help me
get started? Also in a previous thread, some kind folks recommended
fish/salmon oil so I will get that ASAP. THe one problem for me now
is his lack of interest in eating fruits and veggies. If i can get
him to do that, this would be so much easier ! Also, would prefer not
to mix all his food together, since it should be beter for his
digestion not to put bad combos together.

Thanks so much!

Hi there,

I cook for my dogs. They have cooked minced lamb or chicken with equal
quantities of cooked rice. I put some dried skimmed milk over this to
make sure they have the calcium they need. My dogs will not have fruit
or veg either although one of them will have a taste of apple.
--
Evelyn

Hi there,

I cook for my dogs. They have cooked minced lamb or chicken with equal
quantities of cooked rice. I put some dried skimmed milk over this to
make sure they have the calcium they need. My dogs will not have fruit
or veg either although one of them will have a taste of apple.
--
Evelyn

"80k" wrote in message
m...
my dog has had chronic ear problems and his arthritis is getting worse
and worse... i'm really worried about the quality of his last few
years (he's a 9 year old Golden).

...........have you ever had a thyroid panel run? Goldens tend to
hypothyroidism and ear problems can reflect this. Since your dog is a
senior, I'd also recommend a complete blood panel including chemistry to
make sure there's nothing else going on. It's good to have the bloodwork
done as a baseline for future reference. Make sure you fast the dog for 12
hours before running bloodwork.

I think i'm going to give him home-cooked meals, rather than the Nutro
dog kibble i have been giving him. I have heard to avoid grains and
certain starches like potato.
.........avoid below ground veges, which are starchy (carrots, turnips,
potatoes, etc.) and full of carbohydrates.

i'd really like to give him a lot of
fruits and vegetables,
........Why? Some fruits/veg are OK, but I wouldn't use a lot. Too much
fiber can inhibit uptake of minerals and may irritate the GI tract. All
dogs are different as to what they will tolerate which is one of the
benefits of preparing your own food, as you can adjust the food to fit the
dog. Don't start out with an idea of what you want your dog to eat. The
idea is to find a diet suited to your dog.

Any ideas on how
to get my dog to eat fruits and veggies? I also plan on cooking some
chicken or lamb for him everyday... probably just boiled or something.

I also plan on buying a book or two on this, but can anyone help me
get started?
...........The best way to start is to read some books to get an idea of what
is essential in a dog's diet. There is nothing that replaces doing your own
research on the issue and understanding what you are trying to accomplish
before jumping in. It is important to get enough calcium in a meal to
balance out the phosphorus in the meat. Dogs also get energy from fat.
Better to cut carbs than fat, unless your dog has a pancreatitis problem.

Here's a site with books listed:
http://www.listservice.net/wellpet/r...uide/books.htm
You can also join lists dedicated to the subject. The above site also
includes a list that is good. Yahoo has many lists. My personal
recommendations from Yahoo Groups are Totally Home Cooking and K9Nutrition.
When joining a list, though, it is a good idea to search the archives for a
few weeks first as many questions you might have when beginning this process
have probably already been answered.

And remember that books not published in the current year are a starting
place. Nutrition is an evolving subject in humans as well as dogs. For
example, I doubt any of the books mention supplementing taurine for dogs.
If you are cooking the meat, the taurine gets degraded. (There is evidence
that the GI bacteria further degrade it if the food is cooked.) They are
starting to call taurine a conditionally essential nutrient for dogs and
this is a rather new viewpoint.

Also, would prefer not
to mix all his food together, since it should be beter for his
digestion not to put bad combos together.

............Could you explain why you think this? Is this a spinoff from
food combining for people? It is best to keep a recipe simple when
starting. Your dog doesn't have to eat something different every day.
Variety is important in meats as they all provide a slightly different level
of nutrients, but when starting out it's better not to change meats/veg
combos much. After a couple of weeks change one thing - meat or veg and see
if there are any upsets. You can isolate problem foods much faster this
way.

Good luck!

buglady
take out the dog before replying

"80k" wrote in message
m...
my dog has had chronic ear problems and his arthritis is getting worse
and worse... i'm really worried about the quality of his last few
years (he's a 9 year old Golden).

...........have you ever had a thyroid panel run? Goldens tend to
hypothyroidism and ear problems can reflect this. Since your dog is a
senior, I'd also recommend a complete blood panel including chemistry to
make sure there's nothing else going on. It's good to have the bloodwork
done as a baseline for future reference. Make sure you fast the dog for 12
hours before running bloodwork.

I think i'm going to give him home-cooked meals, rather than the Nutro
dog kibble i have been giving him. I have heard to avoid grains and
certain starches like potato.
.........avoid below ground veges, which are starchy (carrots, turnips,
potatoes, etc.) and full of carbohydrates.

i'd really like to give him a lot of
fruits and vegetables,
........Why? Some fruits/veg are OK, but I wouldn't use a lot. Too much
fiber can inhibit uptake of minerals and may irritate the GI tract. All
dogs are different as to what they will tolerate which is one of the
benefits of preparing your own food, as you can adjust the food to fit the
dog. Don't start out with an idea of what you want your dog to eat. The
idea is to find a diet suited to your dog.

Any ideas on how
to get my dog to eat fruits and veggies? I also plan on cooking some
chicken or lamb for him everyday... probably just boiled or something.

I also plan on buying a book or two on this, but can anyone help me
get started?
...........The best way to start is to read some books to get an idea of what
is essential in a dog's diet. There is nothing that replaces doing your own
research on the issue and understanding what you are trying to accomplish
before jumping in. It is important to get enough calcium in a meal to
balance out the phosphorus in the meat. Dogs also get energy from fat.
Better to cut carbs than fat, unless your dog has a pancreatitis problem.

Here's a site with books listed:
http://www.listservice.net/wellpet/r...uide/books.htm
You can also join lists dedicated to the subject. The above site also
includes a list that is good. Yahoo has many lists. My personal
recommendations from Yahoo Groups are Totally Home Cooking and K9Nutrition.
When joining a list, though, it is a good idea to search the archives for a
few weeks first as many questions you might have when beginning this process
have probably already been answered.

And remember that books not published in the current year are a starting
place. Nutrition is an evolving subject in humans as well as dogs. For
example, I doubt any of the books mention supplementing taurine for dogs.
If you are cooking the meat, the taurine gets degraded. (There is evidence
that the GI bacteria further degrade it if the food is cooked.) They are
starting to call taurine a conditionally essential nutrient for dogs and
this is a rather new viewpoint.

Also, would prefer not
to mix all his food together, since it should be beter for his
digestion not to put bad combos together.

............Could you explain why you think this? Is this a spinoff from
food combining for people? It is best to keep a recipe simple when
starting. Your dog doesn't have to eat something different every day.
Variety is important in meats as they all provide a slightly different level
of nutrients, but when starting out it's better not to change meats/veg
combos much. After a couple of weeks change one thing - meat or veg and see
if there are any upsets. You can isolate problem foods much faster this
way.

Good luck!

buglady
take out the dog before replying

"buglady" wrote in message . net...
"80k" wrote in message
m...
my dog has had chronic ear problems and his arthritis is getting worse
and worse... i'm really worried about the quality of his last few
years (he's a 9 year old Golden).

..........have you ever had a thyroid panel run? Goldens tend to
hypothyroidism and ear problems can reflect this. Since your dog is a
senior, I'd also recommend a complete blood panel including chemistry to
make sure there's nothing else going on. It's good to have the bloodwork
done as a baseline for future reference. Make sure you fast the dog for 12
hours before running bloodwork.



i've never looked into this, so i will defintely take this into
consideration :-)


I think i'm going to give him home-cooked meals, rather than the Nutro
dog kibble i have been giving him. I have heard to avoid grains and
certain starches like potato.
........avoid below ground veges, which are starchy (carrots, turnips,
potatoes, etc.) and full of carbohydrates.

i'd really like to give him a lot of
fruits and vegetables,
.......Why? Some fruits/veg are OK, but I wouldn't use a lot. Too much
fiber can inhibit uptake of minerals and may irritate the GI tract. All
dogs are different as to what they will tolerate which is one of the
benefits of preparing your own food, as you can adjust the food to fit the
dog. Don't start out with an idea of what you want your dog to eat. The
idea is to find a diet suited to your dog.


well he used to love to eat fruits and vegetables but lately has been
rejecting them. it's hard to even know what it is suitable for him at
this age and condition.



Any ideas on how
to get my dog to eat fruits and veggies? I also plan on cooking some
chicken or lamb for him everyday... probably just boiled or something.

I also plan on buying a book or two on this, but can anyone help me
get started?
..........The best way to start is to read some books to get an idea of what
is essential in a dog's diet. There is nothing that replaces doing your own
research on the issue and understanding what you are trying to accomplish
before jumping in. It is important to get enough calcium in a meal to
balance out the phosphorus in the meat. Dogs also get energy from fat.
Better to cut carbs than fat, unless your dog has a pancreatitis problem.

Here's a site with books listed:
http://www.listservice.net/wellpet/r...uide/books.htm
You can also join lists dedicated to the subject. The above site also
includes a list that is good. Yahoo has many lists. My personal
recommendations from Yahoo Groups are Totally Home Cooking and K9Nutrition.
When joining a list, though, it is a good idea to search the archives for a
few weeks first as many questions you might have when beginning this process
have probably already been answered.

And remember that books not published in the current year are a starting
place. Nutrition is an evolving subject in humans as well as dogs. For
example, I doubt any of the books mention supplementing taurine for dogs.
If you are cooking the meat, the taurine gets degraded. (There is evidence
that the GI bacteria further degrade it if the food is cooked.) They are
starting to call taurine a conditionally essential nutrient for dogs and
this is a rather new viewpoint.

Also, would prefer not
to mix all his food together, since it should be beter for his
digestion not to put bad combos together.

...........Could you explain why you think this? Is this a spinoff from
food combining for people?

well i'm talking about just universally bad combos... foods that have
chemical conflicts (foods that need an acidic medium to digest mixed
with an alkaline one... oxalic acid and calcium, different types of
oils...). i personally have had much better results with my health
eating mono meals and watching what i mix. i couldn't imagine that
this is specific to humans. without excess grains and starches
though, food combining is far less of an issue. thanks for all of the
info, i have been reading as much information on the web as possible.
i'm on the road at the moment and can't find any good books, i can't
wait till i get back home and can really sit down and research this
stuff. thanks again!

"buglady" wrote in message . net...
"80k" wrote in message
m...
my dog has had chronic ear problems and his arthritis is getting worse
and worse... i'm really worried about the quality of his last few
years (he's a 9 year old Golden).

..........have you ever had a thyroid panel run? Goldens tend to
hypothyroidism and ear problems can reflect this. Since your dog is a
senior, I'd also recommend a complete blood panel including chemistry to
make sure there's nothing else going on. It's good to have the bloodwork
done as a baseline for future reference. Make sure you fast the dog for 12
hours before running bloodwork.



i've never looked into this, so i will defintely take this into
consideration :-)


I think i'm going to give him home-cooked meals, rather than the Nutro
dog kibble i have been giving him. I have heard to avoid grains and
certain starches like potato.
........avoid below ground veges, which are starchy (carrots, turnips,
potatoes, etc.) and full of carbohydrates.

i'd really like to give him a lot of
fruits and vegetables,
.......Why? Some fruits/veg are OK, but I wouldn't use a lot. Too much
fiber can inhibit uptake of minerals and may irritate the GI tract. All
dogs are different as to what they will tolerate which is one of the
benefits of preparing your own food, as you can adjust the food to fit the
dog. Don't start out with an idea of what you want your dog to eat. The
idea is to find a diet suited to your dog.


well he used to love to eat fruits and vegetables but lately has been
rejecting them. it's hard to even know what it is suitable for him at
this age and condition.



Any ideas on how
to get my dog to eat fruits and veggies? I also plan on cooking some
chicken or lamb for him everyday... probably just boiled or something.

I also plan on buying a book or two on this, but can anyone help me
get started?
..........The best way to start is to read some books to get an idea of what
is essential in a dog's diet. There is nothing that replaces doing your own
research on the issue and understanding what you are trying to accomplish
before jumping in. It is important to get enough calcium in a meal to
balance out the phosphorus in the meat. Dogs also get energy from fat.
Better to cut carbs than fat, unless your dog has a pancreatitis problem.

Here's a site with books listed:
http://www.listservice.net/wellpet/r...uide/books.htm
You can also join lists dedicated to the subject. The above site also
includes a list that is good. Yahoo has many lists. My personal
recommendations from Yahoo Groups are Totally Home Cooking and K9Nutrition.
When joining a list, though, it is a good idea to search the archives for a
few weeks first as many questions you might have when beginning this process
have probably already been answered.

And remember that books not published in the current year are a starting
place. Nutrition is an evolving subject in humans as well as dogs. For
example, I doubt any of the books mention supplementing taurine for dogs.
If you are cooking the meat, the taurine gets degraded. (There is evidence
that the GI bacteria further degrade it if the food is cooked.) They are
starting to call taurine a conditionally essential nutrient for dogs and
this is a rather new viewpoint.

Also, would prefer not
to mix all his food together, since it should be beter for his
digestion not to put bad combos together.

...........Could you explain why you think this? Is this a spinoff from
food combining for people?

well i'm talking about just universally bad combos... foods that have
chemical conflicts (foods that need an acidic medium to digest mixed
with an alkaline one... oxalic acid and calcium, different types of
oils...). i personally have had much better results with my health
eating mono meals and watching what i mix. i couldn't imagine that
this is specific to humans. without excess grains and starches
though, food combining is far less of an issue. thanks for all of the
info, i have been reading as much information on the web as possible.
i'm on the road at the moment and can't find any good books, i can't
wait till i get back home and can really sit down and research this
stuff. thanks again!

Suja wrote in message news:eI50b.1848$ae6.901@lakeread06...
80k wrote:
I also plan on buying a book or two on this, but can anyone help me
get started?

I think that you're planning on doing this backwards. Read up, join
groups dedicated to home cooking, thoroughly understand what you're
doing and why, and THEN start cooking for the dog.

Suja

yea i have some books on order. i just feel such a sense of urgency
because I just got the dog back in my hands after 2 years of being
away. i didn't realize his condition until now, and am just so
worried about his diet. seeing him like this has made me feel so
terrible, and i'm still on the road with him for another week before I
can really sit down and get this straightened out, so all i have here
is the internet in the hotel room to gather as much info as i can! :-)

Suja wrote in message news:eI50b.1848$ae6.901@lakeread06...
80k wrote:
I also plan on buying a book or two on this, but can anyone help me
get started?

I think that you're planning on doing this backwards. Read up, join
groups dedicated to home cooking, thoroughly understand what you're
doing and why, and THEN start cooking for the dog.

Suja

yea i have some books on order. i just feel such a sense of urgency
because I just got the dog back in my hands after 2 years of being
away. i didn't realize his condition until now, and am just so
worried about his diet. seeing him like this has made me feel so
terrible, and i'm still on the road with him for another week before I
can really sit down and get this straightened out, so all i have here
is the internet in the hotel room to gather as much info as i can! :-)

"80k" wrote in message
om...
well i'm talking about just universally bad combos... foods that have
chemical conflicts (foods that need an acidic medium to digest mixed
with an alkaline one... oxalic acid and calcium, different types of
oils...). i personally have had much better results with my health
eating mono meals and watching what i mix. i couldn't imagine that
this is specific to humans.

........a dog's digestive system is more acidic and GI tract is shorter and
is built to handle meat products. I guess I don't understand the chemical
conflicts comment. The stomach is acidic and always should be or bacterial
invaders can sneak through. The acidity of the food stuffs get buffered in
the duodenum. Yes, oxalic acid ties up calcium. Feeding a lot of spinach
is not a good idea. Yes, fruits tend to go through the system faster than
other foods. The key to successfully preparing home food is to tailor it to
the dog and get as much variety in there as possible.

.......In your other post you say you're on the road. What you can do for
your dog right now is use bottled water while on the trip and after you
reach home start mixing local water into it gradually. Feed canned food -
easier to digest and takes less work for the body to extract nutrients. Get
some digestive enzymes and add to food. Give your pup probiotics too,
especially important in traveling as dog is encountering new critters every
day while walking around in the grass everywhere you stop. The heart of the
immune system is in the gut so protecting and nourishing the gut is always
the first place to start, IMHO. Maybe even some B50 complex for stress for
you both! Your dog has enough to adjust to at the moment - new person, on
the road, new home, etc. Right now it would be a better idea to support the
immune system, establish a routine when you get *home* to lessen anxiety in
the dog and find a good vet and get baseline bloodwork + a 6 panel thyroid
done. Meanwhile you're reading. When the dog and you are both settled in,
start with a simple diet.

buglady
take out the dog before replying