i recently adopted a 3 year old siberian husky. he's quite thin because the previous owner said he doesn't really have a big appetite. i tried giving him boiled beef and found out that he really liked it and ate a lot. i'm just concerned that he might not be getting the nutrition he needs from just boiled beef alone. we tried different kinds of dog food. dry, canned, semi-moist but he doesn't really like it. mixing boiled beef with his dog food does not work either. he's smart enough to separate the beef from his dry dog food. any suggestions?

[Lara's mom]

Try this: Boil the beef in some water with a low sodium stock cube or two. Add cut up sweet potato, carrots, and whatever other veggies your dog likes and cook until almost tender. Thicken it with brown rice, whole wheat pasta or barley.

[CorkyMax]

[QUOTE=lupo;71411]i recently adopted a 3 year old siberian husky. he's quite thin because the previous owner said he doesn't really have a big appetite. i tried giving him boiled beef and found out that he really liked it and ate a lot. i'm just concerned that he might not be getting the nutrition he needs from just boiled beef alone. we tried different kinds of dog food. dry, canned, semi-moist but he doesn't really like it. mixing boiled beef with his dog food does not work either. he's smart enough to separate the beef from his dry dog food. any suggestions?

You are definitely right---meat alone is very, very bad.
Not going into all the details as to why but it could end up directly or indirectly causing the dog's death! Dogs require carbohydrates and fat as well as the protein from the meat and other sources---A balanced diet!!! I feed mostly a raw food diet. My dogs love veggies too but I know it is best to start them on them at a very young age so they acquire a taste for them.
I would like to see you try a raw food diet---Think that breed would do well on it! Here is a link to very good info on raw feeding:
BARF for Beginners - Most Frequently Asked Questions Also put words like raw feeding/dogs in your browser---will bring up many sites. You know I don't blame any dog for not wanting to eat commercial dog food---It is really poisonous and the nutrition is not there at all-----I can't stress that enough!! If you want to find out about the crap that it is---I have posted about it before---Can't tell you exactly where to look but if you search the posts and threads under this forum--Dog Health and Nutrition (in this dog forum) you will find a lot of info.
You can also find info by going up to top of page--find the blue strip across the page that has the white words to click on---find the word Search-click and put whatever word/words that you are interested in-in the search box--select either threads or posts (I would try threads 1st) If you are interested in trying a raw food diet---Please do some research 1st. I can't go into all the
details but 1 thing I want you to know about raw veggies--You have to grind/pulverize real, real fine in order for the dog to get the nutrients as they can not break down the celulose wall of the veggies. I use a mini food processor and scrape down the sides several times to make sure it all gets ground fine. Grinding has an added bonus---easier to mix in with the raw meat! I use to do all home-cooking but switched to raw a couple years ago.
There are pros and cons to both ways but I prefer the raw now although I do not like raw fish or pork--so I will give some cooked foods now and then and oatmeal -2-3 times a week (with other added thing like eggs, pumpkin, etc). A note here about grains--They aren't the best thing for most dogs (maybe all dogs). I wish I could tell you all I'd like to but just too much of a task! Sorry, Lara's mom but I just have to say this--The one big problem I see with home-cooking--although to me it is the next best to raw way of feeding and definitely way better than commercial crap (I may eventually even go back to it but I would have to add supplements to replace the 40% nutrients lost because cooking/heating destroys that much!! NO MATTER IF YOU CHOOSE ONE OF THESE WAYS OF FEEDING (and I sure hope you do--you'll be doing your dog a (and I know this sounds dramatic to you--but it is true!) life-saving thing!!! As I was going to say MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT WHAT FOODS ARE HAZZARDOUS for a dog to have---Check out the thread in this forum on that (also under Dog Health and Nutrition) I'll bet that dog would love a whole (yes-shell and all) egg. Do not feed just one thing all the time even if you find something he loves because it would not be nutritionally sound!! I would crack the egg and put in his dish. If he likes the egg--next time try adding some grated (very fine) carrots or asparagus or pea pods--Don't put in too much veg. to start with--try a Tablespoon for a starter. It is easy to mix grated veggies into raw hamberger or ground turkey too. The veggies I mentioned above are just a few (NEVER ONIONS) that my dogs like the best--I even grind up lettuce (from my garden) and use as part of a veggie blend--I think dogs like greens--1 of the reasons they eat grass at times. Other foods to try--for now--want to get that dog eating a lot better right away--Before I go any further here--Please read all salt/sodium content and be careful as salt can be a killer too--I think I read as much as 2 tsps. of salt can kill a dog!!--so keep salt low--check labels before you buy and of course the % they give on the label is for a human which would be a much bigger % for dogs--Prob about 5 times as much for say a 30# dog!! So some ideas for now--cottage cheese--Start with small portions of things to avoid the salt for one thing!! canned pumpkin (not the sugar filled pie filling--just reg. plain pumpkin) plain lowfat yogurt--mix in a couple Tbsps with other foods. Never feed grapes (as little as 6 can cause kidney failure and death)--same goes for raisins, Never give RAW salmon esp from warm waters as there is a parasite that can kill your dog in this salmon. I use to make a meatloaf--no onions allowed and put finely ground carrots in it along with some spinach(the frozen kind--thaw of course) You have to grind fine because it is hard to get the carrots cooked through before the loaf is done. I would cook up some brown rice and blend it in the meatloaf before baking. You cannot add uncooked rice as it never would get cooked and that would be useless for your dog. You could also make meatballs out of this mixture, minus the rice unless you cook it 1st!!-- and I would try them raw 1st! I do feed canned mackerel or salmon sometimes--mix in a raw egg and/or cottage cheese or yogurt--Again watch the salt/sodium! I don't like to mention grains too much but this is a big dog and requires more at a meal than too much salt-filled mackerel/cottage cheese,etc so maybe adding some cooked brown rice to it all. There is a lot more to be told here ---try to find some of my other posts here-I am sure I am repeating a lot of things I have already posted in this forum---I am frustrated because there is so much more to know and I just can't do it!! But if you have any specific questions--ask and I hope I can answer them! LOL, would you call all of this info 'Food for Thought!' (really not a laughing matter though--love dogs--want to help them as much as I can!!)

[Lara's mom]

With all due respect to Corky/Max, both of my girls Doctors have told me in no uncertain terms that they would NEVER feed their own dogs raw food and they would not recommend it for their patients.. I suppose it comes down to a matter of choice but, I firmly believe in cooking the food that my girls eat.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

With all due respect to Corky/Max, both of my girls Doctors have told me in no uncertain terms that they would NEVER feed their own dogs raw food and they would not recommend it for their patients.. I suppose it comes down to a matter of choice but, I firmly believe in cooking the food that my girls eat.

As you said--it is a matter of choice and up to the individual! I have one comment about your doctors--Are they regular vets?? If they were holistic--I bet they would not say that! Do they home-cook or do they use the crappy commercial dog food that they are probably promoting? If they home-cook--then they know the commercial crap they are prob. selling the public is not good! If they are feeding what they sell---What does that tell you?

You know as well as I that talking about raw feeding and cooked is as bad a subject to get on as religion or politics---but sometimes it is going to come up and sometimes it can become 'heated' which I don't want to happen here!
(one of the reasons I avoided mentioning raw chicken necks and bone!!) I have read many of your posts and respect your way of thinking but we are just not going to agree on this raw versus cooked. And I know this discussion has not gone 'that far' and become heated but it has happened in here before and I want to avoid that happening again. I really do like your way of thinking on everything else and if I were feeding cooked--I do like the way you do it--I did and had the same way of doing it as you do! And after all of this--I hope you still consider me a friend. (I do you!)

[Lara's mom]

Corky/Max:

Of course I still consider you a friend! To my way of thinking, people can disagree without it "turning into a war." That is what a forum is all about - the respectful exchange of views. There are bound to be disagreements. However, nothing is accomplished when people turn an intelligent discussion into an arguement.

One can disagree without disrespecting the other person or their particular point of view. What a boring forum this would be if everybody agreed with everybody else all the time! One of the reasons I like it here so much is that people are almost always respectful to one another. I've left a couple of others because of the nastiness.

If I gave you the impression that I was not respectful to you, I'm truly sorry because it certainly was not my intent.

I would recommend trying to slowly mix the beef in with whatever other food you wish for the dog to eat. Over time, add less and less beef into the mix so that you can acclimate him to the normal food.

[Lara's mom]

Corky/Max:

In answer to your question, both of my girls Doctors use a combination of traditional medicine combined with herbal and homeopathic treatments.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Corky/Max:

In answer to your question, both of my girls Doctors use a combination of traditional medicine combined with herbal and homeopathic treatments.

That is good to know but what do they feed their own dogs? After asking you that question--I got to thinking that it would be a good question for everybody to ask their own vet!! Just to put them on the spot---The real question is-- Do you feed your own dogs the 'stuff' you sell!!?? And then hope they answer honestly! If they say they don't feed what they sell--I think I'd be looking for another vet for sure. The only thing is I'd be feeling sorry for their dogs if they did feed what they sell! Actually whatever answer they gave---I'd lose respect for them either way! All I can say--I wish I had a holistic vet near here because I'd pick him any day. And a vet that doesn't sell dog food would be my 2nd choice, that is if there is such a vet!!

[Lunareclipse]

I feed my dogs dry doggfood and cook for them also. I do not give raw food.
I do not disagree with a raw food diet. It seems to work well for a lot of people. I have even given my dogs raw food before. I cooked vegetables and mixed it with raw ground meat and my daughter came home from school thinking it was dinner and ended up with pinworms. So it thouroughly cook any meal i give to my dogs. And told my daughter she is not to get into anything without asking.

Originally Posted by RSmith103

I would recommend trying to slowly mix the beef in with whatever other food you wish for the dog to eat. Over time, add less and less beef into the mix so that you can acclimate him to the normal food.

tried it already. he's too smart to pick out the beef and leave the dry dog food in his bowl.

One thing that my vet has told me in the past is just to stop giving him the unwanted food altogether. Leave down the dry food (or whatever you plan on feeding him), and he will eat it eventually. Dogs may be stubborn and spoiled, but they're not going to starve themselves because they don't like the food at first.

My dogs can't stand canned food either. I cook my dogs their dinner everynight.
I boil water, put kangaroo mince in, a spoon full of garlic, bring it back to a boil, put pasta/rice in, turn the hot plate off and then put in a pack of frozen veggies, maybe a handful of dry food on top. Let it cool dwn and serve to your hungry puppies.

Some owners maybe shocked I put garlic in, I first thought its bad for them to, but the small amount mixed in does no damage, it helps to keep fleas and ticks away too, all my dogs have lived into there late 15+.

At least once a week the get raw chicken necks or bones for there teeth, an the two puppies I have get dry food in the morning, along with puppy milk - which im shortly changing to lactose free milk with added calcium powder.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Sonny&Akasha

My dogs can't stand canned food either. I cook my dogs their dinner everynight.
I boil water, put kangaroo mince in, a spoon full of garlic, bring it back to a boil, put pasta/rice in, turn the hot plate off and then put in a pack of frozen veggies, maybe a handful of dry food on top. Let it cool dwn and serve to your hungry puppies.

Some owners maybe shocked I put garlic in, I first thought its bad for them to, but the small amount mixed in does no damage, it helps to keep fleas and ticks away too, all my dogs have lived into there late 15+.

At least once a week the get raw chicken necks or bones for there teeth, an the two puppies I have get dry food in the morning, along with puppy milk - which im shortly changing to lactose free milk with added calcium powder.

I hope you will not give too much calcium--If you don't know why--hope you will research this---Actually too much could eventually cause your dog's death. Too many people have ruined their dog's health thinking that giving a lot of calcium is good. It is 'tricky.' Will quote from 1 of my books: Close to 99% of the calcium in your dog's body is found in her skeleton. Most of the remainder is in the blood. Calcium keeps bones and teeth strong and fluids balanced. It helps regulate heartbeat and is necessary for normal blood clotting. Without calcium your dog would not be able to utilize magnesium and phosphorus, and to make things even more complicated the ratio of calcium to phosphorus to magnesium is very important. EXCESS calcium causes decreased phosphorus absorption, and excess phosphorus causes decreased calcium absorption. Calcium without magnesium makes the calcium useless, because it needs magnesium to be absorbed by the body. Your dog's body can easily regulate the balance of these minerals when it gets adequate amounts of all of them in the diet.
----Nutritional sources of calcium are leafy green vegetables, beans, blackstrap molasses, soy, sardines, and salmon. No, I did not leave out milk by mistake. Contrary to popular belief, milk is not a good source of calcium, because there is not enough magnesium in milk for the calcium to be used efficiently..
----Calcium is so well known for'building strong bodies' THAT MANY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY OWNERS OF LARGE AND GIANT DOGS, MAKE THE MISTAKE OF OVERSUPPLEMENTING CALCIUM< WHICH CAN BE AS DETRIMENTAL AS A DEFICIENCY. As with the other minerals, stick to a multivitamin-mineral supplement using the following recommended daily dosage:
small (up to 20#) and med. (20-50#)---100mg.
lg. (50-100#) and giant (over 100#) dogs---200mg.

PHOSPHORUS: sm. and med. dogs---50mg.
lg and giant dogs---100mg.

MAGNESIUM: sm. and med. dogs: 50mg.
lg. and giant dogs: 100mg.

Please do some research---web or library books, etc. for more information

[CorkyMax]

Just found this site. It tells you all I couldn't (didn't) on what to give for pups/dogs and gives the reasons too much calcium is harmful!!
WHEN DOES A PUPPY REALLY RECEIVE TOO MUCH CALCIUM?

[Lara's mom]

Oh dear...I hope I'm not doing the wrong thing by putting a couple of TBSP of cottage cheese in my girls food once a week!

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

Oh dear...I hope I'm not doing the wrong thing by putting a couple of TBSP of cottage cheese in my girls food once a week!

I wouldn't be worried about giving that little bit of cottage cheese. It is very healthy for them, as long as it's given in moderation (just like everything else).

[Lara's mom]

You're absolutely correct! It would be interesting to know what the Doctors are feeding their dogs. I know that Lara's Doctor and his partner home cook for their brood because his partner Phillipe passed a few good recipes onto me. I'll ask Bailey's Doctor the next time she goes for her blood test. She doesn't sell Hills products at her practice. I think the stuff she sells is called Medi-cal...Anyway, it would be interesting to have people report back on what their vets said!

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by Lara's mom

You're absolutely correct! It would be interesting to know what the Doctors are feeding their dogs. I know that Lara's Doctor and his partner home cook for their brood because his partner Phillipe passed a few good recipes onto me. I'll ask Bailey's Doctor the next time she goes for her blood test. She doesn't sell Hills products at her practice. I think the stuff she sells is called Medi-cal...Anyway, it would be interesting to have people report back on what their vets said!

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, it would be interesting to see some more member's replys on this! Hey guys--Put your vet on the spot and hope he answers truthfully!! (So what does Lara's doctor sell for dog food?

And by the way--I too feed cottage cheese (actually more than your amount)
and I am really more concerned with the salt in it than the calcium.

[Lara's mom]

It would be a good thing to start a new thread and see what kind of responses we get!