Cooking for your York? - YorkieTalk.com Forums

LinsZooCrew · 10-14-2006, 08:26 PM

Anyone here have their baby on a homecooked diet? I am really considering this. Especially since Keifer is a picky eater when it comes to dog food but adores people food. I remember how grandparents used to cook for their pets, there was no prepackaged dog or cat food. And it sure seems they were sick less and lived just as long. Any input on this?
Thanks in advance!

Miss_Sara · 10-15-2006, 01:51 AM

I tried with boiled chicken

it gave Tila the runs!!!!

bettyeanne · 10-15-2006, 03:33 AM

Just saw your post. Our Toto is the pickiest eater I have ever seen .... and can hold out the longest if she doesn't get what she wants. I discovered this food months ago and have not had any more problems. The website is: www.thehonestkitchen.com .... there's lots of information about the food. I feed Toto twice a day .... rehydrated Force with a little parsley chicken and a few english peas .... I usually mix a couple of tablespoons chicken broth with this to make it the consistency that she likes. Her total for the day is probably 1/4 cup total ... sometimes a little more. I cannot bring myself to feed her raw meat and our vet approved this food combination and quantity.

Don't know if this helps .... but Toto gives it 2 paws up!!

Lexi Rae · 10-16-2006, 08:00 AM

lexi eats home cooked food everyday... i put alittle in with her dry food.
mostly chicken.. she loves it...plus of course whatever i eat she has to get some of it... spoiled rotten i tell ya

Piccolo's mom · 10-16-2006, 08:19 AM

I can't find the post with home meals for our babies.
Does anybody remember it?

LuvMySissy · 10-16-2006, 10:09 AM

Sissy gets homecooked meals daily. She starts off with breakfast which is 1/4 container of Dannon Activia Vanilla yogurt (with her Missing Link). Lunch is a few bites of fruit. Dinner is boiled chicken with various veggies, sweet potato and/or brown rice and she also gets some Natural Balance Meat Roll. When I'm gone during the day, she is left with dry kibble (Solid Gold Wee Bits) which she sometimes eats, sometimes doesn't; but is never enough for a meal.

LinsZooCrew · 10-17-2006, 09:53 AM

Jodie~ How long as Sissy been fed this way? And no issues? Thank you so much! I just feel there has to be a better way to feed our babies!!

tumblnstar · 10-18-2006, 01:06 PM

i am a home cooker for my oscar. my whole family is on an organic diet so why wouldnt i put oscar on it too? i made the decision after i couldnt find a 100% organic dog food. you are right about thinking that the processed foods do limit ours and our babies health and life expectancy. im a huge believer. i usually have a few staples in the freezer for when i cant feed oscar what im eating(too spicy..i like things hot!

like chicken, rice, veggies, etc. but generally i just let him eat what i do. he always gets fruit and yogurt in the morning though. it really keeps him regular and his digestive tract rolling. have you ever thought about chiropractic? you sound like someone after my own heart.

LuvMySissy · 10-18-2006, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LinsZooCrew

Jodie~ How long as Sissy been fed this way? And no issues? Thank you so much! I just feel there has to be a better way to feed our babies!!

Sissy has been eating like this for 4 months now. Our vet is aware and actually gave me some recipes from Hills PD, but they involved adding spices and things I just didn't feel comfortable with. She said as long as she was getting vitamins (I use missing link) and other hard things to chew, she would be fine with thi. She does get a bite here and there when we are eating, but I stick to things like veggies or a very small bite of lean meat. Hubby will occasionally share a McDonald french fry, but that is only on weekends.

This all started because she got sick with Giardia and completely turned her nose up at all dog foods, dry, canned, moistened, with gravy, etc. I tried about 10 different brands before I just started cooking. I have a problem with the philosophy that "when they get hungry enough they'll eat" when she was under 4 lbs and had lost several ounces from being sick.

Since eating like this, she has started eating kibble again (another different brand of food I tried) but only knibbles here and there - not enough for a meal. But the good thing is that if I know I'll be gone for any length of time, I can leave a bowl of kibble for her so she won't starve. She loves her doggie treats, too - but she gets very small pieces of a single treat throughout the day when she potties.

Laur · 10-18-2006, 07:40 PM

I found this post to be very informative since Diamond will NOT eat her dry kibble throughout the day unless you put a treat in little pieces in with her food and even then, she just chews the treats.

I am debating other methods but I am in work and grad school so I don't have much time to cook for her during the day. I could feed her yogurt in the morning and fruit at lunch, no problem.

Any suggestions? I went to that link for the honest kitchen but does anyone else use it?

Oh & Diamond has been on Royal Canin and Merricks. She turns her nose up to to both usually and she is still very small...only 2 pounds, 12 ounces. The breeder only expects her to get up to 3 pounds because her mom and dad were so small. So that just makes me more worried when she doesn't eat!

Suggestions?

Bruce's_Mom · 10-18-2006, 10:41 PM

I occassionally prepare Bruce dinners with little portions of meat either boiled chicken or grilled/broiled salmon and a vegetable HE LOVES BROCCOLI, he also likes green beans, and squash.

LinsZooCrew · 10-19-2006, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tumblnstar

have you ever thought about chiropractic? you sound like someone after my own heart.

What would a Chiropractor do? I do feel so much better about home cooking when I see there are others doing it too!

Marydb · 10-20-2006, 10:30 AM

Hi. My name is Mary and I have a yorkie who is 3 years old. She is the fussiest eater I have ever seen. She will not eat dog food. When she was a pup she ate Eukenaba on occassion, but she kept throwing up and refusing to eat. So I tried canned food from the vet called Hills Science Diet D/D for sensitive stomachs. She would eat that on occassion.
Now I cook for her. Cassie seems to like ground turkey, frozen peas, frozen broccoli, carrots, asparagus, sweet potatoes, etc. I stay away from gd beef as that seems to upset her stomach. I try to throw rice in with her food but she doesn't always like that either.
Cassie has some kind of allergy so she gets cortizone shots every month. I wish I knew what she was allergic to as it seems to affect her appetite.
Good luck with the cooking!

yorkieangel · 10-20-2006, 10:38 AM

I do homecooking ALOT for the dogs. I find it quite easy and think it makes the ones who stay on it look great. I do mix it up with kibble though . I use Blue Buffalo for Kibble

Potter · 10-20-2006, 11:36 AM

I used to cook for my previous dogs-they were Spitzs and a Shih-Tzu in my home country when I was staying with my family. I have a recipe that maintains a well-balanced diet.They did really well and lived a long age and always loves their food and I meant always! My Shih Tzu named Sugar was adopted from the shelter and he was very old..maybe 8 years old and he has had a history of seizure. No one adopted him because he is old. He looked so sad and I just couldn't bring myself to leave him there so I adopted him and he had seizure due to stress in change of environment the day we got him and went to the vet and the vet said he will most probably have lots of seizure. We try to exercise him and kept him on the home cooked diet and you know what, he never had another seizure and became healthier and healthier and lived for a long time up to about 16 years old. If anyone wants the recipe, you may PM me. I will be glad to give.
You can actually cook once every 2 weeks and freeze the rest in daily portions. My baby now however eats commercial dry food and occasional homemade treats and fruits/vegetables because I couldn't keep up with the cooking. Although my baby is thriving well on commercial food, I still believe that home cooked fresh meal is always the best both for human (human food) and dogs too even if it is non-organic but of course, if you can afford it, organic is the way to go. With the limitation of time and convenience, most people will opt for commercial food and I think that may be the only reason why they are so popular.

10-14-2006, 08:26 PM	#1
LinsZooCrew Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Northeast IL Posts: 109	Cooking for your York? Anyone here have their baby on a homecooked diet? I am really considering this. Especially since Keifer is a picky eater when it comes to dog food but adores people food. I remember how grandparents used to cook for their pets, there was no prepackaged dog or cat food. And it sure seems they were sick less and lived just as long. Any input on this? Thanks in advance!

10-15-2006, 03:33 AM	#3
bettyeanne Donating YT 7000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Alabama, etc. Posts: 9,031	Just saw your post. Our Toto is the pickiest eater I have ever seen .... and can hold out the longest if she doesn't get what she wants. I discovered this food months ago and have not had any more problems. The website is: www.thehonestkitchen.com .... there's lots of information about the food. I feed Toto twice a day .... rehydrated Force with a little parsley chicken and a few english peas .... I usually mix a couple of tablespoons chicken broth with this to make it the consistency that she likes. Her total for the day is probably 1/4 cup total ... sometimes a little more. I cannot bring myself to feed her raw meat and our vet approved this food combination and quantity. Don't know if this helps .... but Toto gives it 2 paws up!! __________________ Toto's Mom - http://www.dogster.com/?206581 Yorkie Rescue Colorado - http://www.yorkierescuecolorado.com/ "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits." -- Albert Einstein

10-16-2006, 08:00 AM	#4
Lexi Rae Gina, (Lexi's Mommy) Donating Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: LONG ISLAND,NY Posts: 10,455	lexi eats home cooked food everyday... i put alittle in with her dry food. mostly chicken.. she loves it...plus of course whatever i eat she has to get some of it... spoiled rotten i tell ya __________________ Gina & Lexi CLICK HERE for our Photo Album ...

10-16-2006, 08:19 AM	#5
Piccolo's mom Donating Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 778	I can't find the post with home meals for our babies. Does anybody remember it? __________________ Barb & Piccolo If your dog barks and doesn't fit in a bread roll, don't eat it.

10-16-2006, 10:09 AM	#6
LuvMySissy Luv my Angel, too! Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: USA Posts: 9,333	Sissy gets homecooked meals daily. She starts off with breakfast which is 1/4 container of Dannon Activia Vanilla yogurt (with her Missing Link). Lunch is a few bites of fruit. Dinner is boiled chicken with various veggies, sweet potato and/or brown rice and she also gets some Natural Balance Meat Roll. When I'm gone during the day, she is left with dry kibble (Solid Gold Wee Bits) which she sometimes eats, sometimes doesn't; but is never enough for a meal. __________________ Sissy & Angel

10-15-2006, 01:51 AM	#2
Miss_Sara And Tila, too! Donating Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Cali Posts: 620	I tried with boiled chicken it gave Tila the runs!!!!

10-17-2006, 09:53 AM	#7
LinsZooCrew Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Northeast IL Posts: 109	Jodie~ How long as Sissy been fed this way? And no issues? Thank you so much! I just feel there has to be a better way to feed our babies!!

10-18-2006, 01:06 PM	#8
tumblnstar Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 112	i am a home cooker for my oscar. my whole family is on an organic diet so why wouldnt i put oscar on it too? i made the decision after i couldnt find a 100% organic dog food. you are right about thinking that the processed foods do limit ours and our babies health and life expectancy. im a huge believer. i usually have a few staples in the freezer for when i cant feed oscar what im eating(too spicy..i like things hot! like chicken, rice, veggies, etc. but generally i just let him eat what i do. he always gets fruit and yogurt in the morning though. it really keeps him regular and his digestive tract rolling. have you ever thought about chiropractic? you sound like someone after my own heart.

10-18-2006, 07:40 PM	#10
Laur Love my Diamond girl Donating Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: AZ Posts: 822	I found this post to be very informative since Diamond will NOT eat her dry kibble throughout the day unless you put a treat in little pieces in with her food and even then, she just chews the treats. I am debating other methods but I am in work and grad school so I don't have much time to cook for her during the day. I could feed her yogurt in the morning and fruit at lunch, no problem. Any suggestions? I went to that link for the honest kitchen but does anyone else use it? Oh & Diamond has been on Royal Canin and Merricks. She turns her nose up to to both usually and she is still very small...only 2 pounds, 12 ounces. The breeder only expects her to get up to 3 pounds because her mom and dad were so small. So that just makes me more worried when she doesn't eat! Suggestions? __________________ Proud mommy of Diamond

10-18-2006, 10:41 PM	#11
Bruce's_Mom YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 779	I occassionally prepare Bruce dinners with little portions of meat either boiled chicken or grilled/broiled salmon and a vegetable HE LOVES BROCCOLI, he also likes green beans, and squash. __________________ Bruce's Dogster Page http://www.dogster.com/?177273

10-20-2006, 10:30 AM	#13
Marydb Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Caledonia, MI Posts: 79	cooking for your yorkie Hi. My name is Mary and I have a yorkie who is 3 years old. She is the fussiest eater I have ever seen. She will not eat dog food. When she was a pup she ate Eukenaba on occassion, but she kept throwing up and refusing to eat. So I tried canned food from the vet called Hills Science Diet D/D for sensitive stomachs. She would eat that on occassion. Now I cook for her. Cassie seems to like ground turkey, frozen peas, frozen broccoli, carrots, asparagus, sweet potatoes, etc. I stay away from gd beef as that seems to upset her stomach. I try to throw rice in with her food but she doesn't always like that either. Cassie has some kind of allergy so she gets cortizone shots every month. I wish I knew what she was allergic to as it seems to affect her appetite. Good luck with the cooking!

10-20-2006, 10:38 AM	#14
yorkieangel Rescue Angel Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: md Posts: 1,530	I do homecooking ALOT for the dogs. I find it quite easy and think it makes the ones who stay on it look great. I do mix it up with kibble though . I use Blue Buffalo for Kibble __________________ Yorkieangel

10-20-2006, 11:36 AM	#15
Potter YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 2,583	I agree on home cooked food. I used to cook for my previous dogs-they were Spitzs and a Shih-Tzu in my home country when I was staying with my family. I have a recipe that maintains a well-balanced diet.They did really well and lived a long age and always loves their food and I meant always! My Shih Tzu named Sugar was adopted from the shelter and he was very old..maybe 8 years old and he has had a history of seizure. No one adopted him because he is old. He looked so sad and I just couldn't bring myself to leave him there so I adopted him and he had seizure due to stress in change of environment the day we got him and went to the vet and the vet said he will most probably have lots of seizure. We try to exercise him and kept him on the home cooked diet and you know what, he never had another seizure and became healthier and healthier and lived for a long time up to about 16 years old. If anyone wants the recipe, you may PM me. I will be glad to give. You can actually cook once every 2 weeks and freeze the rest in daily portions. My baby now however eats commercial dry food and occasional homemade treats and fruits/vegetables because I couldn't keep up with the cooking. Although my baby is thriving well on commercial food, I still believe that home cooked fresh meal is always the best both for human (human food) and dogs too even if it is non-organic but of course, if you can afford it, organic is the way to go. With the limitation of time and convenience, most people will opt for commercial food and I think that may be the only reason why they are so popular. __________________ http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=410379 "No matter how little money and how few possesions you own, having a dog makes you rich."