Ok this lady should not be telling people to feed their dogs garlic. It contains a compound that when fed repeatedly to your dogs causes it to be built up in their blood stream and can have severe side effects. Larger dogs can handle more, but I'm still not sure why you would gamble with something where the side effects won't appear until it is too late to fix. Years ago we had a dog that loved grapes, but obviously once it came out they can be harmful we stopped letting him eat them since it wasn't worth it to risk it becoming a problem. Unless people are willing to do the research to make sure their homemade recipes are safe and meeting their pet's dietary needs, stick to store bought. There are some really good organic brands out there and even if you don't like that it's processed at least you know that it's balanced and meets the nutrition requirements of your pets.

A vegetarian diet is not in keeping with the genetics of dogs or cats and is quite harmful to them. Just because that lady has a pair of beagles that are genetically blessed with long life has little to do with her militant veganism. That is a dangerous diet to feed a dog and cat. If people want to feed a healthy homemade diet, then research the BARF diet. You need to be very careful about adding calcium to a dog's diet. Too much calcium in a puppy's diet will cripple them.....People are forcing their companion animals to eat the way the person wants, not what is best for the needs of the animal....

I'll dirty dishes making Felix's dinner when he can climb onto the sink and wash them.

I fed my dog Science Diet for years, because a vet told me it was the best food I could give her. Then about three years ago I learned that SD is one of the WORST pet foods on the market - mostly filler, and I felt terrible, especially since she hated it. I did some research and started feeding her very good-quality canned and dry food, which she loved for awhile...but even that got old for her. I started cooking for her last year, and now she can't wait for meal time. I make meat loaf with ground chicken, turkey or beef, with rice, oats, pureed veggies, applesauce, tomato paste and eggs, and I mix it with a handful of good-quality kibble. It takes about 5 minutes to put together, and it's SO worthwhile to see my 14-year-old dog jump around like a puppy when it's time to dig in. I can see where this could be a lot of trouble for a large dog or multiple pets, but to make one small dog happy it seems like a trivial effort.

I recently discoverd that cats are lacking an enzyme that makes protein. The way that is corrected is by the makers of pet food to add Taurine. We can't put Taurine into their people food,at least the article didn't cover how to . Since the cats can't make protein,they lack the fact that we,as humans have,to keep warm. This is why I ask everyone to have a heart,leave a box with a old towel out in cold weather,you will be blessed by doing so. Dogs and cats need meat,also people,please put out some water,as they can't get clean fresh water,especially in hot clilmates,like Florida,where I live. I also found out by error,that cats are unable to digest milk,like myself,they are lactose intolerant ,most of the gene,some may not. I was giving a feral cat milk with her food,noticed she was getting thin,did research on computor ,found they lack an enzyme again to digest milk. I now give Lactaid to my cats,as myself,and they are happy,healthy and look for feeding time twice daily. They need a safe place to hide,so please put a box,or a foam ice chest for insulation out for them, you will sleep well knowing you are helping God's little earth angels.Google this yourself,see that cats are very different from dogs,dogs can make protein,vitamins,but cats can't.

I run an Australian Cattle Dog rescue in California, and I have been feeding both my own dogs and my foster dogs a home made diet for 6 years. My dogs are thriving on it. Anyone interested in giving home made food a try can get my recipe for free by checking out my website at www.cattledogdreams.com. Look under "Dream Food, etc." I find it costs about $1.50 per pound to make. Less if you use chicken since you can often get it for under $1 per pound. Enjoy!

Aside from a little commercialized pet food, I feed my rats fresh food. It's better for them and makes it more likely that I will eat something fresh that I can share.

I cook for my girls everyday when we get back from our 6 mile (my walk there run ) walk. i have two Vizslas-- Siena and Rufina named after two cities in the Tuscany region of Italy.. No fat on them at all..

www.ocdoggiedinners.com has been preparing homemade dog food for years now and you can't get this in a commercial chemically produced dry dog food.

I feed my dogs, fresh chicken, ground beef and vegetables. I have been doing this

all my adult life. I had one dog that live to be 23 years old, I had him put to sleep

because he was blind, and suffering from old age. He is buried in my back yard, with a azela bush on his grave, rock with his date of birth and death.

I give my dogs a handful of dry dog food with their meals.

I have two Aussies I feed them Nutro Lamb and Rice. I make their "treats" which supply about 30% of their food intake. I puree one pound of chicken livers, add two eggs, whole grain oatmeal (not the instant type, old fashioned quacker whole oats, a generoua tablespoon of garlic and enough whole wheat flour to make a batter. I cook it on a cookie sheet 350 degrees, for about 40 minutes, turn the oven off and let it cool. Cut into squares, and freeze batches. What I am feeding is always kept in fridge. My dogs have never been sick, have shiny bright coats and are full of energy.

My dogs eat homemade "doggie stew," which consists of rice, chicken (cut up into very small pieces) and carrots, as well as any other vegetables handy in the fridge, like chayote, broccoli, etc.    After switching to this from dry dog food, their skin problems ("hot spots," etc.) went away, their weight stabilized and they are much more active, softer, shinier fur, etc.  They also get a doggie multivitamin ("pet tabs") every day. 

Contrary to the commercials on TV (you know the one's I'm talking about for 'healthy' pet food) most commercial pet food contains meat by products (the stuff they can't put in hot dogs) corn, soy, gluten.  These are all the things that have been attributed to our pet's food allergies. Domestic dogs and cats are carnivores like their wild cousins. Any fruits, veggies and enzymes their wild cousins get are usually processed first by their prey.  Think about it.

Whilst I am in agreement with the philosophy of cooking for ones furry family member, I am also realisitc in what I can do in my life...and cooking to that extent for my babies is not feasible. I do however feed them high quality, well balance, age appropriate dog foods and suppliments. My Short haired pointer is 12 and she is still very energetic and most people are surprized to learn her age. I have a 13 yr old cat, an 8 yr old cat and 2- 3.5 yr old doxies who are also fed this way. I do occasionally make food for them (ground turkey, or chicken liver, brown rice, carrots, or sweet potatoes and peas) they mostly have store purchased high quality dog food.

I have a dog with grain allergies. She broke out in scaly bumps and had constant ear infections. In researching posible causes and a solution I decided to try changing her diet. Grain allergies are becoming more common as manufactures are adding cheaper ingredients to cut costs. I finally started reading the labels and researching what is in the commercial dog food I was buying. What an eye-opener! Like our own diets, manufactures keep adding more CORN, among other grains that have gluten, which is not good for dogs. Some of the so-called "premium" brands, like Science Diet, are now using low-quality ingredients (like anything labled "by-products") but still advertising themselves and charging as "premium".

Check these web sites: www dot dogfoodanalysis dot com, www dot dogfoodadvisor dot com

I changed my dog to a grain-free food (it has sweet potatoes as the starch). Finally, a solution to the itchy bumps and constant scratching. (I now give her "Nature's Domain" a new grain-free dog food carried at Costco warehouse stores. Is is a good quality at a lower cost) I realized that I had to change the treats, as my usual dog biscuits are made with wheat flour. So I now make my own out of: 1lb. ground turkey, cooked and mashed mashed yams and carrots, 2 eggs, a bit of garlic powder, and instant potato flakes. Mix and spread in a jelly roll pan, bake for an hour at 350, cut into squares, then continue to bake at a lower temperature until they are crunchy. My dogs love them, I get gormet quality at less cost than the dry biscuits I was buying. I usually make a double batch, two pans full, that last about a month (refridgerated).

I LOVE the RAW diet my 8 dogs and 1 cat have enjoyed all their young lives so far, No shedding, no doggie odor, no yucky teeth, no yucky ears...the list could just go on and on....

healthyhartmanpuppies.webs.com

I switched my dog to homemade on advice of a vet after being dianosed with cancer. The vet told me that the use of commercial dog foods have brought about the increase of cancer, allergy and other autoimune diseases. My dog lived a quality life for 13 months after learning of a very agressive melanoma and his chronic skin problems cleared up. Spending more on quality food is a lot better than paying a veterinarian when they are sick. No more commercial dog food for my dogs.

I agree that Science Diet is a scam. After approaching my vet about it, I was made to feel like a criminal or something. Since every vet I've seen carries tons of it, I can only presume they get a major profit on it~above and beyond the other brands. I showed him an article about it, but Science Diet is still in his store. Paul Newman makes a high standard Dog food, but NOT cat food. I have cats.