[vtbouvs]

I have been feeding all my dogs raw for over 2 years.. I stopped a couple months ago when I found out I was pregnant and my OB voiced concerns about toxoplasmosis.. I am not 100% convinced it is a really a issue with dogs fed raw but I am not willing to compromise my baby just in case... So I stopped feeding raw and started everyone on a grain free kibble.. I am not happy with the results of the switch...
So I am now wanting information on complete cooked diets for dogs well I am pregnant.. Are the basics the same amounts/ratios?.. I understand a calcium supplement needs to be added which appears that ground eggs shells is a good source, how much? We have 4 dogs, 3 Canadian Curs (40lb hunting breed), and 1 Bouvier De Flandres. Thanks
PS I just found a little info on pressure cooking chicken bones would this supple the calcium that is needed?

 

[rannmiller]

You're going to have to grind up a whole lot of eggshells in order to get those dogs their necessary calcium ratios. I would get a second opinion about raw feeding dogs because that just sounds bogus. My mom used to cook for us and my dad when she was pregnant all the time, every single day, which always included handling raw meat and she never got sick and we were all born super healthy.

However, it can be spread through infected raw meat so if you really want to go back to feeding raw you could always just wear latex gloves while handling the raw meat and/or make sure you wash your hands really well afterwards.

If you really don't want to do that though, I would recommend a diet of cooked meat and raw bones to get your dogs their proper calcium levels or else finding a good calcium supplement to give instead. Good luck!

 

[RawFedDogs]

I stopped a couple months ago when I found out I was pregnant and my OB voiced concerns about toxoplasmosis.. I am not 100% convinced it is a really a issue with dogs fed raw but I am not willing to compromise my baby just in case...

I have known many many pregnant women that fed raw with no problem. I never knew a one who had problems with the raw meat or the dogs that ate it.

ETA: Also when their babies were born, they continued to feed raw without problems with the babies.

 

[malluver1005]

I would think it is just a matter of cleanliness...

I would just wash my hands before and after handling the meat...

 

[ruckusluvr]

wear gloves if you are worried.

 

[vtbouvs]

Thank you everyone for your responses. Like I mentioned before I am stopping the raw feeding for now and am looking for more information on cooked diets.. If anyone could help with any suggestions I would really appreciate it...
I understand that if I continued feeding raw it may not be risky at all to the baby and I have always been very careful when handling raw meat.. I am just not comfortable when my OB is questioning it. thanks

 

[DaneMama]

You can do home cooked, the only issue would be getting enough bone in the diet, considering bone you cannot cook.

You would either have to keep up with RMB's, add bone meal instead or would have to add in a filler like rice and supplement with vitamins and minerals to replace the nutrition of the bone and bulk to their stool, last of which would be the least ideal. I personally have no idea where you can get bone meal, but I know that you can. I will research it a bit and get back.

To keep the meat still a bit raw, just sear it so you can keep some of the benefits of raw.

Make sure that you are giving organs as well, they are an essential part of the diet. Our dogs actually prefer organs cooked LOL.



In the end, you have to do what makes you comfortable and stick to it. Its not like you are doing a horrible thing by not feeding raw for a while. Home cooked still kicks the pants off of kibble, even high quality, grain free kibbles.

Good luck

ETA: I just did a quick search for bone meal on google and tons of links popped up. Seems like a fairly easy thing to order, but it looks to me like there are two kinds...fertilizer for plants and the nutritional supplement.

 

[rannmiller]

Here's where I got my bone meal when I was making ground raw food for my kitties when I was switching them over to raw: Megs Meats Truckee, California

 

[vtbouvs]

Thanks.. I am curious if anyone has experience with pressure cooking chicken with bones and if it would provide enough calcium???

 

[DaneMama]

Pressure cooking is still cooking and going to make chicken bones dangerous for dogs to eat, at least it seems to be. I have never done it but would never think to give my dogs cooked chicken bones in any way shape or form. Unless pressure cooking chicken bones makes them into mush or something?

I am not sure if pressure cooking the bones would compromise the vitamins in the bones, but my guess would be that not 100% and that cooked bones would still provide enough calcium as well as the other important nutrients. Remember that bones are not fed exclusively for the calcium but for other vitamins and minerals as well, like Phosphorus.

 

[vtbouvs]

From the information I have read that pressure cooking does turn the chicken bones into mush.. I was surprised when I found this info and am going to be talking to a local holistic vet tomorrow to get some more input...

 

[rannmiller]

yeah I've heard that about pressure cooking bones as well.

 

[whiteleo]

How do you think they are able to put that wing in the "Merrick" canned wing-a-ling dog food, it would have to be pressure cooked, is my guess.

 

[rannmiller]

My biggest question is: if you're still going to cook for your dogs, you'll still be handling the raw meat. How does that reduce the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis?

 

[Ania's Mommy]

My biggest question is: if you're still going to cook for your dogs, you'll still be handling the raw meat. How does that reduce the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis?

That's what I was wonderin' too. I would think that you would need to handle the raw meat more by preping it first than to just hand it to the dog.

Do you feed your dogs indoors and are worried about leftover stuff on the floor? You could try to feed them outside. We've always fed Ania outside ('cuz I'm a germ-a-phobe) and I can assure you that even when the weather is crappy, she's still more excited to eat than care about the weather! :biggrin:

I understand your concerns, though. I've never had kids, but I would like to think that when the time comes, I play it safe. Baby trumps dog! :biggrin: The whole "no bleu cheese or sushi" thing may just kill me, though!

Richelle

 

[Ania's Mommy]

Oh! And I meant to put this in my last post, but forgot.

Though I don't have any recipes to impart to you myself, I remember seeing countless books with homemade dog food recipes at Petco. I was seriously considering doing it until I found out about feeding raw (MUCH less work!).

If you have a Petco near you (probably even PetSmart would have some), you should check it out. If not, I would imagine that any book store would have some stuff too.

Richelle

 

[vtbouvs]

My biggest question is: if you're still going to cook for your dogs, you'll still be handling the raw meat. How does that reduce the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis?

I will only be handling raw meat once in a while for prep of a few weeks at a time batch and freezing the food.. instead of raw prep plus handling raw daily. Also with raw I have to wash the Bouviers beard.. (will still need to do this but with less possible risk)..
I do also feed inside this time of year I won't feed outside.. We get many below freezing days and 3 of the dogs are very short haired..

I really was hoping to get some good educated information on
cooked diets.. I thought I posted this in a appropriate place please correct me on that if I am wrong... I could understand all these unhelpful comments if I had posted in the raw forum..
I guess I should have excluded some of the details as to why I made this decision..

 

[Ania's Mommy]

I'm really sorry. I'm guilty of questioning your motives and moving this thread in a different direction. You're absolutely right. This thread was posted under the recipe section, not the raw section.

I thought that Danemama and Rann had some very good ideas (cooking the meat, including RMB's, adding bone meal). Unfortunately, I lack the nutritional knowledge to adequately design a cooked diet. But it seems to me that since you were already feeding a raw diet, you could move to a cooked diet that includes the same components of raw (SUCH AS the cooked meat, RMB's, and possibly bone meal). That would likely be the easiest, most effective way to go.

If you're looking to do something a little more involved, I would definitely check into some of the abundant literature there is on the subject. As DaneMama said earlier, ANY homemade diet is better than kibble.

I applaud you for considering a temporary homemade diet instead of just reaching for the bag. Obviously you know of the virtues of feeding raw. And while raw is not an option right now, you are willing to go for the next best thing. It shows that you really care for you dogs. You're gonna be a good mommy! :biggrin:

Richelle

 

[rannmiller]

i also applaud you for still wanting to prepare the meals for your dogs rather than feeding kibble, but I don't appreciate you saying that we aren't being helpful. We are trying to be helpful but we were just asking a few questions to figure out more of what you're looking for in prep and what you want to get into. Sorry if that offended you. Having said that, Ania makes an excellent point that pet stores and Barnes & Noble both carry books on home-cooked diets. Also, I know that a few posters have posted recipes for home cooked food on here before in this very section no less.

I think my favorite suggestion of Ania's is just to make a cooked diet that mimics the raw diet you were feeding. You can either pressure cook the bones for calcium, or add some raw bones a few times a week.

 

[Rosemary]

Pressure cooking

Hi - I pressure cook my Siberian Husky's food, and have been doing so for two months now. I pressure cook the chicken for about an hour and a half. I transfer the chicken to a bowl to cool and add the vegetables (usually four vegetables) to the pot - skin and all, and cook for about half an hour. I then de-bone the chicken and put the bones into my liquidizer with some of the stock from the pot. The end product is a thick paste type substance with NO pieces of bone floating around. I also add cooked brown rice and soup mix (barley etc) which I cook separately. I cook enough for one week, and freeze his food in tubs. My Siberian has a very sensitive stomach and cannot eat processed food. Since he has been on this diet he has done extremely well. He looks fantastic and loves his food. He also gets meaty bones to chew on to keep his teeth healthy, and loves yogurt and scrambled eggs which he gets as a treat once or twice a week.