Does anyone have a cookbook they would recommend for healthy dog food and treat recipes? I am not looking for Raw food.

Thanks. There are so many, I have no idea where to begin.

-Michelle

Congrats on getting your puppy soon! Very exciting. I grew up in WI and lived up in northern MN for a few years. Here is a website that I use and I make a lot of my own treats. It's nice to know what goes into the treats. Just make sure you keep them in the refrigerator.

Make Homemade Dog Treat Recipes for Your Dog

I have made many of these recipes and my Berner LOVES them. Of course, he loves any food! I usually just make them into balls or long rolls and then cut pieces off. I don't have the patience to cut out shapes and things like that! Hope this helps. -Beth

Originally Posted by easchaars

Congrats on getting your puppy soon! Very exciting. I grew up in WI and lived up in northern MN for a few years. Here is a website that I use and I make a lot of my own treats. It's nice to know what goes into the treats. Just make sure you keep them in the refrigerator.

Make Homemade Dog Treat Recipes for Your Dog

I have made many of these recipes and my Berner LOVES them. Of course, he loves any food! I usually just make them into balls or long rolls and then cut pieces off. I don't have the patience to cut out shapes and things like that! Hope this helps. -Beth

Thanks Beth.
I'll try them. Some of the ingredients are great. I was trying to figure out how to get them to eat pumpkin but if the Bernese is half as bad as my Pyrenees, just saying the word 'cookie' will be enough.

Are you still in Wisconsin?

Michelle

I'm currently in Vermont, but will be moving back to the MN/WI area this summer. Where are you? Where did you get your dog from?

Originally Posted by easchaars

I'm currently in Vermont, but will be moving back to the MN/WI area this summer. Where are you? Where did you get your dog from?

I'm near Rush Lake, about 120 miles from Duluth and 95 from the cities.
I will be getting my dog from a small breeder about 3 hours South. They still have the puppy's grandparents, they have a 12 yr. old female and a 10 yr. old male. The older dogs are from Hungary. I just thought, since they have never had to deal with cancer, that they would be a good breeder. I researched for three years first. They do have joint issues though.
I can't wait! I am more excited than a kid!
I used to live in Vermont too. In Burlington.

Originally Posted by Michelle

Does anyone have a cookbook they would recommend for healthy dog food and treat recipes? I am not looking for Raw food.

Thanks. There are so many, I have no idea where to begin.

-Michelle

There are many options out there for treats but actual meals is another story and for this reason most books out there are not advised as they are not balanced per the NRC and do not meet recommended allowances, especially for growing dogs.

If you want to feed balanced homemade meals, I can only recommend one source: Monica Segal. She has recipes for cooked meals as well as raw - but these apply only to full grown adult dogs.

Puppies' nutrient requirements change every 3-4 days during growth and their requirements are three times that of an adult dog - so standard recipes cannot be applied to them.

Go to Monica's website and consider joining her Yahoo group for more information about feeding your dog fresh food.

Rachel

Originally Posted by BernerRescue

There are many options out there for treats but actual meals is another story and for this reason most books out there are not advised as they are not balanced per the NRC and do not meet recommended allowances, especially for growing dogs.

If you want to feed balanced homemade meals, I can only recommend one source: Monica Segal. She has recipes for cooked meals as well as raw - but these apply only to full grown adult dogs.

Puppies' nutrient requirements change every 3-4 days during growth and their requirements are three times that of an adult dog - so standard recipes cannot be applied to them.

Go to Monica's website and consider joining her Yahoo group for more information about feeding your dog fresh food.

Rachel

Thank you Rachel.
What I am so confused about is the grain/no grain bit.
I know some say no grain but every report from a Vet says to give them grain.
I currently feed my Pyrenees Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul which is 26% protein, and I believe 13% fat. Would this be healthy enough for a Bernese?

Originally Posted by Michelle

Thank you Rachel.
What I am so confused about is the grain/no grain bit.
I know some say no grain but every report from a Vet says to give them grain.
I currently feed my Pyrenees Chicken Soup for the Puppy Lover's Soul which is 26% protein, and I believe 13% fat. Would this be healthy enough for a Bernese?

Yes - grain is a highly controversial element in nutrition. As carnivores, dogs do not have any kind of nutrient requirement for grains, and unless highly overcooked, cannot be digested or processed by the GI tracts in canines. So in the natural rearing, pro carnivore circles, you will hear lots of "no grain" chant.

While not "required" for survival, many dogs do just fine on grain and as long as they don't have yeast imbalances (gunky ears, itchy skin, hot spots) may not be a problem if occasionally fed in treats etc.

As I prepare canine diet plans for folks, I can tell you that I use "no grain" as my starting point in my diet plans....and recommend that grains only be introduced if needed later to ensure they truly are not an issue.

Take the case of canine athletes - much like us, they benefit from protein sparing effects for stamina, endurance and performance. Just as human athletes carbo-load before a big race or event, canine athletes benefit from this protein sparing effect as well (if tolerated). It need not be grain per se....but carbs provide the protein sparing effect.

So I often recommend ground veggies for carbo-loading athletes and protein sparing when needed.
Sweet potato is often key here as it is packed with electrolytes, provides lots of carbs, and calorie dense. So this is my go-to if tolerated.

Note that dogs with yeast imbalances won't tolerate below ground veggies and should stick with above ground only.

Final note: I have balanced a lot of diets in my years and work with both cooked and raw diets. I have tried to balance a strictly meat, organ meat and bone diet of every variety every which way and have never been able to do it.....these are always grossly deficient in potassium, and B vitamins among others.....so I have found that either supplementation or adding below ground AND above ground veggies are required to meet all needs. This explains why wolves have been documented scavengering on nuts, seeds, berries, and grasses so much.

The dog food you are feeding is fine, but many of these kibbles are just not nutrient dense enough for large breed growing puppies. You may need to consider adding something like Missing Link or other supplementation during the first year of growth.

Hope that helps!

Rachel,

That was more than helpful. Thank you.
With so many scare sites out about dog food, it is hard to feel you are doing all you can for your puppy. Your advice has cleared up quite a lot of it.