Should Your Dog Try a Homemade Diet?

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Miss the start of our adventure into homecooked meals? Catch up here and here!

We’re nearing the end of our third week since making the transition to homecooked meals. I will say, things are getting much easier. We still haven’t perfected it (we’ve run out of protein on more than one occasion), but progress not perfection, right?

I know I should be happiest that Mauja’s tummy has been normal for almost two weeks now, but I’m most excited about how much the pups like their food. I know that’s a selfish reason – but it gives me the warm and fuzzies to know how happy they are and I won’t hide it 😉

Anyway, back to Mauja’s tummy.

Her stools have been firm and we haven’t had to hose down her hind end after she does her business. Even with a sanitary trim, we were still having that issue because of her upset tummy. Super gross, I know, so we’re glad we haven’t had to do it in awhile!

Mauja is too – she always finds that process degrading.

I don’t blame her.

Unfortunately, Atka is still itchy. However, he is showing improvement! We haven’t experimented with proteins very much since we are just trying to get the hang of things, but that’s next on our list. I’ve actually created a log to track when and where he is itching.

Crazy dog lady or studying efficiently? 😉

Today, I have a question for you: Should your dog try homecooked meals?

Here are a few signs you may want to consider the switch:

Your dog is overweight. It’s really easy to overfeed your dog when he’s looking at you with those sweet eyes, insisting that he is starving. Even though you just fed him, how could you resist that face? Veg-To-Bowl provides a hearty base of vegetables to your dog’s meal so you can fill his tummy without all of the calories.

Your dog is experiencing digestive issues. If, like Mauja, your dog is having a bit of tummy troubles, you may want to try a homecooked meal. We varied brands and proteins with Mauja for several months without any success. She would be completely fine for a week, then would have a bout of really loose stools. We could never trace it to her eating anything. Since making the switch to a homecooked meal, we haven’t had any instances of loose stools (two weeks strong!). It may be helpful for your dog with digestive issues to simplify his diet.

Your dog has kidney problems. If your dog has kidney problems or is experiencing renal failure, a homecooked diet is ideal. You can easily monitor and regulate the amount of protein your dog is getting. No more guesswork about how accurate the back of the bag is!

Your dog has allergies. This is probably the most common reason for switching to a homecooked diet. When you prepare your dog’s food yourself, you have complete control over the type of ingredients used. No more wondering if an ingredient snuck in that you weren’t aware it. This makes it easy to rotate proteins to determine if your dog is sensitive to one of them. We’re still working on things with Atka, but I’m confident we’re moving in the right direction.

After next week, the fluffies will have been on a homecooked meal for almost a month. I’m really excited to continue to track their progress! Do you think your dog would benefit from a homemade diet?