Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've a couple of dogs and thing is, my mothers has been feeding it cooked food such as chicken and beef. She buys these cheap at the store. I just wonder. Is cooked food bad for a dog's digestive system and health?

They seem now to prefer nothing else. I want to ween them off of this because it's more of a hassle, and I don't see them going to the bathroom too well. My mother also adds cooked veggies and sometimes spices.

Would you stick to an all "canned dog food" diet, or continue with this? I'm thinking that canned dog food might have more vitamins and minerals.

Just randomly feeding a home cooked diet to dogs doesn't seem to be the best approach in the long run for a dog's well being. If you get a good book and research how to properly prepare your own dog's diet, including the correct vitamin and mineral additions, then I'd say the meals would probably be better than anything you can buy canned in the stores.

There are a number of books and a LOT of differing opinions regarding if cooked food is bad or fine for our pets. Basically, you'll need to do the research yourself and come up with your own opinion.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

Thanks, but in a sense the research is in the fact their droppings aren't as healthy looking as they used to be. Sometimes my little dog even has the runs.

Before, when I'd fed him just canned food, his feces were rather healthy. I don't see this now. I think, if I can, I'm going to wean him off of this. Plus, there's the vitamins factor. I don't think human food has the right vitamins for dogs. But by "human food" I just mean food that's boiled, like chicken, liver, and beef. Anyone else comment?

As Chelle mentioned there are a lot of opinions out on home cooked, for that reason I think research would be your best bet. Hit the books and find some details that will equip you to learn the benefits of both options. Once equiped with information you can analyze and decide.

One book that is pretty popular, and therefore pretty easy to get ahold of (often you can even find it used in larger book stores that carry used books, Powells Bookstore for example), is Dr Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats. I'm not saying it's the only reference you need or the best, simply that it's got some good information and that it's one of the easier books to find. It's a good starting ground...

Personally, I am not a fan of canned food - due to the plaque that type of diet encourages. You mentioned in your reply about a little dog, having been around numerous chihuahuas in my family I can tell you that a canned diet requires a lot more dental maintenance (cleanings). Poor dental hygiene can cause other health issues.

If you want a commercial food that has been researched to have the nutrients for your dogs then my suggestion is look to the high quality kibbles. The Whole Dog Journal puts out a list of the top 10 and is a great resource for this type of research.

If you don't think your dogs are exhibiting the overall health they should then, yes, I too would look at the diet as a possible cause.

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tabitha
Kayo, Kahla, and Dante'