Help me create feeding program (what do you think?)

[greekblue]

Niki is 61/2 months old. Here is what I am thinking her feeding can start look like. I have fed most of these before and she did ok, but now I want to start again a somewhat regular schedule.

Food Items to be Used:
California Natural Kibble
Yogart
Cottage Cheese
Eggs (almost raw yolk) -- omega 3 eggs (also contain vitamin E)
(oatmeal maybe)

Salmon (canned, in water, not salt)
Sardines (frozen Raw, like Rivsky does
Tuna (canned, in water, not salt)
boiled ground beef
boiled chicken

Broccoli
Coli flower
Sprouts
(Carrots maybe)
Selery
Parsley

Niki gets in her food once a day a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, Flaxseed Oil (both organic) and 1/4 of a teaspoon for each cup of food of Enzymes (that really has helped her digestion issues) -- Enzymes must be added to each major meal.

Schedule I am thinking
MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY, SUNDAY
BREAKFAST
kibble, cottage cheese, 1 egg (almost raw yolk)
Organic Flax oil, Enzymes

SNACK
Bisquit and Peanut Butter or Yogart or California Natural Bar, .... (snacks will varry)

LUNCH / DINNER
Kibble, Yogart, (veggies and boiled ground beef or veggies and chicken or Tuna -- this will vary from week to week).
Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Enzymes

LATE NIGHT SNACK
Sardines, or bisquit with Peanut Butter, or California Bar (snacks will vary).


TUESDAY, THURSDAY, SATURDAY
ALL SAME AS ABOVE, but LATE NIGHT SNACK WILL BE THE PINK SALMON.

SO NIKI WILL GET COTTAGE CHEESE AND YOGURT EVERY DAY; EGGS 4 TIMES A WEEK, and PINK SALMON 3 TIMES A WEEK.

Thank you in advance for any advice and recommentations.

[calgal]

Just one question. If your going to feed all the great "real food", then why bother with kibble?

Does Your Dog Food Include Euthanized Dog?

[Cassiepeia]

If she wants to feed kibble, she can feed kibble. Not all kibble is bad, Calgal.

Cass.

[greekblue]

I feed kibble also because due to my schedule and finances, I am not able to cook everyday neither have much space to store big quantities of real food always -- In fact, I never cook for myself; the only times I have cooked food at home is when I was cooking for Niki boiled ground beef (extra lean) or chicken and veggies. I just want to add some fresh and healthy food to her diet, rather than giving vimitans. I will cook once a week, but it will not be enough for two whole meals every day to feed Niki without kibble -- I will add fresh food to her kibble.

Kalgal, do you just fill their bowls with real food only, right? For examble, on a meal, would they eat a bowl full of ground beef and veggies or a bowl full of yogart? Also, do dogs can ever eat any type of pasta / spaggeti?
Maybe, later on I will be able to feed all Real Food without kibble, but at this moment I am not able to go completely on that.
Niki was eating in addition to her kibble real food since I got her at seven weeks old and she was doing very well. She LOVES boiled ground beef and veggies -- especially boiled selery (I used the meat broth for boiling more veggies and she loved them because they smelled meat). She only started having big problems with her stomach sinse mid November.

Any suggestions and advice -- even constructive criticism is always welcome with me and I appreciate it

Calgal, Can you give me an example of a week's meals for your babies? Would it be harder to do this for a giant breed, rather than smaller dogs?

The kibble I feed now is California Natural, a very simple chicken and rice formula and judging by the ingredients (thanks to GP members' advice and feeding Fido thread) it seems to be a great food. Niki does not do well on Innova, the food I was giving before. For some reason, she does well on fresh veggies, but not if they are included on a kibble food -- I find that very interesting.

Can you recomend a brand of Oatmeal? I went to the market to find whole weat, plain oatmeal, but I could not find one, and I was still confused about which one is right for dogs.

So do you think this feeding program sound right?

[dogs4life]

Looking good! I'm so happy you decided to cook for Niki, maybe you'll start cooking for mom too

So how did the enzymes help Niki? Do you use a powder mixed in her food 20-30 minutes before you feed or do you give her capsules before she eats?

Originally Posted by greekblue

Can you recomend a brand of Oatmeal? I went to the market to find whole weat, plain oatmeal,....

I've only fed oatmeal and rice to my dogs, so I cannot help with any other grains.

I used to feed cooked or soaked Quaker Old Fashioned Oats or generic Organic Rolled Oats from Trader Joes or Safeway, not the quick stuff because they add salt. Soaked oats is just oats soaked at room temp or in refrigerator for 24 hrs, it's instead of cooking.

I've also fed steamed jasmine rice.

[greekblue]

Thank You!

Dogs4Life, I was cooking for Niki since I got her at seven weeks old (along with her kibble) up till mid November when she started having major stomach problems. I highly doubt is the cooked food that gave her problems because she was doing well the whole time and she loved it. Something in the kibble was the problem I am sure, so I am just trying to go back to better food along with the more simple kibble.

I found most things for Niki at Trader Joe's; I will look for the oatmeal you used.

I give Niki Enzymes in a powder. It goes IN her food, not before or after. It is from NaturVet. I think she digests her food easier; I do not hear her stomach make noises anymore. She does not burb(sp) all the time, and she does not vomit anymore. I think that is what has helped, but not 100% sure.

[dogs4life]

Originally Posted by greekblue

Dogs4Life, I was cooking for Niki since I got her at seven weeks old (along with her kibble) up till mid November when she started having major stomach problems.

Sorry I just thought cooking was new since the tummy troubles, sorry.

Do you have any dog nutrition books or dog cook books? I have Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cat's which has lots of nutrition information but is low on recipes, but it's still a great reference book when looking for ideas and ingredients.

[greekblue]

No problem, Dog's4Life; anyway, I knew absolutely nothing until I came to this forum long before I got my puppy. Everything I know now I have learned them from this forum.

I do not have any books. I will check the book you have. I will still give her kibble also, but I will supplement again her kibble with fresh food, rather than adding vitamins. Plus, I still think Niki was doing better on fresh food -- she can prove me wrong, but till then I will believe what I was seeing. She had kibble and fresh food and she did better than when she had to have kibble only.

I do not cook at all; I only started boil things for Niki -- I will even boil meatballs for her, but for baking and too complicated stuff I am not that into it. I hate cooking, but for my Puppy, I enjoy it.

I am thinking some mornings to give her the oatmeal you suggested along with mashed bananas. She likes bananas and I used to give her a little for a treat.

Any other suggestions (EASY STAFF) are always welcome -- keep them coming.

[dogs4life]

Originally Posted by greekblue

I do not have any books. I will check the book you have. I will still give her kibble also, but I will supplement again her kibble with fresh food, rather than adding vitamins.

There are more books other than the one I have. You can probably find more variety where you live. There are also a lot of breed rescue groups that publish cookbooks as fund raisers.

Here are some other titles to skim:

The Complete Herbal Handbook For The Dog And Cat by Juliette de Bairacli Levy
Optimal Nutrition, Raw and Cooked Canine Diets: The Next Level by Monica Segal
K9 Kitchen: The Truth Behind the Hype by Monica Segal
The Ultimate Diet or Natural Nutrition for Dogs and Cats by Kymythy Schultze
Give Your Dog A Bone or Grow Your Pups With Bones by Dr. Ian Billinghurst
Raw Meaty Bones by Tom Lonsdale

You can also start another thread asking for cookbook and nutrition book recommendations