Gun Dog Forum

Hello everyone,

There will be at least a 3 day delay in the delivery of my pup's food and I need to address his nutrient needs during that time.
I have found a great homemade dog food recipe to go off of - the thing is, the recipe calls for the addition of dog vitamins.

I'd like to avoid having to purchase these vitamins/minerals - what options do I have in order to make his homemade food well balanced, from a vitamin/mineral standpoint? From what I've read, 1,000 mg of calcium per lb of meat balances the calcium:magnesium ratio. What else do I need to know?

Thank you in advance.

For three days, missing some vitamins and minerals won't hurt anything. I wouldn't bother with it.

For just 3 days I don't think you need to go to extraordinary lengths. He could survive just fine for 3 days on most anything. Instead of trying to make a home brew why not just buy a small bag of a quality puppy chow to tide you over for 3 days?

Dakotazeb wrote:For just 3 days I don't think you need to go to extraordinary lengths. He could survive just fine for 3 days on most anything. Instead of trying to make a home brew why not just buy a small bag of a quality puppy chow to tide you over for 3 days?

I just thought that making a simple 30/20 food would be easier on his digestive system than going with an entirely new food for the 3 days...

BraqueFrancais115 wrote:

Dakotazeb wrote:For just 3 days I don't think you need to go to extraordinary lengths. He could survive just fine for 3 days on most anything. Instead of trying to make a home brew why not just buy a small bag of a quality puppy chow to tide you over for 3 days?

I just thought that making a simple 30/20 food would be easier on his digestive system than going with an entirely new food for the 3 days...

Unless this particular pup has had stomach problems, I'd say any good puppy food. He is probably supplementing his diet on anything around the house or yard that isn't tied down if he's a typical bird dog puppy.

BraqueFrancais115 wrote: I just thought that making a simple 30/20 food would be easier on his digestive system than going with an entirely new food for the 3 days...

Your homemade dog food is also going to be a change from what he's had. Seems the simplest route would be a trip to the store rather than messing around trying to get the right food and vitamins.

That puppy is darn lucky to have such a caring owner. I'd be buying a very small bag of puppy food.

I agree with other posters that small bag of food would be the route I would go, but if memory serves me correctly, when I made my own food i think calcium was achieved through egg shells?!?!?

I used ice cube trays and made frozen treats that i would give the dog alongside his raw mix.

Thank you so much, everyone, for the suggestions and kind words. I ran through the motions of planning a homemade meal for my pup and actually went through with it. Having planned meals for myself in the past, this wasn't much different - vitamins/minerals aside. To address his vit/min needs, I went with a 1/4 of a calcium-free human multivitamin and added 1,000 mg of calcium per pound of meat with the use of egg shell powder, which I had on-hand. [I save egg shells and dry, then grind into a fine powder with a blender for use in the garden]

This should be "fine" for the next couple of days, until he has his regular food delivered. The problem lies in the distribution of the food he typically eats. Apparently, the food was going to be discontinued and later decided that they'll be rolling it out, again. Meanwhile, the food sits in the warehouses and local stores have zero inventory - I then had to order online (for 4x the price) and await delivery.

The main ingredients used are chicken thigh meat ($0.88/lb), whole oats (sold as horse feed at $13.00 per 50 lbs), and an assortment of veggies (broccoli, carrots) to achieve a 50/30/20% Carb/Protein/Fat ratio.

Where are you located? You do know most dog foods are very much alike so switching for a few days would not amount to much of a change. A dog, and for that matter a human, would not suffer any ill effects of missing anyone ingredient in their food for three days or even not being fed at all. Our bodies do not need a balanced feed at each meal as we store plenty of calories as well as other elements through out our system.

One thing I would be careful of is trying to feed whole oats as they have a large hull that is almost all fiber with the nutritious part in the center. Normally we feed rolled oats to any young animal and the whole oat is used for horses and dairy cows that need the extra fiber. If your feed shows whole oats it is ground very find and mixed in with the other ingredients.

You are doing no harm but you are trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist..

ezzy333 wrote:Where are you located? You do know most dog foods are very much alike so switching for a few days would not amount to much of a change. A dog, and for that matter a human, would not suffer any ill effects of missing anyone ingredient in their food for three days or even not being fed at all. Our bodies do not need a balanced feed at each meal as we store plenty of calories as well as other elements through out our system.

One thing I would be careful of is trying to feed whole oats as they have a large hull that is almost all fiber with the nutritious part in the center. Normally we feed rolled oats to any young animal and the whole oat is used for horses and dairy cows that need the extra fiber. If your feed shows whole oats it is ground very find and mixed in with the other ingredients.

You are doing no harm but you are trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist..

Thank you for the feedback.

I"m in a major city in WI.
I took the oats' protein (8%)/fat (4%)/fiber (15%) make-up into consideration when prepping his meals. Not concerned about the fiber itself as, all in all, it should be under 10% of his food and the oats were "mashed" in a blender. The oats were cooked and soaked in the chicken broth from the thighs - he ate all of it.

Cost is low - dog is well-fed and happy - therefore I'm happy.

Sharon wrote:That puppy is darn lucky to have such a caring owner. I'd be buying a very small bag of puppy food.

Thank you, Sharon!!
=- D

As you probably know puppies are very sensitive to food changes. Most breeders recommend using what they were started with for that reason. If food gives a puppy diarrhea it is VERY dangerous at this young age and if they get dehydrated, it can be fatal. I cannot imagine giving a puppy a homemade mixture, it is not about balance of protein and fats, or adding nutriments. It is about digestibility in puppies, many cannot handle any sudden change in puppy food, as it should be done slowly mixing the old with the new until the puppy is handling it well.

But if you are unable to get what the puppy was eating before....getting a good quality puppy food would be my next choice. Of course, your puppy may be able to tolerate whatever you offer....but why take the chance if you have other options....of course that's just me...

BraqueFrancais115 wrote:Thank you so much, everyone, for the suggestions and kind words. I ran through the motions of planning a homemade meal for my pup and actually went through with it. Having planned meals for myself in the past, this wasn't much different - vitamins/minerals aside. To address his vit/min needs, I went with a 1/4 of a calcium-free human multivitamin and added 1,000 mg of calcium per pound of meat with the use of egg shell powder, which I had on-hand. [I save egg shells and dry, then grind into a fine powder with a blender for use in the garden]

This should be "fine" for the next couple of days, until he has his regular food delivered. The problem lies in the distribution of the food he typically eats. Apparently, the food was going to be discontinued and later decided that they'll be rolling it out, again. Meanwhile, the food sits in the warehouses and local stores have zero inventory - I then had to order online (for 4x the price) and await delivery.

The main ingredients used are chicken thigh meat ($0.88/lb), whole oats (sold as horse feed at $13.00 per 50 lbs), and an assortment of veggies (broccoli, carrots) to achieve a 50/30/20% Carb/Protein/Fat ratio.

I want to eat at your house.