natdobe

I have thought about it for awhile, and I am going to start homecooking my dog's food since there has been so many recalls. I was just wondering what you guys thought about supplements. Do you think dogs need them if you cook for them? I am researching different recipes, and I plan on mixing up their menus. I am going to use a variety of meats, veggies, and starches. I just don't know if I should use extra supplements. My breeder swears by NuVet vitamins, but I don't supplement with their dog food right now. They are currently on Canidae. I would like to use salmon every now and then, so is there any specific type of salmon I should NOT use? I saw a salmon patty recipe awhile back, but it didn't state what brand it was. I do know that it was canned salmon. Any input would be greatly appreiciated.

micdobe

NuVet vitamins seems to have some kind of financial deal with some breeders, so that the breeders advertise them on their websites, some of the said breeders actually *require* their puppy buyers to give their new puppies NuVet. I suspect the breeders involved get a kick back from NuVet. Other than that I don't know anything about their product.

I have given vitamins occasionally, not NuVet tho, but for the most part I don't supplement and I've never seen any difference any my dogs from when they did get vitamins or they didn't.

IMO if you're feeding a complete and balanced diet, whether it's kibble, homecooked, or raw, the dogs shouldn't need a lot of supplements added. For humans it's better to get the necessary vitamins from their food rather than take them in pill form, so I would think that would be better for dogs too.

For years on and off I cooked for my Italian Greyhounds because they had liver problems that required a special diet. Once I added a vitamin I got from the vet for one of them, but for the most part I didn't add anything to what I cooked for them, and they seemed to do fine.

JavasMom

Java loves canned salmon - I just open the can, drain the water and add it to whatever else I am feeding her at that meal.

natdobe

Thanks for the replies. What kind of salmon do you get JavasMom?

alwayshadpets

I think salmon is good too, however a wellness vet said the wild salmon is the best. Farm raised can have other things in them and you don`t know what they feed these fish. Food for thought. This is all driving me crazy. So I guess you have to check and see what it says on the can if anything.

DobeMom616

Cole gets wild caught fish occasionnally as a treat. He does not like canned or the kind that comes in sealed bags. He likes all kinds of fish. Just last week, he had monk fish. Loved it!

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DobeMom

Okie-dobie

My feelings are that if your home cooking then you should add a vit./min. mix. Our veggies are no longer full of nutrients as they use to be, and then on top of that you are cooking everything. Also, if you are missing something on a regular basis that they need at least this way it is somewhat looked after. When I home cooked for Bandit I added a mix called Essentials 4 Life www.pets4life.com it is all natural, the ingredients are Chicken liver, Carrot, Flax Seed Meal, Garlic, Ginger, Sea Kelp, Rosemary, Yucca, Chicory, and Papaya. It's just something that I feel better doing.

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If there are no dogs in heaven,
then when I die I want to go where they went. - Will Rogers