kaffe - that chart gives Vit A in RE units instead of IU.  I had never heard of that before, so I typed it in in google, and it showed me how to convert since all the supplements and nutrition counters have IU on them:

http://www.dietpower.com/help/glossary/international_units_of_vitamin_a.htm

This is funny, we are jumping back & forth between freezer storage & RE/IU units.  Hey, it's all good   

kaffe, your calcs look right as far as I can tell.  The number I listed in that post was recommended daily requirements for my 70lb dog, and it just said RE for the units. But that link said RE is micrograms RE, not sure if that means anything of importance.

So I guess if I wanted to give the Vit A as pumpkin, I would use the plant mulitplier of 10 for the listed RE number.  That would give me the IU number to try for in adding pumpkin.  I would have to look up pumpkin in one of the nutritional counters to see how much Vit A IU's it has in it, then portion out the right amount to get the recommended dosage.

Or, I could just put a couple blops of it in the food dish & call it good, like I do now.

Gee, this is too confusing for me anyway.

What was wrong with the dog recipes from Strombeck?  They look really simple and easy and he already has it calculated for you.  Too much grain?

On a side note, a relative has been cooking 2 of his recipes for diabetic dogs, and the dog is doing very well on it.

Those are good links, JustMe, thanks for putting those in.

This vet site has some home cooking info, just categories of foods and percentages, add oil, calcium & a multi vitamin (whatever that is) and you're good to go:

http://www.crvetcenter.com/homefood.htm

I don't agree with a few of the ingredients & snacks, but otherwise it looks like a way to get started.


I think the "add a multi-vitamin" is the part that makes me go    in the home-made recipes.  There are so many out there, some good, some bad, some specifically for home feeding, most are for supplementing commercial diets.  Some recommend a human multi, but anyone who has bought any in the past 5 years knows there are 100's of formulas on the market now.  Some have 1000% or more of all the water solubles.  Exactly WHICH multi are we supposed to use?

absolutely, yes... as long as your dog is not allergic to chicken.  Cornish game hen is also a lot less fatty and therefore healtheir for your dog.

JustMe, this is just my "take":

1.  (a)  Find out how much calcium is in the bonemeal tab and we can readily make the eggshell substitute ammount.
(b)  weigh the meat(s) and we can find out the phosphorus load and therefore add the appropriate amount of eggshell

2.  Potassium chloride is OK to use in a a dog with no heart issues nor kidney issues.  Theoretically, salt and its substitutes could be removed from a recipe without affecting any sensitive electrolyte balance.  There is ample sodium and potassium in natural foods like meats and veggies.  The salt or salt substitute is added in recipes for pets only for palatability.  You can alwasy add just half of what the recipe calls for just so to bring out the flavors of the meats.

3.  If the doggie vitamins contain both vitamins and minerals, then yes... this is the type of multivit that Strombeck means anyway.  Ideally, the multivit should have Vit A, all the B's, C, D, E, K.  Minerals should at least have zinc, copper, potassium, magnesium, and trace minerals.

4.  Sardines provide a rich source of Omega 3, 6 and 9.  That's for the skin, coat and organs.  And sardines are very low on mercury, if that is a concern.  Plus most pets love the smell and taste of sardines.

Hope this helps?
2. 

I have a question I am hoping someone can answer.  We have two Labradors, one has itchy skin problems (I believe grass related).  My husband has started adding cottage cheese and 1 hard boiled egg to their Nature's Variety dry kibble twice a day.  I am wondering if eating 14 eggs a week for a dog would be anything like eating that many a week for a human (which is not recommended)?  Thank you