Sunday, February 19, 2012

Homemade Dog Food for Arthritis

So I'm finally posting this dog food recipe after being asked many times.
I can't tell you enough how happy I am that I finally started my dog on this recipe as I noticed changes in them immediately! 

I have a 7 tear old Rottweiler (Nikita shown below with our other guy Levi) that has had shoulder injuries and joint issues since she was 3. 


Nikita doesn't have hip displasia and the condition comes and goes so we have just tried to take the best care of her that we could. We have always fed our dogs the best food, top quality supplements and fish oils and tried to keep their weight down. We have always been super active so in the last year when her mobility really went down we were at a loss. Some days she was is so much pain and we hadn't even walked her!
 The Vet said Nikita has arthritis in her shoulder and she needs to lose weight. I was at a loss because she could barely walk at this point so I realized I needed to change the way we were feeding them.  
I then started doing some serious research online and hit my Natural Remedy Veterinarian Books. 
This recipe has been adapted from "The Veterinarians Guide To Natural Remedies For Dogs" by Martin Zucker, which is super easy to read and follow and has some great info.
I call this Dog Stew because that's what it looks like and tastes like! 
(I've even eaten it myself for lunch it's pretty good)

Original Recipe

8 cups of water
I lb of lamb or beef
1 cup of celery
2 cups of carrots
2 cups of spinach, kale or greens
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cups of barley
1/2 cup of rice
1/2 cup of lentils
1 cup of parsley
1 cup of fresh/dried nettles
1/2 cup dried rosehips (seeds removed)


Updated Dog Stew Recipe
8 cups of water
1 cups of celery
2 cups of carrots
2 medium zucchini
2 sweet potatoes
2 cups of spinach/kale or greens
3 cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cups of pearl barley or quinoa
1/2 cup lentils
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
1 cup of fresh/dried nettles
1/2 cup dried rosehips or apples or cranberries


Combine carrots in a large pot with the water and bring to a boil, then add the barley or quinoa and simmer as you chop and add the rest of the ingredients. You can add more water if needed at the end but it should be quite thick when done.

next I usually add the sweet potatoes, squash or zucchini, whatever I have in the house



I let these simmer for 5 minutes then add the rest of the ingredients;
kale, apples, nettles, peas


I then turn off the burner and cover the pot with a lid and let the rest of the ingredients steam.
I don't want to boil all of the nutrients out of the food. I let cool on the stove then put into glass sealable bowls for freezing/refrigeration.

All of these ingredients are naturally alkaline and anti-inflammatory. I add the rosehips/cranberries/apples for Vitamin C and the Nettles for the minerals and nutrients and they are excellent for joint pain.

where to buy nettles and rosehips here: bulk herbs

This makes a lot of stew so I let this cool then freeze half at a time, I often even make 2 large pots and freeze them.
I mix and match with the ingredients with what I have in the house or garden but try to stay consistent with what I find is the "base" of the recipe, which is the barley, quinoa, minimum of 2 cups of fresh greens, vegetables and the parsley. 
Other than that I sometimes put in squash in place of carrots and I've used a variety of vegetables, such as, cauliflower, broccoli, bok choy, most cruciferous veggies are good for dogs.

Never feed dogs grapes, raisins, avocado, chocolate or macadamia nuts!


This is such a beautiful stew! I love giving this to my dogs knowing they are eating well.
Plus it makes it super easy to add medications to their food.


This whole pot costs around $14 if it's all organic and feeds both my dogs for a week, mixed with dry kibble. I give them 1/2 cup of dry kibble and 1 cup of stew 2X daily and they both look so good and have lost weight.
Nikita (Rottweiler) has a very sensitive digestion and usually a lot of gas but on this food her poop has never been so normal looking, solid and consistent and almost no gas. 
And they love the food! they can't wait for feeding time and it's easy for me to add their supplements to.
For Nikita I also add a glucosamine with MSM and a Calcium carbonate supplement. I recommend doing your own research and discussing any changes with your Vet. 
I would also suggest just starting your dog on the new food regime first then adding supplements one by one with a few weeks in-between so you can see what is working or not.  

Nikita now has more energy so I can walk her again because with her arthritis she needs to keep moving. 

Short daily walks keep her fit and keeps her mobile. We also gently stretch her out at home on the floor and give regular massages. When she's having a hard day like when it's extra damp and cold out we just play inside. I try to keep a close eye on her when we walk because she wants to go forever, she has no sense of when she needs to stop and if I overdo it she pays the price limping in pain for 2-5 days after. For these times I give her Arnica homeopathic pellets which seem to heal her up faster and help with the pain and inflammation.

I wish I had started all of my dogs on homemade food a long time ago but I always thought it was going to be labour intensive and expensive. It only takes me about 2 hours a week and saves me around $30 a month in food bills for them! (never mind the Vet bills) Plus they are healthier and happier than ever!

From now on this is how I will feed all of my dogs, unless I find an even better recipe! I'll keep you posted;)

UPDATE ON THIS RECIPE!!!


An Update on this recipe...

I am now feeding my dogs 3/4 wet homemade dog food to 1/4 dry kibble and make the food without meat so I can rotate different options of protein into each meal. I am using more fish, such as canned salmon and sardines, this helps to keep their weight down and supply omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA that are good for the skin and coat. In addition, they help regulate the immune system and reduce inflammation.
I will also add one eggs a couple of times a week, my dogs are 80 and 100lbs so I will add a whole egg per dish of food. Yogurt is also a nice treat for them and good for digestion.

Keeping their weight down is always a challenge so I have decreased the barley and lentils to add more quinoa, squash, raw apples and carrots, fresh peas, blueberries and greens.


Try different things out on your dogs to see what they like. 

Never feed dogs grapes, rasins, chocolate, coffee, caffeine, avocado's or macadamia nuts
and try to limit fat scraps.



Here is a pic of the homeopathic pellets that I have my Rottweiler on that make the biggest difference in her mobility.



I started her on 2 pellets 2x day for a month and now keep her on 2 pellets once a day. I have tried to reduce to 3x a week and she started limping.
These pellets can be found at most health food stores or try looking online. I use rhus toxicodendron  30c and bryonia alba 30c
Remember she is a 100lb Rottweiler so consult your vet or health professional before giving your pet any medications for specific amounts.



That's all for now, good luck and keep me posted on any updates or great tips you may have as well.

56 comments:

  1. YOU ROCK! I have an italian greyhound who is 9 and has arthritis. (I also have a chihuahua who is 6). I have been using this recipe for a week and I already see a difference!!! More so than anything else i have tried and I have tried a lot. Long story short. They are both THRILLED and doing much much better. Thank you so much!

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  2. Awesome Taylore! So glad this is working for you.
    I keep meaning to update this because I have found a Homeopathic remedy that is really helping my Rottie with the arthritis. We still have them on this food but she also put these pellets in her food every day and it helps her so much! I will post pics soon! They are called rhus toxicodendron, and bryonia alba. You can get them at a health food store. I've noticed a big difference.

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  3. Thank you so much for this recipe. I have a 14 year old Aussie mix who is having a hard time with arthritis in his back legs. It makes me cry to think of my baby hurting, so I have been getting a lot of stuff for him now to help all I can. I went looking for a good recipe for food for him, and this one looks healthy and hearty, and he seems to like it when food is cooked just for him. Please let me know if you have any more advice on how to help him, especially to get him to want to get up and walk more.

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  4. UPDATE: Meiko is literally doing pirouettes. He has not been this active in years. He barely limps. He went from limping 80% of the time to only in the morning when he wakes up.

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  5. What supplements do you use?

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    Replies
    1. Right now I'm using SynoviG4 with Turmeric, Boswellia, Glucosamine, and MSM.
      The Turmeric and Boswellia are good for reducing inflammation. I also give them 2 pellets each of Rhus Toxicodendron 30 and Bryonia Alba 30 Homeopathic remedy in their morning food. If one of them is having a bad day after a walk I will add 2-4 pellets of Arnica 30 Homeopathic remedy for a day or 2 morning and night until they are feeling better.

      Delete
  6. I don't know if you check these messages or not, but I have to share my story with you. I have a 10 yr old Chihuahua that all of a sudden started having these "episodes" where she would tuck one of her legs under her and scream in pain. We couldn't touch her for about a minute until the spazim or whatever it was would stop because we just made it worse. I took her to the vet a week and a half ago to find out what was going on. Long story short she has severe arthritis in her back and neck. The vet gave her a cortisone shot in her back and we started her on prendisone and pain killers to try to help with the pain. After three days of no progress and her still having those episodes I called the vet again. He said to keep her confined for three days to see if that helped. Nothing again. At this point we were having the discussion of when to put her down since she was in so much pain. In a last ditch effort I got online and started reading about arthritis in dogs. I came across your blog and saw this recipe. It made sense to me all the things that were in it, and I looked up all the supplements you mentioned and they all seemed to also. I figured I would give it a shot. Another long story short she has been eating this stew and taking the supplements for only 5 days and today was her first day of no episodes, yelps of pain, and she is acting like nothing is wrong. I have to THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this. It literally saved my dogs life. We were only giving her until the end of this weekend to get better or we had no other options for her. I just wanted you to know that you made a huge difference in one dogs life. THANK YOU!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi there, yes i do read these. Thank you so much for the feedback! Reading this I almost cried, I'm so glad you get to keep your pup and she is healthy! It makes me so happy if this recipe helps animals live a longer happier life. My two are aging a lot lately but still happy and without pain, which is the main thing for me:)
      If you wouldn't mind I'm going to post this on my facebook page.
      Thank you!
      https://www.facebook.com/whitebuffalonaturals?ref=tn_tnmn

      Delete
    2. Yes please do! I already shared the story and the recipe on my facebook and I have a couple friends who are going to try it.

      Delete
  7. Thank you for sharing. My dog has been limping for a month now, and did not know what to do. I'm going to try your recipe as you changed it, do short walks, and use half the supplements as I have a 50 lb. Aussie shepherd. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again!!!! I'm excited.

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  8. Hi,
    I noticed you updated the recipe. Did you remove brown rice. That was one of the main ingred. before. I tried the stew last night, but made only the basic recipe without some of the harder to find ingredients (rose hips and nettles). He immediately did a little prance, and seems to be walking better. Still occasionally does a limp, but I am hopeful that may go away. I read up on other tips and articles, and added some other ingredients such as coconut oil and raw local honey (he also has allergies). I also tried a dash of apple cider vinegar in his water, which he did NOT like. Today, I gave him an alfalfa tablet. There is also a liquid form of the pellets that you give, at the health food store. At least it has one of the tablets in the drops. I'm trying that. I have no idea if any of these things will help, or how I will narrow down what works. I'm so ready to help him though. I'll write more at the end of the week. Thank you so much for the recipe and tips. -CM

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  9. Hi there, sorry I realized I hadn't updates the recipe in a long time and decided to update it for even more anti-inflammatory ingredients.
    But I also realized that I should have left the original recipe up....which I have now put back!
    Yes coconut oil would be great to add and yes I have given dried alfalfa herb in place of the nettles.
    Thank you for your comments!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just for clarification, is it nettle leaf or nettle root? Can rosehip powder or nettle powder work? What exactly did you use? With the rosehips from mountain rose, seeds have to be removed?

      Delete
  10. Hi again,
    Leroy is doing so much better already!!! Thank you so so so much!!! He seems to have more energy, walks smoothly, just a very slight limp, which seems to be getting better every day. We all notice the difference. It's amazing!

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  11. Also, this is making me realize I need to change my diet a bit, too. LOL! Thank you again! I'm about to try the stew myself, like you said. It looks good!

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  12. I never knew that a special diet could help with arthritis in dogs. My brother's dog has really bad arthritis. I'm going to suggest he try a recipe like this. It would be great if it helped his dog out. http://www.cannaforpets.com

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  13. Nice recipes but you can also try for Dog Food Online, they are very healthy.

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  14. I'm excited to try your recipe! My old Corgie is suffering. Thanks for posting all your info. ;)

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  15. Thank you so much for all the usefull , safe information. Nothing can beat homeade ingredients not to mention the love thats infused when making your awesome recipes. Your recipes have brought great comfort to an aging family member who cldnt even walk due to arthritis in rear legs. Our family cant thank you enough.For those not inclined to follow the natural approach might want to give their advice elsewhere .Thank you again.

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  16. It seems like a great recipe but dogs should never eat onions or garlic. It causes a type of anemia. I'm going to try this for my English bulldog but leave the garlic out.

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  17. My vet said garlic is toxic for dogs even in small doses

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  22. I am so thankful I found this article. My10 year old lab has arthritis bad and needs to lose weight, along with allergies. I have recently started making homemade dog food for him and gradually adding it to his diet. Definitely going to try your recipe and supplements. He doesn’t even come and great us anymore and it breaks my heart. Any suggestions are appreciated. We have had him grain free for many years and I am still confused about if quinoa is a grain or not and about legumes.

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  42. Quick question, you mention in the original recipe about adding 1lb ground beef or lamb. The updated version has no meat. My almost 14 year old Bull Terrier is struggling lately and I’d like to start making her food to see if it helps. She’s currently taking Glucosamine Chondroitin and today I made Golden Paste to add to her food. But I’d really love to cook her food. I’m just confused on how much to feed her. She’s around 50lbs, maybe smaller now. And is on Costco’s regular chicken and rice dog food. I’m planning to buy the nettles (something I’ve never heard of) off Amazon. Any advice would be amazing! Not sure if it’s okay but I’d like to add my email address to ensure I receive a response. Thank you!

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  43. Would like to check with you, my dog just encounter hip dysplasia, can I use this recipe as well? And i heard that garlic is poisonous for dog. Would it be alright if I remove the garlic from the recipe?

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  44. Would like to check with you, my dog just encounter hip dysplasia, can I use this recipe as well? And i heard that garlic is poisonous for dog. Would it be alright if I remove the garlic from the recipe?

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    Replies
    1. Yes you can definitely make this without garlic. Best of luck to you!

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  46. Looks like garlic kale and parsley (in larger amounts) are all toxic to dogs. 🤷‍♀️ I googled before making this recipe- hopefully it’s ok for those who already did it.

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