Dog Food
3 warnings to preface what I am about to discuss:
I am not a vet nor do I have any formal education on dog nutrition. This is simply an anecdotal account of what my family does based off independent research we have done.
There are certain human foods that can harm dogs if consumed. The foods I list in this blog are 100% safe and researched. Before feeding your dog anything else, research online and make sure it is safe.
Examples of food harmful to dogs are grapes/raisins, citrus fruits, coconut, nuts, ice cream, cinnamon, garlic, onions, chives, chocolate, and anything containing xylitol.
This information is strictly for dogs, if you have other pets please research what can and can't be consumed before making a dietary switch. :)
We have a cockapoo named Oreo who’s still going strong at the old age of 13.
His diet:
Unseasoned Lean Meat (93/7 ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken),
Canned Sardines
Olive Oil
Cooked Eggs
Broccoli
Pumpkin
Apple Sauce
Carrots
Bananas
Apples
Beats
We cook 2 pounds of meat combined with 6 eggs and broccoli and store it all in 1 container in the fridge.
He weighs about 25 pounds. We give him 1 cup of the meat, egg, and broccoli combo for breakfast (7-8 am) along with 1-2 spoonfuls of pumpkin and 1-2 spoonfuls of apple sauce. We add a little hot water, stir it around, and watch him feast.
We give him the same meal for dinner (5-6 pm).
Throughout the day, we feed him carrots and let him eat the end of our bananas and nibble around the core of our apples. We also give him 1 sardine drizzled in a little olive oil midday with 1 beat (12-2 pm).
We eased him into a diet of 100% human food and started out giving him half of his regular dry food and half human food. A big change all at once is tough on the animal's body, so I recommend a slow transition if this interests you.
Even with easing him in, his poop still became discolored and enclosed in a weird lining. This is normal and seems to be the body cleaning itself out. His poop went back to normal after a few weeks and seemed healthier than before.
He was a different dog once his body adapted to the new food. More energy, calmer/less anxious behavior, hair growing back in places he previously lost it, a leaner/healthier appearance, and a personality we never saw from him before. We strongly believe that the change to human food caused this difference because it happened right after we made the switch.
He recently had to get a few teeth pulled which resulted in a need for blood work. The results of his blood work confirmed that the food we are giving him has only made him healthier and certainly has not harmed him in any way. To quote the vet directly, "pretty darn good for a 13 year old dog."
