# Homemade Recipe for very active dogs?



## Amber Middaugh (Sep 30, 2011)

Hi All,

I am new here but am searching for a good recipe that includes bones and butcher trimmings (I have access to a butcher who gives me the trimmings and bones from the beefs he has cut up). The thing is I would like to make it in a BIG batch because I have several large dogs and they get fed once a day. These dogs are herding dogs (catahoulas and black mouth curs) so I would like a mix that will help them remain strong traveling long distances and working cattle for long periods. Does anyone have any good ideas or recipes? Also, what would be best for them to maintain a balanced diet? We cannot afford to go all raw but the fat/bones/trimmings are free. I have metal 55 gallon drums to "cook" or mix it in, too.

Thanks!


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber Middaugh said:


> Hi All,
> 
> I am new here but am searching for a good recipe that includes bones and butcher trimmings (I have access to a butcher who gives me the trimmings and bones from the beefs he has cut up). The thing is I would like to make it in a BIG batch because I have several large dogs and they get fed once a day. These dogs are herding dogs (catahoulas and black mouth curs) so I would like a mix that will help them remain strong traveling long distances and working cattle for long periods. Does anyone have any good ideas or recipes? Also, what would be best for them to maintain a balanced diet? We cannot afford to go all raw but the fat/bones/trimmings are free. I have metal 55 gallon drums to "cook" or mix it in, too.
> 
> Thanks!


Hi,

I'm not clear on what your plans are for the bones (which you don't want to cook), or on what percentage of the diet this trimmings mix would be.

You feed kibble and would like to add trimmings? If the trimmings are mostly bone, (1) you wouldn't cook it, and (2) this would result in a diet that was way too heavy in calcium. That is, kibble is balanced (calcium to phosphorus), so trimmings that are mostly bone would make it unbalanced.

Or .... are you feeding raw? You mentioned "not all raw." So I'm not clear.

These are all adult dogs?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Please don't forget your intro/bio post at http://www.workingdogforum.com/vBulletin/f20/

Thanks!


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## Amber Middaugh (Sep 30, 2011)

Sry to clarify. We feed all adult dogs or older pups (7 months +). I was asking because we get lots of bones and fat from this butcher. Mostly fat so thats the biggest question. We try and give the dogs bones at least once every couple weeks. The question was the meat and fat on some of these bones should we try to cook it off and then mix it into some kind of stew (discard the leftover bones) or just feed mostly kibble and mix in the fat and bones here and there. The biggest question really is all the chunks of fat and what would be best to do with those??? Sry I am trying to understand the dog food and proper nutrition needed so this is part of the beginnings of my questions among all my homework into this kind of thing...


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber Middaugh said:


> Sry to clarify. We feed all adult dogs or older pups (7 months +). I was asking because we get lots of bones and fat from this butcher. Mostly fat so thats the biggest question. We try and give the dogs bones at least once every couple weeks. The question was the meat and fat on some of these bones should we try to cook it off and then mix it into some kind of stew (discard the leftover bones) or just feed mostly kibble and mix in the fat and bones here and there. The biggest question really is all the chunks of fat and what would be best to do with those??? Sry I am trying to understand the dog food and proper nutrition needed so this is part of the beginnings of my questions among all my homework into this kind of thing...



Are you feeding kibble or raw? Kibble, right?

Is is the kibble so low in fat that you want to add "extra"? 


I'm still not clear on the bones. Do you mean recreational bones? Or RMBs?

I guess that at this point, I don't see a lot of benefit in what you are being offered unless you need that fat in the diet and/or unless you choose to give recreational bones to your dogs. 

I'm not at all trying to be confusing or argumentative, but I'm not getting yet what value you're seeing in the free fat and bones (unless you actually mean RMBs, which are the basis of a raw diet .... these bones are consumed, not chewed on .... RMBs means something like chicken backs or quarters that the dog eats in their entirety) or unless the kibble you feed is too low in fat and/or you have dogs who are not "easy keepers." 

About the gunk in the ears you mentioned elsewhere, I'd start a new thread about that. I'd describe the color, odor, frequency of accumulation, etc., and whether you are seeing other issues that could be related like skin pruritis or infection, etc.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

BTW, I feed raw and I do like freebies. 

But animal fat "comes with" the RMBs I give (and also "comes with" kibble, unless, again, you have dogs who are not easy keepers or buy a particularly low-fat kibble), so all I'm really seeing so far is a source of free recreational bones.


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## Peter Cavallaro (Dec 1, 2010)

Connie i was interpretting the gunk metaphorically as dog gettin hard at hearing when you want them to do something other than what they are doing????


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Peter Cavallaro said:


> Connie i was interpretting the gunk metaphorically as dog gettin hard at hearing when you want them to do something other than what they are doing????


Ah. I didn't understand, then. :lol:

I thought "gunk in ears; training tips for 'procedure' behaviors." :lol:


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## Peter Cavallaro (Dec 1, 2010)

eh who knows my skill at reading people and posts is kinda way down there.

Connie please take a look at my latest vid on bush bashing thread - even used an editing tool, rather crapilly.

BTW the thread is not related to bagging a particular ex Pres??


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## Amber Middaugh (Sep 30, 2011)

Connie Sutherland said:


> Are you feeding kibble or raw? Kibble, right?
> 
> Is is the kibble so low in fat that you want to add "extra"?
> 
> ...


Right now we are feeding very cruddy kibble because we live in a rural area and are having some issues getting good food. I am currently attempting to find some good quality fair priced dog food but not easy since seems like everyone around wants an arm and a leg and your firstborn child per sack. But we try and provide bones as part of recreation since they are all beef bones (understand now better that these bones don't have the nutritional value even with marrow). 

Also, the gunk I am talking about is actually those times when my dogs all of sudden lose their hearing/listening skills and ignore us during working. Just typical dogs when the excitement happens and some angry cow gets on the fight (which the dogs sometimes encourage :roll: ). Sry forgot sarcasm doesn't travel well thru online waves...


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## Amber Middaugh (Sep 30, 2011)

Sry next question: Which organs are best for a dog? I had a duh moment and realized along with the bones/fat/trimmings I can take any and all organs so what do you feel are the best and how should they be "handled?"

Thanks!


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## Jessica Kromer (Nov 12, 2009)

Fresh, raw tripe. The stomach lining. Not cooked, or anything, just dumped clean and cut into chunks. I would love a source that would give me that on a regular basis, and free! 8)


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Amber Middaugh said:


> .... we try and provide bones as part of recreation since they are all beef bones (understand now better that these bones don't have the nutritional value even with marrow). ..


Marrow has nutritional value. (Not all recreational bones are marrow bones.) 

They are not a basis of a diet the way RMBs are.... their nutritional value is different from that of digestible bones that are consumed.


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## Amber Middaugh (Sep 30, 2011)

Thank you Connie for that info and also Jessica! Sorry for all the dumb questions just trying to figure all this stuff out...


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