Why I don't share generic dog food recipes online.

I see so many unbalanced recipes that circulate online or people winging it with their own crockpot dog meals (because any fresh food must be better than kibble), that many times I’ve contemplated sharing a balanced recipe.

Why don’t I?

Because of all the comments I see when others share them.

• My dog is allergic to ____what can I substitute?

• I can’t find ____ what can I substitute?

• Why is the heart cooked? Shouldn’t it be raw or all the nutrients will be destroyed?

• Why are there so many veggies? Dogs don’t need veggies!

• I can’t afford ___ what can I substitute?

• Why are we using eggshell, isn’t it toxic?

• Why do I need this supplement? Can’t I use all food?

• Can I use fresh salmon vs canned salmon?

• Can I substitute sardines for salmon?

• The recipe says raw but my dog does better on cooked, can I cook it?

• How long do I cook the ____?

• I can’t afford ____ (but I don’t want to feed quinoa or grains to help bring costs down)

• The recipe says steam but can I add everything to a slow cooker?

I mean, the list is endless and it’s the reason I offer one on one consultations. Each dog and their person can be addressed individually and I can base the recipe on the feeding and health history along with client budget.

Dogs who have been on kibble their entire lives often need a higher carb recipe to start with…not as high in carb as kibble, but to go right to a higher fat, fresh food diet can be too much for them and you end up with vomiting and/or diarrhea.

So, although a generic recipe could help some dogs, I know that I would lose sleep over the dogs who didn’t do well because substitutions were made, supplements were skipped or maybe the breed/dog needs lower fat or lower oxalate and the dog parent doesn’t know that.

Gosh, it would be a lot easier to just pump out recipes for $5 and not offer any support, but I just can’t do it. There’s also the sad fact that any recipe is going to be picked apart by all the various feeding communities, with no opportunity to explain or defend the reasons for certain ingredients etc.

This is why I stick to my consults - the structure of them has pretty much remained the same since I was mentored/trained years ago -because it works (and had worked for 20 plus years) and can be tailored to each consult when needed. I love building relationships with clients and their pups, and that will always take precedent in my business.