# Homecookers..do I need a multi-vitamin?



## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

I have 2 questions.
If i want to homecook for the morning meal and give commercial pet food for the evening meal does the homecooked food need added vitamins?

If the answer is yes, instead of mixing it into the batch of food can i give her the vitamins seperately without adding to the mixure of food?


Also, I am in Canada and cannot get "Animal Essentials". The only one I can find is NaturVet - Home Is there any other vitamin brands that can be recommended?
Thanks


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

If at least 20% of your dog's diet is homecooked, you must supplement. I have no idea how you would know what to add without consulting a canine nutritionist, though. I know people who have successfully incorporated raw and homecooked with the guidance of a nutritionist.

Besides Animal Essentials, I also use First Choice Naturals. They are recommend by the Great Dane Lady.

Pet Health Supplements - Proven Dog Nutritional Supplements - First Choice Naturals, Inc


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## Starsmom (Jan 31, 2009)

This article may help you...

What to feed a Maltese


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

Please consult with your vet or a nutritionist. My vet says the most important thing is that you MUST add back calcium to achieve the right calcium phosphorus ratio. Proteins are very high phosphorus, other ingredients have more 1-1 calcium phosphorus ratio. Not too many commonly used home cooking ingredients are high calcium only. So you need to add calcium back in most home cooking. Animal Essentials CALCIUM gives you the amount to add.

As to the multi-vitamin, you will probably want to add some-- depending on what you are putting in the food. I put 5-10 different organic veggies in my home cooking, so I do not always supplement with multi-vitamin. Again, please ask your vet or consult with a nutritionist.

My vet says you can absolutely supplement separately from the food. I mix my multi-vitamin and calcium in water and syringe it through side of mouth because my pups love the home cooked dishes more by themselves. They would still eat the food with the supplements mixed in, but I love to see them enjoy the home cooking so much.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

princessre said:


> Please consult with your vet or a nutritionist. My vet says the most important thing is that you MUST add back calcium to achieve the right calcium phosphorus ratio. Proteins are very high phosphorus, other ingredients have more 1-1 calcium phosphorus ratio. Not too many commonly used home cooking ingredients are high calcium only. So you need to add calcium back in most home cooking. Animal Essentials CALCIUM gives you the amount to add.
> 
> As to the multi-vitamin, you will probably want to add some-- depending on what you are putting in the food. I put 5-10 different organic veggies in my home cooking, so I do not always supplement with multi-vitamin. Again, please ask your vet or consult with a nutritionist.
> 
> My vet says you can absolutely supplement separately from the food. I mix my multi-vitamin and calcium in water and syringe it through side of mouth because my pups love the home cooked dishes more by themselves. They would still eat the food with the supplements mixed in, but I love to see them enjoy the home cooking so much.


:thumbsup: This article explains how critical the correct (1.2 parts of calcium for each 1 part of phosphorous (1.2:1) calcium to phosphorus ratio is.

Calcium & Phosphorous in Dogs* - Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia -

AE Calcium contains very little phosphorus. I use other AE supplements, but I use KAL bone meal as specified by Lady's recipe. Again, a canine nutritionist will be able to calculate how much added phosphorus you need depending on the particular recipe.

Animal Essentials - Premium quality supplements for dogs and cats

Buy Kal - Bone Meal Powder 1000 mg. - 16 oz. at LuckyVitamin.com

You do have to be very careful about what brand bone meal you use as many contain mercury, lead and other heavy metals.


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

The more meat a recipe contain, the more calcium you need to add back because meat is very high phosphorus. I took this from the reference link: DogAware.com Articles: Homemade Cooked Diets for Dogs

Calcium: One of the most common mistakes that people make when feeding a home cooked diet is the failure to add *calcium*. You must add calcium when you feed a diet that does not include bones.

Adult dogs need around 800 to 1,000 mg of calcium per pound of food fed. They also require the calcium to be supplied in a proper proportion to phosphorus.

The ideal calcium to phosphorus ratio in the canine diet is between 1:1 and 2:1. *Meat contains a lot of phosphorus, so the more meat a diet contains, the more calcium will be required to reach the correct calcium phosphorus ratio. *Adding 800 to 1,000 mg of calcium will provide the correct calcium phosphorus ratio even for a high-meat diet, unless you use a calcium supplement that also contains phosphorus. In that case, moderately higher amounts of calcium may be needed to balance out the additional phosphorus contained in the supplement.

Ground eggshell can be used as a calcium supplement. Rinse eggshells and dry them on a counter overnight, or in the oven, then grind them in a clean coffee grinder. One large eggshell provides one teaspoon of ground eggshell, which contains 2,000 mg of calcium, so add ½ teaspoon ground eggshell per pound of food fed. Don’t use eggshells that haven’t been ground to powder, as they may not be absorbed as well.

You can use other types of calcium supplements (any form of calcium is fine). Calcium from seaweed, such as Animal Essentials’ Natural Calcium, also supplies other minerals (including magnesium, iodine, and selenium) that are beneficial.

Bone meal is frequently used as a source of calcium in diets that don't include raw bone. However, bone meal contains calcium and phosphorus. Different brands of bone meal supplements contain different amounts of calcium and phosphorus, but the calcium phosphorus ratio is always the same: 2:1. To balance a diet that contains lots of phosphorus, then, you will need to give an amount of bone meal that will provide 1,000 to 1,200 mg calcium per pound of food to keep the ideal calcium: phosphorus ratio in the diet correct.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

princessre said:


> The more meat a recipe contain, the more calcium you need to add back because meat is very high phosphorus. I took this from the reference link: DogAware.com Articles: Homemade Cooked Diets for Dogs
> 
> Calcium: One of the most common mistakes that people make when feeding a home cooked diet is the failure to add *calcium*. You must add calcium when you feed a diet that does not include bones.
> 
> ...


:good post - perfect


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## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate the knowledge:thumbsup:
Jenna:wub:


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