Amid all the pet food recalls there is so much controversy about feeding our pets commercial pet foods. Can you recommend a food that I can make at home for my dog?
She has been eating [a national brand] since she was born. Now whenever she eats this she vomits within two minutes. I have given her brown rice cooked in chicken broth for the last two or three days, and this stays down. Do you have any suggestions? My dog is a German Rottweiller. She will be six years old in August. She is an indoor dog and is kept current on all of her vaccines as well as Heartguard and Frontline. Any help would be greatly appreciated
Sincerely,
-C. Teer
Read Dr. Weaver’s advice:
Dear C. Teer,
I usually do not recommend homemade diets for dogs. The pet food companies are not perfect, but they have teams of nutritionists who work hard to build foods that provide optimum nutrition for pets. I have always said that if the high-end commercial food companies made human food, I would feed it to my family and myself. If cooking is the only thing you feel safe with, there are several websites that can provide recipes. Once you do find one, follow it completely, including vegetables and vitamin supplementation to assure full nutrition.
If the vomiting has been happening for a while and you choose a commercial diet, dogs with sensitive stomachs often do better on rice-based diets and many of the better brands have sensitive stomach formulations. If the vomiting has only been going on for a short period, you may want to see your vet to rule out any other cause.
-Dr. Sherry Weaver
