Feeding questions - Page 2

Khaled

No ignorance here, your questions are valid and I struggled with this complex topic of diet and nutrition myself. Still do, to a degree. Anyone that thinks they know it all regarding canine nutrition misplaced their confidence in the wrong closet.

I will say upfront, home cooked or raw meat based diet is superior to any commercial food. There is no comparison whatsoever between whole, live foods and factory processed.

I initially started my pup out on a so-called grain free 'superfood' until 5 months. A cute shiny bag. He thrived on the kibble but I sensed commercial food was a poor diet in the long run and kibble diets often lead to rapid growth spurts and weight gains - not good for the joints.

I transitioned the pup entirely to raw at 5.5 mos and have not fed a single morsel of kibble since.  

However, I continue to go back and forth with cooked meals, mostly cooked lately, but for no particular reason other than I think the pup digests it a little easier than raw. Same ingredients, just cooked proteins (mainly a variety of poultry parts), but without cooked bones (still give those raw: beef with marrow). I also feed egg, yogurt, fish, veggies, fruits, herbs and cooked whole oats.

Pup is about 9 mos now and has always been lean, super energetic and has yet to show even a hint of an ailment. He loves to eat.

Recommend you research some recipes based on available proteins in your area and within your budget of course. Making dog food is easy, especially if you are handy in the kitchen.

Amount depends and there is no math for it; just need to know your dog and adjust based on growth rate and activity level. I think my pup eats quite a lot, but he is also physically intense and gets much daily exercise.

Work with it and experiment; you and dog will find the balance.

Khaled, if you decide to feed both kibble and homemade food to your dog, do not feed them both at the same time.  Kibble and fresh food digest at a different rate, when both are fed in the same meal it raises the chance for the dog to get bloat.   So, if for money or convenience you decide to do both kibble and fresh food make sure you always feed them in separate meals.

GK1 had very good suggestions.

Feeding fresh, homemade meals is the best for your dog's health.  Raw bones must be included for appropriate balance of minerals (also raw bones are the absolute best way to keep your dog's teeth clean) if it makes you feel better then you can dip raw bones in boiling water for a few seconds to kill any pathogens on the surface before feeding, but make sure you don't boil the bones long enough to cook them. 
Raw meat is preferable to cooked meat, but this is your choice, you can feed the meat cooked if you wish, or dip it in boiling water for a few seconds if you are concerned about pathogens. 
Goat meat, sheep meat, poultry, small whole fish, eggs, fresh raw goats milk, yogurt and cheese are also good additions.  Organs (like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, pancreas, stomach/tripes) are very rich in nutrition for dogs and should be a part of their diet too.
Dogs need some nutrients that vegetables, herbs and fruit provide.  Parsley, sweet potatoes, carrots, chickpeas (and other legumes,) mint, thyme, dill, garlic, olive oil, sesame seeds and oil are all ok for a dog's diet.  (note: small amount of oil goes a long ways.)  I think parsley and carrots and or sweet potatoes/yams would be fine for making up the bulk of the veggie part of a dog's diet.  Apples and pears are good fruit choice for dogs. 
When feeding grain, it must be well cooked.  Rice is easier to digest for dogs than most other kinds of grain, go easy on any grain that has gluten. 
A dog's homemade diet should be approximately 50-80% meat/bones/organs, 10-20% eggs/dairy, 10-30% veggies, no more than 25% grain and no more than 10% fruit.   Ratios can vary by meal, so no need to be real strict.  Meat, bone and/or organs should be a part of every meal....but, the other things (veggies, dairy, grain or fruit) do not necessarily have to be included in every meal.

 Thanks to all, it is really appreciated
 and please keep following my posts as I am sure I will have lots of questions in the future :))