More Pet Food Recalls!

[magikchick]

Now the food I had been feeding has been recalled, Natural Balance venison and brown rice dry. It seems the rice maybe contaminated too. I'm going to start making my own pet food, got some ideas from the internet.

Anyone else make or are thinking of making their own pet foods. Would like to share ideas and recipes.

I have 2 mini dachshunds, a golden retriever, a cat, bearded dragon, blue crowned conure and my 7 chicks.

Marsha

 

[MarkR]

We were very lucky to switch to something healthier right when this scare started. One of our cats was pretty clearly affected by the tainted food (the other eats at the neighbors house, or catches his own dinner more often than not), loosing weight, throwing up a lot, drinking excessive amounts of water, etc. I looked into making our own food, but expense, balanced nutrion, and timewise I wanted to find another alternative.

We've switched both cats and the dog to a brand called Eagle Pac Holistic. It's got lots of whole foods, and good nutrients in it. The one sick kitty has made an amazing recovering and is acting like a kitten again (she's 15), the other cat (he's even started eating at home) and our Scottie love it as well. I've been mail ordering it by the case for canned, and there's a local dry food supplier. Even with the shipping the canned food seems to be actually cheaper over time than buying from the grocery store. You can google them to find their webpage that will link to lots of dealers around the country. Of course, the one brand that seems to have escaped all the hullabalu is Purina. Our neighbor, who breeds and raises cockers, swears by it.

Mark

 

[icewb8]

Making your own pet food is the best idea. I'm sorry if i sound un orthodox because the vets tell everyone they have to eat only this and not too much human food, yadda yadda yadda. They don't, dogs come from wolves and wolves eat pretty much everything we do just preapared differently. Keeping your pet on 1 or 2 different types of food is bad for them anyweays. The food you buy for pets is garbage, the comapnies use the crappiest ingredients and lowest grade meats that just thinking about makes me sick. Then they've got the darn chemcials in the food killing our loved pets because all they care about is quanitity not quality. They just wanna make a quick buck.

So basically my advice is make your own food lol.

 

[MarkR]

Yes, icewb8, it's all about a quick buck. Here's something that gets under my skin. It's about the food we eat, but it applies to pet food as well. The food we eat actually costs more to produce than we pay for it. Big agribusiness companies use inhumane practices and government subsidies to keep food costs low, and us fat and happy. If we paid realistic prices for good food, we'd eat less, save money, be healthier, AND real farmers could make a living. Okay, now I'm all stirred up!! I'm going out to the garden. ARRRRRGGH!!!!!

Mark

 

[mudhen]

Hey, magikchick! First of all, welcome to BYC!

I'd like to hear about those recipes!
Thanks, MarkR for the tip on Eagle Pac Holistic brand!
I'm gonna check out where I can find it around here.
I've been making our own 'wet food' for our dogs, but mostly based on our leftovers, nothing like a recipe.
I agree with everyones comments here, especially:
"If we paid realistic prices for good food, we'd eat less, save money, be healthier, AND real farmers could make a living."

 

[hencackle]

I use Solid Gold Hund-N-Flocken for my havanese dog. My local health food store now carries the Solid Gold line so it might be worth asking a store near you to carry it. Now, I don't have to make a trip to Asheville, NC to buy it.

Although the Hund-N-Flocken indicates brown rice and rice bran on the label, it does not contain the contaminated rice product according to the Solid Gold website. http://www.solidgoldhealth.com/news/

MarkR, you've summed up what's wrong with most agricultural practices. Do you subscribe to AcresUSA too? Or a member of Weston A. Price Foundation?
Stephanie

 

[magikchick]

I made up my first batch of food using the following:


6 chicken leg quarters
1.5 lbs. beef liver
1.5 cups mixed veggies frozen
3 cups brown rice
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 boiled egg
2 capsules of flax seed oil

Boiled the chicken till done then added the liver to the chicken broth and let it cook. Picked the chicken from the bones and chopped both meats up finley.

Heated the frozen veggies up and put in blender with the egg, cottage cheese, flax seed oil and half the rice. Blended with chicken broth and poured over meat and the other half of the rice.

I can say the dogs love it. Mixing it with their dry food till they get use to it. Was not that much trouble and the cost was about $6.00.

Marsha

 

[MarkR]

Quote:
I read Acres when I can, lots of good stuff in there.. Weston Price is interesting. I like a lot of what he/the Foundation have to say, but some of his ideas were a bit out there. . . even for me. I've worked for a friend who runs a CSA last summer and have spent some time over at Polyface farms (Joel Salatin), though. Plus, I was a chef for a while. Food issues are near and dear to my heart.

Mark

 

[hencackle]

MarkP...that sounds like a wonderful opportunity you had at PolyFace. I haven't met Mr. Salatin, but I have great respect for him. I buy my meat from Garden Mountain Farm (Tazewell, VA) and the Hubbards have met Mr. Salatin.
While I'm far from being a chef, I believe a simple recipe using the best, nutritionally-dense ingredients surpasses the complicated dish made of cheap stuff.
I'm all for small, family farms and I'm glad to meet someone else that does!
Stephanie

 

[mudhen]

Thanks magikchick ! I'm going to try in in my crock pot for them! Then I'll see if I can tweak it to get a variation for my cats too.
BTW MarkR, found that my local feed store carries Eagle Pac Holistic brand