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Fresh pumpkin?

This is the place to share your best homemade dog food and treat recipes with each other! Remember to use caution if your pet has allergies and to make any diet changes gradually so that your dog's stomach can adjust to the new foods you are introducing.

  
Tia

Ok - lets cuddle		 
 
Barked: Tue Apr 10, '12 5:38am PST 
I bought a fairly large chunk of pumpkin at the grocer yesterday; is it a good idea to throw some into the dogs' food or is this kind of a high carb ingredient? I'm feeding just protein and veggies (70/30) but they also get 1 meal a day of their kibble (CaniSource) until the bag is done.

I'm also wondering if it will help solidify Bandit's poop a bit. Its really soft, not runny, ever since we took him off TOTW under 2 months ago. It was getting better with CaniSource, then we started the homecooking and its back to mush. Tia's poop is great.
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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!		 
 
Barked: Tue Apr 10, '12 9:36am PST 
It is very low carb, try it. The combination of fiber in it worked really well for my dogs' poop but with 30% veggies I wonder why it isn't covered in the food you are already using? Pumpkin is high in soluble fiber but I am sure lots of other veggies are as well.

How much food is he getting? Maybe he needs less food. How much fat is in the food you are feeding? Maybe it is just a little too much for him to handle?
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Tia

Ok - lets cuddle		 
 
Barked: Tue Apr 10, '12 9:50am PST 
I hadn't used it yet because I didn't know if it was a suitable veggie to add. I've only been cooking regularly for 1 week now. Once they finish off the kibble, we will probably transition into RAW. That's what our vet ultimately wants him on. I'm feeding him 2.5% of his ideal and current weight of 25lbs. He gets about 3-4 oz of meat in one meal (we did chicken thighs, ground pork as mains, with a bit of sardines and eggs in a couple of meals). He is in great shape right now, so I was trying out the 2.5% for maintenance. I guess its hard to tell with only 1 week of 50% cooked. His kibble is CaniSource, and he gets 1/2 cup in the morning (box recommendation) whereas he was getting 2/3 cup each meal on TOTW.

As for veggies, it was a zucchini/carrot/bok choy/cauliflower mush last week. Bok choy and blueberries on Sunday night (wow stinky farts! too much bok choy I think). The fridge was pretty empty so I was scavenging for them. Last night they got raw meaty ribs and a couple of pieces of leftover yam and a few blueberries. So I was hoping the pumpkin would be a good option for veggies.
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Squ'mey

too old to eat- any more KD		 
 
Barked: Tue Apr 10, '12 10:13am PST 
Pumpkin is a great source of fibre. It can firm up hard stools, or get things moving for constipated dogs. I boil up a pumpkin every year, then freeze it in ice cube trays. Once frozen I put the cubes into a freezer bag. Each cube is about a tablespoon, so I have a handy supply & don't have to open a can each time I need some.
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Maxwell

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!		 
 
Barked: Tue Apr 10, '12 11:12am PST 
I did that too and also bought the monster can of pumpkin from Smart n Final and froze it all in little dollops. My medium sized dogs got 2 ounces a day or so.

Try feeding a little less food and taking off the easy skin and easy to remove fat for a little while. The good meats you are offering mean he is getting a lot more fat than kibble provides and while the 3-4 ounces of meat seems like very little he is a small dog and may not need even that much as it is only half his diet.

Poor Max is 100% raw fed and his 10-12 ounces a day for his 38 pounds looks like nothing some days. If I feed 12 ounces too many days in a row his poop will get soft and big no matter how much bone he gets.
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Tia

Ok - lets cuddle		 
 
Barked: Wed Apr 11, '12 5:33am PST 
Hmm, i already was removing the fat and skin from the chicken. The pork was a grind so who knows - was probably a bit high in fat. Yeah, I'll cut back a bit. It is kind of sad looking into their bowls! *LOL* But the CaniSource is even worse, since its a highler calorie food they get less quantity than on TOTW, we always feel kind of bad. At least the homecooked looks more bulky!

I added the pumpkin to last nights meal. This morning's poop was not so mushy. Bandit was actually a bit constipated yesterday (according to DH) - go figure. But I think that's because he got a RMB on Monday night and although we took the bone away when he was about halfway through, it may have been too much for him to consume? We're all over the place right now... kibble, homecooked, starting to introduce RAW. This is probably not helping his stomach. Our vet wants us on RAW though, so that's the end goal for the summer. We're still sourcing the meat (she wants us to go organic but we may not be able to afford it, we don't even buy organic for ourselves), so the dogs are getting a little bit of everything. Tia doesn't even seem phased, regardless what we put in her bowl! smile
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Bruno

Always by your- side, no matter- where!		 
 
Barked: Fri Jun 8, '12 12:58pm PST 
Pumpkin has always been a dogsend for me. In both dogs I've had, it has done a great job with constipation, loose poops, and even diarrhea. Another good product I've used has been the "Perfect Form" supplement from THK, which I've also had really awesome success with.
Plain canned pumpkin is cheaper though.
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