Cheese is loaded with sodium and is not good for dogs prone to heart disease.

When my first Cavalier developed MVD, I took a year long course in Animal Nutrition at a Veterinary College, and I make all the treats my dogs get, and I sell them too.

There are tons of recipes on the web that contain damaging ingredients, some of them include raisins and chocolate.
BE VERY CAREFUL.

The results speak for themselves, don't they?

I'm so glad your chihuahuas are doing so well on their homemade dog food.

And thanks for the feedback. I really appreciate it!

Regards,
Brigitte

Shortly after it became public about the contaminated food and ingredients that were coming into this country from China, I decided to start making my own dog food.

It is easy for me because I have two chihuahuas, so we are not talking about big mouths to feed.

I use a crock pot that someone gave me for a gift. I've never liked crock pot cooking for people but it works out great for the dogs. The food has brown rice, barley, spinach, zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken livers and chicken gizzards. (what is a chicken by-product anyway?). I sometimes vary the protein source and/or the vegetables and then I freeze portions.

The dogs, who were never very enthusiastic about eating, often wake me up early so that they can go out and then eat. The food is gone in about a minute and they are licking the bowl enthusiastically.

One of them used to have really bad, flaky dry skin and that is now gone. They seem more energetic and active which is good for middle aged dogs.

I somehow wish I could market the product. I even created a high fiber diet for a friend's dog who has the canine equivalent of irritable bowel syndrome and he is doing great.

So, keep encouraging people to find alternatives to most of the commercial stuff that is out there and remind them that they should not be feeding anything to their dogs that they would not be willing to try.

Thanks for all your information and insights and guidance always.

Beth Hapke