Making homemade food for my dog?

I have a white maltese that is about 6 pounds full grown.





She's turning 3 in July.





She's very healthy so far. No plague build up on her teeth,





no vital organs malfunctioning, she's very happy and active, and poops regularly :D





but my dog is just so spoiled in every way including her choice of foods.





She is a very finicky eater and doesn't eat most of the things I give her





unless it's something she likes.





Ever since we brought her home, she won't eat dog food.





I've tried dry food, canned food... (probably every single one on the shelf)





and I finally gave up and tried different human foods.





She really likes raw veggies.. (like cabbage, carrots, and celery)





and she LOVES fruit (apple, melon, and strawberries are her favorite)





So I always give her veggies when she's hungry, and





although she doesn't really like meat and tries not to eat it,





I try my best to feed her some by just boiling beef or chicken in water and dicing them up.





She also won't eat her food if they are not diced up and are an "edible size" for her mouth.





If I just give her a big chunk, she doesn't eat any 99% of the time.





So everytime I give her something,





I have to individually chop the veggies, cut to pieces, and pull the meat.





I don't give her any food with artificial ingredients,





or dog treats that look like junk food.











These couple of days, my baby has been puking and sleeping all day,





so I took her to the doctor and he suggested I don't buy dog food





and cook for my dog instead since she's so picky about her food.





But he also suggested I don't just give her whatever she wants





and go on a strict meal plan to try to get all the nutrients proper for the dog.





He said if I went ahead and looked for some online, I would find plenty....





I've found some, but I really don't know what to do with it.





My dog doesn't like to eat most of the ingredients in the food recipes I found.











1. Is it okay for my dog to be liking veggies over meat? (My first doctor said it was fine- that her dog was a vegetarian, but my second doctor said it was not okay- dogs aren't designed to only eat veggies by nature)





2. Maybe I'm relying too much on human taste, but boiling up meat just smells nasty :D I wanted to at least put some salt or soy sauce to give it a flavor, but I just felt that was unhealthy... Is it unhealthy?





3. Where can I find a really good source for homemade dog food? (Any good website recommendation, or a good book recommendation, or a personal recipe all sounds great)





4. Any tips on how to make my dog a less finicky eater? *I've tried putting the food bowl down only on a certain time of day, not giving her anything until she's hungry, and rewarding her with treats after she's eaten something she doesn't like. Nothing works... My dog looks like she just doesn't have a big thing on appetite. She's never hungry, and she's never nagging for food or snack.|||1. Is it okay for my dog to be liking veggies over meat? (My first doctor said it was fine- that her dog was a vegetarian, but my second doctor said it was not okay- dogs aren't designed to only eat veggies by nature)





I'm going to have to side with the first vet on this one... sort of. Dogs in fact can be fed a complete and balanced vegetarian diet. Its not the easiest diet to feed, but it can be done. There are numerous commercial vegetarian dog food diets that are on the market, from reputable companies. It wouldn't be my preferred diet to feed, but it can be done.





2. Maybe I'm relying too much on human taste, but boiling up meat just smells nasty :D I wanted to at least put some salt or soy sauce to give it a flavor, but I just felt that was unhealthy... Is it unhealthy?





Yep. Its unhealthy, for the same reason its unhealthy for us. Dog tastes aren't the same as ours. Don't assume that what smells/tastes good/bad to you, smell or tastes the same to your dog.





3. Where can I find a really good source for homemade dog food? (Any good website recommendation, or a good book recommendation, or a personal recipe all sounds great)





No good advice here, and I'd be reluctant to believe anyone on here to answer this question. Why? Because there are a *lot* of really bad recipes out there that are very poorly balanced, and you aren't likely in a position to judge which are which. This isn't a decision I'd be leaving to some random, unaccountable person.





4. Any tips on how to make my dog a less finicky eater? *I've tried putting the food bowl down only on a certain time of day, not giving her anything until she's hungry, and rewarding her with treats after she's eaten something she doesn't like. Nothing works... My dog looks like she just doesn't have a big thing on appetite. She's never hungry, and she's never nagging for food or snack.





Are you sure you're trying to get her to eat an appropriate amount? If she's not loosing, or gaining weight, I wouldn't worry about her not eating. I doubt she'd starve herself.





I hate to say it, but most 'picky eaters' have, in my experience been created by the owners. The dog learns that if they turn their nose up at one food, they get offered another (potentially better) food. In a situation like this --- why wouldn't they be a picky eater.





Heck -- you just said that you reward her for 'trying something she doesn't like'. Well, what you're really doing, is rewarding her for showing signs of not liking something, and then eating a tiny portion of it. This isn't really the behavior you want to be enforcing is it?





Give her a reasonable portion, suitable for her daily calorie needs. ( # calories = (30*weight in kg +70) * x where x is an 'activity factor, ranging from about 1.2 to 1.7). Monitor her weight. Cut out the treats. If she gets hungry --- she'll eat.





(just did a 'ball park estimate', and you should probably be feeding no more than about 1/2 a cup of food per day --- be sure that your 'cup' is 250mL/8oz and not a mug or something bigger)|||1. the second vet is right it is not natural at all, and even though she's healthy now. eating those veggies may cause a nutrient deficiency causing organ failure or sickness.


2. it is very unhealthy for dogs. you really need to get her on dog food. these companies spend years and millions of dollars in researching what a dog needs to consume to live a long healthy life. and unless you have resources that your not telling us about then you have no idea nutritionally what she needs.


3. i don't recommend homemade food, like i said major companies use millions$$$ to find out exactly what a healthy dog needs.


4. you need to quit being her personal slave she has you wrapped around her little paw. the other thing i think your not realizing is if she is 6 pounds the really think ::how big is her stomach?:: not big at all!! i would offer her dog food all the time and watch the levels of food. she'll eat. a dog normally does not starve themselves to death.


just look into a quality dog food and just put a little down so she has a choice when to eat it. goo d luck!