Kelly Grace

Studying Canine Nutrition | Cavalier Mom | Fresh dog food | Bowwow Kitchen

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

I'm Kelly.  I feed my two Cavaliers fresh dog food and I'm studying canine nutrition to do it right.  This account is dog lover to lover, not a vet or a food brand.  Just dog food + what I learn along the way.  Follow for the hot takes, the recipes, and two opinionated spaniels.

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

You don't dump every supplement into every bowl. You build to the recipe in front of you, not a one size fits all list. Bookmark this thread so you've got the framework next time. 🐾

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

Homemade dog food isn't as complicated as it looks once you know the anatomy of a bowl. Here's what goes in mine.

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

What depends on the recipe. Carb source, oils for omega 3s and 6s, vitamin E, supplements. Not every bowl needs all of them. A fish forward meal already brings the omega 3s, so the math changes.

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

A balanced homemade dog food plate, deconstructed.  
Beef for protein
Heart for taurine
Liver for vitamins
Rice & sweet potato for digestible energy
Greens for goodness
Eggs for vitamin E
Calcium for Ca:P ratio
Fish oil for Omega 3s
A framework.  Adjust to your dog's weight.

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

Rice isn't poisoning your dog. They can digest some cooked starches well. A whole ingredient like cooked rice in a balanced bowl is very different from a corn heavy kibble with not much protein in sight.  
The villain was not rice in your fresh dog food.   It was in the bag.

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

Save this and learn the why.  Every mistake I made came from following recipes without understanding what each ingredient was contributing to the bowl.

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

When I first started feeding homemade dog food, I thought I was doing everything right.  I was following recipes from dog parents and credentialed people.  I cared.  I was trying.  Then I realized I was making 3 mistakes.

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

The biggest lesson?  Learn the why.  The mistakes came from following recipes without understanding what each ingredient was contributing to the bowl.

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

If you feed homemade and skip calcium, that bowl isn't balanced yet and the fix is in your compost!  Meat is high in phosphorus, low in calcium.  Eggshell powder helps balance it and you can make it at home.  Keep those shells, make powder and use it as calcium for your dogs!

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

Your dog's water bowl is doing all the work,  Dry kibble is 6-10% water.  Fresh food is closer to 70%.  A dog built to get water from food is getting almost none, so the bowl has to cover the entire gap.  "Drinks enough to cope" and "set up to thrive" aren't the same sentence!

[Kelly Grace @KellyGGibbons]

@voguemagazine She looks gorgeous, love her outfit!

[Russell Gauthier @russgauthier26]

Had a great time competing at @DigInMules prospect camp this morning! Thank you @Coach_Frantz and head coach Milne for having me out and evaluating me