The Why, The How, and The When

The When, The Where, and The Why

We had a diabetic Labrador Retriever for many years and we learned a lot about canine nutrition. We always fed her high end kibble. We then discovered recipes for toppers. They included meat and a variety of healthy vegetables. We cut back on the kibble and supplemented with the toppers. We noticed small changes. Her coat was a little softer. She got excited when it was time to eat. She had a little more pep to her step. At the time we never considered making a complete change. Fast forward to 2019 when we got our crazy Golden Retriever, Harley. In the first year we went through about 5 different kinds of food. He had severe diarrhea. He had multiple horrid bouts with vomit. We took notice that when he would get a bland diet (rice and protein) he would be a little better. Then it happened....one day he stopped eating. I made multiple toppers. I made a homemade gravy. We added cheese to the gravy and toppers. He would eat everything but the kibble (no matter the brand). We were so upset and frustrated. We took the knowledge we had and started looking everywhere we could get information (online, articles, classes, videos). We went to various sources. We started following holistic vets (Dr. Judy Morgan and Dr. Karen Becker). We spent weeks and months learning how to start and continue to do this the right way, which included not just the right foods in the right quantities, but the supplements needed for a balanced diet. We finally got ready to pull the trigger and start the kibble weaning process. It was right at that time we watched a documentary on Netflix called "Pet Fooled". It made me sick to my stomach to think that all this time I had been feeding our dogs this garbage. The transition to home cooking we amazing. He was excited to eat. Over the course of a few weeks we got almost normal stool and the vomiting became less frequent. (We did eventually resolve it all together, which was allergy related and a story for another day). He is doing amazing now. His energy, his skin, his weight. I could have never imagined the changes we would see ! We have been doing this about 5 years and I can't imagine anything different!! Until next time my home cooking friend...

xoxo

Contact

Questions or tips? Reach out anytime!

Email

homecookingdogmama@gmail.com

© 2026. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer**No one that represents Home Cooking Dog Mama is a Licensed Veterinarian or Dietician. We encourage you to always seek advice from your vet first and foremost. Any information on this website is advice from another home cooking parent that wants to share their experience and knowledge**