anyone use "balance it"

[golfgirl]

Hi, on the advice of my vet (because I told him I want to prepare my own home-cooked meals for our dog) he admitted not having enough information on proper diets and suggested I go to www.balanceit.com and check it out. It looks really good and was wondering if anyone has used their recipes or supplements? thanks in advance!

[Puppyluv]

At $20 a recipe, I wouldn't even think of it. There are plenty of free resources or books that cost the same as one recipe that can guide you in your way. Especially when a recipe having the ingredients listed as "salmon, sweet potato, chicken broth and water" costs 20$. For that price, the ingredients better be included too.

[golfgirl]

I agree with the price, although if you order 3 or more recipes they are only $12.50 per recipe. My vet explained that there is a lot of "free advice" on the net and that the people coming up with these recipes do not have any veterinarian nutrional education, and even admitted that he doesn't have enough education on nutrition as there can be some very harmful recipes lacking proper proportions, elements, minerals,vitamins. He said that the University of California-Davis-is the best place for advice, and this website is run by "board certified veterinary nutritionists" from the University of California. Apparently there are only 37 "board certified vererinary nutrionalists" WORLDWIDE. He also said that if this was just an interim desire, that it would be ok, but for long term it was very important to make sure all of my dogs nutritional needs were being met with proper supplements. To tell you the truth, all this information has made me realize the importance and responsibility of taking up the desire to properly feed our dog. After reading "food pets die for" by Ann Martin, I'm aware of how lax the controls are for commercial pet food. It's disgusting what is allowed to go into pet foods. Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to explain what happened at the vets yesterday and my current thought on home cooking!!

[Puppyluv]

Oh I agree on making your own pet food. I feed my dog raw, so I know where you're coming from. But I still wouldn't pay that site for recipes. I've done all my research off of websites and books and feel that I've balanced my dog's diet quite well. Paying 12.50-20$ for one recipe without even getting an idea of what this recipe is composed of makes me wary and I would never do it.

[technodoll]

I wouldn't pay a dime either, what a rip-off, sorry. Many of us here have valuable information and experiences and advice to share, gleaned from years of experience feeding a non-commercial diet, purchased books, shared resources among thousands of members world-wide feeding this way also (the wonderful world of forums, LOL). I doubt many people fell for the "pay for a recipe" scam. cuz you know it's all it is, people looking to make a buck off innocent pet owners who are afraid to "do it wrong".

stick around the food forum, you'll see we're not un-educated on the food issue... unlike most vets in the world

[golfgirl]

If you make a selection of a protein and carb, then click on "for dogs" they give you a brief description of what is in the recipe. Also check out their "help" section-there are quite a few questions I had answered there, but I was just wondering if anyone had actually used their supplements, or recipes. Boy, feeding a dog was never more confusing than in the last month!! "ignorance is bliss" comes to mind, but these are our "fur babies" who love us unconditionally and I am so happy there are forums like this for us to comment, ask and learn from!! I feel so sorry for anyone who has lost a beloved pet from the recalls-my love to those.

[technodoll]

golfgirl, it's really quite simple... this homefeeding. think about how dogs and cats ate for thousands of years before the advent of commercial dog food... i doubt people bought pet recipe books also, many countries today don't have commercial petfood available - think africa, south america, russia, asia...

but yeah there are basics to follow (calcium-phosphorus ratio being the most important), we can help you. But if you want to throw money at something that's your perogative, we're just trying to help

[CheetoBowie]

There are a couple of posts on here that are absolutely asinine. You want something for free? Go ahead and get a recipe off line for free, but is it balanced? Is it created specifically for your dogs condition? Maybe you'd rather go pay an nutrionist a couple hundred dollars for a recipe? Btw the recipes On the site are no longer charged, they are FREE. How nice is it to be able to go on a website create and or get a free recipe catered to your pet, and it's all FREE?+ The only thing you pay for are the supplements to make it balanced. Or would you like those FREE also? I understand why your pets have so many issues, relying on everyday non specific recipes off Google. Good luck!

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome to the board, CheetoBowie. This is an old thread, and most of the posters aren't regulars anymore. That being said, not every supplement works for every animal. If someone experiences a less than optimal outcome, please try to respect their opinion. At the very least, please don't make it a personal issue.

Enjoy your stay here.