Supplements with homecooking

[kit02]

Hi everyone,
I have a supplement question with homecooking.
Right now what I’m doing is feeding 3 meals a day. (Owen is 4.5 months) At each meal I am feeding ½ kibble (Chicken Soup) and ½ homecooking. My homecooking consists of different varieties of “Macs Meatloaf” and ‘slops’ that consists of meat, veggies, some grain (very little - oatmeal, barley) and some garlic. I also have been adding Missing Link supplement. I want to eventually get more away from the kibble as I get the hang of this better (maybe one day I’ll try barf, I’m reading books )
I have been reading Dr. Pitcairn’s Natural Health for Dogs and Cats and want to try some of the recipes in there. And what I want to start doing is having Owen’s dinner consist only of homecooking (I’m still going to give him some kibble for breakfast for now). Now these recipes calls for this “Healthy Powder” which includes yeast, lecithin, kelp, calcium, and vit. C (optional).
What my question is, do I still need to use the Missing Link with his diet if it consists of kibble and these recipes including the “Healthy Powder”? Or should I omit the “Healthy Powder” from the recipes and continue using Missing Link?
Are there any other supplements I should be using?
As you can see I’m very confused in the supplement department!
Thanks!

[Albie]

Before feeding raw, I fed Pitcairn's "kibble booster" and kibble. The kibble booster was basically some sort of ground meat with the "healthy powder" added to it. I never added anything else. I think the "healthy powder" balances out the phosphorus/calcium ratio in the meat plus adds some extra vitamins. I don't think you would need to add both Missing Link and the Healthy Powder, and if you omit one, I would omit the Missing Link, especially if you plan on following Pitcairn's recipes. When I first started feeding raw, I used supplements 3-4 times a week. Now I hardly ever supplement. I really don't see any difference in Lacy's health not using supplements than when I frequently used them.

[kit02]

Thanks for the reply. I’m getting the hang of this more and more so now I see why I need to add the “Healthy Powder”. I am not strictly sticking to Pitcairn’s recipes but sometimes use that as a basis.
Since I’m homecooking, I’m feeding meet without the bones and I have been worried about not having enough calcuim ratio to it. So that was why I was adding the Missing Link. Was I doing the right thing by adding this? Should I be doing anything else since I don’t feed bones?
Thanks!

[Albie]

I'm trying to remember what went into the "healthy powder", and I think one of the things was bone meal. This would be your calcium source. I don't think the Missing Link has any calcium in it -- my recollection is that it mostly contains flax seed (which among other things is great for the coat) and it certainly wouldn't be harmful. My only thought here is that if the meat is cooked, you may not need to worry about the phosphorous/calcium ratio. Also, since you feed kibble too, it may not be as much of a concern. I never cook Lacy's meat so I just don't know. The Pitcairn recipes call for raw meat, with things like cooked oats and veggies, so my thought would be if the meat is raw as in Pitcairn's recipes, you should include the "Healthy Powder".

[kit02]

So if the meat is cooked then you don't need to worry so much about the phosphorus/calcium ratio?

Missing Link: Flax Seed, Blackstrap Molasses, Rice Bran, Primary Dried Yeast, Freeze Dried Liver, Sunflower Seed, Dehydrated Alfalfa, Dried Carrot, Freeze Dried Bone, Dried Fish Meal, Freeze Dried Oyster, Sprouted Green Barley, Dried Kelp, Lecithin, Garlic and Yucca Schidigera Extract.

Healthy Powder: nutritional yeast, lecithin, kelp powder, bonemeal (or eggshell powder)

So the Missing Link has pretty much everything the Healthy Powder has, right? And yes, Pitcairn's recipes are raw and I am cooking it (until I get more comfortable with the raw and bone thing ).

Thanks for your help!