Dissolving taurine first?

recurringecho

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Hi guys! Is it okay to dissolve taurine powder in luke warm water first before mixing it into raw food? I've been trying to convert my cat to raw, and he refuses to eat it as soon as I add taurine and other vitamins in it. I read that taurine is tasteless, so I guess it's just the texture that causes him to reject his food? 

Also, does anyone know any website or book that breaks down the nutrition that cats need and provides a good guide on creating your own recipe? Same goes for dogs. Thanks! :)
 

orange&white

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Yes, you can dissolve the taurine.  Heat destroys taurine though so I wouldn't use too warm water.  You might want to mix it with cold water into the food, then put the food on a warm plate to bring it up to room temp.

I'm using the supplements recommended by Dr. Lisa Pierson:  taurine, Vitamin E, B-Complex, egg yolks, and Lite salt for iodine.  I use tinned fish instead of fish oil supplement.  You mix a slurry with the supplements in water and then add the meat, bone and liver.  Her recipe is at http://catinfo.org/making-cat-food.  I rotate through chicken, beef and pork as the main meat and don't use a grinder, but cut the meats in chunks and crush bones with kitchen shears.

Your basic "recipe" for cat and dog food is 80% boneless meat, 10% bone, 5% liver and 5% other secreting organs.  The USDA has posted pdf's which list what percentage of bone are in various cuts of meat.  Mix those into your supplement slurry.   A kitchen scale is your best friend.  I use a shipping scale that weighs from a fraction of an ounce to 55 pounds so I can make food and also weigh the pets regularly.

The dog is simpler to feed than the cats.  I measure a variety of whole meat cuts for the right meat-bone ratio and freeze three days worth of his food in quart bags.  He eats whole pieces of thighs, backs, pork chops and roasts, and beef.  An easy way to portion liver is to freeze it in ice cube trays.  You may or may not want to add vegetables for the dog.  There is a lot of debate about whether or not dogs really need any veg.

An easy alternative to making food from scratch is to buy a pre-packaged pet supplement mix that you just mix with meat.
 

dorimon

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gwennad

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I dissolve mine first, the package mentions that it should be given with water so I figure adding some extra water to the food/taurine mixture is for the best. Cats don't seem to notice it. 
 
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