Homemade Dog Food

Homemade Dog Food: Ensuring Safety And Quality


Dog food as we all know is any edible made out of animal or plant material used as food for dogs. Dog food can be obtained ready made from pet shops or can be cooked at home alternately. Homemade dog foods are by far the most recommended by experts due to their usage of natural materials which primarily consists of vegetable and raw meats. These foods are also nutritionally balanced and often consist of mixtures of ingredients such as brown rice, pasta, meats, eggs and vegetables. However, one of the problems of homemade dog food as stated by experts is the fact that it becomes rather difficult to consistently provide the dog with a diet that is both balanced and complete. This is also where commercial dog food scores.

Most dogs, of course like to have vegetables and fruits, especially if cooked and don’t only lean towards meat based diets. There are however, some foods that should not be given to dogs and includes chocolates, onions, coffee, macademia nuts and bread dough, all of which can prove to be toxic for the dog’s health. Grapes and raisins should also be avoided. Avocados in particular have been associated with heart failure in dogs.

Home made dog food in particular is popular due to several reasons. Recent scares of contaminated dog food are definitely one of the factors why homemade food is becoming the most preferred form of edibles for dogs.

As a result, commercial dog food sales have also gone down, with people choosing to cook their pet’s food at home than go out and purchase a dog food package. This way, they are certain of the ingredients being put into the food and can be rest assured that their dog is being fed safe stuff. Also making your own dog food is fairly simple and requires mixes of meat, vegetables and starches only. However, before starting with cooking your own homemade dog food, there are some guidelines you may follow to ensure absolute safety and benefits. These are as follows:

1. Consult a vet before changing to homemade dog food.

2. When preparing a meal for a dog, keep in mind that dogs generally require a diet consisting of 40% meat, 30% vegetables and 30% starch. This ensures a well balanced diet for your dog.

3. The meat should be cooked before feeding the dog.

4. Organ meats are particularly good for your dog and includes livers, kidneys etc. also eggs are beneficial for dogs as well.

5. Commercial dog food maybe unhealthy for your pooch. This is because of the recent recall scare that has exposed the use of unhealthy meat as part of commercial dog food.

6. Mixtures of turkey, rice and carrots are pretty popular as dog foods. Also, beef, carrots, brown rice and brewer’s yeast are also popular.

7. Rotating the foods fed to the dog ensures that your dog gets a wide variety of food.

8. Adding garlic to the dog food is a good idea as dogs like the flavor and also garlic is known as a natural flea repellent. However, do consult your vet before using garlic as spoilt or rotten garlic may prove to be poisonous for your dog.

9. To fulfill starch requirements of your dog you may use oatmeal, rice, pasta and potatoes.

10. Ground egg shells when added to dog food could prove very beneficial as they have a lot of nutrients.

11. Cooked food should not be kept in the refrigerator for more than three days.

Other tips to remember include using a little bit of commercial food in your homemade food when you are in the process of helping your dog through the transition to homemade food. Avoid feeding And chocolate to your dog and ensure that garlic is used very sparingly and should be well cooked.

With homemade dog food, your dog gets a long and healthy life with dollops of your love to make it taste delicious too.