Home-Made Dog Food

Almost every year there is a new breaking story about the poor content of commercial dog food. In the past few years there have been dog food recalls in the USA due to the content being contaminated with aminopterin (a rat poison) and a fertilizer chemical, melamine. These mistakes have sadly claimed the lives of some dogs. Even if the food is "safe", it often contains additives and poor quality meat that is harmful to a dog's health over time. It is strange to think your dog may actually be a cannibal, as some commercial dog foods contain euthanized animals from shelters (including dogs and cats). These are just a few of the reasons dog owners are taking their dogs diet into their own hands and perhaps you are thinking along the same lines.

You may be concerned that home preparing all your dogs meals will be very expensive, but this isn't necessarily true. Often a dog can have the leftovers of the families' meals, which will be healthier than a tin of dog food. If it isn't possible to home cook every meal for your dog, then perhaps think about making it every other night, or once weekly.

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

Obviously it is important to have all the information when preparing a dogs meal from scratch. Firstly for a well-balanced diet, each meal should contain approximately 40 percent meat, 30 percent vegetables and 30 percent starch. The meat can be any left over meat from a meal, such as lamb, chicken or turkey. It is also beneficial to occasionally give your dog raw meat, as this is their natural diet. However it is important not to give a dog a bone (surprisingly!). Fragments of bone can actually get lodged in the dog's digestive system, which can result in health problems and trips to the vets. The starch can come from rice or pasta and the vegetables from anything you fancy! Here are two recipes for inspiration:

Canine Casserole
A cup of boiled chicken/turkey
½ a cup of cooked brown rice
½ a cup of steamed vegetables
Chicken stock to flavor

Doggy Burger
A cup of raw mince meat
2 boiled eggs, mashed
½ cup of pasta
½ a cup of steamed vegetables

Finally although most human food is suitable for dogs, there are some that are potentially dangerous. Chocolate is very damaging to dogs, and can actually prove fatal. Other harmful foods are avocados, mushrooms, nuts, grapes and raisins.

Home-Made Dog Food

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs