If you are feeding your dog a homemade dog food diet, or are considering doing so, it's vital to use the correct portions of the right ingredients and make homemade dog food that is correctly formulated to ensure your dog stays healthy.
That's why using any old recipe you stumble across on the Internet to prepare your best friend's homemade dog food can be troublesome. Be sure to carefully assess any homemade dog food recipe you are thinking of using to make your dog's food and ensure that it includes the right amount of the right ingredients to in turn ensure that your dog will be eating a well-balanced, healthy diet that totally meets their nutritional needs.
So what key ingredients should you be on the look out for in healthy homemade dog food recipes?
The standard formula for well-balanced nutritious homemade dog food is about 50 percent protein, 25 percent vegetables (finely chopped or pureed for ease of digestion), and 25 percent grai n (like oatmeal or brown rice). Add in some supplements of vitamins, minerals, and oils rich in omega-3 for healthy skin and coat as well.
And exactly what kinds of foods should be included?
Excellent candidates for inclusion in your homemade dog food recipes include both raw and cooked meats, cooked grains, cooked eggs, cooked veggies and most fruits are fine to include as well. Be sure to stay clear of grapes though. To be even more specific...
1. Chicken, turkey, fish and beef - Dogs need heaps of protein, and meat is a terrific way to get it. As mentioned previously, meat should be the bulk of your dog's diet. Want to make your own dog food as promptly and easily as possible? Then choose ground beef or turkey as they are already conveniently chopped up for you. It's best to cook all meats, but this is specially important for ground meats as there are lots of surfaces in ground meat upon which dangerous bacteria can grow.
2. Eggs - Eggs are an amazing protein source and they are as good for your dog as they are for you. Raw eggs frequently carry harmful bacterial growth, so be sure to scramble them or hard-boil them before inclusion so as not to contaminate your homemade dog food recipe with an ingredient that may potentially be unsafe for your pooch.
3. Chopped Fresh Veggies - Essential and trace vitamins and minerals of all sorts are waiting within vegetables, and you want to make sure your dog gets a wide variety of them. As mentioned earlier, finely chop or puree them to enable easy digestion. Winning veggies to include are kale, celery, carrots, cucumbers and zucchini. Peas and spinach are also popular puppy pleasers.
4. Starch While many people fail to include it, homemade dog food recipes should contain some starch. Don't forget about some energy-producing items like baked or boiled potatoes and boiled or steamed brown rice. Carbohydrates like these provide sustained energy that will help ensure your dog has plenty of energy between meals.
Are there any ingredients that should be avoided in homemade dog food recipes?
Yes! Don't include onions, chocolate, avocados, nuts or garlic. Never include grapes or raisins either. For a variety of reasons and in a variety of ways, these foods can make your dog sick. But there's lots more you need to know about what to avoid.
Click on the more information link at the bottom of this page to access a complete list of 33 human foods that are toxic to dogs.
If you want to skip the learning curve, or you just don't want to take any risks when it comes to your dog's health, then ideally you should get these expertly-developed homemade dog food recipes now.
Will your dog be glad to switch to homemade dog food?
Sure, but you'll need to do it gradually. Without question your pooch will soon be very appreciative of the extra tasty, super high quality food you are serving him or her up, made from healthy natural ingredients, prepared using wisely selected safe, nutritionally-balanced homemade dog food recipes.
Please note though, it's quite common for dogs to encounter a temporary stomach upset throughout a diet switch. If that's the case, it could mean you're trying to make the switch too fast. For most dogs, though, you can make the change in three or four days, but don't be afraid to play it safe and take longer, mixing a little more homemade dog food in with your pet's regular food each day.
Select the best ingredients you can find, avoid things that are harmful and make the change over go as smoothly as possible. When you start using healthy homemade dog food recipes for your pooch's meals, y ou'll have a happier, healthier dog that will live longer than those whose owners feed them chemical-laden commercial dog foods.
If you haven't done so already, make the change to healthy homemade dog food today and relish the additional years you'll have with your precious pooch.
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