How to Make Homemade Dog Food
October 8, 2009 – 8:44 am
Probably you have heard about the pet food recall which happened in the not too distant past. That massive pet food recall occurred due to pets being poisoned. A huge number of pet food brands had been discovered to contain toxic chemicals. As a result, large numbers of pet owners have looked for alternatives to commercial pet foods. Many of these pet owners have resorted to making their own homemade dog food.
You yourself might have wanted to make your own homemade dog food but just do not know how to get started. I will attempt to give you some valuable tips on how to make homemade dry dog food.
Commercial dog foods can come in two varieties: wet and dry. And it is easy to make your own wet or dry dog food with foods which you can locate in your own kitchen. Making homemade pet food is simply a matter of mixing ingredients together that are essential to a dog’s diet. Usually, dogs require meat, vegetables, and a balanced amount of grains. Following are some pointers on how to make your own homemade pet food.
1. Mix brown rice, ground meat, water, and vegetables and cook them together. The amount of water will depend on whether you want the food to be wet or dry. If you want the pet food to be dry, then use only a small amount of water, and also add a little flour.
2. You can save time by cooking a number of meals at once. However, never keep homemade dog food in the refrigerator longer than three days.
3. Do not include tea, chocolate, and coffee in the ingredients of your homemade dog food. These ingredients can cause seizures to the dog.
4. Carbohydrate can be used sparingly, and rice is the best source.
5. You can also include flour in your homemade pet food ingredients.
6. Season with a little garlic. Garlic helps dogs fight infection and helps prevent fleas and some types of worms. However, do not put too much of it as it can cause illness to the dog when taken in large amounts.
7. Add small amounts of codliver oil or flaxseed oil to your homemade dog food. Codliver oil and flaxseed oil both contain omega 3 which is good for the dog.
8. Keep some variety in your dog’s daily diet. You can do this by preparing different types of homemade food that your dog will enjoy every day or every few days.
9. Unless you are feeding raw meat, it is a good idea to ensure that the meat is cooked well. Partially or incompletely cooked meat can contain dangerous bacteria.
10. Never think of giving your dog raisins, grapes, onions, macadamia nuts, and nutmeg in the ingredients for your homemade dog food. These are poisonous for dogs.
See - making your own pet food is not that hard. You just need to learn the essential foods that can give your dog the nutrients it needs. Your vet may be able to provide you with some guidance on nutrition, but be aware that many vets recommend some type of commercial dog food, often out of ignorance of the true facts and mostly obtain their information from certain commercial pet food manufacturers.