Why I Make Dog Food

He was the skinniest puppy I had ever seen. The shelter workers had found him starving and full of intestinal worms. They said if they had found him 24 hours later, he would have been dead. They placed him into my arms and I could feel his bony spine along my arm. His round eyes, one blue and one brown, gazed into mine. I felt that special bond that happens when you see “your dog” for the first time. I paid his adoption fee and brought him home with me.

I nursed him back to health and he transitioned from commercial puppy food to adult food with few problems. However, I noticed that he became fussy about eating commercial dog food. Every four or five days, he would have episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. As a dog mom, this worried me, so I began to research how to make homemade dog food.

Cooking for dogs was something I had never done before. I searched the internet for the best homemade dog food recipes. I had a lot to learn about how to balance protein, fat and carbohydrates to feed my growing youngster. I soon learned how to make the best homemade dog food for him. The fussiness, vomiting and diarrhea stopped shortly after I switched him to homemade food and he is now a strapping, eighty five pounds of unconditional love!

Easy dog food recipes include basic ingredients that can be found in any grocery store. Cooking for your dog is economical and results in cheap homemade dog food. It is much less expensive that buying food in a bag with the 90% markup that is charged by the store.

I collected 25 recipes and put them in a cookbook called, The Doggy Love cookbook. One of the recipes, called Cody’s Blend, is the one I use for his dinner.

Cody’s Blend

1 lb. ground turkey

1 tbsp. oil

6 cups water

1 cup lentils

2 cups split peas

1 cup rice

1 cup frozen peas and carrots

Brown the turkey in oil over medium high heat until no longer pink. Do not drain. Add water and bring to a boil. Add lentils, split peas and rice and cook until soft, approximately 30 minutes. Add vegetables and cook an additional 5-7 minutes.

Learning to make dog food for my dog has made an enormous difference in his health. It is also very gratifying to know that I am in charge of the freshness and quality of his food. After all, no one loves him more than I do!