Tips For Making Nutritious Homemade Natural Dog Food

There have been several recalls on commercial dog foods in recent years that have left pet-lovers worrying about the quality of their furry friends' diets. Manufacturing processes that prioritize profit over quality, low-grade ingredients, the presence of chemicals and preservatives are all factors that weigh heavily on the mind. To do away with this anxiety and ensure your best friend's health, you can do one of two things: swap to one of the organic, high-quality, expensive products available from more scrupulous manufacturers, or learn how to make natural dog food at home.

You can find many recipes online for nutritious, wholesome dog food, and you will find a sample recipe below for you to try, but remember that these (including this article) should be considered as guidelines, not professional advice. Certain ingredients, processes and amounts may not be right for your specific dog. Some breeds have particular dietary requirements. Like us, individual dogs can suffer from allergies, and there are ailments, diseases and other conditions that can be affected by diet. Lifestyle, age and size play a part in determining portion sizes, preparation and ingredient choice.

Always consult with your veterinarian about your special buddy's specific dietary requirements, and get his/her approval of any recipes, changes or additions to your pet's diet.

In basic terms, a healthy doggy-diet should contain balanced proportions of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamin and mineral supplements (administered according to weight and vet instruction). Calcium is especially important - some bonemeal or egg-shell powder sprinkled on your buddy's food should be sufficient. Never use garden-grade bonemeal - it contains toxic chemicals. Human/pet-grade bonemeal is available at many health- and pet stores.

Being carnivores, dogs require about forty percent of their diet to be protein. Easily available, good sources of protein include cooked, ground chicken, lamb or beef. Feed your best friend good quality meat that contains no chemicals, hormones or antibiotics. Find out if your local organic butcher has a pet section - many do. Kidneys, liver and other organ meat make for welcome, healthy ingredients to incorporate in your mutt's meal. An egg now and again is a good idea and your four-legged companion is bound to agree.

As for the other sixty percent, the following ingredients are wholesome, natural and your favorite mutt will love their taste: quick-cooking grains like rolled oats, whole-wheat, cornmeal, bulgur, couscous and quinoa; other grains like brown rice, barley, millet and wheat berries; frozen veggies like cut green beans, lima beans, peas and corn; fresh veggies like thinly grated carrots or zucchini, yams/sweet potatoes, baking potatoes, and broccoli.

Note - Avoid These Canine-Toxic Ingredients: onion/onion powder, tea, coffee (incl. Derivatives), alcohol, macadamia nuts, almonds, grapes/raisins (incl. Derivatives), rhubarb leaves, tomato leaves/stems, fruit pits and fruit seeds, green parts of potatoes (foliage, peels, sprouts). Vegetables containing large amounts of oxalic acid are not toxic per se, but they do inhibit the absorption of calcium, so avoid swiss chard, spinach and rhubarb. Do not ever feed your dog table scraps. Make sure cooked food has cooled to room-temperature - dogs can sustain burns or upset their stomachs when wolfing down food that is too hot or overly warm.

A sample natural dog food recipe for a medium/large dog: 1 to 1.5 cups roasted chicken cut into small pieces; 1 cup cooked barley; 0.5 cup shredded carrots, cooked; 0.5 cup green beans, cooked; 1 tablespoon plain, organic yoghurt.