Cooking homemade dog food has a great number of benefits. With the advent of some dog foods being recalled, and most containing poor ingredients you may want to read this important article about homemade dog food. The benefits include fewer additives and preservatives in their food; plus better ingredients. The DDG team is going to show you how to make an easy, homemade dog food that any dog will wag over.
Keep in mind that there are some human foods that dogs should never be fed. These include chocolate, coffee, tea, macadamia nuts, raisins, grapes, onions, avocado, mushrooms and garlic. Please check with your veterinarian before making any change to your dog’s diet.
h2>Homemade Dog Food is not only great for your dog, but economical
Most basic dog food recipes include brown rice or oatmeal, so be sure to have these two staples on hand. A great way of saving money is to use all scraps from any meal. So leftovers are going to be included at times to make up for any missing ingredient. For example, if you’re family had chicken for dinner, there’s a lot of great pieces remaining. Simply go through the entire bird and pull off any remaining meat and either place in your fridge or freeze it until you’re ready to use. The same goes for vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, broccoli, etc.
Ingredients
Your homemade dog food recipes should contain a good protein (meat, eggs, or fish), fat source (olive, canola or fish oil), fiber containing carbs (brown rice, sweet potato, oats and/or barley). While you may consider dairy products to contain proteins and fats, they do not. Most dogs do not stomach dairy products and soy products well, so be certain to leave these out. Lastly, never mix fruit with vegetables, the outcome can be disastrous.
Directions
A few things to keep in mind prior to making your first batch of homemade dog food:
- Be sure the food you’re using is fresh. Don’t use anything you wouldn’t eat yourself. If you think the food is past it’s prime, don’t use it to make dog food.
- Ensure your cooking utensils (pots, pans, bowls, spoons etc) are clean
- Cook ingredients thoroughly. If a product needs to be cooked to a certain internal temperature (example: pork, chicken, or beef), then cook as directed.
- Follow simple food handling procedures will help make the best dishes for your dog.
- After cooking, be sure to let the dog food cool. Be certain to portion the food appropriately for your dog.
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