Important Reminders In Preparing Dog Food
There are many things that you need to consider in preparing a DIY dog food for your pet. But here are 10 reminders that you should keep in mind when you are to plan or make food for your canine friend:
Whatever recipe you might want to prepare for your dog, you should prepare the recipe correctly by avoiding experimentation. Follow the recipe to the T, so to speak. Dont experiment by adding recipes, as it can cause unintended effects on your dog.
Be careful when swapping ingredients. Because there are some ingredients that may have the same flavor or taste, but dont have the same nutrition. Whenever you use ingredients in lieu of another, be sure it can be accepted.
For instance, olive oil should not be substituted for corn oil which contains essential fatty acids that are beneficial to your dogs health. Doing so could lead to him being fed with an unbalanced diet.
Invest in a food scale. This can help you in accurately measuring cups.
Dont add seasoning. Unlike many of us who cant cook without adding a lot of seasoning to their dishes, dogs dont need seasoning. As such, you dont have to use salt or pepper for your dogs homemade food.
Certain foods are considered dangerous and even lethal when given to dogs. Aside from onions, dont give chocolate, raisins, avocado, grapes, walnuts, and raw yeast dough to your dogs.
What Nutrition Guidelines Should You Follow
Like humans, every dog is different, so this is not a one-pup-fits-all rule. Serving size, your dogs weight, health conditions, size, and activity level are all factors you should consider when determining whats suitable for your dog.
However, in general, dogs need six basic nutrients to maintain a healthy, balanced diet: water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. A mix of these nutrients provides energy for your dogs body to metabolize and grow.
To ensure your dog is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs, you may want to add a fully balanced nutrition blend, like one of these blends from Just Food For Dogs. And in addition to meals, you may also want to add a multivitamin like Zesty Paws Multivitamin Chews to ensure your pup gets the recommended balance of vitamins and minerals.
Check with your vet before adding any type of supplement to your dogs diet because over-supplementation of vitamins and minerals can sometimes have serious health consequences in dogs.
Rabbit Chicken & Beef Dog Food Recipe: With Bone Adult
Rabbit is a . That means its not a meat thats commonly fed. Its a good choice when youre looking for a protein other than beef and chicken.
Rabbit can also be great for dogs with food sensitivities. And it can be used as part of an elimination diet to identify what your dog is sensitive to. During the elimination diet, you remove the proteins your dog usually eats, and feed a single novel protein like rabbit. But if youre feeding rabbit for this reason, you dont want to feed it with eggs or organs from other animals. In that case, restrict your dogs diet to rabbit alone and monitor your dogs reaction.
And rabbit also has benefits for other dogs as well. Its a very lean meat plus its higher in protein than chicken, pork, turkey, fish or beef. And its sustainable. Its true that rabbits reproduce quickly and they need less food and water compared to other animals. Theyll produce six pounds of meat eating the same amount as a cow needs to produce one pound of beef
You can feed rabbit in pieces to your dog or use a nice sharp cleaver and a deliberate swing to chop it. You can also feed it whole your dog will figure out what to do. To add texture you can grind the rabbit and add chopped organs. Some dogs dont like chunks while others dont mind.
Now for something novel. Here is the full recipe: Raw Rabbit, Chicken & Beef Raw Dog Food Recipe: Adult
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First The Foods Your Dog Should Never Eat
If youre cooking for your dog, you should have a handle on whats off the table. Foods like chocolate, grapes and raisins, avocado, onions, garlic and anything salty and/or seasoned could make your dog truly ill. ASPCA has a more comprehensive list of foods your dog should not eat, but if youre unsure, you can always ask your vet.
Another thing to note is how your dog eats food. Can your dog handle chewing a big hunk of celery ? Most dogs will require their food chopped to a size that doesnt pose a choking hazard.
How To Choose The Best Ingredients
Now that you know what you want to make its time to put together a shopping list and do some sourcing.
The staple of your dogs diet is meat. Some dog owners will be lucky enough to have a local farmer, meat processor or abattoir nearby. But supermarket meats are ok too. Knowing your butcher or farmer makes it easier to get a selection of organs and various types of meat.
When choosing meat, the fat content should be between 10% and 20%. Packaged meat should say 80%, 85% or 90% lean. The fat content is the remaining amount so 20%, 15% or 10%. Thats what you need to look for.
As well as meat, youll need a selection of organs for these recipes. Ive built up a rapport with my butcher so I can text and have him put organs aside. Then I dont have to worry about him selling out if I cant get there.
Buy the best quality meat, poultry, eggs and produce you can afford. Remember, this is a long-term commitment so you want to stay within your means. At the top end of the scale are free range, grass-fed or organic meats. Theyll be free of antibiotics and growth hormones and raised on pastures in the fresh air.
Avoid genetically-modified products as much as possible. So look for organic produce. Organic means it has been grown without the use of harmful pesticides or GMO seeds. The cleaner the food, the better it is for your dogs health.
Now its time to get started with homemade raw. And youre sure to have tasters standing by, eager to try some samples.
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What Foods Should Your Dog Never Eat
As a dog owner, youve likely come across this essential list before, but its always good to have it on hand as a reminder, especially if youre cooking dog food from scratch. The principal toxic foods include:
For a more extensive list, check out this article on foods not to feed dog.
Did you know that most pet insurance policies cover accidental injury and poisonings? Find out what else is commonly included in our pet insurance comparison.
The Best Diy Dog Food With Turkey And Veggies
Ever since we published our first Easy Homemade Dog Food Recipe we have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have told us that they have already made the leap and are preparing fresh meals for their pups at home! Ditching processed kibble once and for all is one of the best things you can do for your dog. We learned this ourselves this last year after our 11-year old dog had an incredibly positive change to his health once we moved to a healthy dog food! Recently, I developed a new 100% human grade homemade dog food recipe that utilizes some of the best fall produce for your dog like sweet potatoes, cranberries, rosemary, and sage! Our dogs love it so much I decided to share it here too so you and your pup can celebrate the best the season has to offer.
***Please note, I am not a veterinarian, just a very passionate dog owner! The information in this blog post documents our own personal experiences, research, and the recipes that we feed our dogs under our veterinarians careful supervision. Please, consult with your vet and use your own personal judgment when considering transitioning to a 100% human grade food diet for your pup.*** Updated with video 9/4/2021
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Take Control Of Your Dogs Diet With Homemade Raw
When you make your own raw dog food, you get more control. You can
- Address special needs and allergies
- Quickly adjust your dogs diet for different life stages
- Control the source of your ingredients
- Avoid commercial food recalls
- Enjoy better budgeting and bulk buying ability
And making your own raw food is taking a huge step towards better health for your dog. Dogs of all ages from puppies to seniors are healthier on a raw food diet.
Here are just some health benefits.
- Improved digestion
- Weight management
What Kind Of Snacks Can I Feed A Dog With Kidney Disease
Our dogs seriously LOVE snack time, but snack time has had to seriously change! Dogs with kidney disease should avoid meat based chews/treats that are high in phosphorus, so you may find that you need to explore new types of treats for your dog instead. My probiotic rich Pumpkin & Yogurt Bowlsare our dog’s favorite treat these days! They also really enjoy thin apple slices, blueberries, and fresh banana chunks. When it comes to crunchy chews they both are SUPER into dehydrated banana chips, pumpkin, and sweet potato. I swear, our dog’s drool for them like they are the jerky chews we used to treat them with!
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What Are The Benefits Of Homemade Dog Food
Homemade dog food can benefit your canine companion in several ways especially if you have a pet who suffers from allergies, skin problems, or gastrointestinal sensitivity.
Highly-processed foods also lose nutritional value, whereas making dog food from scratch maintains more vital nutrients during the cooking process. With fresh food, you know exactly what your dog is getting versus reading the label and being confused by all the additives and preservatives.
Proper Nutrition For Dogs
Like humans, dogs have nutritional needs that must be met in order for them to thrive. Dogs’ nutritional needs differ from our own, so you can’t exactly start sharing your own dinner with your dog. Feeding an incomplete or imbalanced diet can lead to vitamin and nutrient deficiencies in dogs.
Dogs need enough calories to meet their energy requirements. A dog’s daily caloric need depends on the dog’s life stage and activity level. Your veterinarian can help you determine how many calories your dog needs each day.
A homemade dog diet should contain an appropriate balance of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and fat. Vitamins and minerals must be added to the food to ensure it is complete and balanced.
- At least 10% protein, such as chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef
- Up to 50% carbohydrates, such as rice, pasta, and potatoes
- About 2.5-4.5% fiber, which can come from vegetables like peas, green beans, and carrots
- At least 5.5% fat, usually in the form of vegetable oil
- Vitamin and mineral supplements
If you are ready to get started cooking for your dog, the first step is to talk to your veterinarian. Your vet may have recipes for you to try. Or you may need a referral to a veterinary nutritionist or a vet that focuses on canine nutrition.
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A General Guideline For Preparing Homemade Dog Food
My DIY dog food recipe is more of a general guideline, rather than an exact meal plan that I follow each week. My dogs diet changes the same way ours does, depending on what we do and what we buy or grow.
However, we almost always stay with this basic formula:
- 50 percent cooked protein
- 25 percent cooked complex carbohydrates
- Fats and supplements
Protein is always meat and usually chicken, though weve also used turkey, pork, and beef. We feed any and all parts of the animals, but most commonly, we saute chicken breasts or chicken thighs in coconut oil and ground turmeric.
Coconut oil has a host of health benefits for dogs, such as improving the skin and coat, increasing energy, aiding digestion, reducing allergic reactions, promoting wound healing, preventing yeast and fungal infections, and supporting arthritis or ligament problems.
Turmeric has long been studied for its powerful medicinal properties, including its use as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
We add it to the coconut oil since it is fat-soluble, and use it to support our pugs joint health.
Speaking of dark meat, we feed thighs and breasts interchangeably. While well remove the skin from poultry and trim off excessive fat from red meat, we dont worry about buying the leanest meat possible for our dogs.
A little fat is necessary for a well-rounded diet.
They tend to be the leftovers in our produce bin, so we never have to buy, say, a whole head of cauliflower just for the dogs.
Preparing Meals For A Dog With Kidney Disease
Whatever you and your veterinarian decide to go with, whether canned or dry dog food, or fresh and cooked meats, the hardest thing about having a dog with kidney disease is often not what to fix but to make sure your dog is eating regularly, Dr. Bailey says.
Dogs with kidney disease tend to have trouble keeping weight on, Dr. Bailey says They tend to not have a great appetite, so I would lean towards feeding your dog a few times a day.
She adds that youll also want to make sure your dog has easy access to water. Thats vital for all dogs, of course, not to mention all living creatures, but especially so if your dog has kidney disease.
If your dog has not been diagnosed with it, it may be hard for you to know for sure whether your dog has kidney disease. But at least at feeding times and every time you fill the water bowl you can feel good knowing that youre making a difference in your dogs quality of life and possibly extending his or her lifetime by years.
As a general statement, a lot of what you do at home has a very good chance of extending your dogs life, Dr. Bailey says.
We can only make the recommendations. What you do at home definitely matters in this case. Its kind of like going to your cardiologist. They tell you to go on certain medications, and its your decision whether you do it or not, she says. Your pets health is to some extent in your hands, so you want to make sure you make good choices.
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Vegetables: Higher In Protein Than You May Think
Some people believe that vegetables are low in protein, but this is not always the case. In fact, depending on the type, many vegetables provide a significant amount of protein. Broccoli and spinach, for example, each provide four to five grams of fiber per serving. Carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash, in addition to orange vegetables, are low in protein. Sausage, low-salt ham, and cold cuts are the most protein-rich meats to choose from. A hot dog, chicken dog, or turkey ham contains only 2% protein a turkey gnab only contains 1% protein and eggs are a great source of protein, with 78 calories per serving containing 6% protein.
How Do You Make Homemade Dog Food
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Balanceit Premade Renal Disease Dog Food Recipes
BalanceIT was a formulation software and supplement created by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to allow to ease of access to homemade dog food recipes. Though the main formulation software allows anyone to create recipes for healthy dogs, they also have prescription recipes for different diseases and conditions. Including kidney disease!
To access these recipes head over to BalanceIT and under Homemade Food click on the EZ Recipe Generator for Vet Patients. From there you will be prompted to choose from many different diseases and conditions. You will want to select Kidney Disease and I would suggest clicking on both Lowest Phosphorus Recipes On Site For Kidney Disease Using Heatable Canine K Plus OR Early Kidney Lower Phosphorus Using Heatable Canine K Plus.
This will populate several recipe for you. I would suggest clicking on the green button that says see full list as this will allow you to see all the main ingredients in the recipes.
Then click on the recipe, and edit the recipe for your dogs ideal weight. Then click rerun. This will recalculate the recipe for your dogs weight. Finally when you click view you will be prompted to create an account and submit a prescription request for your vet.
Your vet will then receive a prescription request for approval.
Diy Dog Food Seasoning
While dogs cant have all of the same aromatics as humans can they can have a small variety of dried or fresh herbs and spices that contain great nutrients and help flavor their meals. Use a few teaspoons sprinkled on top or mixed into the food. These are some easily digestible herbs and spices to try:
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