Prepare The Recipe Right
Tempted to experiment in the kitchen? Save it for yourself. Its best not to improvise when you cook for your pooch.
- Follow the recipe. Altering it can have unintended effects. For example, cooking chicken with or without skin and bone changes the recipes nutrient profile, Larsen says. You might also add or subtract calories without meaning to.
- Dont swap ingredients. Some ingredients seem similar but dont provide the same nutrition. For example, corn, canola, and walnut oil provide certain essential fatty acids that olive oil and coconut oil dont. By making swaps, you could very easily unbalance the diet, Larsen says.
- Buy a food scale. They are much more accurate than measuring cups, especially for measuring meat.
Cook all animal products to kill bacteria that could make your pooch sick. Cook grains, beans, and starchy vegetables to make them easier to digest.
Never add foods that are toxic to dogs. These include chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, avocados, and Macadamia nuts.
If you want to mix things up, do it with the treats you feed. Offer dog-safe fresh fruits and vegetables as treats.
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.
How To Create A Balanced Raw Diet For A Dog
This post may contain affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an aff-link.
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I have a confession to make. Sometimes I way over think my dogs’ raw diet. I worry about ingredients, sourcing, and creating a balanced diet. Although I know that we’re supposed to balance over time, I still over think what I’m feeding my dogs.
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Homemade Dog Food Recipe: Beef And Rice
This beef and rice dog food recipe is a great option for active, high energy dogs naturally a bit higher in fat beef gives lots of great long-lasting energy to dogs who do hiking, running, and even agility. The rice within the recipe not only lends some wonderful vitamins and minerals but provides
Wondering How Much Homemade Dog Food Your Dog Needs Each Day
This will obviously vary from dog to dog, but a general rule of thumb is for every 10 pounds your dog weighs they should be fed roughly 1 cup of prepared food. If needed you can always call and consult with you vet about transitioning your dog’s diet and the amount of food your dog should eat each day. Just remember, if your pup is living with kidney disease like ours you will want to break up the amount of food they receive into smaller meals throughout the day. Instead of one big meal each day you will need to divide meals up into 2-3 smaller feedings. This will make it much easier for your dogs’ kidneys to do their job.
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Making Homemade Dog Food Is A Big Time Commitment
Finding the time to prepare a healthy meal for yourself and your family is often difficult, let alone preparing your dogs meals from scratch.
Prepping meals in advance for the week can helpfor example, preparing one large batch on a Sunday and dividing it into meal portions for each day would minimize the daily time commitment.
Also, recipes can be made to be freezer-friendly, so large batches can be prepared in advance and stored for future use.
Do Dogs Need Vitamin Supplements
A completely balanced and formulated diet has all the daily vitamins that your dog would need. Many commercial pet food diets are fortified to meet your dogs vitamin requirements.
Diets that have an AAFCO statement should be complete and balanced with all required vitamins. Even though confirming the percentage of vitamins in the diet is difficult, supplementation of a dogs daily diet is often not needed, and in many cases, can pose a risk of toxicity.
It is very important when choosing a diet for your dog that the AAFCO statement is included. If you are feeding a nontraditional diet that does not have an AAFCO statement, consult with a primary care veterinarian who practices advanced nutritional health or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to ensure that your pet is meeting his or her daily nutritional requirements.
They can also discuss supplements and confirm any questions regarding pet food labeling. Over-the-counter human and canine supplements in many states are not required to undergo food studies or bioavailability testing, meaning some products may not be readily available for dogs.
Bioavailability can only be confirmed through clinical and safety trials, which show the percentage of what is available, what the active and inactive ingredients are, and what can be absorbed.
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What Goes Into A Nutritional Balanced Dog Food
A complete and balanced diet includes proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Water is also essential to life and is needed daily. This may seem very simple and easy with the basic ingredients broken down, but understanding how each nutrient is used in a dogs body, understanding the processes, and knowing how much of each nutrient is needed for a healthy dog at all life stages is very complex.
In fact, this process is so complex that an entire specialty in veterinary medicine is dedicated to small animal nutritionthe American College of Veterinary Nutrition. But as a pet parent, the main things you need to know about dog food nutrition are:
Healthy Homemade Dog Food
Our Tasty Low Carb family not only consists of Joanie and Chris, but also two Havanese Sisters Lulu and Kiki! If you have pets you know how they become part of the family and an integral part of your life. Our dogs are dependent upon us for virtually everything in return they offer unconditional love and lots of fun. For that reason, we only make them Healthy Homemade Dog Food! We use only the best ingredients with no fillers or added sugars or spices. We also make all of their dog treats at home. Their food is very low carb!
Our furry family members are Chocolate Havanese. Often called silk dogs, most in this breed are white with brown or black markings. Some are brindle in color. Lulu and Kiki are each about 9 1/2 pounds in weight, although they look heavier with all their fur. They do require frequent brushing, but they are hypoallergenic and they do not shed. As you can tell, they are very much a part of our low-carb family you do get attached to your pets!
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So We Went To Work & Spent The Days/weeks That Followed Researching Canine Kidney Disease Like Hooch’s Life Depended On It
After reading what felt like every article on the internet we were excited to know that there were a few really easy lifestyle changes we could immediately make at home. We hoped some of this would really help Hooch and make things easier on his kidneys. Here are a few of thebiggest impact changes we’ve been able to make:
What Is A Balanced Raw Diet
In raw food health, otherwise known as raw foodism or raw veganism, there is mostly or fully raw and unprocessed food to take into account. Since most raw foods havent been heated between 109118F , they have been deemed raw. In any case, food should not be refined, pasteurized, handled with pesticides or otherwise impured and processed in any way.
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Pet With Medical Conditions
Balance IT® offers two alternatives for sick dogs and cats. Both need a prescription from your veterinarian in order to access a recipe.
First, there are pre-determined recipes for pets with common illnesses. These include: Arthritis, Liver Disease, Diabetes, IBD, Heart Disease, Allergies, Urinary Crystals and Stones and more.
This is how I found the recipe that helped calm down Codys IBD. Your vet can also request that you work directly with a nutritionist. That way the veterinarian can get a complete history of your dogs medical condition and develop a custom recipe.
Balance IT has been my go too source for a long time. I hope you find it helpful too.
Beef & Chicken Neck Dog Food Recipe: With Bone All Life Stages
Puppies love to chew. Anyone whos lost a good leather shoe to a puppys teething frenzy will understand. Thats what makes this recipe perfect for puppies.
Chicken necks give puppies a little or a lot to chew. You decide. Plus theres the right amount of calcium to balance this recipe for a growing puppy. And its balanced for adult dogs too.
This recipe gives you the option of grinding chicken necks into the meat mixture. Or you can grind in some of the necks. Then feed the rest whole. Most puppies are able to work through chicken necks. And larger dogs will love these crunchy treats throughout the day as well.
Worried about giving your puppy bones? No need replace chicken necks with bone meal. Locally sourced, food grade bone meal is best. Bone meal is also available through online retailers.
Caution: Dont use bone meal that you see in garden centers or hardware stores. It can contain added fertilizers and chemical stabilizers that can be toxic to your dog.
Ready to get started? Heres the full recipe: Raw Beef & Chicken Neck Raw Dog Food Recipe: All Life Stages
PRO TIP
If youre adding an omega-3 supplement to your dogs diet, add it at meal time. This will help balance your dogs fatty acids without the risk of the oil going rancid.
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You Should Use Safe High
Many foods, like chocolate, grapes, raisins, and macadamia nuts, just to name a few, are unsafe or toxic for your dog. When preparing meals, you should be aware of and avoid these ingredients.
Additionally, you should buy the same quality ingredients that you would buy for yourself. You should also be aware of the source. For example, ingredients purchased online may come from different manufacturers or locations, which may vary the quality of the product. Be consistent with where you get the ingredients for your dogs food as much as possible.
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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Balanced Chicken And Rice Dog Food Recipe
The age-old recommendation for dogs with tummy upset chicken and rice. Recommending this combination for dogs with an upset stomach has gone back years but the sad thing about the combination of chicken breast with white rice, is that though it is highly digestible, it is not balanced. In fact by itself
There Are Lots Of Good Resources For Recipes
Want to get cookingbut dont know where to begin? Cookbooks are usually a better bet than random recipes you can find online, says Julia Hansen, DVM, Program Chair of the Veterinary Technology Program at Argosy University. The recipes are more likely to have been formulated to meet a dogs nutritional needs. Theyll also be more likely to be free of ingredients that dogs shouldnt eatincluding raisins, grapes, onions, garlic, and avocado. One reputable dog cookbook, which includes veterinarian-reviewed recipes for cooked and raw meals as well as treats is Home Cooking for Your Dog: 75 Holistic Recipes for a Healthier Dog.
Or, try the online nutritional tool BalanceIT. It offers free, vet-created recipes for dogs . You can also enter your own recipe to see how it stacks up, nutritionally.
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Get The Latest Recipes Right In Your Inbox:
Keep your dog healthy and fit with this easy peasy homemade recipe its cheaper than store-bought and chockfull of fresh veggies!
I never thought I would be one of those dog owners who made homemade human food for their pups. Not in a million years.
But when Butters recently fell sick with an upset stomach, our vet advised us to feed him a bland diet chicken and rice without any kind of seasoning. So thats what we did we poached a chicken, shredded it in a food processor, and mixed in some white rice and fed him this bland diet for 3 days.
Thats when I started to do some research on homemade dog food, and I have been so amazed as to how many different kinds of vegetables dogs can have. And with the help of Balance IT, you can create so many different recipes for your pup!
Now the best part about making homemade dog food just like making anything at home is that you know exactly what is going into the dog bowl, and not any of that questionable gelatinous gunk from the canned food.
But its important to note that dogs have different nutrient requirements than humans for their proportional body size, such as:
Now this recipe here has a balance of 50% protein, 25% veggies and 25% grains, but the ratios can easily be adjusted to suit your pups breed and/or needs.
Homemade Dog Food Delivered
In the age of UberEats, DoorDash, and having just about anything you wish delivered, you also have the option to buy fresh, natural dog food for doorstep delivery. It can be a huge time-saver and may be worth the cost after you add up all the ingredients youll need to buy to cook a recipe.
The Farmers Dog ships frozen, allowing you to keep it on hand or serve it every day as a regular meal. This food is made with fresh, healthy and easy-to-pronounce human-grade ingredients. And you can spend your time on more important things, like belly rubs and walks.
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Can I Feed My Dog Ground Beef And Rice
Well, you could try giving your dog a simple meal of rice and beef. Also known as a bland diet, a straightforward dinner of just rice and ground beef is the equivalent of chicken soup for us humans. The recipe is a great way to provide your dog with all the nutrition they need without the added agitation.
Peanut Butter And Banana Dog Biscuits
No compilation of homemade dog food recipes would be complete without a treat! If youre watching your senior dogs weight, moderation is key, but for a special occasion, try thesepeanut butter and banana dog biscuits from All Recipes.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup wheat germ
- 1 lightly beaten egg white for the egg wash
Directions:
Whether you go with commercial food or you try one of these homemade dog food recipes for senior dogs, combining a nutritional diet with exercise will keep your older pooch healthy and energetic. If your senior dog has mobility issues, check out ourDogger dog stroller andGrippers traction socks. The assistance products are designed to help keep dogs moving, so they can safely get the exercise and stimulation they need.
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