Downside To Making Your Dogs Meals
- Making your dogs meals does take time. You have to allow time so you can shop for ingredients about once a week. You also need to allow time so you can prepare the food. Some people like to set aside one afternoon or evening per week so they can prepare their dogs meals for the coming week.
- The cost of making your dogs meals is up to you. If you can buy meats in bulk and freeze them, you can often save money. But if you buy your meats at your local store, the way you buy your own meat, then preparing meals for your dog can be expensive. If you have special requirements such as organic meats and vegetables, free-range chicken, or pasture-raised beef, for example, your costs will be even greater.
- There is no guarantee that your meats and produce will be entirely free of bacteria. You can use good sanitation in your kitchen, but even so, sometimes meats and produce are recalled because they have been contaminated before you buy them.
These are some of the things to consider before you decide you want to make your dogs meals. It takes some pre-planning, time, and it can be costly unless you are able to buy in bulk or buy family-sized portions.
On the other hand, once you get the hang of making your dogs food, its not nearly as hard and complicated as it probably sounds. There are lots of dog owners who make their dogs meals and their dogs are living happy, healthy lives on their homemade diet.
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Turkey And Vegetable Dinner
This is a dish that should give your dog the protein and vitamins that he needs. Turkey, if you havent known by now, is rich in protein. It also has less fat than beef, so this is a good recipe to follow for pet owners who have dogs that can afford to lose a few pounds.
The vegetables in this food carrots and green beanswill provide your dog with the vitamins and minerals he needs.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of brown rice
- 1 cup of chopped carrots
- 1 cup of chopped green beans
- 1 tablespoon of fish oil
You should not use heavy oil for this as it can lead to your dog having an upset stomach.
Step by step guide
- In a non-stick skillet placed over medium heat, cook the ground turkey. It should take around 5 minutes for the meat to get cooked.
- Add the brown rice and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and cook for an extra 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice has become soft and tender.
- Add the carrots and green beans. Cook for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the vegetables have become tender.
- Add the carrots and green beans. Cook for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the vegetables have become tender.
- Cool before serving.
This recipe should last for 4-5 days.
Homemade Dog Food Sources
- Meats: chicken, turkey, beef, bison, pork, lamb, venison
- Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, zucchini, summer squash, spinach, kale, collard greens, chard, thawed frozen peas
- Complex carbohydrates: brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, lentils, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, winter squash
Recommended Serving Amounts
- 2 pounds of food per day for a 100-pound dog
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of food per day for a 50-pound dog
- 1/2 to 3/4 pound of food per day for a 25-pound dog
- 5 to 6 1/2 ounces of food per day for a 10-pound dog
This information is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Every dog’s dietary needs are different. Please consult with your veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
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Welcome To My Blog K9sovercoffee
K9sOverCoffee was founded by me, Barbara Rivers, as a personal blog back in 2014. Thats when my girl Missy, a 50 lb Boxer mix, was diagnosed with cancer at only 3 years of age. After Missys successful treatment, I began learning about the many benefits of a species-appropriate, raw diet and switched Missy and her brother Buzz, also a Boxer mix, from kibble to raw.And sure enough, it helped. Missy was in remission from cancer for 3+ years before it came back. Thats 2.5 years longer than predicted by her oncologist. So even if it ultimately couldnt keep cancer away from her, it bought her 2.5 extra years of adventures. It also kept her and Buzzs teeth clean, got rid of Buzzs ear infections, and kept their coats shiny and soft.
Raw dog food also helped Wally West with his awful skin allergies. Hes my new pup, a happy-go-lucky 40 35lb Feist mix. He came to me as a 1.5 year old itchy mess and desperately needed fresh food in his life. Fresh, raw dog food cured him of 95% of his itchiness!I captured our raw dog food journey on this blog and have made it my mission to share the benefits with fellow dog lovers. Ive written 3 ebooks featuring recipes and basic how tos. I also got certified as a raw dog food nutrition specialist in early 2020 by Dogs Naturally Magazine University.
Fiber Filled Homemade Dog Food Recipe
If your pet has constipation problems, give this recipe a try. You can also separate it and freeze it for future use. Put 2 meals worth of homemade dog food into Ziploc bags and thaw them overnight. You can get around 2 weeks of food from this recipe, but be sure to check with your vet to find out how much homemade dog food you should be feeding your pet. When its time to feed your pet, the author recommends to use a double boiler to heat the food up.
Ingredients
For the full recipe and instructions check out Running to the kitchen
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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
We Arent The Only People That Have Converted To Making Homemade Dog Food And Are Loving The Results Check Out The Links Below For More Homemade Dog Food Recipes Your Pup Will Love
Easy Crockpot Dog Food from Damn Delicious || This simple homemade dog food recipe combines ground beef, brown rice, kidney beans, butternut squash, carrots, and peas in the slow cooker so you can set it and forget it!
Homemade Dog Food Recipe from College Housewife || Elizabeths sweet dog Rascal suffered from all sorts of health issues which led them to having him allergy tested. Turns out Rascal was allergic to all sorts of things even beef! So, Elizabeth developed a homemade dog food recipe that is just perfect for Rascals sensitive belly that is filled with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, carrots, and zucchini squash and macaroni noodles!
DIY Homemade Dog Food from Damn Delicious||Chungahs dog Butters battle with stomach issues led her to start making dog food at home. This recipe is easy to make and super good for your pups too! It combines a delicious blend of 50% protein, 25% veggies and 25% grains and is made of ingredients like ground chicken, brown rice, shredded zucchini, spinach, carrots, and peas.
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Raw Dog Food Or Barf :
best diet is its native oneMEAT
Additionally, many would attest that raw meat is optimal. Unlike humans, dogs are not generally susceptible to things like salmonella and e-coli. You and I might regularly eat raw meat if our systems could handle it – but we need to cook our meat to kill the bacteria that have the potential to devastate our digestive systems.
When meat is cooked, proteins, vitamins, and minerals break down and lose their benefit. Raw meat is also high in moisture – it provides a significant amount of your dog’s daily water requirement . The great majority of your dog’s diet should consist of meat protein – which is the one fool-proof ingredient that we know all dogs can digest and thrive on.
Commercial dog foods contain soy, corn, and wheat – all common allergens for dogs. Raw dog food advocates maintain that all grains should be eliminated from our dogs’ diets. They also cite that grains have been blamed as culprits for pancreatic stress and tooth calculus, that our dogs were not designed to process these items, and that asking them to thrive on grains is like asking a human to thrive on a red meat diet – most experts would advise against it.
Let’s start by discussing what a raw-food dog’s diet should consist of. All meat should, obviously, be uncooked, and may include: Eggs , beef, buffalo, venison, elk, chicken, turkey, emu, ostrich, rabbit, and fish. Small animals, like rabbits and fish, may be fed whole – dogs love it this way.
The Results From Feeding Our Diy Dog Food
Back to the story of Bug
After only a couple of weeks of feeding her a homemade diet, the hubby and I were blown away by how much her mental and physical health improved. And we wholeheartedly believe she was able to bounce back because of her new food.
She went from an ailing, exhausted, incontinent, tail-down dog to a happy, energetic, curious, communicative pup. While she isnt miraculously walking again, her hip dysplasia also hasnt progressed or caused her any pain.
Weve learned to watch for signs that she needs to relieve herself as weve realized she knows when she has to go, she just cant get there without our help.
We feed both of our pugs the same food, with the hope that we can stave off any potential health problems for our older one.
When we travel, well bring their homemade food on the road in a cooler. On occasion, weve even ordered their dinner from a restaurant when we ran out of food .
If were camping, well usually just feed them whatever were cooking in camp they love corn on the cob, hobo packs , and the whole assortment of tri-tip, sausages, and ribs that weve usually got going on.
As you might imagine they lovecamping trips!
Homemade dog food gives us the flexibility to fine-tune their diet as needed. Im forever grateful for the extra time we were given with our beloved Bug as a result of the food we chose to feed her.
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Do I Have To Cook The Food Or Can I Let My Dog Eat It Raw
If you want to feed your dog raw, you can easily do so.
Simply leave the meat raw but I would suggest cooking the carrots and the potatoes. Dogs intestinal tracts are SIGNIFICANTLY shorter than humans so it helps if you cook and puree the vegetables to help them absorb all the nutrients.
If you are going to leave the meat raw, make sure that you divide the food into daily portions and freeze what you are not using. Pull out the frozen dog food the night before you need it to ensure the freshest food possible for your pooch!
Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes
“Why make dog food at home when you can just buy it at the store?”
The #1 reason is simply this: Control. You have full control over every single ingredient with no surprises.
Dog’s with allergies, sensitivities, or intolerance can live a happy life and you can live worry free. Which is why we like making grain free treats at home too.
The second reason is money savings! When it comes to healthy dog food the top brands are quite expensive, but you can simply use the same ingredients at home and save an absolute ton.
Of course, the next biggest concern is your time investment.
But surprisingly this isn’t as bad as it looks, and with just an hour or less per week you can make enough food to last for several days. We recommend you make use of a some big ziplock bags or containers and freeze what you’re not immediately using.
Each recipe allows for customization based on your dog’s individual nutritional requirements and tastes. But, before you get started you must speak with a Vet to see what your dog should and should not eat, as each dog’s diet will vary.
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Common Mistakes When Cooking For Your Dog
Not Using Trusted Sources
There are many inadequate, and sometimes dangerous recipes, available to owners, says Dr. Larsen. There are now many studies demonstrating that most of these are not balanced.
Some of these may cause deficiencies in your dogs diet, while others may lead to an excess of certain nutrients. To avoid encountering unhealthy or dangerous options Dr. Larsen and Dr. Bartges recommend avoiding generic recipes from books or online sources. Some so-called nutrition experts are without proper training, and may do more harm than good.
Larsen and Bartges also suggest consulting BalanceIT.com, a site run by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, to help create a semi-individualized diet.
Not Preparing Balanced Meals
When you dont prepare balanced meals that are individualized to your pets needs, it can come at a cost. Nutrition deficiency can lead to diseases, such as malnutrition or obesity, and can ultimately be fatal.
Each of the ~40 essential nutrients required by dogs has a specific role in the body. When they are provided in inadequate concentrations, the function is not optimal and suffering may result, explains Dr. Larsen. Similarly, nutrient excesses can also cause illness. While the impact of an unbalanced diet may be mild and not even noticed or attributed to the diet by the owner, these problems can also be very severe, and pets do not always survive.
Relying On Multiple Diets To Create Balance
Using Unsafe/Unhealthy Ingredients
A Word On Balanced Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Balance refers to the type and amount of nutrients. Prolonged feeding of unbalanced meals exposes a dog to many health risks, and many recipes do not provide enough nutrition for the canine, studies have found.
A dog’s balanced diet will contain a sufficient amount of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals, including fatty acids like omega-3.
Do not assume that a recipe that looks nutritious to you will be nutritious for your dog.
There are several dangers of feeding homemade meals when pet owners feed something that hasn’t been discussed with a vet and specifically adjusted for the dog.
Balanced homemade dog food recipes are often structured to provide many key nutrients .
When adjusted for your dog, you can use these recipes for a longer period of time instead of other recipes that may not contain even half of the essential nutrition.
That said, there is no completely balanced homemade dog food recipe that will be perfect for every dog.
You cannot add all essential nutrients without significantly increasing caloric content. Generally, you cannot avoid homemade dog food supplements to ensure the pet gets all the vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients.
It’s nearly impossible to pack it all into a dog food meal without making it very calorie-dense.
If you’re about to start cooking for your Fido, to make your job easier, here are 13 balanced homemade dog food recipes that come close to being well-rounded and varied in their nutrient profile.
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Guidelines To Creating Balanced Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Following are guidelines for feeding a raw or cooked home-prepared diet to healthy dogs. No single type of food, such as chicken, should ever make up more than half the diet.
Except where specified, homemade food for dogs can be fed either raw or cooked. Leftovers from your table can be included as long as theyre foods you would eat yourself, not fatty scraps.
Meat and Other Animal Products: Should always make up at least half of the diet. A raw diet for dogs can be excessively high in fat, which can lead to obesity. Another potential hazard of diets containing too much fat: If an owner restricts the amount fed too much, the dog may suffer deficiencies of other required nutrients.
Unless your dog gets regular, intense exercise, use lean meats , remove skin from poultry, and cut off separable fat. Its better to feed dark meat poultry than breast, however, unless your dog requires a very low-fat diet.
Raw Meaty Bones : If you choose to feed them, RMBs should make up one third to one half of the total diet. Use the lower end of the range if you feed bony parts such as chicken necks and backs, but you can feed more if youre using primarily meatier parts such as chicken thighs. Never feed cooked bones. Read a full report on raw meaty bones here.
Boneless Meat: Include both poultry and red meat. Heart is a good choice, as it is lean and often less expensive than other muscle meats.