Homemade Raw Dog Food
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An easy recipe and guidelines for making homemade raw dog food that you can tweak as necessary to what best fits your dog.
For as health conscious as I am about what kind of foods I put in my own body, I have to admit for the better part of six of her seven years, I pretty much fed Ginger the equivalent of fast food to humans.
Sure, it was the good fast food but after awhile, even Chick-Fil-A isnt healthy any more if you know what I mean.
Of course, occasionally I made her homemade pumpkin dog treats but more often than not her food was anything but homemade.
Then one day earlier this year it was like a switch got flipped.
The guy who sold us our water softener system was sitting in our kitchen and as Ulysses looked over models trying to figure out which one made the most sense, the sales guy and I started talking about dog food.
He explained how he starting feeding a raw food diet for his dogs and how their energy levels were through the roof , their coats were shinier than ever and their teeth in great shape.
It made sense.
I completely buy into the same theories from a human perspective, why wouldnt it be the same for dogs?
So, next trip to Petco, I was forking over some serious money for frozen raw dog food patties and giving this whole thing a shot.
The first meal I gave her the homemade raw dog food, she came running back into the kitchen after licking the bowl clean as if she was begging for more.
Breaking Down Barriers To Home Cooking For Dogs
For years, veterinarians and certainly dog-food manufacturers have warned us about the dangers of homemade meals. Following are three of those warnings, and the reasons we dont need to let them stop us from doing better by our dogs.
Home-cooked meals arent nutritionally balanced and complete. Were told that homemade meals cant provide our dogs with all they need for good health and expose them to a host of potential nutritional deficiencies. While its true that dogs require a particular balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, a proper assessment of your dogs health and specific nutritional requirements will give you the information you need. Work with a qualified veterinary or animal nutritionist to calculate the essential supplements needed or tap into the expertise reachable online. Fortunately, several all-in-one supplement solutions are now available, including Balance It® and Chefs Canine Complete, and in Europe, Trovet Balance.
It takes too much time to prepare their food. While there are many meal-specific recipes, you can achieve cost and time savings by cooking your dogs food in quantity. A large batch can provide your dog with meals for a week or two, or even a month if you have a small dog. No matter the size of your dog, by cooking in batches and freezing what cant be eaten in three or four days, you can save both time and money.
Recipe To Make Dog Food At Home
While wolves in the wild eat raw food, it is important to cook your dog’s food for safety. Salmonella are harmful bacteria that can contaminate chicken and other poultry. It is only eliminated by cooking the meat until it reaches between 160 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Follow the video tutorial for step-by-step instructions to make a simple, healthy dog food recipe, or check out other options.
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What Is The Best Homemade Food For Dogs
Knowing how much of a home-cooked meal to feed your dog can be difficult for those just starting on the pet food journey. The rule of thumb is about 2 to 3 percent of body weight for adult dogs and cats. That translates to about 16 ounces of food for a 50-pound dog, or 4 ounces of food for a 10-pound cat.
How much homemade dog food should I feed my dog? Knowing how much of a home-cooked meal to feed your dog can be difficult for those just starting on the pet food journey. The rule of thumb is about 2 to 3 percent of body weight for adult dogs and cats. That translates to about 16 ounces of food for a 50-pound dog, or 4 ounces of food for a 10-pound cat.
Can I feed my dog ground beef and rice everyday? Can I feed my dog ground beef and rice everyday? You can feed your dog the ground beef and rice for dogs mixture for up to a week, but I suggest starting to mix in your pups regular food as soon as you see that he is acting like normal. You should also be mindful if your dog has a weight problem.
What To Watch For When Feeding Homemade Dog Food
It’s important to monitor your dog closely when changing to homemade dog food. Stay in contact with your veterinarian regarding any changes you notice, whether good or bad. For best results, keep a record of your dog’s weight and body condition over time. Weigh your dog at least once per week and contact your vet if you notice unintended weight loss or gain. Watch for vomiting or diarrhea that may occur if your dog is sensitive to one or more ingredients. Note and report these or any other signs of illness to your veterinarian.
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Keep Your Dog Food Recipes Simple
People overthink ultra-complicated recipes and forget that a dog loves to eat, plain and simple, and there’s no need for potentially dangerous condiments!
Donât be afraid to play with textures. Crunchy, soft, mushy… Vary the textures of your recipes, and your dog will be less likely to get bored of the food.
A Meal For You And Your Dog
Love cooking for your dog but never have the time? Rocky Kanaka from The CWs SAVE our SHELTER, Dog’s Day Out and founder of The Dog Bakery, has a solution. This easy to make salmon meal for yourself can also be made for your dog.
This recipe is designed for those who want to eat healthy and want their dogs to eat healthy as well but are always on the go. This is also one of the most eco friendly recipes we have seen. Instead of tossing things we would usually not eat such as broccoli stems, the recipe uses these as a key part to the dogs delicious meal.
This recipe also has a bonus tip on what to do with that salmon skin that is usually thrown in the trash. I get asked a lot if salmon skin is okay for dogs. While it is not safe if consumed raw, due to unwanted parasites, cooking in the oven for 20 minutes to make a crunchy, healthy, limited ingredient, organic, high omega dog snack that may help with heart health and give them a great skin and coat is a big win! says Rocky.
And there is more, when you cook for your dog you are more conscious of what you put in your body. For all of those reasons and more we give this recipe four paws up!
Healthy meals are important for you and your dog but the best thing about this recipe from Rocky Kanaka is it allows you to take time out of your day to spend time with your family two and four legged! Read on to find out how to do it or watch Rocky has he demonstrates!
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Rosemary & Turkey Homemade Dog Food
- Chop the carrot, apple, and spinach in a food processor until fine
- Add other ingredients except ground beef to the processor and blend
- Transfer to a large bowl
- Add ground beef and mix by hand until combined
- Form into patties and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet
- Place in bags or storage containers and store until needed
- Remove the next days patty from the freezer at night, so it can thaw
What Dog Food Is Killing Dogs
A pet food recall is widening after the Food and Drug Administration announced that more than two dozen dogs died after eating Sportmix brand dry kibble. The statement issued on Monday said that the suspect is aflatoxin, a byproduct of a corn mold Aspergillus flavus, which at high levels can kill pets.
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Once You Go Homemade You Won’t Go Back
Make sure youre fully committed to cooking for your dog before you start feeding her homemade fare. Once shes had a taste of the fresh stuff, theres a good chance that shell have zero interest in eating kibble, says Christine Filardi, holistic pet chef and author of Home Cooking for Your Dog: 75 Holistic Recipes for a Healthier Dog. Even if you havent had time to go shopping and cook a new batch of food.
Make an effort to plan ahead, or put a system into place so you always have a batch of food on hand. For instance, try prepping your dogs food for the week on Sunday, just like youd meal prep for yourself. And if you know that you have a crazy week coming up and wont have time to cook, make a double batch and stick it in the freezer.
And if all else fails? Keep your kitchen stocked with a few non-perishable ingredients for fast, easy meals when youre in a pinch, Filardi recommends. Think canned fish , canned pumpkin, and frozen berries or greens. This isnt rocket science, so dont put pressure on yourself, she says. If you have to whip up a box of instant rice and throw in a can of fish once in a while, its fine.
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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Cooking Our Way To A Healthier Dog Diet
Ever since I started raising my own dogs, Id always wanted to make their food at home but thought it would be too expensive or too time consuming, or that they wouldnt get the nutrition they needed.
During the month of Bugs doggy depression, I vowed to make her precious life as comfortable as possible.
Both of my pugs had a range of health issues growing up, which I unfortunately found out were common for the breed.
My older one had persistent hot spots and itchiness that no commercial dog food could cure .
Bug was overweight for a while when she was younger, even though she ate the recommended amount of food for her target weight. Eventually, I settled on Wellness kibbles and they did well with that brand.
But, I wanted to explore other options. I wanted to give them real food fresh, nutritious ingredients that I recognized and could even eat myself.
Ive mentioned in my post on homemade whole grain chicken feed that the entire household all share the same whole grains and seeds that we buy in bulk, as well as the bounty that comes from our edible garden.
Everything our animals eat, we can eat.
When it comes to homemade feed for our laying hens, we stick to a tried-and-true formula that works for every layer: 16 to 17 percent protein , vitamins, minerals, and amino acids from a wide variety of grains and seeds, and free range of a pasture for weeds, greens, and insects.
Dogs, on the other hand, arent bred for a standard function the way chickens are.
Bam Kick Your Dog’s Food Up A Notch
While some people feed their dogs only home-cooked food, it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Unless your dog has to eat homemade food for a specific health reason, you can feed your pet a mixture of store-bought food and food that you prepare in your kitchen.
Even if you don’t cook for your dog full time, you can still cook on occasion to provide a healthy alternative to their regular diet. Just be sure to discuss the diet with your veterinarian and get accurate information on appropriate supplements to add for a truly balanced meal.
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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.
Raw Boneless Turkey & Egg Dog Food Recipe: All Life Stages
Eggs are an easy addition to your dogs raw food diet. If you can get free-range eggs, even better. Most supermarkets carry them now. But Im still wary. Some egg cartons proudly proclaim Vegetarian Diet. Chickens are not vegetarian. You want eggs from free-range hens allowed to hunt and peck outside for worms and bugs.
To be sure, I get mine from farmers markets or directly from the farm. Ill take a drive through the countryside looking for farms. Those with laying hens often have a simple sign saying Eggs For Sale. Drive in, leave your money and take your eggs.
Now youre ready for this easy combination of turkey, organs and eggs.
Heres the full recipe: Raw Boneless Turkey & Egg Raw Dog Food Recipe: all life stages
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Our Favorite Homemade Dog Food Recipes For Senior Dogs
A healthy, nutrient-rich diet is important for any dog, regardless of age. However, for senior dogs, its even more essential. Being mindful of what and how much your older pooch eats can go a long way in helping to manage common issues associated with dog aging, includingobesity. There are lots of high-quality, specialty dog foods available and Ive had great success with some of them but they can be expensive. Making your own dog food is a more affordable alternative to commercial versions and youll be able to control what goes into it. If youre concerned about your pooch missing out on nutrients, adding supplements can be helpful too.
Be sure to keep any food allergies or dietary restrictions in mind and talk with your vet before starting your dog on a diet of homemade food, particularly if they suffer from any health conditions. You might also need to adjust the ratio of protein to grains and veggies to accommodate your dogs needs. With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite homemade dog food recipes for older dogs that contain tasty,safe ingredients.
What Are The Benefits Of Homemade Dog Food
Homemade dog food can benefit your canine companion in a number of ways especially if you have a pet who suffers from allergies, skin problems, or gastrointestinal sensitivity.
Highly-processed foods also tend to lose nutritional value, whereas making dog food from scratch maintains more of the 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 included additives and preservatives.
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