Making healthy homemade dog food is an excellent way to meet the nutritional needs of your pet, plus it’s simple and can even be frozen for later meals!
Make sure that your recipe includes lean muscle meat high in iron and protein (ideally 50% of the recipe) along with organs and glandular powders.
Contents
Protein
DIY food provides pet parents with an effective means of creating delicious meals that are nutritionally complete for their beloved pup. Homemade dog food eliminates the frustration associated with reading long lists of ingredients found in commercial dog foods while helping minimize sensitivities to certain ingredients.
Dogs require high-quality proteins like skinless chicken, turkey, ground beef, bison, lamb venison or fish for essential amino acid consumption and also require vegetables and fruits that provide essential nutrition.
Carbs should come from non-starchy vegetables rather than grains, legumes or potatoes to avoid over-insulinemia and obesity. Finally, dogs require protein from organs and glands for digestion, muscle health and immune support – these sources can be cooked or freeze-dried before consumption.
Carbohydrates
Homemade dog food should contain the appropriate proportions of proteins, fiber and carbohydrates based on your pup’s specific dietary requirements – for instance puppies require 25 percent protein while adult dogs only require 18 percent.
Always ensure your ingredients are cooked thoroughly to kill any harmful bacteria and aid your dog’s digestion of it more easily. Be cautious not to add grains, legumes or starchy vegetables like potatoes that could lead to diabetes and obesity in their food source.
When making dog food yourself, select a recipe with clear instructions and stay with it for as long as possible. Otherwise, your pup could miss out on essential nutrients like calcium. In such an instance, purchasing supplements from a vet or pet nutritionist could help.
Vegetables
Home-prepared diets allow owners to tailor a food regimen specifically tailored to each dog’s health needs, such as allergies, digestive disorders and arthritis. Consult a veterinarian before beginning meal prep at home.
Vegetables play an essential role in supporting canine health. Packed full of antioxidants and phytonutrients that promote digestive wellness, cognitive performance enhancement and reduced inflammation levels while balancing out body’s pH levels; vegetables also offer essential dietary fiber.
Cooking starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potato and rutabagas enhances palatability while killing bacteria and making them easier to digest. Cooking legumes (beans and peas) also improves digestibility; all vegetables should be well-washed and cut into small pieces to minimize choking hazards; raw foods must always be cooked to reduce bacteria and parasites.
Fruits
Home-prepared dog food can benefit from adding various fruits for an irresistibly sweet treat while simultaneously providing essential vitamins and minerals. Bananas, apples, blueberries, watermelons and papayas are popular picks as their natural enzyme papain helps break down proteins; plus they’re packed full of vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium calcium magnesium.
Cucumbers make an enjoyable low-cal snack that provides essential hydration benefits. Wash them well, chop into bite-sized pieces and enjoy!
Sweet potatoes are another super food rich in vitamin A that are beneficial to skin, coat, eyes and nervous system health. Cook until soft then mash to add them into the diet!
Supplements
Home cooking allows dog owners to offer their dog healthy ingredients not available commercially, such as vitamins or other nutrients deemed essential by an animal nutritionist or vet. But to ensure maximum benefit for their wellbeing and to address any underlying health concerns. It’s crucial that owners follow an approved plan by either an animal nutritionist or vet in order to make sure your meal meets those requirements.
Utilizing a nutritional calculator (as shown below) will allow you to ensure your pet is getting all the essential vitamins and minerals they require from his food. Calcium is especially essential in supporting bone health; too little could result in osteoporosis while too much could lead to kidney issues.
Home chefs frequently incorporate bone broth and green lipped mussels containing glucosamine and chondroitin into their meals to add some healthy supplements that can ease digestive distress, such as bone broth. These treats can also serve as treats to tempt picky eaters.
