Advice Concerning Nutritious Homemade Natural Dog Food

There have been several recalls on commercial dog foods in recent years that have left pet-lovers worrying about the quality of their furry friends' diets. Manufacturing processes that prioritize profit over quality, low-grade ingredients, the presence of chemicals and preservatives are all factors that weigh heavily on the mind. To do away with this anxiety and ensure your best friend's health, you can do one of two things: swap to one of the organic, high-quality, expensive products available from more scrupulous manufacturers, or learn how to make natural dog food at home.

You can find many recipes online for nutritious, wholesome dog food, and you will find a sample recipe below for you to try, but remember that these (including this article) should be considered as guidelines, not professional advice. Certain ingredients, processes and amounts may not be right for your specific dog. Some breeds have particular dietary requirements. Like us, individual dogs can suffer from allergies, and there are ailments, diseases and other conditions that can be affected by diet. Lifestyle, age and size play a part in determining portion sizes, preparation and ingredient choice.

Always, always get your vet's approval before feeding your pet new recipes or making any dietary changes. If you are unsure about anything, your veterinarian is the first person to check with.

In basic terms, a healthy doggy-diet should contain balanced proportions of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamin and mineral supplements (administered according to weight and vet instruction). Calcium is especially important - some bonemeal or egg-shell powder sprinkled on your buddy's food should be sufficient. Never use garden-grade bonemeal - it contains toxic chemicals. Human/pet-grade bonemeal is available at many health- and pet stores.

Dogs are carnivores, and as such, require their diet to be about forty-percent protein. Cooked ground beef, lamb and poultry are great sources of protein. Make sure that the meat you use is of good quality and does not contain antibiotics, hormones or chemicals. There are many organic butchers that actually have a pet section. Organ meat, such as kidneys, liver, etc. Can be happily incorporated. Your furry friend will also benefit from the occasional egg.

The remainder of the diet should be a mixture of vegetables and grains. Frozen veggies that can be happily incorporated: corn, peas, lima beans, cut green beans. Recommended fresh vegetables: grated carrots or zucchini, broccoli, baking potatoes, yams/sweet potatoes. Fast-cooking grains: cornmeal, couscous, rolled oats, quinoa, whole-wheat, bulgur. Longer-cooking grains: millet, brown rice, barley, wheat berries.

Please Note - Stay Away From: onions/onion powder, all forms of coffee, tea, alcoholic drinks, almonds, macadamia nuts, raisins and grapes (incl. Juices, oils, etc.), the green parts of potatoes (foliage, sprouts, peels), tomato leaves/stems, rhubarb leaves, fruit seeds and pits - these are all toxic. Veggies containing a lot of oxalic acid are not exactly toxic, but will hamper calcium absorption, so keep away from rhubarb, spinach and swiss chard if you can help it. Never feed your pets table scraps. Let just-cooked food cool down to room temp before feeding - some dogs get upset stomachs or burns when they wolf down hot or too-warm food.

A sample natural dog food recipe for a medium/large dog: 1 to 1.5 cups roasted chicken cut into small pieces; 1 cup cooked barley; 0.5 cup shredded carrots, cooked; 0.5 cup green beans, cooked; 1 tablespoon plain, organic yoghurt.

Jamie is a dog health practitioner who specializes in organic holistic dog food.