As a pet owner you are concerned about what ingredients are included in the commercial dog food that they eat. In fact many foods have been recalled recently because of this issue and although convenient are not the best option for your dog. Most of these types of dog food are made with meat using fillers, artificial colors and unnatural flavors that are substandard compared to what we would eat. In some cases the meat may have even come from a country where they do not have any regulations regarding the processing of such products. So if you are at all concerned about your dog’s health why not consider making healthy homemade dog food for them.
Actually making homemade dog food is easier than you might imagine. You need to discuss this with your vet before you actually go looking for recipes. In many cases they can provide you with some guidelines regarding the correct amounts of ingredients that you need to add to the dog food. A well balanced healthy dog food should contain adequate amounts of meat, vegetables and grains. You may also find that they can give you nutritional guidelines that you can follow in relation to your dog’s breed.
After your vet has provided you with this information, you can now start looking for recipes to try. You can either go to your local pet store, bookstore or library to see if they have any books you can use or you can go online and get some of the many free can do. However, if you are going to use the ones you find online, you need to be sure that the ingredients in them are healthy but will provide the right balance of nutrition to your dog.
Once you’ve got some recipes to try on your dog, now you need to go out and get the ingredients to make them. Ideally go for good quality ingredients that you can easily afford as this will ensure that the food is not only healthy but also contains the right kind of nutrients that your pet needs. If you can, choose the same types of ingredients that you would use for yourself when preparing a meal for your family. It is also important that you avoid using foods that have been processed as these will lack the nutrients your pet needs.
When shopping for these materials it is wise to see what is available and compare everything. Often people will use very cheap cuts of meat at the butcher to prepare food for their dogs. But if you want why not tell the butcher exactly what you need and he may offer some cuts that he normally wouldn’t sell and that might cost you even less.
Actually preparing and cooking homemade dog food is actually much easier than you might first think. What you can do to save yourself some time is when you prepare a meal for your family, you also prepare a big batch of dogs. Then after preparation it can be stored in a clearly marked container in the fridge or freezer and removed when required.
It’s a good idea to prepare and cook your dog’s food in large quantities on a weekly or monthly basis. Not only will this save you time since you won’t need to source and prepare fresh ingredients every day, but it can also save you money. So if you plan carefully which recipe you are going to cook and when it will make the whole process of making healthy homemade dog food much easier.
If you want to make sure that your dog is eating properly, putting some time and effort into using homemade dog food recipes will ensure that. But it’s important to remember to use only the best quality ingredients you can in the meals you prepare. It is also important that you feed these treats to your dog regularly and avoid commercial dog foods altogether if possible. After a while you will start to see a change in your dog, not only in his health, but often an increase in his energy level as well. These are things you won’t notice until you start feeding homemade dog food that is prepared using the recipes you’ve discovered.
Source by Allison Thompson
