CLICK HERE FOR HOMEMADE DOG FOOD RECIPES!
If you have your dog on a homemade diet it is essential to add bonemeal to their daily diet. Dogs calcium requirements are given according to body weight. The calcium is to replace bones that wild dogs originally ate when feeding in the wild.
This necessary addition can be found in human grade bonemeal, which is available through pet supply stores, health-food stores and of course speciality on line pet stores.
Make sure you NEVER use the garden grade bone meal as this contains toxins, such as lead. You can also find calcium supplements in tablet form which is just a acceptable. Here is an example of what to look for in a calcium supplement: Only Natural Pet Store – CALCIUM OR BONEMEAL CAN BE ORDERED HERE.
I am not a pet nurtritionist, and am doing this through investigating, educating myself, and reading about the horrible commercial pet food industries disgusting manufacturing for profit mentality. I guess I was just naive, but I always believed that I was doing the best for my pets. Boy, have my eyes been opened.
Always check with your vet before starting your pet on homemade dog food. If cooking for a dog does not seem to be something you want to start doing, there are of course many ultra premium, organic dog foods available, that are highly recommended.
TABLE SCRAPS ARE NOT CONSIDERED HOMEMADE DOG FOOD AND ARE NOT NUTRITIOUS OR HEALTHY FOR YOUR DOG.
HOW TO MAKE NUTRITIOUS HOME MADE DOG FOOD: TOP TEN BASIC TIPS.
- Although I checked with my vet, and am doing this with his approval, always check with your own professional.
- Slowly wean your dog onto the new food. A sudden switch could cause stomach upset. Let him/her get used to the new food by gradually mixing in the new food while slowly decreasing the old food. Once adjusted to one new food try another using this method. You will find that your dog will tolerate many different types of foods, just as we do. A variety diet is much more enjoyable than the same bowl of dry kibble every day!
- Ensure a well balanced diet by mixing 40% meat, with the balance consisiting of fruit and vegetables and carbohydrates, in their daily diet. Following this formula will ensure a well balanced, healthy nutritious diet.
CLICK HERE AND SEE LADY AND LOLA’S HOMEMADE DOG FOOD RECIPE THAT I USE REGULARLY. - I always cook the meat before serving, and let it cool off to room temperature. I found that feeding my dogs their food hot or too warm seemed to cause them stomach upset.
- Organ meat (liver, kidneys etc.) and occasionally adding eggs are very good for your pet, and as we all know variety in our diets is always nice.
- Feed your pet the daily amount as recommended by your vet, according to the animal’s size. – Just like measuring the kibble, only way tastier. It smells delicious too! I separate their daily requirement into two portions – morning and evening.
SEE THE CHART HERE THAT I USE BY CLICKING HERE.. - Rotate food for variety. I buy the meat every week that is “last day” sale. At my meat market this is the meat that is still for sale for human consumption, but has to be sold by today. My butcher sells this at 50% off the sticker price. I then bring it home and use it the same day, or freeze it and make the freshly cooked meals in batches later.
- This is actually cheaper than the premium preservative, chemically filled commercial dog food that I used to buy. I had a week’s worth of fast fry steaks last week for my two 80 pound Labrador retrievers that cost under $20.00. I made a big batch of yummy steak, rice and veggie stew for them and froze it. Simple as when we grab for a frozen dinner on those nights when we’re too tired to cook.
- Use oatmeal, rice, pasta or potatoes as the starch requirement.
- Keep the extra cooked home made dog food refrigerated for up to three days, or of course freeze the serving sizes for future easy use.
Dog Vitamins And Supplements: Adding vitamins and supplements to our home made dog food is essential as the food will be deficient of certain necessary vitamins and minerals for optimum health.
I give my two Labs, Lady and Lola a daily multi-vitamin for dogs, according to their weight also when they are on their homemade diet.
FOODS THAT ARE KNOWN TO BE TOXIC TO DOGS!
Onions and onion powder
Chocolate
Coffee and all coffee related products
Chocolate covered espresso beans ( extra toxic !! )
Tea
Alcoholic beverages
Macadamia nuts
Hops (used in home brewing beer)
Grapes and raisins ( including juices or anything with grapes or raisins as the base)
Tomato leaves and stems
Green part of potatoes (peelings, sprouts and foliage)
Rhubarb leaves
Avocados
Pits and seeds from fruits (plum, apricot, peach apple and cherry)
Bitter almonds
Moldy or spoiled foods
[...] Be aware of foods that are known to be toxic to dogs before making your own dog food. Check out the short list of foods to avoid I have here. [...]
[...] Raw garlic and onions can be toxic to dogs, so never feed this to them. Keep in mind also that raisins, grapes and chocolate can be harmful to your dog. See a list of some of the harmful or deadly foods dogs should never ingest here. [...]
[...] BASIC GUIDELINES FOR HOMEMADE DOG FOOD http://recipes4gourmetdogs.com/2008/06/homemade-dog-food-basics/ [...]
Thanks for visiting – it’s always nice to meet others who care so much about their pets. Good website.
Jane
oops that was meant to be “dogs”
Good Job! We are a Homemade-dog-food bussiness, so we agree it is great for dog!
Good post, Keep up the good work