Friday, February 25, 2011

Dog Food

Not human food, but you could eat this if you cooked it. Honestly, my dog probably eats better than not only I do, but 98% of the population. I originally started feeding my dog homemade food because he seemed to be overweight no matter what food I fed him and no matter how little of it. Making him and feeding him homemade and natural dog food was the best decision I made, in my opinion. He has a lot more energy, is an ideal weight now, and his coat is the best I've ever seen it and very soft now.

First thing: you will want to wean your dog from their current food to this homemade food. And from the cooked meat to the raw meat. Yes, raw meat. Dogs were meant to eat and process raw meat.
A dog's diet should generally be 10% grains, 40% vegetables, and 50% meat. Feel free to add fruits as well.

Grains:
I usually use quinoa. Brown rice is also good, but most other grains don't provide much nutrients.
Vegetables:
Almost all veggies are good for dogs. I usually use carrots, zuchinni, spinach, sweet potatos, and cucumber. DO NOT feed your dogs avacado, beans, grapes/raisins, mushrooms, onions, or tomatoes as they are toxic. Also, be careful not to give your dogs any seeds from fruit. The fruit themselves are great, but the seeds can be toxic. Also, broccoli and asparagus are ok, but be prepared for the smelly farts. If you are unsure of a fruit or vegetable, do the research on if it's ok to feed your dog or not before you feed it to them!
Meats:
Again, a lot of meat is just fine. I prefer chicken and salmon. Pork is not very healthy for dogs. Uncooked and fresh bones are fine for dogs as well but cooked bones are dangerous due to the splintering that occurs. Also, raw eggs are ok for dogs as well. Including the shell! Animal innards are great as well. Livers, hearts, gizzards, etc. All add nutrients.

NOTICE: Your dog may react differently. Every dog does. Watch to make sure that your dog isn't allergic to anything that you put in the food.

I first make a puree of some vegetables (usually a sweet potato soup being the main ingredient), innards (usually chicken liver), eggs, and some garlic as well (cooked/dry/powdered garlic, fresh can be toxic. Garlic is a natural flea and tick repellant).
I chop the chicken into bite-sized bits and mix it into the puree. Then I mix in the canned salmon (yes, it usually has the skin and bones in it, don't worry! They're great for your dog!) or any other type of meat. I just recently made a batch with ground beef instead of salmon.
You can either add fresh chopped veggies/fruit each day or just mix in chopped veggies/fruit right off the bat. I usually add fresh chopped because that way the nutrients are peak.

I make enough quinoa or rice for about a week's worth of food (maybe 1 1/2-2 cups for the small 10-12lb dog I have) then mix it in each time I feed him.
I also add in some PLAIN non-fat yogurt.


I make enough food for about a month and separate it into weekly tupperware containers. One for the fridge and then the rest go into the freezer.
Ta-da!

Again, wean your dog from their current food to the homemade food. AND make sure that the meat is mainly cooked for a while before weaning onto the raw meat.

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