Abhishek Agarwal asked:


look and as nicely packed as they are, packaged dog food at the mall with its endless variety of nutritionally balanced dog chow can be a nightmare for regular dog lovers who have a tough time figuring out the real value of all listed ingredients. But, there you are ? these bags of commercially manufactured dog food just seem to be everywhere and so convenient to use, too ? but, if you are a true dog lover and can spare the little time it takes to keep your furry, four-legged friend healthy and happy, you can be sure your home-made doggy chow will pass muster any time ? you only have to know how to put the essential doggy diet together!

Easy to make and filled with natural goodness, the dog food you make at home is a reassuring sight for your eyes after hours of straining to figure out the various scientific names on kibble-packs, so take charge of your doggie’s health now ? make natural dog food at home!

Always consult with your vet about the meal options you can have for the breed, size, weight and age of your pet besides the weather conditions where you live; this is the best person to guide you about the various products and ingredients in the market and how to mix the right proportions for your dog’s balanced nutritional meal besides educating you about any supplements the dog may require.

Raw or organic meat diets are preferred by many dog owners; the first consists of various cuts of raw meat, juices of vegetables and assorted grains while the latter has pretty much the same things, except these are organically produced or home-grown, depending on the kind of garden space the dog owner has!

With this natural meal option plan, you can afford the occasional processed food treats for your dog’s tastes too, but it’s preferable to stick with snacks like baby carrots or apple-bits besides ice-cubes in the summer! Frozen vegetable juice and homemade hard doggy biscuits (organic ones) make for good healthy and nourishing treats besides helping to keep the calorie count low for the dog’s daily dietary intake.

Up to 5 baby carrots a day are acceptable treats and you can always subtract any extra treats from the ideal calorie count for your pet anyway; so actually au naturelle is the best way to go for any dog lover with a keen eye to keeping dog-health a priority life-long!

Aaron asked:


I am pretty satisfied with commercial dog food and I have no problem sticking with it, but I would just like to know how to make nutritional homemade dog food. My dogs are a golden retriever, beagle, and dachshund if that information is needed. I would like advice also, like what supplements to put in the food, and the right portions, and a professional website would be the best. I don’t really want just homemade dog food that isn’t any better than commercial dog food. Please help out. Thanks.

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Jane Dinunzio asked:


To give your dog, or any pet for that matter, a good foundation for a healthy life it is essential to start with proper nutrtion. There are many really horrible, low quality, chemical laden dog foods on the market still today, even though we have become more aware and educated about what to look for when purchasing dog food.

Cheaper dog food brands are generally sold at your local grocery store, whereas the higher quality premium dog food brands are found in pet stores, or online at specialty pet stores.

Increasing your dog’s life span is easily achieved by feeding a properly balanced healthy organic dog food or high premium diet from puppy hood. An all natural healthy diet is as beneficial for your dog as it is for yourself. Improper or poor nutrition can cause diseases, allergies, obesity, and shortened life spans in your dogs.

There are many commercial grade dog food products available at the grocery store, and care must be taken when choosing one. After the recent pet food contamination scares and recalls because of toxicity and disgusting additives being found in the manufacturing process, many pet owners are becoming much more aware of what they feed their pet.

Here are a few general guidelines to follow when looking at the ingredients on a dog food bag:

Choose a food with high meat content. The first ingredient must be a specified meat. Another one or two meats or meat meal listed in the top 5 ingredients is a bonus, but not necessary. (Meat meal is meat with the moisture removed.)

If the same grain ingredient is used two or more times in the first five ingredients (i.e. “ground brown rice”, brewer’s rice”, “rice flour”, are all the same grain), this is not a well balanced, nutritious product. It is loaded with “filler” and made to look like it is healthy by separating the one ingredient into sub categories, but rice is rice so it should be listed once.

Using high quality grains has become the standard for the premium quality dog food manufacturers, such as barley, brown rice and oatmeal. If the grains are organic, then all the better. Wheat and corn are inferior and useless as a nutritional element in dog food, and used as filler only. Dogs are known to be highly allergic to wheat and corn.

If there are any by-products at all on the ingredient list, pass this dog food by.

There should not be any fillers.

Carcinogenic preservatives do not need to be used, and if they are don’t buy the product. (They will be listed as BHA, BHT, or ethoxyquin.)

Artificial colorings are also cancer causing, and completely unnecessary. You’ll be surprised to see how many products still contain this dangerous ingredient. The dyes will be marked as such - e.g. Red, Blue and Yellow dyes.

No added sugars or corn syrup should be in the ingredient list.

The more organic ingredients listed, the better.

Added glucosamine, chondroitin, pro and prebiotics, flax seed oil, barley, oats or oatmeal, and sunflower oil, are a good thing.

Slowly baked, not extruded, retains the minerals, vitamins and essential goodness of the food.

Hormone free, antibiotic free, pesticide and herbicide free, chemical and preservative free would indicate a high quality premium organic dog food.

And finally, no mystery meats should be in the list. Mystery meat will be listed as simply meat or poultry, rather than chicken or venison. The mystery meat will probably be some horrible rotten road kill, old euthanized animals, and parts of animals that are not edible.

Although the higher quality food might seem more expensive initially, it will work itself out and become cheaper in the long run. The savings in vet bills alone over the life of your pet will pay for the food.

I use a lazy homemade dog food tactic of using a high end organic dog food, and add just a few ounces of poached chicken, or broiled venison every day. The best of both worlds is then achieved for my dogs.

Always be aware, educate yourself and know that the big business of dog food manufacturing is in it for the profit, not the health and welfare of our pets. That is up to us. Just do the absolute best you can for your pet and it will be returned with more doggie love, which is never a bad thing.

Sherrie Chastain asked:


The best all natural dog foods or homemade dog food recipe contains calcium because dogs need a 2:1 ratio of Calcium to Phosphorous. Meat is high is phosphorous so calcium must be supplemented to keep this important 2:1 ratio of Calcium to Phosphorous.

In the wild your dog would have satisfied this 2:1 ratio when eating its prey because the bones of the prey would contain the calcium needed to offset the phosphorous in the meat.

Why Bone Meal is Not the Best Choice for your All Natural Dog Foods

Food grade bone meal was always recommended in the past however it is not the best choice for the best all natural dog foods or your homemade dog food recipe. Bone meal contains phosphorous along with calcium so it would be impossible to maintain the 2:1 ratio your dog needs. Using Bone meal will usually put your dog at a 1:3 ratio with the Phosphorous being 3 times higher than Calcium, which could cause devastating health issues for your dog.

The other main reason Bone meal is not the best choice for calcium supplementation in your all natural dog foods and homemade dog food recipe is that bones hold toxins especially metals like lead which would be passed onto your dog. Bones can also hold disease like mad cows disease, which would be very dangerous for your dog.

Finely Ground Egg Shells Are the Best Choice for All Natural Dog Foods and your Homemade Dog Food Recipe

Not only are eggs a wonderful source of protein for your all natural dog foods and your homemade dog food recipe, the egg shells are the best source of calcium supplementation available. Finely ground egg shells do not contain phosphorous so you can maintain the important 2:1 Calcium, Phosphorous ratio your dog needs. You can use your own egg shells plus they are readily available commercially.

8 Large eggs will give you about 1 teaspoon of finely ground egg shells which is the amount to supplement 1 pound of all natural dog foods or your homemade dog food recipe. One pound of all natural dog foods or your own homemade dog food recipe will feed a 50 pound dog each day.

What If My All Natural Dog Foods Do Not Contain Calcium?

A lack of Calcium can cause dental facial problems for your dog which are irreversible. There are many other functions and benefits beyond the obvious of minerals like calcium. Calcium is important for strong bones, it also is said to help with blood clotting, activating enzyme action, and in helping with normalizing the contraction and relaxation of the heart muscles.

Don’t underestimate minerals; they are the spark plugs of life. Calcium is the single most important supplement you can provide your pets.

Otto Warburg the Nobel Prize winner discovered that all disease in people ties back to mineral deficiency. If we have become so diseased after changing our diets to processed foods after thousands of years, why can’t our pets be suffering from the same problem?

Choose your all natural dog foods and supplements wisely; your dog’s health and well being depends on it.

Lance Thorington asked:


Going with all-natural made dog food is not a bad thing, especially with everything that is going on in the commercial dog food industry. The main issue in the dog food industry is the quality, or lack there of, the commercial dog foods that are being bought and sold to many dogs owners, which is causing the dogs to become sick.

With that being said, natural dog food is the safe and healthy alternative for dogs to eat - with out the fillers and harmful chemicals that causes them to become ill. In addition to this, here are some helpful tips for feeding your dog natural dog foods:

Before you begin to feed your dog all-natural foods, it is wise to talk to a vet and get some advice on what is the best way to safely switch the diet of your dog. The reason for this is because if your dog’s diet is changed, suddenly, it may have a negative on your dog’s body, thus, making it more likely to resist the diet.

Generally, a dog’s basic diet consists of 40 percent protein, 30 percent fiber and 30 percent starch. This is why it is best to change your dog’s diet in a slow way - to give you dog time to adjust to the diet.

Also, you should choose fresh and healthy lean diets for your dogs to eat, since meat is the main part of a dog’s diet. As a source of protein, meats, in addition to fish and chicken, are vital in ensuring you’re your dog gets all the nutrients that they need to survive!

In fact, these types of foods will help to maintain your dog’s vital organs, including the liver and kidneys. Another helpful tip is to cook the foods first, then feed it to your dog to ward off the bacteria that might harm your dog.

Furthermore, you should include vegetables, along with the meats, in your dog’s all-natural dog food. Also, the vegetables should be cooked thoroughly to kill any bacteria that may harm your dog. Bean and squash are good choices for feeding your dog.

Simply put, switch your dog’s diet, from harmful, commercial dog foods to healthy, all-natural dog foods is the not only less expensive; but, also, will improve your dog’s overall health and prolong its life! So with that, choosing all-natural foods for your dogs is a right and safe choice for keeping it healthy and active for years to come!

Joshua Drew asked:


There is a growing number of type 2 diabetes among dogs. It is a disease that is caused by lifestyle problems just like the disease in humans. It is important that the dog be given an appropriate diet to control their illness through the medications that the vet will prescribe and the diet. Diabetic dog food is just one of the possible solutions.

The first rule of thumb to go by when you are looking for a diabetic dog food is that the closer to the natural food source the food is, the better it is for your dog. Most dry dog foods are too high in carbohydrates to be healthy for a diabetic dog. You will need to read the labels very carefully to determine that they are high enough in protein and low in carbohydrate and sodium to be healthy for your dog. You should not rely on dry dog food alone as the only source of nutrition even if it is diabetic dog food.

Raw food diets are actually quite healthy for your dog. Dogs in the past were very healthy when they were eating raw meats and vegetable scraps. They will also get the added benefit of shiny coats. Diabetic dog food does not have to be prepackaged specifically for this illness; you can give your dog a healthy diet on your own. Homemade diabetic dog food is the best for your dog.

Of course you can buy diabetic dog food for your dog. It can typically be found in organic and natural pet stores. This type of dog food is very healthy for dogs that do not have diabetes, but is more important for dogs that do have the illness. Diabetic dog food is designed to keep your dogs nutritional needs in balance and give them the nutrients that they need and eliminate the ingredients that have caused the problem.

Ask your vet the type of food that you should be feeding your dog if they have gotten a diagnosis of diabetes. They should be able to recommend a diabetic dog food that will be healthy for your dog and give him all of the nutrition that he needs. The vet will be able to tell you what types of foods to avoid as well. It is important that you keep the foods to a minimum that will affect your dog’s condition.

Dog food manufacturers are becoming just as aware of the need for nutritionally balanced food for pets as manufacturers of foods that people eat. They understand that an animal needs a special balance of nutrients to keep the animal healthy and strong. Diabetic dog foods are just one of the ways that animals can continue to live a long and healthy life.

Lizzie Novotny asked:


My two Vizsla hunting dogs get homemade dog food twice each day. I mix an adjusted amount with good quality dry kibble.

Homemade dog food can be better than some commercial products. We don’t realize what’s in the food we give our pets. Always inspect the ingredients.

Commercial dog foods can contain preservatives, and are altered by chemical processes that can be unhealthy for dogs. They can also contain processed unknown animal products and fillers that do nothing to contribute to your pet’s health.

To avoid your dogs ingesting unknown dog food ingredients, make your own. Control not only the content, but the quality as well.

Reasons To Consider A Homemade Dog Food

Homemade dog food, your hunting dog will love you

* dog has allergies to food

* persistent skin problems

* gastrointestinal upsets including diarrhea or constipation

* competes in sporting events or working stock and needs strength for endurance

* control of quality and freshness

* nothing processed so food retains all the vitamins, antioxidants and enzymes

Observe your dog to see he is getting his required dog food nutrition.

* shiny coat, illustrious feel

* sparkling eyes

* alert, good energy and activity

* maintain weight without getting fat

* stool firm and consistent

An appropriately balanced dog food recipe contains roughly 40% meat, 30% starch and 30% vegetables.

1. Meat: Any type can be included. Organ meat, such as liver, is particularly healthy for dogs. Bones should be removed as they are a choking hazard. Cook the meat - uncooked meat can contain unhealthy bacteria and possibly parasites.

2. Starch: Most forms are okay - cooked pasta, potatoes, and rice are common choices for homemade dog food.

3. Vegetables: Most types can be used. Do not use onions as they can be toxic. Cook the vegetables - raw veggies can pose a choking hazard.

Recipe For Quick Adult Homemade Dog Food

This recipe will feed a 50 pound adult dog for one day. If your dog in smaller or larger then the 50 pounds, adjust the amount of ingredients. You can cook enough for many days, divide accordingly and freeze the rest. This food has No preservatives, so refrigerate the fresh food for 3 days maximum. The human vitamin supplement Theragran-M Advanced and calcium carbonate (example: Tums) can be found in any pharmacy. Always consult with your veterinarian.

* 5 oz. dark meat chicken or turkey beef or fish

* 2 1/8 cups cooked brown rice

* 1 tsp. corn oil

* 1/2 tsp. salt

* 2 pills Theragran-M Advanced (crushed)

* 2100 milligrams calcium carbonate (crushed)

Directions:

1. Cook rice until done.

2. Bake your meat, poultry, or fish choice 325 degrees for 30 minutes.

3. Crush human vitamins and “Tums”.

4. Mix all ingredients.

Pay attention to your dog’s response to the new dog food recipes you use. There may be items they refuse to eat or have reactions to a particular food. Try something else in their place, such as substitute chicken for turkey or rice for potatoes. Be aware for changes in your dog’s behavior, especially things such as excessive scratching. This could indicate an allergy to one of the foods you are using.

Homemade dog food recipes generally cause fewer allergic reactions than commercial brands. Plus, by making dog food recipes at home, you can control the proportion of different ingredients. This can be very important to working and sporting breeds that may require more nutrients for their active lifestyles.

While in the kitchen, why not whip up some dog biscuits. Recipes can be found on the Internet, or try your library. Here is an easy dog biscuit recipe, use it for training or a treat. I have never met a dog who didn’t love his cheese!

Any Cheese Biscuits

* 1 cup all purpose flour

* 1 cup whole wheat flour

* 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Swiss, mozzarella, or any cheese in the fridge)… dogs Love any type of cheese!

* 2 tbsp. butter

* 3/4 cup milk, lowfat

* grated Parmesan for topping (if you have it on hand)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix all flours and cheese together in a food processor (or by hand, mix well).

3. Add softened butter and milk, mix well.

4. Roll out on a surface to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.

5. Cut into shapes, squares is fine.

6. Place on greased baking surface.

7. Bake for 15 to 29 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Cool and store in refrigerator.

Always check with your Veterinarian before making any changes to your dog’s diet. For any type of dog, homemade dog food is a good choice to ensure they live a long, happy, and healthy life.

Gerry Restrivera asked:


Dog food is the main source of your pet?s strength and energy and if you do not carefully prepare his meal, your pet may get sick and worse may die. As a pet owner, it is your responsibility to be careful in feeding your dog. There are reports recently that commercial dog food caused the deaths of many dogs. Learning to make your own dog food and watching what he eats will ensure the health and safety of your canine friend.

Using commercial dog food maybe the easiest option to feed your dog, but are you sure it is safe for your dog? Do you know the contents and how it was processed? It maybe a little harder to make your own dog food but if you really care for your dog you will make time for it. Besides homemade dog food have many health benefits that you cannot get from any commercial dog food.

Here are the reasons why you need to make your own dog food:

No preservatives. It is beneficial to make your own dog food because you are sure that you are not feeding your dog with preservatives. The preservatives found in commercial dog food can damage your dog?s health. Some diseases caused by deadly chemicals present in commercial dog food includes kidney cancer, liver dysfunction, immune system collapse, severe allergic reactions, behavior problems including increased aggressiveness and a lot more.

Complete with nutrients. You can supply your dog with all the nutrients he needs if you make your own dog food. Providing your dog with natural healthy food that contains vegetables, rice, meat and other unprocessed ingredients will give him the necessary nutrients and vitamins he needs. Feeding your dog with super tasty homemade dog food with carefully hand picked recipes will prevent him from getting sick. Your effort to make your own dog food will result to a healthier and energetic dog free from all diseases.

You can save money. If you make your own dog food, it is much cheaper than buying well-known dog food brands. You can use the extra money for other needs of your dog.

Your dog will love you more. Your dog will definitely love the meals you cook and will love you more than ever for making them. Dogs are great in showing appreciation and you will be appreciated for making the time learning how to make your own dog food. His loyalty and friendship will always be yours.

It is really more beneficial if you make your own dog food. It will prolong the life of your dog. But you can’t make this change unless you have a good alternative plan in place. Discover a proven alternative plan and a survival-guide to a healthier, happier dog that lives up to 8.3 years longer than dogs whose owners feed them commercial dog food. Visit Dogs’ Corner

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Just like you want to stay healthy and live a healthy lifestyle, so too should your pet live a similar healthy lifestyle. This is not a luxury that either of you can forego, and getting organic dog food for your dog is one of the few things that you can do to keep your faithful companion in the best of health.

Organic dog food can be found readily at many stores now, although probably not in smaller townships and such where organic foods and the fad of going organic has not yet fully caught on. If this is the case you might need to go to a specialty store or a health food store to obtain organic dog food for your dog.

The question you might want to ask however might be why you would want to go to so much trouble to get organic dog food for your dog. Well, besides the healthy aspect of things, by giving your dog organic dog food, you can be assured that no poisonous chemicals in the form of fertilizers and pesticides are getting into his system.

Organic dog food just like the organic foods we eat, are also free of genetically modified organisms. When you take all of these coupled together with the fact that organic foods are also produced using the best natural methods for the earth, it all makes one convincing case to go out and get your dog organic dog food.

The one thing that might give you pause for thought when looking at getting organic dog food is the prohibitive costs that you will encounter. Granted, the costs aren?t as high as they were a few years ago when organic dog food came out on the market, but they can still be pretty staggering if you have to manage on a tight budget.

Then of course you have the problem of not knowing whether your dog will actually take to his new diet. Some canine companions are notoriously picky when it comes to their meals and a change from the norm might incur what amounts to a food strike, from your dog until you give him back his normal fare.

If you know that your dog is one of these picky eaters (I know that mine is definitely a picky eater!) you might want to first introduce the organic dog food to their diets in slow stages.

This helps to make it easier on your pockets, and in the unlikely event that your dog dislikes his new organic dog food you know that you won?t be stuck with a whopping bag of dog feed on your hands.

G D Williams asked:


Pets are members of your family, moreover they need special attention in the matter of food. There are many advantages of feeding natural food to dogs. All natural dog food is very rich in vitamin E and C, which is very important for their body.

Vitamin E keeps their coat healthy and vitamin C is good for their bone strength. All these vitamins have the same effect on your pet as they do to the human body. Vitamins such as, beta-carotene are a great help to remove toxins commonly known as free radicals, from the body.

Animals normally eat meat thus, their body gain lots of toxic material in their body and if the toxic material is not removed from their body, then there are lots of chances of them getting infected with diseases of the lungs and heart. It is good to give supplements of all natural food daily to keep their metabolic system free from infection and disease.

All natural dog foods are the best source of fiber and antioxidants. Some natural foods will contain manganese, phosphorous, calcium and potassium, all these minerals and vitamins are extremely important in their diet. There are many vegetables rich in antioxidants that are available to you. By feed your dog a diet of natural food as there meal, you are doing the same as getting a insurance policy for your pet.

There are a lot of well know brands of natural foods available to you, in today’s market. But, it is a good idea that you talk with your vet first, before you decide to start feeding canned natural food. Always seek the advice of your vet before making any dietary changes, this is recommended because they can advise you on which canned food is not to be used.

Any responsible pet owner wishes his pet to have good breath, a healthy coat, clean teeth, bright shiny clear eyes and be as healthy as can possibly be. For this to happen you need to be feeding your pet a diet of good quality all natural food. Not only will a complete diet like this have this affect, it will also allow your dog to live a longer and happier life.

Feeding your pet correctly with a diet rich in nutrition, will help prevent against most common diseases. It is recommend you talk with your vet and listen to there recommendations, before feeding your pet a holistic food diet or a home made food diet. This will make sure you do not make the mistake of feeding your furry pal artificial ingredients.

There are certain foods that should be avoided, such as food containing a high amount of oil and low cost food supplements such as protein capsules. This type of food leads to digestive problems and some dogs could face hair loss problems too.

All natural dog food has many advantages and you will find your trusted vet, will say it is better to give natural food to your pet. Feeding natural food will also have positive effect on your dogs behavior. You will find they become more active and playful, and if your dog is quite aggressive, you may find it helps to calm them.

So feed your dogs with all natural dog food to keep them healthier.