You have all seen the commercials for that organic dog food advertising all the terrible things that are put into regular dog food. You know, like the meat byproducts, corn filler and general trash that you would not want your do to eat.The problem is, those organic dog foods are SO expensive!
Did you know that it is really much cheaper to make your own healthy dog food?
It is, but it does involve a bit more effort than buying a bag of food at the store. It is kind of like cooking for your dog as well. The ideal dog food should have a ratio of 40 percent meat to 30 percent vegetable and 30 percent starch.
The meat is the most important part because dogs are carnivores by nature, they need the meat and love it. The starch is just a way to get their tummies full. The vegetables are optional, some people swear on forcing dogs to eat vegetables, but the honest truth is that the dogs' digestive tract is made for meat. Vegetables usually just go through as roughage. If you really want to feed your dog fruits and vegetables, make sure they are in a predigested mash first. This will make it so they actually get a little nutrients from them.
Meat Medley Dog Food
2 lbs hamburger
1 cup liver
1 boiled potato
2 cups of oats
¼ cup blueberries
½ cup brown rice
Cook your brown rice and potatoes. You can also boil your hamburger and liver. Frying the hamburger causes a lot of excess grease. This grease, while tasty to dogs, can cause pancreatitis. Dogs can also eat the meat raw, again they have a short digestive system with strong stomach acids that allows them to eat raw meat without worry of bacteria. However, I still recommend you cook it.
After you have cooked the meat, potatoes and rice. Mush the blueberries into a fine paste and throw all the ingredients into a food processor. Blend it up and mold it into a ball. You can serve this over store bought dog food or by itself. If your dog is unsure about it, pour some chicken stock over it and mix it in with their usual dog food. Just make sure to never let it sit more than a week, it will go bad.
If you want to make it a few weeks ahead, throw it in the freezer, it will be fine until thawed.
Dog Loaf
3 cups ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef, buffalo, ect. Just do not mix meats)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup oats
3/4 cups grated vegetables (broccoli, sweet potato, carrots)
Mix all the ingredients by hand as if making a meat loaf and press into loaf pan or just shape into a loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Refriderate and serve in slices or cut into slices and freeze.
Meat Jerky Dog Treats
These are just a little bonus. Organic dog treats are super expensive for the small amount you get, but these are a good alternative
Jerky Dog Treats
a few pieces of meat cut into long strips (chicken breast or beef roast work best)
Remove excess fat from meat using a paring knife, it messes with the jerky and its not particularly good for dogs. Lay strips on a baking sheet and bake at 200 degrees for two hours. Check the meat before removing, it should be hard and not squishy.
Let cool and serve. Store in an air tight baggy for no more than two weeks.
If you marinate with soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, these also make lovely people treats, but do not serve the marinated treats to dogs, the salt is bad for them.
The treats make a nice substitute to raw hide bones because they keep your dog busy for quite awhile.
Food Dogs Should Not Eat
You can put just about anything in your dog food, except these. When making your own dog food recipe, be sure to leave these out of your food. Also, monitor your dog closely after serving a new recipe because not all human food is good for dogs. Some dogs may even be allergic to some things people tell you to put in dog food.
Alcohol
This is obvious. It is poison to humans and it is poison to dogs. So no letting have old Spike have a sip of your beer.
Chocolate
Chocolate contains a stimulant called Theobromine that messes with the dogs cardiovascular and nervous systems. Dogs should never have chocolate, it results in death. It is too bad because dogs love the taste of it.
Avocados
It may be a super food for people, but for dogs it contains persin which is highly toxic to most animals. It gives dogs terrible tummy aches.
High Fat Meats
As i said, fat from meats gives dogs pancreatitis. This is in particular from turkey skin, ham fat, and bacon. Avoid giving these things to your dog in mass or on a regular basis.
Grapes and Raisins
These can give a dog kidney damage. Death can come from high dosage, however most dogs dislike grapes anyway.
Dairy Products
It may be tempting to slather your dog food in cheese to make your dog happy, but dairy products are bad for dogs. They cannot digest them well because of the lactose. Almost half of dogs are lactose intolerant as well. So always monitor your dog after giving them a bit og cheese. Dairy products also are the leading cause of smelly dog farts.
Onions and Garlic
Onions and garlic contain thiosulphate which can lead to the destruction of red blood cells in dogs.
Potato sprouts or Unripe Potatoes
Potatoes make a good filler for dog food, but always make sure they are ripe first. Also, do not use potato skins in dog food. Unripe potatoes contain solanine glycosides which can cause a multitude of health problems including vomiting, bloody diarrhea, and cardiac arrest.
Salt
Too much salt is not good for humans and too much salt is not good for dogs.