Good Ingredients for Homemade Dog Food

Recently, many famous commercial dog foods have been recalled, as they caused food poisoning, which was fatal in few cases. If owners are concerned about the overall health and well-being of their pets, it is important to ensure that they get healthy and uncontaminated food. A good combination for dog food should have 75% carbohydrates and 25% meat.

A simple recipe for a healthy homemade dog food would be to combine and cook ground meat, brown rice and vegetables in water. As dogs are not able to digest the vegetables well, it is advisable to grind them in the food processor thoroughly before adding to the food. The dog food should always be served at the room temperature and amount of water added to it may vary as per the dog’s liking.

Rice is a good source of carbohydrates, and brown rice is better than white rice as it contains more nutrients. Some grocers and health stores have brewer’s yeast, which is good for dogs. Corn flour, whole-wheat flour and soy flour make good homemade dog food ingredients. Flaxseed oil and cod liver oil should be used in small amounts to keep their coats shiny. Meats that should be included are beef, liver, tuna, chicken and lamb.

Other important homemade dog food ingredients that are enjoyed by the dogs are biscuits and peanut butter, and they can be made at home using wheat flour, powdered milk, carrots and brewers yeast. Peanuts are one of the very few nuts that can be safely given to your pet.

Vegetables like broccoli, carrots and spinach are great homemade dog food ingredients, but they must be put through the food processor so that dogs can easily digest them. Bone meal can also be added to the dog food to ensure enough calcium in their diet.

Some food items that must be avoided as homemade dog food ingredients are chocolates as they can cause seizures in dogs, coffee and tea can also cause seizures, grapes and raisins can cause kidney failures, macadamia nuts can cause tremors in dogs, onions interfere with blood circulation and nutmeg can also cause seizures. Raw meat and poultry may contain certain bacteria, parasites or salmonella that can cause poisoning in dogs.

If you are not sure about the healthy homemade dog food ingredients, talk to your vet, as they will be able to guide the ideal diet as per age and weight of the dog. Some people these days are also opting for natural homemade dog food, which is of good quality, and offers minerals, vitamins and enzymes that are required by the pet’s good health. There are no-preservatives added making them absolutely safe for your pet.