How to make homemade dog food

Planning to feed your dog with homemade food is a great idea. Regular packed dog food has a high content of nutrients but it is advisable to substitute the regular meal once in a while for fresh and nutritious homemade food.

Cooking for your dog is quite different from cooking for yourself. You need to know what are the ingredients that are required and what must be avoided. For instance, dog food must be bland and spices might not be good for their digestion.

●       Vegetables

While all vegetables are healthy for humans, it is not the same with dogs. There are some highly beneficial ones and some dangerous ones that need to be avoided.

What to include:

-          Peas, carrots, broccoli, pumpkin, lettuce, kale, zucchini, cucumber, spinach.

What to avoid:

-          Onions, eggplant, potato, garlic, pepper

Beans and other pulses are not harmful to dogs, but they are not significantly beneficial as well. Unlike humans, the protein derived from these grains is not sufficient for dogs.

It is not advisable to follow a strictly vegan diet for dogs as they might lack in several nutrients that can be obtained only from meat. There will be a deficiency of vitamin B, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. So consult with your vet regularly to check with your dog’s nutrition.

●       Meat

Dogs can also thrive on fully meat-based diets. They eat several kinds of meat including chicken, beef, pork, turkey, rabbit, lamb, and fish. The amount of protein that dogs can consume is limitless; it is essential for their healthy development and breeding dogs as well require protein to produce healthy puppies.

The best part is that dogs can eat meat that is raw, fully cooked, or semi-cooked. Most dog owners go for semi-cooked meat as it reduces the possibility of the dog contracting any diseases from meat and also reduces the loss of nutrients while cooking.