How to Make Healthy Dog Food with Natural Dog Food Ingredients

Many concerns have arisen regarding the dangers of feeding pets commercial dog food. These concerns have prompted dog owners to start making natural dog foods for their beloved pets, which is not only safer, but easy and healthier. Here you’ll learn what types of foods to feed your dog, what not to feed them and resources to find safe commercial dog foods when you can’t cook for your pet.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Feed Raw Food: Dog Food as Nature Intended

1. Start with meat. Most dogs want meat protein.

2. Choose fresh meat for your dog. It’s best to buy from a butcher or meat processor. These meats will be fresher, can be bought in bulk for better pricing, and you can have the butcher cut up or grind the meat for you if necessary.

3. Use lean beef, stewing meats, beef heart, beef liver, boneless steak or roast. Boneless stewing lamb, the shank, leg of lamb or butt can also be used. Boneless, skinless chicken breast, fillet or thigh can also make great healthy dog food for your pet.

4. Select vegetables to add. The best vegetables for your dog include squash, pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, carrots, parsnips, beets, yams, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. These vegetables will provide necessary nutrients. Again, select produce that is as fresh as possible.

5. Avoid such vegetables as beans, peas, spinach, beet greens, chard, onions, garlic, tomato, potato, or bell peppers. These vegetables will either cause digestive problems or may even lead to damage of the red book cells.

6. Determine how much to feed your pet per day. To determine how much to feed an adult dog, take his body weight and multiply it by 0.4. The resulting number is the total number of ounces your dog should be eating in a day -- either in one big meal or divided into a morning and dinner meal.

7. Chop the meat and vegetables into chunks small enough for your pet to eat easily. Serve it raw.

Feed Cooked Natural Dog Food

8. Cook the food. Though it is not necessary to cook the meat and vegetables before serving them to your dog, some pet owners prefer to do so, particularly with poultry.

9. Cook meat only slightly, so that it is still juicy and tender. This will allow for maximum nutritional value as heat can kill many of the nutrients.

10. Lightly steam vegetables before adding them to the cooked natural dog food. Be sure to only add the recommended vegetables listed above.

11. Stir the meal and test different areas to make sure there are no hot spots before you give it to your dog. Always allow the cooked food to cool before serving.

Dog Food Recipe: Sauteed Liver

12. Heat 1 teaspoon of corn oil in a pan.

13. Add ¼ pound of beef liver and fry on both sides until only lightly cooked but still very moist inside.

14. Add ½ cup of water to the pan drippings to create tasty gravy for your natural dog food.

15. Cut the liver into small chunks and allow it to cool before serving it to your pet.

Tips & Warnings

• If there are times when you cannot cook for your pet, there are safe commercial dog foods that use healthy meat with no harmful ingredients. Please see the resource box at the end of this article for more information.
• You can also create tasty natural dog treats that cost much less than store-bought ones and are much healthier.
• Do not assume that because a commercial dog food has a veterinary seal on it that it is safe for your dog. Please see the resource box at the end of this article for more information.

Resources

• For more information on feeding your dog a safe and healthy diet of homemade dog food and treats, plus information on the few safe commercial dog foods out there please visit Dog Food Secrets

[mrsbolin2009]

on 3/23/2009 This is wonderful! Exactly what I was looking for to make natural food for my dogs, especially my wolf. 5*

[savedogs123]

on 8/25/2008 this is important .... all people with dogs should make their own healthy dog food or make sure to choose the best dog food for their dogs and see through lies on the comercial dog food labels because the comercial dog food companies keep secrets that not everyone knows the comercial dog food companies put things that are slowly killing your dog(s) in the food its almost like killing your dog and i had a sheepdog that we fed that kind of dog food and we didn't know at that point in time and sadly she died of liver cancer and had to be put down and she was just the best dog i had ever had she was the famlies best friend and I want to spread the dog food companies secrets to the world so people dont make that mistake like I did so tell everyone and save dogs lives

[savedogs123]

on 8/25/2008 dont feed your dog commercial dog foods wat ever you do it is slowly killing them itz poisend dont trust it the commercials want money they dont care what happens to your dogs no matter what they say its their little secret they dont have to tell anyone but its up to us the people that know to spread that secret and save the dogs lives

[TinaD]

on 8/14/2008 I know buffalo meat is also a favorite of dogs. There are plenty of commercial supermarkets that sell buffalo meat now. In addition, stores like Whole Foods sell all-natural raw dog bones and meat pieces separately in their freezer section or in a freezer in the pet section. This is a good choice for dogs.

[lanny3]

on 4/21/2008 Carrots are good for dogs teeth,. They make the teeth stronger and healthy in a good way. THey are also a good source of Vitamin C. Lastly, they are a ton more helathy then those half off, toxic bones you buy at the store for your dog to chew on. CARROTS RULE!