How to Make Dog Food With Ground Ingredients

If you make homemade dog food, it's important to grind some of the ingredients. A dog has a very short intestinal tract, and grinding food helps them to digest and use the food quickly. In the wild, the prey that dogs eat would have digested food in their own stomach, so grinding some ingredients is a natural way for them to eat.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Grind small or soft bones for homemade dog food. Chicken bones that are cooked are easy to grind and won't splinter. Smaller beef bones and pork bones are also good choices to grind. Make sure you have a good grinder for homemade dog food, especially when you grind bones. Don't forget to add the knuckles and cartilage of bones, as well as the fat. Chicken necks and backs can be finely ground and are a great source of calcium and nutrition for homemade dog food.

2. Add organ meats to a homemade dog food mix. Organ meats, like the liver and hearts are very high in B vitamins and an excellent source of protein for your dog. If you are feeding raw meat to your dog, make sure the grinder is cleaned frequently because the meat can become sticky and difficult to remove.

3. Include fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates when you grind homemade dog food. Carbohydrates should make up about 40 to 50 percent of the dog food. Cook the carbohydrates to make them easier to digest. If you're using oatmeal or cornmeal to thicken the food, just grind it without cooking. Fruits can be ground and included in the dog food for added taste, texture and variety.