How to Make Easy, Healthy Dog Food

Some dogs are picky eaters and won't touch store-bought dog food. Other dogs are older and can't chew the dry foods. You can make your own dog food at home if you know the right combination of foods to feed your dog. In general, dogs need about 1/3 of their diet to come from meats, 1/3 from starches and 1/3 from vegetables.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 pound of meat (chicken, turkey or lean beef)
• 1 pound of brown rice or whole potatoes
• 1 pound of vegetables (any kind)
• 5 cups of water
• Italian seasonings
• Parsley
• Large pot

1. Choose which starch, meat and vegetables you want to use for this week's dog food. You can make a different combination each week so that your dog doesn't get bored with his diet.

2. Pour the water in a pot and add the starch and meat. Stir these ingredients together.

3. Turn the heat to high until you see the water begin to boil. Turn it down to simmer and place a lid over the pot.

4. Cook the meat and starch for 20 minutes and then add the vegetables.

5. Add any spices that you want to use and then continue cooking the dog food until the water has been absorbed.

6. Cool and feed your dog two servings per day, one in the morning and one at dinner time.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you brush your dog's teeth on a regular basis since you don't have the crunchy dog food to help remove any plaque. Always check which spices are toxic to dogs before adding it to your dog's diet (see Resources).
• Never feed your dog chocolate or any type of bones (such as from a piece of chicken or pork). These are harmful to dogs and can make them very sick. Do not feed your dog onions and garlic as they are considered poisonous to dogs.

Resources

• Healthy Dog Food
• List of Foods That Are Toxic to Dogs