Homemade Dog Food

Recalls and poisonings aside, there are plenty of other reasons to be aware of what’s in your animal’s food. A good diet keeps your pet’s coat healthy and keeps his digestive system running smoothly. Also, you pay for what you get. Foods with a lot of fillers are cheaper but less nutritious. Just as with human food, good ingredients will go a long way toward giving your pet a long, healthy life. There is a list of the best premium natural and organic dog foods with the highest review ratings on my main site: http://recipes4gourmetdogs.com

Learn to decipher labels on commercial pet foods. The most important parts of the label are the nutritional adequacy statement and ingredients list. The former tells you whether a food is suitable as the sole nourishment for a healthy pet. The label will specify that the product “provides a complete and balanced nutrition.” This is an excellent resource book with extremely important info on what not to feed your pet: Click Here!

A well formulated cat or dog food will list chicken, beef, lamb, poultry, or fish meal first. Check out my dog food rating scale HERE. Just for fun use this scale to check out the real nutrition and safety of your dog food that you presently use. I bet if you are still buying grocery store kibble you will be surprised at how bad the food really is for your dog.

Cats are carnivores and dogs are omnivores, so both need their meat. Bone meal and other meat by-products are poor sources of protein. The first ingredient should be a specific meat and not a by-product or a meal. Organic meat is the best choice, and ususally you will find two or more listed on the premium brands. Soy, rice, oats, yeast, wheat, corn, and other fillers provide protein but aren’t as digestible, and can cause allergies in dogs. Corn, soy, wheat and peanut shells are often used simply to increase the manufactueres profits, and this is definitely not in your dog's best interest.

Manufacturers sometimes try to mask the amount of fillers in pet foods by breaking them into components. For example, corn may be listed as cornmeal, corn gluten and ground corn. If all three were grouped together, corn would become a main ingredient, rather than meat. At the end of the list you’ll find preservatives in the cheap dog food brands. Ethoxyquin is one of the most controversial, because it may affect a dog’s liver. Premium dog foods don't use chemical preservatives. Look for foods preserved with Vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid) or Vitamin E (listed as tocopherol) instead.

A better alternative is to buy organic pet food. An organic pet food marked 95% organic meets the same guidelines as organic food produced for humans. The food won’t contain pesticides or antibiotics, and it’s preserved with natural substances like Vitamins C and E. As with any food, the organic option will be more expensive, but it’s healthier for your pet, and the way it is produced is definitely better for the environment.

The best choice by far is making your own healthy home made pet food so you know exactly what you’re feeding your animals. Ensure you’re preparing nutritionally balanced food, or your pet may suffer from malnutrition. Consult your veterinarian before starting your pet on home made pet food, or buy a few good dog cook books, written by vets (DVM) or animal nutritionists. HERE. I have several books about nutrition for dogs and cats, and also several cookbooks for dogs that I use just as I do my own cookbooks.

Home made pet food tends to be the most expensive option, but may be worth your peace of mind. While some pet owners feed their animals raw meat, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a vet who thinks it’s a good idea. There is always a chance that you or your pet could be exposed to E.coli or salmonella.

I have spent a lot of hours reading books, talking to professionals, and comparing information and reviews, and you can find more information on my main website at: Recipes 4 Gourmet Dogs.