Best Healthy Homemade Dog Food

Homemade dog food is gradually becoming popular over commercial dog food in feeding and caring for pooch. And it will be great if you key yourself into this new healthy way of caring for your canine loyal friend. Health and wellness benefits dogs get from homemade food cannot be overemphasized. These benefits are the reasons for the popularity of home-prepared dog meals.

Benefits of Homemade Dog Food

1. Home-prepared dog food is cheaper than commercial food for pooch:

• Home-cooked meal will make you feed your dog with less money. Research shows that adequately feeding a medium-sized dog with commercial food costs about $5 per day. But with homemade food, it cost around $2.25 daily.

2. It is healthier than commercial dog food:

• Commercial dog foods are heavy with preservatives and additives which are serious health risks. Well home-cooked food should contain no preservatives and artificial additives. The additives we share with our website users are pure natural food supplements.
• Homemade dog food is cooked with potentially better ingredients and, of course, more interest for the canine palate.

3. It helps you tailor your dog diet:

• Each dog is biochemically unique. Home-prepared food helps give your dog foods and nutrients that vibe with her. Factory-made food will deny your dog this benefit.

4. Homemade food reduces cost on and visit to vet:

• You are sure of well balanced meals that keeps your dog away from the vet clinic with home-cooked food. And you save money on vet visit costs.

What is the best homemade food for dogs?

Every dog is biochemically unique. Food my dog has allergy for might be the one your dog profits well from. We cannot say this is the best homemade food for all dogs but basic understanding (you will gain here) will tell you the best food for your pooch.

We recommend natural, real-food diets low in carbohydrate and starch. Homemade food in harmony with a dog's ancestral diet is the best for your dog. Ensure your dog food is gently cooked to retain the most bioavailable nutrients including vitamins, minerals and enzymes.

Here are general checks you can do on your dog's food ingredients list:

1. Protein: This is first! Fresh, animal meats and edible internal organs should make up the high fraction of your dog's food. The protein is better with meat of grass-fed or free-range animals. Grain-fed livestock contain different levels of micronutrients from your dog's ancestral prey.

2. Low starch and carbohydrates: Sparingly include high starch foods in your dog's homemade recipes. Rice, potatoes, corn, soy, etc must be in moderate quantities. Use green vegetables like spinach, kale and celery also. Ensure all vegetables are finely chopped to enhance their digestibility in your dog.

3. Essential fatty acids: Meat of grass-fed animals is high in omega-3 fatty acid. Sea foods like mackerel, sardines, oysters and mussels are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acid. Plant sources of essential fatty acids are hemp, coconut and flaxseed oil among others.

4. Variety of natural micronutrients: As dogs' ancestors were scavengers and foragers, you should include ingredients that are like those on the forest floor, such as seeds and herbs. Here are great natural sources of micronutrients supplements for your dog: celery, bay leaf, peppercorn, whole clove, kelp, spirulina, pumpkin seed, sesame seed and so on.

About Best Healthy Homemade Dog Food

This homemade dog food site is a unique resource for you. It provides information on dog nutrition and management of pooch health disorders with foods and diets.

Recipes are provided for making homemade diets for healthy pets to prevent ailment and for ill dogs to achieve quick recovery. Our diets have been formulated with an effective computer algorithm to ensure that they are balanced and according to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recommendations.

We have diets carefully formulated for specific dog categories and health problems according to veterinary recommendations.

Homemade Foods for Sick Dog

• Homemade Food for Diabetic Dogs, Chicken-Barley Recipe

How many cups of homemade food should I feed my dog?

No vet can just tell you the number of cups of homemade food you should feed your dog. This is because:

• The amount of food your dog should consume depends on her Daily Energy Requirement (DER).
• And the number of cups of home-prepared food you should give your dog depends on the calories content of the food.

It is this daily energy need that determines the nutrient/diet needs of your dog. Dog daily energy requirement (DER) itself is determined by a number of factors:

• Reproductive Status – Pregnant, Lactating
• Breed - Activity Level, Hairiness
• Lifestyle - Activity Level
• Age - Young, Senior
• Body Weight - Underweight, Overweight, Ideal Weight
• Stress level – Working Dog, Pet Dog
• Environment - Weather/Climatic Temperature, Social

Intact dogs require more energy than neutered dogs. So, intact an dog will need more cups of a certain homemade food than a neutered dog under the same conditions.

Calories needs are increased in pregnant or lactating bitches. Sedentary, inactive or overweight dogs require less calories than active dogs and dogs involved in working.

Some large dog breeds like Great Danes and Dalmatians seem to have more energy requirements than some like Newfoundlands.

Nutritional needs of young, growing puppies are different from those of adult dogs. Senior pooches may require less energy because they may be inactive and sedentary.

Boarding stresses and presence of other pets in the house may cause an increase in the energy requirement. Weather/climate temperature also affect the DER of your dog. Dogs kept outside in cold weather require a higher energy intake.

Get Your Dog Daily Energy Requirement (DER) with our DER Calculator on our other website.

Home Food Items Forbidden for Dogs

The following home items you must not give to your dog:

1. Alcohol
2. Yeast
3. Chocolate
4. Raisins and Grapes
5. Onions and Garlic
6. Salt
7. Xylitol
8. Sugar
9. Nutmeg
10. Macadamia Nuts
11. Hops

They're causes of food poisoning for dogs!

Popular Dog Food Recipes