With the recent pet food poisoning scare from such well-known manufacturers as Eukanuba and IAMS, pet owners are understandably concerned about feeding their dogs out of a can. Many are shifting to feeding them cooked hamburger and other human-style meats.
This is a mistake as well. Dogs are not strict carnivores. In the wild, dogs and other canines will eat herbs and plants, or they will consume the stomachs (and contents) of their prey. They don’t do this because they’re sick or gross. They do it because they need certain amino acids that are found only in plants.
Instead of feeding your dog only meat, try these blends.
Homemade Dog Food Recipe Basics
First realize that your dog needs a diet of about 40% meat, 30% vegetables, and 30% starch. (Yes, this means your dog wasn’t nuts when he stole the rolls off your table.) With a few exceptions, this means you can simply blend together foods you eat in this proportion and meet most of your dog’s nutritional requirements. For instance:
Second, in this list it’s always a meat, a starch, and carrots. That’s because there are many different vegetables and human-edible plants that can be deadly poison to dogs. Carrots fulfill your dog’s vegetable nutrition needs, and he can eat as many as he wants and still be safe.
Dogs love organ meat like liver, and they also love eggs. An occasional swap of regular chicken with cooked chicken livers is fine. Do this primarily with shorter-lived animals; livers and certain other organ meats tend to pick up and store toxins, making young animals safest. Go ahead and feed your dog a raw egg every week IF you have access to pasteurized eggs. It’s very good for his coat. Unpasteurized anything is a no-no for your dog, though, unless it’s thoroughly cooked. Ground up eggshells, especially for puppies and aging dogs, can give him a quick calcium boost in his food. Yes, it’s gross to you and me, but dogs grow fast and need that extra nutrient.
A little brewer’s yeast added to your dog’s food a couple of times a week gives him another nutrient he can use.
When You Switch Dog Foods
Before switching to homemade dog food, check with your dog’s vet to make certain you’re feeding him what he needs. Come armed with all of your recipes so your veterinarian knows exactly what your plans are, and take notes if the veterinarian has extra advice for you.
If your dog has been on a strict commercial dog food diet, you may have to mix canned dog food with the homemade stuff when you transition him over. If he loves table scraps (not good for dogs, by the way, as you’ll see in the next section) then you won’t have as much trouble and can probably switch him right away.
If your dog has seizures, never introduce turkey without talking to the veterinarian first. The triptophan in turkey, while it’s a low level, is a seizure inhibitor and may interact with medications your seizure-prone dog is taking.
Do NOT add spices to your dog food. Several are poisonous. Stick with your basic recipe, no additions. Because canned and frozen veggies often have tons of added salt, use only fresh vegetables and starches, nothing processed. Remember, safe food for you can be poison to your dog.
Dogs do not crave variety in foods the same way humans do; they are more interested in gulping it down. In the wild, dogs naturally eat faster than a Marine in training, and regurgitate bones and other bits they can’t digest (this is why your dog pukes so easily); they aren’t as concerned with what it tastes like as they are with how fast they can eat it. You can get away with feeding him the same thing three or four days in a row. Recent research shows that in humans, enzymes in the stomach change slowly and it’s probably much better for us to eat the same thing several days in a row. This probably holds true for dogs as well.
Don’t keep homemade dog food longer than three days in the fridge. Freezing and thawing for later use is okay if it’s okay with your dog.
Dogs have very different nutritional needs from humans, and you must be sensitive to this. Foods your dog should never, ever eat include:
Chocolate (Frosty Paws doggie ice cream is okay, though)
Onions (the thiosulphate in them – the chemical that makes onions and garlic stinky – can cause haemolytic anemia, which will kill your dog slowly)
Garlic — you can add a small amount to your dog’s food, but it also contains thiosulphate and too much can kill.
Mushrooms, especially but not only wild mushrooms
Broccoli — though some experts think a little broccoli is good for the dog, isothiocyanate in this vegetable has been known to kill livestock, and definitely causes gastrointestinal problems in smaller animals.
Grapes (no more catching games there!) or raisins, sultanas, currants — these are all poison to a dog
In addition, household cleaners, poisons, antifreeze, and many decorative plants are poisonous to dogs. Train them to avoid these things.
Cooked bones are a strict no-no for dogs. Bones are great for dogs because of the chewing exercise and the calcium they can get from them, but cooking bones changes their chemical properties and makes them more prone to splintering. Only feed your dog raw bones.
Because dog digestive systems are so different from human systems, always check with the veterinarian before adding anything to his diet. This will keep you from making a potentially fatal mistake.
