One of the most important concerns of people who have dogs is that their dog remains completely healthy from childhood to adulthood. An important part of these efforts is related to dog food. We are all familiar with commercial dog food. But making homemade dog food is something that most of us like to do. Especially a homemade food for our beloved puppy who has just become a member of our family and we want him to grow up healthy and strong.
Now you might ask yourself why homemade dog food? Is commercial food a problem? No, there is no problem with commercial food, but many people think that the best type of dog food is blood food. That is when we talk about homemade food for puppies.
So, if you are concerned about dog and puppy food, the first part of the article is specific to your problem, and if you want to know how to prepare dog and puppy food, the last parts of the article are where you should read. In that section, we brought four recipes for cooking homemade food for dogs so that you can satisfy the beloved and mischievous member of the family.
Is homemade food good or bad for dogs?
Dog food is one of the most important factors in a dog’s life and health, and we must pay special attention to it. According to many veterinarians, commercial foods, which are available in both dry and canned forms, are the best and most complete food for dogs; Because its formulation is completely prepared based on the nutritional needs of dogs.
But for various reasons, it happens that we want to prepare homemade food for dogs :
- One of the reasons can be the reduction of dog feeding costs.
- Another thing is that this work is enjoyable. Like cooking for someone you love.
- One of them could be the idea that homemade food is more useful for puppies.
Commercial foods, if they are from a good and high-quality brand like Royal Canin dog food, are very expensive, and in the long run, they increase the dog’s monthly expenses. Especially in the case of large dogs that eat a large amount of food in each meal. In this way, buying commercial food makes the cost of keeping a dog skyrocketing. Something that many do not like to experience.
These days, due to the increase in currency prices and the ban on importing dog food, many brands of dog food that we used before are no longer available, and it seems that preparing homemade food for dogs is our only solution in some cases.
Even if you give your dog commercial food, sometimes it is not bad to make homemade dog food for variety.
Surely homemade dog food that you cook yourself with fresh and healthy food and enough love has more taste and pleasure for the dog and is tastier.
But, you must know what foods your dog needs and what foods you are allowed to give him. Because many of the foods we eat are poisonous and dangerous for dogs! You should know what points to follow when making food for dogs.
So if you are ready, roll up your sleeves so we can talk more about homemade food for dogs and see what are the principles and tips for preparing dog food.
What are the conditions for preparing homemade dog food?
The most important point in preparing homemade food for dogs is that the balance and variety of nutrients must be observed. Balance and variety help to ensure that ingredients are not missed in making dog food. It means we don’t see one more and one less. Having a balance in the way of feeding a dog has a positive effect on its growth process.
So, when preparing pet dog food, try to follow the recipe to achieve the desired result you are looking for. In this way, you can always cook a healthy meal for your dog so that his health is not compromised in the long run.
Now, you might have a question, are the recipes available on the internet suitable for cooking homemade food for my puppy or dog? The answer to this question lies with Pet veterinarians. Especially if you are looking for homemade puppy food. Because puppies are just going through their physical development and the type of food they eat has a direct impact on their future health.
What is the best homemade food for puppies?
The essential foods that should be included in homemade food for dogs from childhood to adulthood are:
Protein
Chicken, veal, turkey, duck, fish, or lamb meat are a rich and excellent sources of animal protein for dogs. Also, all kinds of meat products such as heart and liver are good sources of protein for dogs, but they should not be used continuously.
You must know that in addition to meat, various types of oily seeds such as soybeans, corn, wheat, and beans also provide a certain amount of protein needed by dogs. But about homemade food for puppies, we should say that, unlike adult dogs, it is better not to use these ingredients. Boiled eggs are a better option that must be controlled.
In this regard, you can use the special prescription for your pet, in which the veterinarian specifies how much egg to use in each meal.
fiber
Fiber balances the dog’s diet and contributes greatly to the health of the dog’s digestive system. In puppy food, we need 2% of these fibers, which can be obtained from vegetables and fruits, such as:
- carrot
- green beans
- spinach
- broccoli
- Squash
- Types of apples (red apples, rose apples, green apples)
Useful fatty acids
Such as omega 3 and omega 6, which are found in foods such as cooked salmon, green vegetables, flax seeds, fish oil, eggs, chicken fat, soybeans, canola, and some vegetables. Of course, in order to use some of the mentioned foods such as eggs, it is necessary to know more information.
Calcium
Dairy products such as plain cheese and whole yogurt contain large amounts of calcium. Also, other foods such as broccoli, green vegetables, meat, and cooked eggs are also a healthy and rich sources of calcium for dogs. But don’t forget that in addition to all these things, puppies must use supplement pills so that their growth path is followed correctly.
Also keep in mind that dairy products, even if they are lactose-free, may be difficult for some puppies to digest and may bother them.
carbohydrate
White or brown rice, potatoes, oats, corn, and some fruits and vegetables have carbohydrates that are completely digestible for dogs. Potatoes are rich in carbohydrates and can play an important role in providing your dog with daily energy. But the important question is, can you give potatoes to dogs? Definitely yes, but you have to meet some conditions.
Vitamins and antioxidants
Apples (seedless), blueberries, strawberries, carrots, cooked pumpkin, potatoes, spinach, green beans, and cooked broccoli are rich in vitamins and antioxidants useful for the dog’s body.
Forbidden foods for dogs!
Be careful not to give the following foods to your dog; Even in small amounts. Never forget forbidden foods for dogs:
- Chocolate
- garlic and onion
- Grapes and raisins
- Avocado
- apple core
- raw potatoes
- Salt and spices
- Coffee and caffeine
Why do we say it shouldn’t? Because the presence of many of these substances in dog food can cause extremely dangerous events and strange changes in our dog’s body that don’t even have external symptoms. So, as much as making food for a dog is a sweet task, it also needs a precise recipe to put our minds at ease. At the end of this article, we have given you two of these useful recipes.
How much should I feed my dog?
The amount of food a dog needs per day depends on many factors such as age, breed, weight, activity level, and health status, and the best thing to do is to feed it according to your dog’s condition.
However, the general guidelines for the daily amount of food based on the dog’s weight are as follows:
| dog weight | amount of food |
|---|---|
| 5 kg | 1 cup |
| 10 kg | 2 cups |
| 20 kg | 4 cups |
| 45 kg | 8 cups |
Of course, we emphasize again that you must consult a veterinarian for the exact and sufficient amount of food for your dog.
Because each breed of dog may have different nutritional needs. For example, purebreds such as pugs and French bulldogs are prone to some food allergies and should not eat any food.
What are the basic principles of preparing homemade dog food?
If you are one of the people who are tired of the high prices and scarcity of foreign dry dog food and the low quality and bad taste of dry food for dogs, read this part of the article carefully.
The condition is that the veterinarian depends on the characteristics of your dog such as:
- Its weight: It helps to determine the amount of calories needed for growth.
- Age: affects the percentage of each food item.
- Its activity level: determines its metabolism and daily food volume.
- Breed: It affects the variety of ingredients in its diet.
- Special diseases of dogs: need to receive special nutrition and medicines.
and several other factors, determine the ingredients of dog food and their amount. As you know, the age and breed of dogs is one of the influencing factors in their diet. That’s why it’s better to know a series of important and basic points when making homemade food for your dog.
The recipe written by the veterinarian is written according to the specific nutritional needs of your dog. This means one prescription only for one dog. A recipe written specifically for your puppy or dog’s homemade food. The balance and formulation of this version can guarantee your dog’s health for many years.
Learning how to make homemade food for puppies
We emphasize again that the preparation of food based on the ingredients of this homemade dog food recipe is related to the characteristics of your puppy and dog. It also depends on the amount of food your dog eats in each meal. Naturally, making homemade food for puppies has very different conditions and ingredients than food for adult dogs.
Therefore, we recommend that you consult your veterinarian for an accurate and suitable diet for your beloved puppy and dog. These suggestions are actually homemade food for a 4-month-old medium-breed puppy weighing 5 kilos, which is balanced and you can use it as long as its special food prescription. If you don’t get it, use this dog food recipe temporarily.
Homemade recipe number 1:
Chicken, rice, and vegetables
ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons of white rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Chicken or turkey meat 100 grams
- Green beans 5 pods
- 1 medium carrot
Boil water in a large pot and then add the rice (without salt and oil) until it is completely cooked.
Pour olive oil into a frying pan and then add cooked chicken or turkey (with little water) and fry for about 3-5 minutes. Then add spinach, carrot, green pumpkin, and peas as well as cooked rice and mix well for another 3-5 minutes and fry. There is no need to cook the vegetables a lot, just a few minutes of roasting is enough.
Delicious homemade food is ready for your dog! When the food is cold, divide it into suitable portions and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. If you make more food, be sure to put it in the freezer.
Homemade dog food recipe number 2:
Potatoes and minced meat and vegetables
ingredients:
- Lean beef 100 grams
- Raw potatoes 100 grams
- Carrot 20 grams
- Peas 20 grams
- Corn oil 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon fish oil
Once the meat is boiled, fry it in the pan on medium heat. After a few minutes, add carrots and peas and fry until the color of the meat and ingredients change completely.
Boil water in a pot and add chopped potatoes to it. Let it cook completely for about 15 minutes and become a little soft. Now add the cooked potatoes to the previous ingredients and add corn oil and fish oil to it and mix well.
Now you can give your beloved puppy food.
Homemade dog food recipe number 3:
meat pie
This food is actually a kind of homemade encouragement for your dog.
ingredients:
- Lean veal 100 grams
- 1/4 cup brown rice
- 1 egg
- 1 large carrot
- 4 spinach leaves
- 1 cup of water
- A teaspoon of olive oil
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
One of the easiest incentives for a dog is a cake that is very easy to make. First, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Then grease three large muffin tins so that the cake can be easily removed later. Then put the mixture of water and rice in a small pot without a lid on the gas until it boils for 10 minutes.
Then lower the heat and let it boil for another 20 minutes. Then turn it off to cool down. Combine eggs, meat, and other ingredients in a bowl. Stir until everything is mixed together and something separates. Now fill the molds with a layered arrangement or a complete mixture of bowl ingredients and rice. It depends on your taste.
Homemade dog food recipe number 4:
Banana and peanut butter ice cream dessert
ingredients:
- 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 bananas
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
This is considered the easiest and fastest way to prepare dog food. Mix all the ingredients together in a blender and then pour it into a mold and put it in the freezer. After a few hours, it can be eaten and you can be sure that your puppy or dog will love it.
Important questions about homemade dog food
All supervisors usually have a list of questions that they carry around with them. Part of these questions are related to the health of the pet and part of its nutrition. Below are some of the important questions that you must have faced.
1. Is chicken liver good for dogs?
You can also use liver when preparing homemade food for dogs. In fact, chicken, beef, turkey, and sheep liver and heart are a rich sources of iron, vitamins, and minerals useful for your dog.
Of course, be careful not to feed your dog too much! You should never forget this point.
Overconsumption of liver can lead to a problem called hypervitaminosis A , which is caused by vitamin A toxicity . The symptoms of this problem show themselves in the form of bone abnormalities and deformities, digestive problems, muscle weakness, weight loss, etc., and it is especially dangerous for growing puppies.
VCA Animal Hospitals
Eating liver 1-2 times a week in a small amount is not a problem for dogs and is also useful.
Since the raw liver can be full of all kinds of pollution and germs, we suggest that you cook it in water for a few minutes and then give it to your dog.
2. Are chicken feet good for dogs?
You may have seen that many people who are looking for cheap dog food only give their dog chicken feet and think that they are giving the dog a delicious and complete food. But it is not!
Chicken feet have low nutritional value and should not be used as the only source of protein in homemade food for dogs. You are only allowed to give your dog chicken feet as an incentive or along with other foods; Not as a meal!
You can give your dog cooked chicken legs 1-2 times a week; But be aware that more than this will cause constipation and digestive problems and malnutrition in dogs.
3. Is chicken skin harmful to dogs?
Contrary to what many people think, giving chicken skin to dogs is not recommended at all.
There is no problem if there is a little bit of skin next to the chicken meat that you feed your dog; But it is 100% wrong to give whole cooked or raw chicken skin to your dog as a “meal”!
In addition, chicken skin causes digestive disorders and diarrhea and causes obesity and overweight in dogs in the long run.
Unfortunately, some dog owners who are looking for cheap dog food always give their dogs chicken skin. But this does a lot of harm to the dog’s health and later makes you pay for this mistake with a much higher cost.
The tricks of making dog food that you should know!
- Never change your dog’s diet all at once. If your dog is used to commercial food, give him homemade food little by little to get used to it.
- Do not use salt and spices in cooking meat and vegetables.
- Never give your dog food that is full of salt, spices, oil, etc. so that his taste does not change.
- As much as you can, use a variety of food and different food groups in cooking.
- Remove the chicken skin completely and you can use some chicken skin only for very energetic and active dogs.
- The first and most obvious effect of homemade food on dog feces! So, after you give your dog blood food, monitor the state of his stool to notice if there is any change.
- Of course, if you suddenly change your dog’s food, it may cause diarrhea, which does not necessarily have anything to do with the bad ingredients of the food.
- Sometimes, according to the discretion of the veterinarian, it is necessary to use food supplements in food combinations.
Can homemade dog food replace commercial food?
This is the question that every dog owner has on his mind. Many of us like to cook for our dogs, but we worry that it will not get enough food and will have an adverse effect on the dog’s health in the long run.
The most important advantage of commercial food is that they have precise formulations and take into account all the nutritional needs of dogs. Therefore, giving commercial food is the easiest way to feed a dog, and veterinarians also recommend commercial food (dry dog food and canned dog food ).
But if for any reason you are looking for a recipe for homemade food for dogs, you should increase your information and be sure to consult a veterinarian about this.
Preparing homemade food for dogs is acceptable only if you can observe the food balance and provide all the ingredients needed by the dog’s body. For this, you must have a good nutritional prescription.
But most of the dog owners do not have enough information about this and they just give their dog chicken meat or add potatoes to it!
It is a bit more challenging and difficult to prepare wholesome and nutritious dog food, But it is not impossible!
What kind of homemade food do you cook for your dog?
Which feeding method do you use for your dog: giving homemade dog food or commercial food? Of course, you, like many other dog owners, think that preparing homemade food for a puppy is a difficult task, but it is not. As you read, just get a suitable prescription for your dog from the veterinarian. In this version, you will find out how to prepare your dog’s food and you can prepare the food based on that.
So don’t just think of cheap homemade dog food! Your dog’s health is more important than anything else and it is worth paying for it.