How to make dog food from scratch

As humans, we know that a home cooked meal will be better for us than a readymade alternative. But, it’s not something we often think about when it comes to our pets.

There has been a growing trend among dog owners, fitting hand-in-hand with the current wellness trend, to make your own dog food. Cooking for your dog means that you know exactly what they’re getting. Many cheaper brands of dog food can contain a lot of additives and low-grade food waste ingredients.

Many people have been turning to homemade dog food in an attempt to cure their dogs of various ailments from diabetes and obesity to skin complaints.

However, it is worth mentioning that many vets feel that an exclusively homemade diet can lead to deficiencies in key vitamins and minerals so it’s always worth consulting your vet before embarking on any major diet changes.

There are loads of resources available online giving advice about dog nutrition and delicious looking recipes for healthy, wholesome meals that even the fussiest dog would devour in seconds. Dinner for Dogs was written by the creator of Lily’s Kitchen and comes highly rated on Amazon. It may be worth seeing a veterinary nutritionist or doing some serious reading on the subject though as dogs often require quite a complex set of ingredients to ensure they are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need to be healthy. For example, you may need to provide additional calcium if your dog isn’t eating meat with bones.

Obviously there are some ingredients that dogs should never be given including raisins, onion, garlic and macadamia nuts. Once your vet has checked your dog over for any pre-existing conditions and has given you the go ahead, you should introduce any new foods gradually to avoid an upset stomach. Once you’ve implemented the new diet you should visit your vet after 2-3 weeks to ensure that your dog isn’t putting on, or losing, too much weight. Even if you’re given the all clear, it’s still a good idea to see your vet every 6 months to check your dog’s skin, teeth and investigate any other problems that may arise from the change in their diet.

Fri Dec 15 2017