Homemade Dog Food: Prepare your dog’s meal yourself

For centuries humans have been preparing their food at home, while the argument struggles between which food is yummier; processed, or homemade, there is no doubt that homemade food is healthier and safer.

In your dog’s case, what is better than a meal that is both healthy and cheaper in comparison to commercial food.

Many dog owners unintentionally end up using the wrong dog food brands without knowing their benefits and side effects. While it’s true that dog food is a convenient and quick option if you are aware of what you are feeding your dog and whether it suits them or not. Homemade dog food is another option for your dog.

You must know that most commercial dog foods are designed to provide your dog with a balanced diet and only if you can manage to do that with your homemade food without compromising any essential part of it, then you may go for it. Your dog is not just an animal but your companion and they’re dependent on you after you adopt them. Hence, you must provide them with the best of what you can.

Prepare your dogs’ food at home:

The first and most essential part is understanding which kind of food and how much quantity will be healthy and fulfilling for your dog, keeping in mind their age, breed, and size.

It is great to consult a veterinarian to understand how much food your dog needs in a day because overfeeding often leads to obesity and nobody wants their dog to be lazy all day long.

Secondly, you would want to create a list of food that is toxin-free and won’t have any side effects if fed to your dog once a meal every day. Then, you may want to go ahead with food preparation and a trial week to check if the diet is working well for your dog before you can make it a permanent part of their daily meals.

List of homemade food your dog will love:

Some of the homemade food that most dogs have often observed to have loved include:

• Boiled chicken
• Sweet potatoes (not too sweet either)
• Low-fat yogurt
• Cheese balls (mild)
• Meat
• Carrott
• Broccoli

Benefits of homemade food for dogs:

The most significant benefit of preparing dog food at home is that you control what they are being fed. This way, you can control all the calories and nutrition required because who else knows your dog’s health better than you.

Then, the food preparation at home comes with the guarantee of hygiene. The fact that you prepared it yourself, it will be cleaned and fresh. The truth is, clinics are filled with dog owners who accidentally fed their dog some expired dog food without being aware and you don’t want to in that situation.

Then, by preparing their meal yourself, you can responsibly avoid all sorts of allergens. No seed, leaves or pit will be included in the food that you prepare yourself which means no food poisoning, vomiting and diarrhoea for your dog.

You can also treat this as an activity for yourself and to further bond with your pet. Dog owners have often claimed meal preparation as a sense of connectivity with their dog and how it makes them feel responsible and adds time management quality in their life.

Some DIY homemade food for your dog:

For the easiest and safest DIY homemade food for your dogs, a bowl of vegetables along with a small quantity of boiled brown rice is the best. You can add vegetables like carrots, zucchini, broccoli, some turkey and brown rice to the meal. This meal can be stored and frozen for some time until it is completely fresh. This way, you can take out some stored meal, defrost it and serve it right away.

With homemade food, it is highly important to keep track of dogs’ allergies too. As dogs are allergic to various food components and toxins. In creating a healthy meal for your dog, you don’t want to add something allergic to them. It is wise to do your research on your dog’s breed before getting onto the next step.

Cost and time factor:

When you adopt a dog, it is important to be informed that they are an additional family member and their lifestyle is going to be costly. Yet, if you find the processed commercial food too expensive (most healthy companies are expensive), preparing your dog’s food yourself is the best alternative. It will be less costly in comparison and go a long way.
When you are going to prepare your dog’s meals from scratch at home, you need to be aware that it will be time-consuming as you will have to do the grocery, cleaning, cutting and cooking yourself. But, there is a way for managing that too. You can prepare different meals for your dog at a scheduled time and store them for a week. This way, you can dedicate one day to meal preparation and ensure healthy food for your dog for the next week.

Conclusion

It is highly unhealthy to keep your dog on an unbalanced diet, whether it is processed or homemade, it needs to be stable according to their need. Continuously changing their diet may upset their stomach and cause further health issues. You must check up the diet routine with a veterinarian first before you start feeding it to your dog.
Any responsible dog owner must be aware that malnutrition is the cause of various health issues in dogs. It is their fundamental right and needs to be provided with a balanced diet regularly. Only decide to make food for your dog at home if you can manage it and have the required time. Otherwise, changing your dog’s diet now and then will not prove to be a good experience for them. In the process of an impulsive decision, you don’t want your dog starving later.