Homemade Dog Food

It can be hard enough to feed ourselves or our children a well-balanced diet; making homemade food for the furry members of the family may seem impossible. In fact, it does take a very organized person to make a homemade dog food diet work, but it can be excellent for your dog. Do the benefits outweigh the extra work that it takes to feed your dog home-prepared meals?

Why prepare homemade dog food instead of purchasing commercial kibbles? We know that it is better for us to make our own foods from fresh, whole ingredients than it is to eat out or choose heavily processed foods. It’s the same way for dogs. When you make your own, you can control each ingredient that goes into your dog’s meals. This allows you to use organic or all-natural foods, as well as human-grade ingredients, which can eliminate many chemicals and fillers from your pup’s diet.

Once you get the hang of homemade dog food, you’ll find it is less expensive than buying food in the long term, and you are improving the health of your best friend while you’re at it!

When you make your food, make sure you provide a balanced blend of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, as well as the vital minerals and vitamins your dog needs. Ask your vet about your dog’s calorie requirements, which are based on his breed, weight, age, and other factors.

You also want to avoid foods that are dangerous to dogs. We all know chocolate is a no-no, but many of us don’t realize things like onion, garlic, avocado, grapes, and other foods are equally toxic. WebMD has a list of foods to avoid.

You can find a lot of great recipes online, including this one from Dog-Obedience-Training-Review.com for beef cakes.

You’ll need:

• 1.5 cups brown rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 grated potatoes
• 4 grated carrots
• 2 chopped celery sticks
• 6 pounds ground beef or chicken
• 8 eggs
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 cups rolled oats

Yes, that is a lot of ingredients – but this makes a great quantity of dog food that you will be able to freeze and serve as needed.

To make:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease 3 large muffin trays. Cook the rice and water in a large saucepan. Let cool to room temperature when rice is fluffy. Mix the potatoes, carrots, celery, beef, and eggs in a large bowl, and then mix the salt, olive oil, oats, and rice in.

Fill each muffin cup with the rice/beef mixture and pack it down so it is level with the rim. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes. Wait until they are cool to serve. You can serve individually and then freeze the rest for a quick meal.