Many experts on canine nutrition will tell you that homemade dog food is the only way to provide your pet with the exact nutrition that he needs. If done properly, making homemade food will allow you to provide a diet that meets your dog's needs through every stage of his life. This simple homemade dog food won't be appropriate for all dogs, but your veterinarian can help you add supplements or additional ingredients to cater the recipe to your pooch's needs.
Unless you plan on studying canine nutrition yourself, it's imperative that you speak with your veterinarian and/or a canine nutritionist before switching Fido to a homemade diet. Even homemade dog food recipes that have been formulated/recommended by veterinarians may not provide all of the essential nutrients that your dog needs.
If the diet you feed isn't nutritionally balanced, your dog can become nutritionally deficient within just a matter of days. Similarly, eating too much of a certain nutrient could actually poison your pet over time.
It’s important that you work with a professional to figure out the right balance of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals that your dog’s body requires each day. They can also help you figure out how many calories are in the recipes you're feeding and how many calories your dog needs to eat each day.
Did you know that your dog's nutritional requirements are based on a number of variables? These variables can include:
- age
- weight
- breed
- activity level
- metabolism
- overall health condition
Now you can see why it is important to discuss this simple homemade dog food recipe with an expert. Before you switch your dog's diet, whether you're going with a commercial food or a homemade option, you need to be sure that it will give your pet the nutrition that his body requires.
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Simple Homemade Dog Food Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of white button mushrooms (sliced)
- 3 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 cup snow peas (chopped)
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup kale (chopped)
- 1/2 cup celery (chopped)
- 4 eggs (scrambled)
Directions
Sauté the mushrooms in the coconut oil on low heat in a large skillet. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the low sodium chicken broth, kale, celery, and peas. Cook on low heat for an additional 10 minutes. This will allow the vegetables to become tender.
Add the scrambled eggs to the mixture. Stir continuously until the eggs are completely cooked.
This simple homemade dog food recipe is easy to prepare, but the serving guidelines aren't as simple. You're going to feed a 50/50 split of this food over a bed of cooked brown rice or quinoa.
First, start by figuring out how much food your dog will need to eat each day. The recommended serving size is 1/2 cup for every 20 pounds of body weight, and you need to feed 2 servings per day.
So, let's say your dog weighs 60 pounds. That means he needs to eat about 1.5 cups per serving (2 servings per day). Here comes the tricky part – the math. You're going to cut that amount in half. Half of 1.5 is 3/4.
You will need to feed your dog 3/4 cup of this simple homemade dog food over a bed of 3/4 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa. See, that wasn't that hard, right? And, remember that you'll be feeding this serving 2 times per day.
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. You can also freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 months. That means you can make this simple homemade dog food recipe in bulk and freeze it until needed.
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