How to Make Your Own Dog Food
Check with your vet before switching to homemade dog food., Consult with an animal nutrition expert., Consider the caloric requirements for your dog., Avoid giving your dog foods that are bad for it., Rotate the foods you make for variety and a...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Check with your vet before switching to homemade dog food.
Your dog may have specific nutritional needs that your vet can explain to you.
Your vet may even have some great suggestions of key ingredients that will help your pet's health.
After you have been feeding a homemade diet to your dog for a couple of weeks take your pet to the veterinarian to make certain it is not gaining or losing weight.
If weight loss or gain has occurred discuss the diet with your veterinarian to determine how your feeding should be adjusted. -
Step 2: Consult with an animal nutrition expert.
If your veterinarian doesn't know about homemade meals for dogs, consult with an expert in animal nutrition.
He or she will help you to construct a homemade diet suitable for your particular dog.
This is vital if your dog has any chronic health conditions.
Your local veterinarian can help you locate a nutrition expert in your area or you can find one at http://www.balanceit.com/ or http://www.petdiets.com/. , For example, puppies need more calorie and nutrient dense foods than adults, as their bodies are rapidly growing and forming their bones and muscles.
Elderly dogs require fewer calories than adult dogs, as their metabolism has slowed.
Older dogs still need good quality food with plenty of nutrients.
They also need more fiber to keep the food moving through their digestive tract properly.
Pregnant and nursing dogs need more calories to meet the demands of the pregnancy on their bodies.
Small breeds of dogs have a higher metabolism (on average) than do large or giant breeds of dogs.
Therefore smaller dogs require a more nutrient and calorie dense food than the big dogs.
There is also a difference in foods fed between small breed puppies and large breed puppies.
Large breed puppies are more prone to orthopedic problems and need careful balancing of nutrients such as protein, calcium and phosphorus in order to form their skeletal systems. , Feeding your dog the wrong foods can make it sick; in some cases it can even cause organ damage to the point your dog could die.
Under no circumstances feed these foods to dogs:
Alcohol Avocados Candy, especially chocolates Garlic, garlic powder, onions, onion powder Grapes Macadamia nuts Mushrooms Mustard seeds Raisins Salt Walnuts Yeast dough Any foods made with xylitol, an artificial sweetener that is very toxic to dogs. , Understand that dogs need a diet that consists of 40 percent meat, 30 percent vegetables and 30 percent starch.
When feeding these diets you can also give your dog a vitamin and mineral supplement on a daily basis.
This will help assure that your dog is getting proper nutrition. -
Step 3: Consider the caloric requirements for your dog.
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Step 4: Avoid giving your dog foods that are bad for it.
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Step 5: Rotate the foods you make for variety and a balanced diet.
Detailed Guide
Your dog may have specific nutritional needs that your vet can explain to you.
Your vet may even have some great suggestions of key ingredients that will help your pet's health.
After you have been feeding a homemade diet to your dog for a couple of weeks take your pet to the veterinarian to make certain it is not gaining or losing weight.
If weight loss or gain has occurred discuss the diet with your veterinarian to determine how your feeding should be adjusted.
If your veterinarian doesn't know about homemade meals for dogs, consult with an expert in animal nutrition.
He or she will help you to construct a homemade diet suitable for your particular dog.
This is vital if your dog has any chronic health conditions.
Your local veterinarian can help you locate a nutrition expert in your area or you can find one at http://www.balanceit.com/ or http://www.petdiets.com/. , For example, puppies need more calorie and nutrient dense foods than adults, as their bodies are rapidly growing and forming their bones and muscles.
Elderly dogs require fewer calories than adult dogs, as their metabolism has slowed.
Older dogs still need good quality food with plenty of nutrients.
They also need more fiber to keep the food moving through their digestive tract properly.
Pregnant and nursing dogs need more calories to meet the demands of the pregnancy on their bodies.
Small breeds of dogs have a higher metabolism (on average) than do large or giant breeds of dogs.
Therefore smaller dogs require a more nutrient and calorie dense food than the big dogs.
There is also a difference in foods fed between small breed puppies and large breed puppies.
Large breed puppies are more prone to orthopedic problems and need careful balancing of nutrients such as protein, calcium and phosphorus in order to form their skeletal systems. , Feeding your dog the wrong foods can make it sick; in some cases it can even cause organ damage to the point your dog could die.
Under no circumstances feed these foods to dogs:
Alcohol Avocados Candy, especially chocolates Garlic, garlic powder, onions, onion powder Grapes Macadamia nuts Mushrooms Mustard seeds Raisins Salt Walnuts Yeast dough Any foods made with xylitol, an artificial sweetener that is very toxic to dogs. , Understand that dogs need a diet that consists of 40 percent meat, 30 percent vegetables and 30 percent starch.
When feeding these diets you can also give your dog a vitamin and mineral supplement on a daily basis.
This will help assure that your dog is getting proper nutrition.
About the Author
Kyle Shaw
Brings years of experience writing about organization and related subjects.
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