Cooking for your dog is more popular than ever today. Following the massive recalls of dog food in 2007, many pet owners began to distrust commercial dog food. Afterall, who really knew what they were buying for their dogs to eat? Food was being recalled from all kinds of manufacturers: the gourmet foods, the cheapest foods, the most popular foods, canned and kibble. Many people began to feel that it wasn’t safe to feed their dogs anything that was commercially made.

In response, almost overnight, numerous cookbooks came out to help owners make meals for their dogs. Whether these cookbooks are really necessary is another area of debate. Nevertheless, the books sold well.

 

Today, confidence has been largely restored in commercial dog foods. There have been no more major recalls since 2007 and the source of the problems (adding cheap protein fillers in China) is now being tested for by many companies before adding ingredients to food. Yet many people remain uneasy about feeding their dogs commercial foods. They believe that their dogs can eat a healthier diet if they cook for them at home.

 

If you want to cook for your dog at home it doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated. Afterall, you manage to cook for yourself and your family all the time, don’t you? Presumably, you are a nutritionally healthy individual. Your dog can be quite healthy, too, if you decide to cook his meals for him.

 

 

Cooking for your dog yourself does have some advantages. You can choose all of the ingredients yourself, so you know exactly what your dog is eating. You can buy your dog food from the same sources you use for yourself so your dog is eating human grade ingredients. These may be better than the ingredients he would be getting in commercial dog food. You will also be preparing the food yourself so you control the entire process.

 

You will have to make sure that your dog has all of his nutritional needs met but this can be done by feeding your dog a variety of foods. Instead of feeding the same food day after day, week after week, you should try to provide your dog with the same kind of variety in his diet that you yourself enjoy. In this way if he doesn’t get certain vitamins or minerals one day, he’ll be getting them in his food the next. Variety is the key to good nutrition for your dog when you cook for your dog yourself.

 

When you cook for your dog you will also need to add some supplements to his diet to make sure his nutritional needs are being met. Common supplements include fish oil or salmon oil, probiotics (beneficial bacteria for your dog’s intestines), vitamins and minerals, and digestive enzymes.

 

When you cook for your dog you should avoid feeding your dog cooked bones since they are prone to splintering and could injure your dog internally. To make up for the calcium your dog misses from the bones in his diet, you should compensate by adding 900 mg of calcium per pound of food served, OR 1/2 teaspoon of ground egg shell.

 

Organ meat, such as liver or kidney, should make up about 10 percent of your dog’s homecooked diet. This is very rich food but it is extremely high in nutrients.

 

Animal protein sources should make up between 50 and 75 percent of your dog’s diet. Animal protein sources include meats and dairy products such as eggs, yogurt and cottage cheese.
The rest of your dog’s cooked diet should be made up of vegetables. These veggies have to be boiled and made into a mush. Otherwise your dog won’t be able to digest them.

 

You should feed your dog two to three percent of his body weight daily. So, a 100 pound dog would need to eat two to three pounds of homecooked food per day, which could be divided into two servings.

 

Remember that it’s necessary to feed a variety of foods, so plan on feeding your dog different meats, dairy products and veggies in his meals. For convenience, you can cook up a large batch of food and freeze smaller portions ahead of time. Some people like to cook up enough food for 2-3 days and then rotate to a different meat-veggie combo. Of course, dogs will have their preferences, but try not to fall into the habit of feeding your dog the same thing all the time.

Don’t forget fish as a protein source. Fish is an excellent source of protein for your dog. If your dog has allergies to some of the more common meats, such as chicken or lamb, he may do very well with fish in his diet.

 

Here are a couple of sample home cooked recipes for a 50-lb dog:

 

3/4 lb hamburger (12 oz)
1/4 lb plain yogurt (4 oz)
2 oz liver
6 oz pureed sweet potato
calcium
fish oil capsules
supplements
This recipe makes two meals. Divide the recipe in half and feed two meals daily.
3/4 lb chicken (12 oz)
1/8 lb cottage cheese (2 oz)
1 egg (approximately 2 oz)
2 oz beef kidney
6 oz mix of cooked cabbage and zucchini
calcium
fish oil capsules
supplements

 

This recipe makes two meals. Divide the recipe in half and feed two meals daily.

As you can see, cooking for your dog doesn’t have to be difficult once you learn a few basics. And one of the benefits is that most dogs absolutely love a home cooked diet. Very few dogs turn their noses up at a home cooked meal!

 

 

Cooking for your dog can give you great peace of mind and reassure you that you are providing a very healthy diet for your dog. And, your dog may enjoy better health and nutrition on a home cooked diet. Try cooking for your dog and see what happens. Your dog will love you for it.