There are many reasons why you may want to cook for your dog as opposed to buying homemade dog food. In some cases the dog owner wants to save some money. In others it is the vet that recommended a special diet. Sometimes it is just a matter of how an individual is used to doing things. So, because it might be very helpful to you, here’s 10 home made dog food ideas.
No matter what your case is, when you decide to cook for your dog, you want to know as much as possible about offering a really well-rounded diet. The big problem here is that different dog breeds have
different requirements. For instance, the diet of a long haired breed will need some extras as opposed to that of a short haired breed because of the extra nutrients that are needed to maintain a healthy, shiny coat.
If you want to make the move to home made dog food, we have some ideas for you below. They are all really good and quite simple to cook. However, we have to put an emphasis on some general nutritional needs that dogs have.3 basic ingredients are always necessary:
A meat source
Vegetables
Bulk food like lentils or rice
Make sure that you read about the foods that you have to avoid at all costs like sugar, chocolate and bacon. Also, some supplementation may be necessary. A good rule of thumb is to read all that you can about the dietary requirements of your dog or to go to the vet and ask. Although home made dog food can be good for the pet, relying solely on that is normally not recommended. A combination with specifically formulated dog food is a good idea, especially if there are some health problems that exist.
Home Made Chicken Dinner
Most dogs out there love chicken and this is a great meat to consider using. All that you really have to do is to take some chicken and season it a little with some vegetables. You can boil everything or you can serve a raw food diet. With chicken, it is important not to get carried away. We are used to using spices and that is never a good idea when we cook for our dogs.
Always avoid carrots and onions. You want to grind the meat in order to make the pieces easier to chew, especially for the smaller breeds. This is good advice for all meat you would cook. Take chicken, add some skinned apples, spinach, a little olive oil and some cooked or raw eggs. It is recommended to boil the chicken until it is almost cooked, then add the vegetables and wait for everything to be cooked. Let the whole dish cool off and keep the leftovers. This is possible for a maximum of 5 days. If some meat still remains, throw it away.
Cook A Home Made Fish Dinner
Fish is always good for dogs so if you did not consider this till now, you want to. The reason why fish is recommended is the high content of omega 3 fatty acids. This is great for the coat and the skin of a dog. Some dogs are allergic to fish so you want to start small. If you notice that itching starts, you want to go to the vet and see if the dog is actually allergic.
A great fish dinner for your loved one can be made out of fish fillet, preferably Swai or Tilapia if you want to save some cash. Add some pink salmon, some eggs, cooked or raw, good diced vegetables, cooked rice (brown or white, 1 cup) and you have all that you need.
Dice or grind your fish. Then you boil it, add the vegetables and let everything simmer. This food should be kept inside the fridge at all times after it cools off. If it stays there for over 3 days, throw it away. Alternatively, you could freeze the food. Just do not do this very often with the same batch.
Frozen Yogurt Pops
If you have a dog that simply loves ice cubes, you can transform this habit into something healthy. Non-fat yogurt is necessary and you can easily find this in all supermarkets. Take 6 oz, add 1 cup of fruit juice (no-sugar) and half a cup of the dog’s favorite vegetables. Add all the ingredients into a bowl. Stir everything until you have a mixture that is really well-blended. Then, take it and add it to the fridge’s ice cube tray. Here you go. Now you have some great treats for your dog.
It is a good idea to use trays that are made out of hard plastic. The rubber ones that are so common will make it really hard to get the dog treat out.
Make sure that you do not overdo it and that you do not offer too many of these treats. Even if the pops will be healthy, too much can hurt the dog. The good news is that it is really easy to keep this treat as it is frozen so will last for a long time if kept inside the freezer.
Peanut Butter Cookies
Did you ever give your dog some peanut butter? If not, you may want to try that since most dogs love it. At the same time, it is a wonderful way to add fish oil to the diet of your loved friend. We actually recommend it. It is important to use organic peanut butter. The commercial brands normally include various additives and unhealthy oils. An alternative is to simply make your very own peanut butter with peanut oil and raw peanuts. A food processor is all you need for that .
If the dog does not have a wheat allergy, take 2 flour cups, add 1 more of rolled oats, some smooth peanut butter, 1 honey tablespoon, water and fish oil. Start by mixing oats and flour. Then add water and blend. Take the rest of the ingredients and mix them with the current mixture you have. This is what you will cook inside the oven, just as you would a normal cookie. The same cooking rules apply so if you ever made cookies, you use the same technique.
Chicken, Broccoli and Rice
Getting back to chicken, one way to go is to combine it with rice and broccoli. Kids hate broccoli and since dogs are sometimes just like children, it should come as no surprise that they will also be a little picky with this vegetable. However, broccoli is really good for dogs. You do want to add it to meals or offer as snacks as it has high calcium content and promotes that fresh breath you surely want the pooch to have.
The proportions are really easy to remember. You need 5 pounds of chicken (make sure it is always diced when used in home-made food for dogs), 5 eggs, 5 cups of rice, 3 tablespoons of oil (use olive oil) and 3 cups of finely chopped broccoli. As before with chicken, boil it and then add the rest of the ingredients. Allowed refrigeration time is of 5 days but it should be enough since your dogs will love it.
Turkey And Veggies
Turkey is a great protein source for dogs, just as it is for humans. Combine that with some great vegetables for extra minerals and vitamins and you end up with a great dinner for the dog. The great thing about turkey is that it has a much lower fat content than other meats, especially red meets like beef. That means that the food is great for pups or for those dogs that are fatter than they should be.
In order to make this food, all you need is water, ground turkey, 1 cup of vegetables that the dog loves, 1 cup of chopped green beans, 2 cups of rice (preferably use brown rice) and optionally, you can add some fish oil.
Use a good non-stick skillet pan to cook ground turkey over the oven at medium heat. You want the meat to be fully cooked. Then you add the water and the rest of the ingredients in a pot and you keep cooking at low heat for a quarter of an hour. If you do not want to time it, just check the rice and make sure it is tender and soft. Green beans should be added at the end and as with all cooked foods for dogs, make sure that everything cools off before the dog will eat it. Never use heavy oil because this includes high quantities of fat and the stomach of the dog can end up being upset.
Beef Dinners For Dogs
We did say that beef is not always a good choice for the dog but if your breed allows it, you can end up with a really tasty and highly appreciated dinner. Since beef is normally recommended only for the larger breeds, you should get ready to have around 10 pounds of beef (replace with ground turkey if you want to), 5 cups of rice, mixed vegetables (around 3 cups) and around 10 cooked or raw whole eggs.
The great thing about cooking this for your dog is that you can get creative. You can create some sauce if youw ant to and there is no reason why you should not try to make everything varied every time you cook. Mix up the vegetables and the order in which you boil everything since this will give different tastes. After all is boiled and mixed, you may want to turn everything into meatballs. Cook them for 45 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 375 to 400 degrees and you have a great dinner for your dog.
Jerky For Dogs
Jerky is often bought for dogs from pet stores. There are many options and with the large dogs you will go for beef. With puppies and smaller breeds, you want to use chicken. The great thing about jerky is that it is chewy and tough. The dog remains occupied and distracted for quite some time. We also have food that has high protein content, which is absolutely necessary for dog muscles.
What is interesting with this is that you only really need the meat. Preheat your oven to a temperature of 200 degrees. In the meantime, get rid of all the excess fat that you can. Use knifes to slice strips of an eighth of an inch. Use a baking shit and simply bake the meat for around 2 hours. You want to have the chicken hard and dry. Never remove when soft. Before you will serve the jerky, it has to cool off. You can store the meat inside the fridge for a maximum of 14 days.
Fruit Treats For Dogs
We cannot talk about home made foods for dogs without mentioning fruits. This is because fruits are very good for a dog. You will quickly figure out that dogs do not love citrus that much and you should never give grapes to a dog. While some fruits have to be avoided, you will find so many others that can be considered. The idea is to create a treat that is loved and that offers some great vitamins and minerals. We recommend blueberries because of the high nutritional value and the fact that most dogs love them.
Creativity is encouraged with the fruit treats. For instance, you can combine them with cooked chicken and rice for a light but nutritional treat. Dogs normally love melons, pears, apples, cherries (pitted) and berries.
All that you have to do with the treat is to mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Then you can serve it. Refrigeration normally allows keeping everything fresh for up to 5 days. Try to create just small batches since you want to make everything varied.
Beef Stew For Dogs
Let’s finish the suggestions for home made dog food with something a little bit more complicated. A beef stew has vegetables, gravy and protein. You cannot go wrong with this and few dogs do not like such a combination. You will need carrots, green beans, flour, meat that is suitable for beef stew, a potato, organic vegetable oil and some flour.
The potato (preferably a sweet potato) has to first be cooked inside the often until it is tender and firm. The stew pieces have to be small and you cook them in the vegetable oil. Use medium heat. Everything should take around fifteen minutes. Beef chunks are taken from the pan and you cook drippings with water and flour to create the gravy. Add everything else (dice that potato) and then cook for around 10 minutes. That is all you have to do. The stew is served cool and everything else can be kept in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
