Home Made Dog Food

Larry Parr

A lot of people recommend that you do not feed a dog scraps from the dinner table. The thought is that scraps from the dinner table are not nutritionally balanced and may not provide all of the vitamins and minerals that a dog needs.

Because of this recommendation many people have the mistaken impression that you should only feed a dog commercially-prepared dog food. That isn’t necessarily true.

It is perfectly proper to make your own dog food at home. The trick is to make certain that the proper nutrients are included – which is a lot easier than you might think.

Let’s start with how much food your dog should be eating. Americans have a tendency to overfeed their pets and as a result their pets are showing signs of obesity.

It is not any better for a dog’s health to be overweight than it is for a human. Dogs suffer many problems because of obesity, including hip and joint problems, heart problems, even an increased risk of diabetes.

A fat dog is NOT a happy dog and you are NOT doing your pet any favors by overfeeding him or her.

6 ounces per day of home made dog food (the recipe is a little further along in this article) is sufficient for a 10 pound dog. 12 ounces is plenty for a 20 pound dog. 18 ounces for a 30 pound dog. 24 ounces for a 40 pound dog and so forth. Do not exceed 36 ounces per day no matter what your dog’s weight without consulting your vet.

The following recipe is for a two day (24 ounce) supply of dog food for a 20 pound dog. If your dog is a different weight, or if you wish to make a larger or smaller portion, simply multiply or divided accordingly.

· 8 ounces of chicken, steak, hamburger, lamb or fish, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces. Make sure all bones are removed, especially from chicken and fish.

· 8 ounces of cooked rice or oatmeal. You may also use 8 ounces of pasta as a variation.

· 8 ounces of cooked carrots or green peas. 8 ounces of green beans or even broccoli can be used instead.

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate any portion not used immediately.

Do NOT add potatoes or onion to your home made dog food.

Your home made dog food is a well-balanced meal which most dogs will readily eat. If you are unsure how much to feed your dog, please consult your vet and follow your vet’s advice.

There are two excellent dog training programs which I can personally recommend to you. One I have personally used, and the other my sister-in-law used and both programs worked miracles.

You can read all about the program my wife and I used to train our three dogs HERE.

Read about the program my sister-in-law used to train her old hound dog HERE.

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