Highly-processed foods also tend to lose nutritional value, whereas making dog food from scratch maintains more of the vital nutrients during the cooking process. With fresh food, you know exactly what your dog is getting versus reading the label and being confused by all the included additives and preservatives. With that being said, homemade dog foods can require a significant amount of time and effort to get right. Homemade dog food needs to contain all the nutrients that your dog needs to be healthy, but those nutrients also need to be included in the right amounts so that your dog doesn’t get too much or too little of any nutrient. A veterinary nutritionist has specialized training to help pet parents like yourself make nutritionally balanced meals for your dog. The recipes in this article have all been reviewed by our veterinary consultant with this goal in mind.
It’s a good idea to have the recipes in this article handy in case you happen to run out of dog food. Treat your dog as you would any of your other family members by preparing nutritious food from trusted ingredients.
What Nutrition Guidelines Should You Follow? Quote Form WidgetJust like humans, every dog is different, so this is not meant to be a one-pup-fits-all rule. Serving size, your dog’s weight, health conditions, size, and activity level are all factors you should take into consideration when determining what’s right for your dog.
However, in general, there are six basic nutrients required for dogs to maintain a healthy, balanced diet: water, protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. A mix of these nutrients provides energy for your dog’s body to metabolize and grow.
To make sure your dog is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs, you may want to add a fully balanced nutrition blend, like one of these blends from Just Food For Dogs. And, in addition to meals, you may also want to add a multivitamin like Zesty Paws Multivitamin Chews to make sure your pup is getting the recommended balance of vitamins and minerals.
Check with your vet before adding any type of supplement to your dog’s diet, because over-supplementation of vitamins and minerals can sometimes have serious health consequences in dogs.