It seems like a no brainer to cook the food for your pet. After all, you would cook homemade food for your kids. But there are some things to consider before jumping in paws first into homemade dog food.
Dog nutrition is completely different from a human diet. So, you have to do your research and make sure you’re incorporating everything they need to thrive. Here we go over some of the pros and cons of homemade dog food.
Should You Really Cook Your Dog’s Food?
The question all comes down to whether cooking at home is actually better for your pup. While some common sense and anecdotal evidence seem to suggest it is, there aren’t any scientific studies to back this up.
It’s important that dog owners are suspicious of any fearmongering tactics and don’t fall into the trap of doing something that might not even benefit their dog because they were told it was better. Your commercially available dog food has been formulated to be complete and balanced.
But, commercial dog food is super processed, boring, and doesn’t taste that great. For those reasons, homemade dog food made of whole ingredients makes sense. You’ll be able to have better control of your dog’s diet, make picky pooches happy, eliminate food intolerances and allergies, and can eliminate the fear of future dog food recalls.
The Most Common Mistakes of Homemade Dog Food
There are many common mistakes dog owners make when formulating their own homemade dog food recipes. Here are the ones we see the most.
Not Following Recipes or Sourcing Recipes from Unreliable Sources
While there are a ton of recipes out there on the internet most are vague and don’t give concrete measurements and ingredients.
Rather than trusting blindly, or improvising, the correct formulation for your dog bring the recipes you’re considering into your vet. They’ll let you know the tweaks you should make to get it to a complete and balanced meal for your pet.
Using Unhealthy or Unsafe Ingredients for Dogs
While most owners know that chocolate is a no-no for their canine there is a whole list of foods that are unhealthy for fido.
Some of the most dangerous, and potentially toxic, ingredients are:
- Avocado
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Tomatoes
- Asparagus
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Garlic
- Chocolate
- Macadamia Nuts
- Xylitol
- Raisins
- And More
This is by no means an exhaustive list but it’s a good start of the things you should avoid feeding your pet. Make sure you always double-check with your vet before adding a new ingredient to the regular schedule.
Also, some studies have suggested a correlation between a heart condition known as, dilated cardiomyopathy and a homemade diet that is grain-free, legume-based, and high in fiber. This is also something problematic with the grain-free trend in commercial dog food.
At the end of the day, always ask your vet before changing your dog’s diet and see what they think about homemade dog food.
You Don’t Have to Cook Homemade Dog Food
Cooking fresh food for your pets is labor-intensive and not necessarily any better for their health than commercial meals. Find a quality commercial dog food producer and source some of the fresh made commercial products to take some of the burden off.
If your dog isn’t seeming like themselves definitely always go to the vet first and be completely honest about what they’re eating. They could be lacking some vital nutrients.
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