For dog owners, understanding the ingredients in your pup's food is a natural concern. While commercially available dog food states “chicken” on the bag, the actual composition can be unclear. A homemade diet offers more control over your dog's nutritional intake, providing numerous benefits compared to store-bought options. This article explores the advantages of homemade diets, essential nutrients, recipes, and expert recommendations.
Benefits of Homemade Dog Food
Making your dog’s food at home offers several advantages:
- High-Quality Ingredients: You have the freedom to purchase the freshest, highest-quality ingredients available.
- Dietary Control: Home cooking is a good option for dogs with food allergies or other dietary sensitivities, allowing you to avoid problematic ingredients.
- Increased Palatability: Dogs who struggle to eat enough food due to illness or pickiness may eat more of a homemade diet, as dry kibble tends to be the least appealing.
Essential Nutrients for a Balanced Homemade Diet
A balanced homemade meal for your dog should include protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Regular weight checks are crucial to ensure your dog maintains a healthy weight.
Protein
When a dog eats protein, their body breaks it down into amino acids, which are then reassembled into the proteins they need. The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) sets standards for dog food, with minimum protein percentages of 22.5% for puppies and 18% for adults and seniors on a dry matter basis.
Fats
Fats are an excellent source of energy and enhance food palatability. Essential fatty acids, which the dog’s body cannot produce, must be included in the diet.
Read also: Canine Kidney Diet: Ingredient Breakdown
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy and fiber, supporting digestive health. Good sources include cooked grains and certain vegetables.
Vitamins and Minerals
Small amounts of vitamins and minerals are essential for a dog’s diet. Deficiencies can lead to rapid illness.
Homemade Liquid Diet Recipes
Here are some recipes for homemade liquid diets, tailored to meet your dog's nutritional needs.
Recipe 1: Balance.it Recipe for a 50-Pound Dog
This recipe, created by Balance.it, is designed for a 9-year-old, spayed female dog weighing 50 pounds. Combine all ingredients and mix well. This recipe provides one day’s worth of food. MSPCA-Angell AMC emphasizes that the supplement, Balance IT® Canine, is essential and not optional.
Allowed substitutions include boned fish, lean ground turkey, beef, or lamb as a protein source, and potatoes, yams, or pasta as a carbohydrate source.
Read also: Managing Canine Lymphoma with Diet
Recipe 2: Gelatin Blocks for Hydration
Gelatin blocks are a great way to provide hydration, especially if water intake is limited.
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into ice cube trays, small muffin pans, or small paper cups.
Recipe 3: Smoothie-Style Liquid Diet
- Blend all ingredients in a blender until very smooth and thin.
- Pour into small paper cups or muffin pans.
Recipe 4: High-Calorie, Meatloaf-Style Recipe
- Mix all ingredients together, much like a meatloaf. This recipe yields approximately 2000 calories per pound.
- This makes a large batch, which can be halved for easier mixing.
Recipe 5: Soft Baked Treats
- Mix the ingredients together.
- Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and use cookie cutters to shape into portion sizes, or form into a log and slice into treat-sized portions.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
- Refrigerate due to the absence of preservatives or alum.
Recipe 6: Chicken and Rice Pate
- Process all dry ingredients to a flour-like consistency.
- Add eggs and coconut oil and process.
- Boil the chicken and reserve the broth. Process the chicken to a pate consistency.
- Boil the rice in the chicken broth and process to a soft, baby cereal consistency.
- Puree and strain watermelon and blueberries.
Recipe 7: Raw Meatballs
- Mix all ingredients raw and shape into meatballs of appropriate size for swallowing without chewing.
- Separate meatballs into meal sizes and store in freezer bags.
Recipe 8: Bone Broth
Bone broth is rich in glucosamine, chondroitin, and hyaluronic acid, which support joint health. It also aids in liver detoxification by providing glycine.
- Purchase beef marrow bones and turkey necks from the butcher.
- Add to a large crockpot with about 2 inches of water above the bones.
- Add one tablespoon of raw apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice) to help draw minerals out of the bones.
- Cook in the crockpot on low for 24 hours.
- Strain to remove solids, leaving only the broth.
- Once chilled, skim the excess fat off the top.
- Freeze in small containers or ice cube trays for easy dispensing, or store in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Hydration Tips for Dogs on Liquid Diets
Ensuring proper hydration is crucial, especially for dogs on a kibble-based diet. Dry kibble absorbs moisture during digestion, potentially leading to chronic dehydration.
Hydrating Kibble
Moistening kibble eases digestion and maintains hydration. Consider adding:
- Filtered Water
- Coconut Water
- Bone Broth
- Goat's Milk
- Decaffeinated Green Tea (for added cancer prevention benefits)
Freeze these liquids in ice cube trays or silicone molds for convenient use.
Read also: Diet for Seizures in Dogs
Addressing Digestive Issues with Homemade Diets
For dogs with digestive issues like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), homemade diets can be tailored to their specific needs.
Recipe for Dogs with IBD
This recipe is designed for a 17-lb Havanese and provides three days’ worth of food. Note that while this diet was designed for dogs with IBD, other dogs can enjoy it as an occasional meal. Protein sources and vegetables can be adjusted, but chicken is often contraindicated. Cruciferous vegetables, which can cause gas, should be avoided for dogs with IBD.
Ingredients to Avoid in Homemade Dog Food
Certain ingredients should never be included in homemade dog food due to potential health problems:
- Chocolate
- Macadamia nuts
- Grapes
- Raisins
- Xylitol (a sugar substitute)
- Onions
- Garlic
- Chives
- Cooked bones that haven’t been ground up
- Raw bones, meat, fish, or egg
Expert Recommendations
While some veterinarians support homemade raw food diets, the American Veterinary Medical Association does not endorse them. If your dog has medical issues, consult your veterinarian for specific nutritional needs and recommendations for a certified veterinary nutritionist.
The Raw Food Diet (BARF)
The Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) diet, developed by Australian veterinarian Dr. Ian Billinghurst, suggests that the diet a dog evolved to eat over millions of years is the best way to feed it. However, this approach is not universally supported by the veterinary community.