Top 10 Best Ingredients for Homemade Dog Food
While there is no shortage of commercially produced dog food, it’s fairly common for many pet owners to prepare it themselves.
One of the reasons they opt for homemade dog food for small dogs is to avoid unnecessary or unknown ingredients being consumed by their pets.
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Let’s look at some of the best ingredients for homemade dog food you can use.
By being in control of the recipe, you can be sure that it is fresh and free from components that can negatively impact your pet’s health and well-being.
Overview of Making Homemade Dog Food
Unless you are a veterinarian or a specialist in animal nutrition, you will definitely have some struggles in giving your cute companion a well-balanced meal.
Factors To Consider
- Keep in mind that each breed of dog requires a specific set of nutritional needs.
- Other factors such as gender, age, physical condition, and size also play a role in determining what components are required in their diet.
- You also have to consider portioning, shelf life, and storage because you also want to avoid spoilage.
- It goes without saying that at a glance, cooking for your beloved dachshund or other breed looks complicated.
What You Should Do
- If you’re determined to give it a shot, you must make an effort to do some research about the nutrients needed by your dog.
- Patience is also required because there’s a good chance that your hard-earned recipe may not be appetizing enough for your pet’s taste.
The Benefits
- Despite the inconveniences, the benefits your dog could gain from home-cooked meals are not to be underestimated.
- The natural, personalized taste is also a factor that no commercial product could ever replicate.
Best Ingredients for Homemade Dog Food
If you’re eager to start making home food for dogs but don’t know what to have, below are five key ingredients that should never be absent from your recipe.
Meat
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as meat is by far the essential component of your dog food recipe.
While your wiener dog can also consume plant-based ingredients, they are primarily designed by nature to eat meat.
There are two types of meat that you must include in your recipe: muscle meat and organ meat.
Muscle Meat
- Muscle meat should be your primary protein source; in fact, it must at least cover 25% up to 50% of your overall ingredients.
- One reason why muscle meat needs to be the dominant component is its amino acid content.
- Other ingredients also offer a good amount of protein, but not on the same level as muscle meat.
- Your dachshund needs a healthy amount of proteins because it constantly needs strong muscles and bones to accommodate its distinct body structure.
Organ Meat
- Organ meat is also an important ingredient for your homemade dog food.
- Besides its high-protein content, it also provides several vitamins and minerals.
- With its collection of nutritional components, it is viewed as the most nutrient-dense ingredient.
- As such, you should never forget to include it in your recipe.
- Some organ meats you can use are the heart, brain, liver, tongue, and kidney.
Calcium Sources
- If you’re cooking for your dachshund, it is one of the most important nutrients your recipe needs to have.
- A strong, functioning skeletal system is a requirement if you want it to have a good quality of life.
- Sawdust from meat shops is very easy to mix into your recipe because of its powdery form.
- Another inexpensive calcium source is crushed eggshells.
- You should have at least 10% up to 15% calcium content in your recipe.
Oils
- Contrary to popular belief, fats are essential. Without it, your beloved dachshund could easily be prone to numerous health issues.
- You can get a good dose of fats from meats, but if you used lean meat, most likely, you need fat sources to compensate.
- Vegetable oil, krill oil, and olive oil are all excellent sources of healthy fat.
- If you want to keep your sausage dog in top condition, adding a recommended amount of oil to your recipe should be mandatory.
- You should have around 10% up to 20% healthy fats in your home-cooked dog food on average.
Vegetables
- If you want your wiener dog to have a strong immune system plus other health benefits, adding vegetables to your home cooking is a must.
- As we all know, veggies and fruits are exceptional natural sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
- Some of the popular homemade vegetable dog food ingredients are carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and tomatoes.
- With their nutritional content, vegetables should cover at least 30% up to 40% of your dog food recipe.
Grains
- While there are debates concerning the importance of grains in a dog’s diet, you should not shy away from including them in your recipe.
- Just keep in mind not to use by-product grains. Oatmeal, brown rice, and other wholegrain ingredients are recommended.
- You can add grains to your dog food recipe but keep it around 5% up to 10% of your recipe.
What meat should dogs avoid?
Common meats to avoid are any processed meats like sausage, bologna, hot dogs etc. Also avoid giving your dog any rib bones as they are extremely brittle and can damage your dog’s stomach and throat.
What causes a dog to scratch excessively?
Pruritus due to skin disease is one of the most common reasons dog owners seek veterinary care. Flea allergy dermatitis, seasonal allergies or atopy, food allergies, contact dermatitis (e.g., soaps and perfumes), and sarcoptic mange (mites) are some of the most common causes of pruritus in dogs.
Is it cheaper to feed your dog chicken and rice?
Homemade Dog Food: Standard Ingredients
Dog food recipes are based on a ratio of three-fifths meat, one-fifth grain and one-fifth vegetable. … A recipe of chicken thighs, rice and carrots will cost $1.20, based on $1.50 per pound for the thighs, 75 cents per pound for carrots and 70 cents per pound for rice.
How much homemade food should I feed my dog?
Knowing how much of a home-cooked meal to feed your dog can be difficult for those just starting on the pet food journey. The rule of thumb is about 2 to 3 percent of body weight for adult dogs and cats. That translates to about 16 ounces of food for a 50-pound dog, or 4 ounces of food for a 10-pound cat.
Can dogs eat homemade dog food everyday?
It’s important homemade dog food is “complete and balanced,” meaning it meets all of the dog’s nutritional needs. It is not important, however, that every meal be complete and balanced, unless you feed the same meal every day with little or no variation.
What can you not put in homemade dog food?
Cook grains, beans, and starchy vegetables to make them easier to digest. Never add foods that are toxic to dogs. These include chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, avocados, and Macadamia nuts. If you want to mix things up, do it with the treats you feed.
Can dogs eat scrambled eggs?
How To Feed Your Dog Eggs. Eggs should be cooked before given to a dog. Cook or boil eggs plain without oil, butter, salt, seasoning, spices, or other additives. It doesn’t matter how your dog likes their eggs — sunny side up, scrambled, or hard boiled — as long as they are cooked.
Can I feed my dog ground beef and rice everyday?
Can I feed my dog ground beef and rice everyday? You can feed your dog the ground beef and rice for dogs mixture for up to a week, but I suggest starting to mix in your pup’s regular food as soon as you see that he is acting like normal. You should also be mindful if your dog has a weight problem.
Final Thoughts
- We often hear the saying, “Nothing beats a home-cooked meal.“
- That saying couldn’t be more true when it comes to cooking for your sausage dog!
- You may face difficulties, but the fun and satisfaction of cooking are one the best feelings you can have.
- Just make sure you use the best ingredients for homemade dog food to provide your dachshund with nutritious and safe food.
