Choosing to give food to your pet homemade raw dog food is a big step and should not be studied lightly. For all those not used to homemade and/or fresh feeding, this is often a tense and difficult decision, because of the numerous risks new diets may have. However, when done properly, fresh dog food meals can be one of the very healthiest nutritional changes youll lead to your pet.
Raw dog food recipes, Theres a lot of talk about raw feeding and how this diet is based on the way dogs ancestors survived in the wild. But its important not to romanticize uncooked dog food diets. With all the advantages, like any other type of food, they also have their negatives. Its no secret that it takes more time to make homemade meals, it can be more costly, and bacterial contamination is a large concern when not doing it correctly.
For the uninitiated, raw feeding is exactly what it sounds like: a diet that includes uncooked and unprocessed ingredients. Because the foods are uncooked and havent been tampered with, that means they may be raw and wholesome, and when prepared right, will be the best choice for your dog.
Foods in raw dog food recipes most commonly include meats, eggs, seeds, nut products, grains, more fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, coffee beans, dried fruits (without additives) plus some others.
Before we explore among the better raw dog food recipes that you can try, lets have a closer go through the benefits and drawbacks of preparing raw dog food recipes for your furry pal. There are plenty of meals out there, however, not all are safe or befitting all canines.
While disadvantages do exist, as with every other diet, if you still do it, you as well as your dog can happily benefit from the benefits associated with organic dog food. And theyre numerous:
stronger immune system
better overall health
better skin and coat
more muscle mass
more energy
better digestion and better long-term health of the digestive and urinal tracts
How do you achieve it?Below Ill list seven of the greatest uncooked dog food dishes predicated on what your pet requires in his diet. But you shouldnt simply follow the recipes; you need to clearly understand what goes into making safe homemade raw dog food for your Fido.
If possible, which when it comes to raw feeding isnt always the case, try to work with your veterinarian or a canine nutritionist to find out your dogs exact nutritional needs and adjust the diet based on that. Your pets requirements will vary depending on his age group, general health condition, weight, activity level and breed.
Some of the most important things for you to remember to include:
Calcium, calcium, calcium
One of the primary problems of some bad organic dog food quality recipes youll find online is the lack of calcium. Many dog owners are afraid to include bones in their dogs food, but bones are crucial for the calcium and other minerals they have. A proper raw dog meals includes between % and % bone. This means that about a 1 / 3 of the food must include nice, meaty bones. These can be chicken wings, necks, legs or thighs, turkey necks, lamb necks or ribs, beef tail bones, and also others.
Dont skip the organs
Because we stopped eating organ meat, for the most part, we also forget to include it inside our canines diet. However, organs such as livers, kidneys, lungs, hearts, brain, etc., will be the most nutrient-rich elements of the animal. In the event that you neglect on the organs then you either have to add a lot of artificial supplements (of which point youre lacking the purpose of an organic dog food diet) or youll leave your pet malnourished. An effective raw dog meals formula includes ranging from % and % organs. Liver organ is usually easy and simple for someone to find. However, if the only organ youre heading relating to your dogs diet is liver organ, then dont make it more than % of the meals because then you can overdose your dog on some vitamins, like Vitamin A. Only go above % of organ meat, if youre using liver with other organs.
Muscle meat is the base of a raw dog food diet
Muscle meat should make up % to % of your dogs raw dog food meal (depending on how much organ meat youre using). Muscle meat is the key source of and also vitamins, protein and enzymes.
Dont skip it. Proper raw dog food recipes must include one of the following:
beef (ground, cheek, stewing)
beef heart (but not more than 5% of the diet, since its very rich)
bison (ground or stewing)
lamb (stewing, ground, shoulder or breast)
pork (cushion, boneless rib, loin, shoulder or butt)
chicken (breasts or boneless thighs)
turkey (ground, boneless thighs, breast or tenderloin)
Fat is important (but accuracy is vital)
Fat is another place where many homemade raw dog food recipes fail some owners use too much fat in their dogs diets, while others skip on it entirely. Remember that dietary fat is not what makes your dog gain weight; its the over-consumption of calories.
Fat in itself is as important as protein in the dogs diet; you just dont need because much of it. Generally, the fat in your dogs foodshouldnt go above %.
Fruits and veggies are nice (in smaller amounts)
Some people think it is surprising, but canines arent actually obligatory carnivores they may be omnivorous. Even in the wild, canines dont just eat meat and will munch of things like berries. Being a long lost relative of bears with a detailed DNA sequence, its not amazing.
Veggies and fruits provide vitamins, minerals, prebiotics, chlorophyll, flavonoids, carotenoids, materials, and more. However, this doesnt mean that they should be the main part of your dogs diets. Muscle meat, meaty bones, organs and a bit of excess fat are whats essential. Fruits and veggies are welcomed, but moderation is key.
Limit the grains as much as possible
Raw dog food proponents do not believe that most grains, and mealss like peas and potatoes should be welcomed in your dogs diet. While dogs can break down them, they dont bring anything dietary (Souliere, ; PDF) to your dogs diet that could warrant their addition. Most training dog goodies do include a little numbecomer of grains and thats fine, nevertheless, you really dont need to add them in your dogs fresh food meals.
Variety over time can be good (but not essential)
As with all the things in life, variety and long-term balance can be good, but this will depend. Generalmost ally, canines do not require as much variety in their diet as humans do; they can eat the same food that they enjoy for lengthy intervals.
So if your raw dog food meals are complete and nutritionally balanced, as well as your dog loves them, youll be able to stick to just one single. But its better to utilize a veterinarian or canine nutritionist upon this and determine whether youll need to change it up now and again.
Chicken and carrots
Beef and greens
Chicken and greens
Turkey and greens
Sweet turkey
Chicken and beef delight
Chicken and turkey with a fish twist