What Homemade Foods Can I Feed a Dog

Why Feed My Dog A Homemade Diet

How Much Homemade Dog Food To Feed My Dog?

There is a multitude of reasons why you may want to feed your dog a homemade food diet. The fact that you can have full control over the quality of your dogs food is a huge draw plus you can tailor the ingredients to your pups needs. A homemade dog food diet may be appealing to dog owners whose pups have food allergies, food sensitivities, and gastrointestinal issues. After all, if your pup has a food sensitivity to an ingredient like chicken that seems to be in just about everything, it may be hard to find a high-quality commercial dog food thats right for them. You might be more comfortable knowing that youre feeding the pup food that you yourself would eat and you can choose to eliminate unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients such as grains, corn, wheat, rice, and soy. Another draw to homemade food is you may notice your pups stools getting smaller, firmer, and less smelly as they are able to absorb more nutrients from fresh homemade pet food. If thats not a great bonus, I dont know what is.

Why You Need To Know The Exact Serving Size Of Food

You may be wondering why you even need to figure out the right serving size of homemade dog food for your pet. Some pet owners assume that they can watch a dog's weight and make sure they're not gaining or losing.

This doesn't seem right.

The consequences of feeding a dog too much or too little food are obvious. When overfeeding on calories, your dog will become obese, which then could lead to a slew of other health conditions: diabetes, joint problems, certain types of cancer, heart and respiratory issues.

Feeding a dog too much food can also lead to vitamin toxicity. In such cases, too much of a good thing could be very bad.

For example, some of the most common vitamin toxicity cases are related to Vitamin A, which can cause bone spurs, lethargy, constipation, stiffness, and limping in dogs, and Vitamin D, which can lead to vomiting blood, seizures, muscle tremors, and abdominal pain in dogs.

At the same time, if you're not feeding your dogs enough essential nutrients, they'll be at risk of nutrient deficiency and becoming malnourished.

When you haven't figured out the exact serving size of homemade dog food and do not realize a dog isn't getting all of the essential nutrients, it will become weak, and a dog's organs will start failing.

In the end, nutrient deficiency will lead to death if it's not corrected in time.

Other Tips For Making Homemade Dog Food

If you decide to make your dogs food yourself, keep the following advice in mind:

• Pay attention to nutritional requirements. Dont just assume that feeding your dog wholesome foods will meet all of his needs.
• You dont have to ensure every single meal is fully balanced. Just make sure your dogs diet is balanced over time.
• Give your dog more than just a little bit of yogurt to meet calcium requirements.
• Your dogs nutritional needs are very different than those of humans.
• Your dogs nutritional needs vary based on lifestyle, age, and more.
• Dont go overboard with the vegetables. Pay attention to proportions.
• Dogs need carbs, and grains arent always bad for them.
• Raw diets arent necessarily good or bad. Always do your research before starting one.
• Always change your dogs diet gradually to prevent digestive discomfort.

All of this shouldn't discourage you from making homemade dog food, but hopefully, it shows you you will need to put in a little more work than simply pouring kibble into your pet's bowl.

To wrap this up: although I did give my recommendation for a serving size for most homemade dog food diets in this article and my tips on how much homemade dog food to feed a dog, I cannot stress enough the importance of working with a veterinarian or canine nutritionist.

This is the only way that you can be sure you're feeding your pet an appropriate diet.

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Is There An Easier Way Learn More About How Weve Done The Work For You

We certainly agree its a lot of work to make sure your pet gets the right nutrition. It works for some people, but certainly not everyone. Thats why we developed Kafkas Organic, fresh home-cooked dog food delivery service.

After being disappointed with the low-quality processed pet food in the marketplace, our #GirlBoss founder Sarah set out to create a convenient way to feed fresh, natural pet food made from healthy ingredients, without any preservatives or additives.

Fresh pet food meal delivery We make feeding human quality healthy pet food easy & convenient for you!

Countless hours of research and formulation later, weve developed naturally balanced & complete pet food recipes with all the nutritional goodness of home cooked food, without all the chemicals, fillers, byproducts, and heavy processing.

Kafkas takes the questions and inconvenience out of feeding home cooked meals. Just throw your packs in the freezer, thaw for a few minutes when ready to feed, scoop, re-seal, throw it back in the fridge until the next meal!

How Much Homemade Dog Food Do I Feed My Dog A Serving Size Guide

Whatever kind of dog you have, chances are youve struggled with how much to feed them.

On the one hand, you dont want to underfeed them, and feeding your dog makes them so happy! On the other hand, overfeeding your dog can leave them logy and overweight, to say nothing of how it can lead to them leaving you little presents with even greater frequency.

Making homemade food for your dog can help with nutrition and be fun and fulfilling, but portion-setting can be tricky. Are you wondering, how much homemade dog food do I feed my dog? Lets take a look.

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Preparation Of Our Homemade Diet

All of the information above might seem intimidating, but I assure you that making the actual meals for our dogs takes no more than 20 minutes of actual hands-on time.

First, we cook our complex carbs, whether theyre grains, legumes, or starchy vegetables.

While that pot is simmering on the stove, we cook the meat in a separate pan in coconut oil and ground turmeric. After its cooled a bit, we add chunks of meat to our food processor and pulse until theyre broken down into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces.

Then, we gather whatever vegetables or fruits we have in the kitchen , chop them up as needed, and toss them into the food processor.

We also add a few clean, crushed eggshells to the mix. A few pulses turns all this food into smaller pieces, making them more digestible for our dogs.

Finally, we add the cooled, cooked carbs to the food processor and do a couple more pulses to combine. Everything should have a finely crumbled texture by this point.

Since dogs have short digestive tracts, its crucial that you break down the food to increase its bioavailability that is, making all the nutrients in those wholesome ingredients more digestible in a dogs system.

I prepare enough food to last my two pugs an entire week. Its unbelievably easy, and I like knowing exactly what goes into their food. Friends will watch us feed our pugs and remark that it looks good enough for them to eat!

Can I Mix Wet And Dry Dog Food

Mixing wet and dry dog food or wet and dry cat food is fine as long as both options are of high quality and meet your pets nutritional and other health needs. Quality wet and dry foods are formulated to provide your pet with all the protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they need to thrive.

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Homemade Dog Food For Small Dogs

You can feed your puppy homemade food too. It is absolutely healthy if you are careful about the quantity and the type of nutrients you are using. For puppies, it is also advised that you use hygienic and healthy ingredients for homemade dog food.

Dog genie presenting to you 2 of our all-time favorite homemade dog food for small dog within a smaller budget:

Healthy Homemade Dog Food Ingredients

Homemade Dog Food Recipe Calculator

According to WEBMD your dog needs protein from animal meat, seafood, dairy, and eggs. They need fat from meat or oil and carbohydrates from grains or vegetables. In addition, essential fatty acids from plant oils, egg yolks, oatmeal, and other foods. The question is in what amounts? After much research, we created a recipe that our dogs love they are healthy, have tons of energy, and their coats and eyes shine!

• From the Cutting Board.
• Joanies Ancient Food Processor!
• Finished Dog Food!
• Ready For Freezing!

The listed ingredients are used most of the time. Fresh meats like lean ground beef, ground turkey, and chicken gizzards provide a heavy dose of protein. Tuna, salmon, or sardines are always used. The eggs also add protein and essential oils. There are fruits and vegetables in the mix and even rice for digestion, although no wheat grains or sugars! Our homemade dog food is human grade. The main point is we know and control what goes into their food!

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Factors That Affect A Dog's Diet

When you decide to start cooking for your dog and delve into a homemade dog food diet, you'll have to do some reading and learning.

You need to fully understand the nutrients that a dog's body requires before you get to figuring out how much food to feed a dog.

Read this article to understand exact nutritional needs, which will help you figure out serving sizes.

A dog's nutritional requirements can be figured out using calculations from the National Research Council , and they will be based on several factors:

• age
• medical history
• current health condition

The type of homemade dog food diet that you choose to feed a dog will also have a huge impact on the answer to this question, how much homemade dog food to feed my dog? Not all dog food recipes are created equally.

All of them will offer different nutrients. Some will be well-balanced and can be used as a staple in a pet's diet, while others may only be good as an occasional meal.

How Much To Feed Homemade Dog Food

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. These are just starting points you will need to adjust up or down based on whether your pet is gaining or losing weight.

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Blood Tests Dont Lieand Hoochs Numbers Shifted Drastically In Just The First 6 Weeks We Made These Diet And Lifestyle Changes

He noticeably had more energy, was suffering less from inflammation, was shedding less with a more luxurious coat, and for the first time EVER he had zero bloating! NO GAS for the first time in his entire life! The best news though, was that those stage 4 kidney disease blood levels he had at his yearly checkup had climbed back up to to midrange stage 1 kidney disease blood levels! The extra time and energy invested in making his food and the other small changes we made to his lifestyle have given us more quality time with our beloved Hooch which is more than we could have ever hoped for!

If youve made our Easy Homemade Dog Food for your pup I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below! I just love hearing from you and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours. Want to be a part of our online community outside of the blog? Its easy!! All you have to do is follow @THISMESSISOURS on , , , , or to see cooking demos, and peeks into our day to day life.

• Prep Time:30

790 grams cooked organic brown rice

700 grams ground lean beef, cooked through, fat drained

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced small

207 grams carrots, shredded or thinly sliced

14 grams minced curly parsley

22 grams of olive or safflower oil

A General Guideline For Preparing Homemade Dog Food

My DIY dog food recipe is more of a general guideline, rather than an exact meal plan that I follow each week. My dogs diet changes the same way ours does, depending on what we do and what we buy or grow.

However, we almost always stay with this basic formula:

• 50 percent cooked protein
• 25 percent cooked complex carbohydrates
• Fats and supplements
• Eggshells

Protein is always meat and usually chicken, though weve also used turkey, pork, and beef. We feed any and all parts of the animals, but most commonly, we saute chicken breasts or chicken thighs in coconut oil and ground turmeric.

Coconut oil has a host of health benefits for dogs, such as improving the skin and coat, increasing energy, aiding digestion, reducing allergic reactions, promoting wound healing, preventing yeast and fungal infections, and supporting arthritis or ligament problems.

Turmeric has long been studied for its powerful medicinal properties, including its use as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

We add it to the coconut oil since it is fat-soluble, and use it to support our pugs joint health.

Speaking of dark meat, we feed thighs and breasts interchangeably. While well remove the skin from poultry and trim off excessive fat from red meat, we dont worry about buying the leanest meat possible for our dogs.

A little fat is necessary for a well-rounded diet.

They tend to be the leftovers in our produce bin, so we never have to buy, say, a whole head of cauliflower just for the dogs.

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How Much Homemade Dog Food To Feed Your Dog

Making a homemade diet for your pup is a great alternative to commercial kibble if you do it right. However, it is NOT that easy to determine the proper serving size of homemade dog food for your canine. For this reason, it is highly advisable to check with your vet to plan a nutritionally-balanced homemade diet.

Many factors must be kept in mind while calculating the nutritional requirements of your dog. Some of the most important elements among them are listed below.

• Age

After analyzing all these aspects, you will have a better understanding of the nutritional needs of your companion. Therefore, it will help you to figure out a suitable serving size for your pup.

Homemade Dog Food Serving Size: Portion Perfect

Wondering how much homemade dog food to feed your pooch? Time to polish your mathematical skills.

Follow this little formula:Weight of your dog x 16 oz = ________

Take the resultant number and multiply it by .02 to find the minimum daily amount or by .03 to find the maximum.

For instance, if your dog is 25lbs, the formula would look like this:25 x 16oz = 400400 x .02= 8oz min daily400 x .03= 12oz max daily

Easy, right? It is just basic multiplication and a onetime calculation. So, every time you think your dog has put on weight, quickly go weigh him and alter his food measurements.

Note: 1 cup full is equal to 8oz.

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What Factors Impact How Much To Feed A Dog

Several factors can impact not only how much food to feed your dog, but also what type of food he needs.

• Weight: Maintaining an ideal body condition is important for your dogs overall health. If your dog is not his ideal body condition, you may need to make adjustments in what and how much you are feeding him, says Dr. Callie Harris, DVM. Consider a weight management formula to help your dog achieve and maintain his ideal body condition. We also recommend working with your veterinarian to rule out any health concerns.
• Activity Levels: The feeding recommendations on dog food packages are based on average adult dogs with normal activity levels. If your dog gets a lot of daily exercise by going on daily runs or hikes with you, he may need more calories to meet his energy needs. Dogs who are less active and overweight may need a more managed daily caloric intake, according to Dr. Harris.
• Age: As your dog grows, his nutritional needs change. If your dog is still a puppy, he needs a puppy food for growth and development. Seniors may benefit from senior formulas that help keep older dogs active and their minds sharp. Work with your veterinarian to determine the type of food your dog needs based on his life stage and lifestyle.

Once you find a complete and balanced food that meets your dogs individual needs, you can determine how much food to feed him. The dog feeding chart on the back of his dog food package can help guide you.

How To Make Homemade Dog Food

How Much to Feed a Dog (Commercial and Homemade Foods)

• Food Processor: Before I start cooking a batch of homemade dog food, I blend up all the vegetables in my food processor. This Cuisinart food processor is my go-to. Its a bit smaller than traditional food processors but works just as well as a larger model. Blending up the veggies nice and fine will speed up the cooking process.

• Dutch Oven: I make the entire batch in my large Le Creuset round Dutch oven. I love using a Dutch oven because I can ground the meat first, and then finish off the batch right in the same pot. The process is very similar to making chili except for dogs. Ya know Dog Chili.

• Measuring Cups: Rascal has his own set of measuring cups now because it makes measuring out food ingredients and the finished batch WAY easier.

• Meal Prep Containers: This is basically meal prepping for your dog, so you will need some great Tupperware. I love using these stainless steal Tupperware bins made just for pups.

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Source: https://www.dogfoodtalk.net/how-much-homemade-dog-food-to-feed/

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