how to feed your dog a homemade diet

Cooking for Your Dog: Dos & Donts of Homemade Dog Food

Dog nutrition can be tricky, especially when considering cooking for your pets. Which human foods are safe for dogs to eat? How can you ensure your homemade food will meet your dogs dietary requirements? There can be a lot of questions to answer. Additionally, there arent many sources that offer safe, healthy information on how to prepare meals for your dog at home.

Jennifer A. Larsen, DVM, MS, Ph.D., and Joe Bartges, DVM, Ph.D., board-certified veterinary nutritionists and diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Nutritiontouch on the pros and cons of cooking for your dog.

Should You Cook Your Dogs Food?

Is cooking dog food at home really better for your pup? While there may be claims made to that effect, theres no hard scientific evidence to support it. Owners are told by many sources that homemade food is superior to commercial products. However, there is no proof to support this claim, says Dr. Larsen.

Larsen cautions dog owners to be aware of fearmongering within the pet food industry. This is often driven by myths about ingredient quality. While there are no scientifically-supported benefits to homemade diets, whole ingredient-based diets are better in the long term. Commercial foods are made to be complete and balanced, adds Dr. Bartges, albeit not the most exciting of meals. Think of it as eating the same highly processed food for every meal, day after day, for years, he affirms.

Put that way, feeding your dogs a variety of whole foods makes a lot of sense. In fact, there are a multitude of reasons why you might want to prepare homemade foods for your dog, according to Dr. Larsen and Dr. Bartges. These include gaining control over your dogs diet, appeasing picky eaters, combatting food intolerance issues, concern over food recalls, or simply for the bond-building joy of preparing a home-cooked meal for your dog.

Common Mistakes When Cooking for Your Dog

When it comes to cooking for your dog, there are some things to keep in mind when it comes to sourcing recipes and ensuring that youre using dog-safe ingredients:

Not Using Trusted Sources

There are many inadequate, and sometimes dangerous recipes, available to owners, says Dr. Larsen. There are now many studies demonstrating that most of these are not balanced. Some of these may cause deficiencies in your dogs diet, while others may lead to an excess of certain nutrients. To avoid encountering unhealthy or dangerous options Dr. Larsen and Dr. Bartges recommend avoiding generic recipes from books or online sources. Some so-called nutrition experts are without proper training, and may do more harm than good.

Larsen and Bartges also suggest consulting BalanceIT.com, a site run by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, to help create a semi-individualized diet.

Not Preparing Balanced Meals

When you dont prepare balanced meals that are individualized to your pets needs, it can come at a cost. Nutrition deficiency (or excess) can lead to diseases, such as malnutrition or obesity, and can ultimately be fatal.

Each of the [approximately] 40 essential nutrients required by dogs has a specific role in the body. When they are provided in inadequate concentrations, the function is not optimal and suffering may result, explains Dr. Larsen. Similarly, nutrient excesses can also cause illness. While the impact of an unbalanced diet may be mild and not even noticed or attributed to the diet by the owner, these problems can also be very severe, and pets do not always survive.

Relying on Multiple Diets to Create Balance

Our study and my clinical experience has demonstrated that this approach is very unlikely to address problems since so many recipes share the same deficiencies, cautions Dr. Larsen.

Using Unsafe or Unhealthy Ingredients

There is a wide variety of unhealthy and unsafe foods to avoid when preparing meals for your dog. Potentially toxic ingredients are of special concern, including chocolate, xylitol, avocado, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, and macadamia nuts.

The above list isnt exhaustive and other potential issues can arise if youre not careful about ingredients. So make sure to always be aware of which foods are safe for dogs. Additionally, cites Dr. Bartes, a certain type of heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy has recently been reported in dogs eating homemade diets that are grain-free, legume-based, and high-fiber.

Not Following Recipes

Most general recipes provide vague instructions for ingredients or preparation. This leaves the owner to interpret what type of meat to use, or which supplement product to buy, warns Dr. Larson, of the potential difficulty in following dog food recipes.

Rather than improvising, its important to run any questions by a veterinary nutritionist. That way, youll be able to understand the impact that alternative ingredients might have on your dog.

Understating the Impact of Dietary Changes

Ideally, when you go about creating a custom recipe for your dog, itll be under the guidance of a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. Factors like your dogs eating history, weight, and overall health should be considered. To make sure the food youre introducing is having the desired impact, youll want to monitor your pets health for changes over time.

An Alternative to Home Cooking

Home cooking isnt for everyone, though, and it doesnt have to be. Cooking for your pet is a process thats demanding on your time, labor, space, and finances, says Dr. Larsen. Another option to provide your dog with whole ingredients is to get carefully prepared ready-made meals. There are commercial foods that can be purchased that contain whole ingredients that are pre-cooked. Which is very close to cooking, notes Dr. Bartges.

So, while you might think that cooking for your dog is better for their health, it can be just as beneficial to purchase pre-prepared food thats made with the same principles in mind. Whichever method you choose, just to make sure you are always catering to your dogs individual health and nutrition needs.

Homemade Dog Food Recipes: Choosing Balanced Ingredients

Are you considering switching your dog to a homemade diet? A good place to begin is by discussing it with your veterinarian and/or a veterinary nutritionist. You may think that sounds unnecessary when there are so many recipes for homecooked dog meals available on the internet. However, the experts say that many of those recipes were not reviewed by veterinary nutritionists to make sure they provide a nutritional, well-balanced diet for your dog. This is why some owners prefer to feed pre-made fresh food.

The American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN) warns that your dogs unique nutritional requirements will depend on the age, size, health, and breed. Also, there are dogs for whom a homemade diet may not be appropriate or might even be damaging. We generally dont recommend homemade diets for a dog less than one-year-old. If young dogs dont receive the appropriate amount of calcium and phosphorus, significant bone abnormalities may result, says Dr. Jerry Klein, AKC chief veterinarian. Pregnant and lactating dogs also have unique dietary requirements that may not be addressed by a recipe found on the internet.

The ABCs of a Balanced Dog Food Diet

Understanding the basics of what makes a homecooked diet balanced for your dog will help when you discuss the options with an expert. Here are important ingredients for the canine diet.

Protein: According to the ACVN, dogs must have protein in their diets that contain 10 specific essential amino acids their bodies cant produce. This is necessary for the creation of glucose, which transforms into energy. Sources of protein include chicken and turkey, after removing bones, fat, and skin; beef and lamb; pork in limited amounts; salmon and some other fish such as whitefish, herring, walleye, flounder, and Arctic char.

Fats and fatty acids: The most concentrated sources of fats in a dogs diet come from animal fats and plant seed oils. A healthy diet supplies the fatty acids the dogs body doesnt manufacture. Fatty acids support the function and structure of cells, keep skin and coat healthy, and enhance the taste of the food. Sources of fatty acids include plant-based oils, including corn, soybean, canola, and flaxseed oil, as well as fish oil.

Carbohydrates: Dogs get some of their energy from carbohydrates, which include sugars, starches, and dietary fibers. Sources includerice, pasta, oatmeal, and quinoa.

Fiber: Dogs need fiber in their diet to keep their gastrointestinal (GI) system functioning and to help them from becoming overweight. Good sources of fiber for dogs include carrots, pumpkin, apples, dark leafy greens, brown rice, and flaxseed.

Vitamins: Vitamins are required for growth and maintenance. Vitamin deficiencies can cause a variety of health problems; however, they can also be dangerous in large quantities.

Vitamins dogs require include A (carrots, pumpkin), B vitamins (liver, green vegetables, whole grains), C (fruits and vegetables, organ meat), D (liver, fish, beef), E (leafy green vegetables, liver, bran, plant oils), K (fish, leafy green vegetables, fish), and choline (liver, fish, meats, egg yolks).

Minerals: There are 12 essential minerals for dogs:

• Calcium (tofu, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower) and phosphorus (meat, eggs) for strong bones and teeth.
• Magnesium, potassium, sodium, and chloride (fruits, vegetables, whole grains) for nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, and cell signaling.
• Sulfur (meat, fish, molasses) for healthy skin, coat, and nails.
• Iron (red meats, poultry) for supporting red blood cells and the immune system.
• Iodine (dairy, kelp, seafood) for a healthy thyroid.
• Zinc (eggs, lamb, liver, brewers yeast) for the immune system, healthy skin, and coat.
• Selenium (meat, vegetables, seafood, brown rice) to boost the immune system.
• Copper (whole grains, seeds, and seafood) for healthy bone growth.

Water: We sometimes overlook this important ingredient of a healthy dogs diet, but there really is no dog food that contains enough water for your dog. Keep clean, fresh water out always.

Making the Transition

Consult a veterinarian: If youve decided to transition your dog to a homemade diet, your first step should be to consult a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist. Those experts will consider your dogs age, size, and health history and help you identify a high-quality recipe that is tailored to meet your dogs specific nutritional needs.

Buying ingredients: When you buy ingredients for your dogs homemade meals, you need to pay as much attention to the source, expiration dates, and labels as you do when you buy food for yourself.

Making the switch gradually: Whenever you change your dogs food, whether to a homemade diet or a new commercial food, a gradual switch is best to avoid upsetting your dogs GI system. For at least five-to-seven days, gradually mix in more and more of the new food with the old food, as you allow your dog to adjust to the change.

Follow the recipe: Be sure to follow the recipe. Tufts Cummings Veterinary Medical Center Clinical Nutrition Service published a study to determine how well owners adhered to homecooked diet recipes a median of one year later. Only 13 percent were still feeding the original nutritionally balanced diet recipe.

Clear instructions: Instructions about preparation and quantities are important. The way you cook the ingredients for example, steam, roast, or boil can impact the nutrition of the diet. Substituting or adding ingredients can also cause nutritional deficiencies. A study reported in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported that a lack of clear instructions in many recipes forces pet owners to make assumptions that can result in food that is nutritionally inadequate and can even be harmful if fed to your dog on a long-term basis.

Follow-up:Once youve made the transition, pay attention to any digestive changes your dog may have. If his stool softens, he vomits, or has diarrhea, check in with the veterinarian. Whenever you change your dogs diet, you also need to monitor his weight. It may take a while to determine the correct portions for his size, age, and energy level.

Resources for the Chef

• Your best resource and first stop is your dogs veterinarian, who knows your dog and has a thorough understanding of his health history and current condition.
• A good resource to help find a veterinary nutritionist for a homemade diet consultation is the Diplomate directory at www.acvn.org. If there isnt a nutritionist in your area, you can consult with one remotely.
• An alternative option is to use the online consulting service called BalanceIT, a site operated by a veterinary nutritionist to formulate a basic, nutritionally balanced recipe.

• Another site that provides answers to your questions is: Ask the Nutritionist
• ChefPaw is the latest way to provide your pup with nutritious and delicious meals, giving you a more efficient way to prepare homemade dog food. VisitChefPaw.comto learn more

ChefPaw by Innovet Pet Products is helping you take full control of your dogs diet with the first countertop Dog Food Maker of its kind. Striving to save you time and money while maximizing your dogs nutrition, ChefPaw can make fresh, homemade food for your dog in 40 minutes. At ChefPaw, your pets happiness and well-being take center stage.