Posts Tagged ‘Diet’s’
Healthy Homemade Dog Food Diets
How to Make Healthy Well-Balanced Food and Treats for Your Dog
There are numerous reasons a dog owner might decide to start using a homemade dog food diet for their dog instead of a commercially available diet.
Many people are concerned about the safety of commercial diets, especially since the massive pet food recall which occurred in 2007 as a result of melamine contamination.
Some people feel a homemade dog food diet allows fresher ingredients for their dog, thereby promoting their dog’s health and well-being. These people dislike the idea of feeding preservatives to their dog and feel a homemade dog food diet is more natural for their dog.
Some people feel that cooking and preparing the foods for their dog allows them to bond more deeply with their dog.
Some dogs have medical issues such as allergies which some owners feel are better managed through the use of homemade diets.
Some dogs have multiple concurrent medical issues which no commercially prepared diet is specifically designed to treat. Homemade diets allow manipulation of ingredients to better allow managing specific nutrient requirements.
How to Make a Healthy Homemade Dog Food Diet for Your Dog
The main objective to formulating any dog food, homemade or otherwise, is to provide a nutritionally balanced food which provides all the essential nutrients necessary to maintain a dog’s health and well-being. Evaluating a homemade dog food diet for complete and balanced nutrition can be difficult, especially if the diet changes from one day to the next as is often the case. One of the major concerns with any homemade dog food diet is that if the diet is not complete, it could lead to serious long-term health effects for the dog.
Any homemade dog food diet must start with a source of protein and a source of carbohydrates. Potential protein sources for a homemade dog food diet are:
skinless chicken breast – roasted
ground beef – pan browned
pork loin – broiled
lamb chop – broiled
Atlantic salmon – baked
whole egg – hard boiled
cottage cheese
tofu
Potential sources of carbohydrates for homemade dog food diets include:
long-grained white rice – cooked
long-grained brown rice – cooked
white potatoes – baked, flesh and skin
sweet potatoes – baked, flesh only
spaghetti – enriched, cooked
oats – cooked
barley – pearled, cooked
couscous – cooked
tapioca – dry
Once a proper protein and carbohydrate source are chosen, a recipe or number of recipes need to be developed and balanced to provide complete nutrition. For the average dog owner, properly balancing a diet to provide adequate nutrition over a span of years for their dog is a nearly impossible task. Ideally, a diet should be formulated with the aid of a nutrition expert who has the knowledge to develop a well-balanced, nutritionally complete diet for your dog.
If your dog is a young, healthy adult dog with no medical issues, it is possible to purchase a customized diet certified by a veterinary nutritionist for a nominal fee. These diets are not recommended for young puppies, for senior dogs which are debilitated or for dogs with medical health issues requiring a specialized diet. These diets can be purchased through companies such as Pet Diets and Balance It.
Some nutritional companies can also provide you with recipes for homemade dog treats in addition to a well-balanced dog food diet you can make yourself.
Potential Hazards Associated with Homemade Dog Food DietsIf your dog has medical issues, many veterinary nutritionists are willing to work in conjunction with your veterinarian to develop a homemade dog food diet which will meet your dog’s individual needs. You should consult your veterinarian if you feel this option is one you wish to pursue for your dog.
As previously stated, the primary hazard associated with feeding a homemade dog food diet is that the diet may not be well-balanced nutritionally and may, over time, cause your dog to become malnourished. By making certain that well-balanced recipes are chosen and followed closely at home while making your dog’s meals, this should not be a major concern. However once a balanced homemade dog food diet is formulated, you should resist the temptation to add to or change the diet.
Contaminants such as E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter, Yersinia and other bacteria can become a problem with raw meat. As with foods for human consumption, all meat and poultry should be well cooked to help control these contaminants.
When making your dog’s homemade dog food diet, use the same precautions in the kitchen which you would use when preparing a meal for yourself.
Wash your hands thoroughly before handling any foodstuffs.
Use a dedicated cutting board for handling meats and poultry.
Thaw frozen meat in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
Do not allow meat to thaw and then refreeze.
By carefully choosing the ingredients for your dog’s homemade dog food diet, it is possible to provide a good nutritious meal plan for your dog. However, no matter how well thought out and planned the homemade dog food diet is, your dog still needs to be monitored carefully for signs of malnourishment.
If feeding a homemade puppy food to a young growing dog, special care needs to be taken as puppies and young adult dogs can suffer the effects of malnutrition more quickly, often showing greater severity than adult dogs.
Written by Lorie Huston
Working as a veterinarian for the past 20+ years, Lorie has developed a strong desire to help pet owners keep their pets healthy by educating them on
More Diet Articles
Frozen Dog Food Diets
Advantages and Disadvantages of Utilizing Raw Food for Dogs
Frozen dog food diets such as those produced by Nature’s Variety have become much more popular in the recent past. These diets have gained in popularity since the 2008 recall of huge numbers of commercially prepared pet food diets. However, these frozen dog food diets remain controversial.
What are Frozen Dog Food Diets?
Frozen dog foods are raw foods which are commercially produced and pre-packaged. These diets allow dog owners the luxury of providing their dogs with raw meat diets without having to do as much preparation as many of the home-cooked dog food diets require.
Frozen dog food diets are basically BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diets. Frozen dog foods may contain beef, chicken, lamb, venison or other raw meat ingredients.
At least one manufacturer (Nature’s Variety) produces frozen dog food from meats which have been inspected by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). These same raw meat diets have also undergone feeding trials following the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) protocols.
These diets are available in patties shaped much like a hamburger or as smaller bite sized morsels.
These diets are meant to be served raw, thawed to room temperature without cooking. However, some people prefer to cook the meat or lightly sear it.
Advantages of Frozen Dog Food DietsFrozen dog food diets should be handled in the kitchen in the same way you would treat beef or chicken for human consumption. Always wash utensils, plates, bowls and other items which have contacted the food thoroughly. Handle the meat wearing gloves and wash your hands thoroughly before and after handling. Do not allow meat to thaw and then refreeze.
Proponents of feeding frozen dog food diets argue that raw meat diets more closely resemble what wild dogs would eat. They also point to the fact that wolves eat a raw meat diet in the wild and believe that dogs are descended from wolves. These people feel that BARF (Bones and Raw Food) diets are a more natural diet for dogs than canned or dry foods.
Proponents of feeding frozen dog food diets also claim that dogs receiving this diet:
have an improved hair and skin coat with less shedding
have fewer allergic skin problems
are less likely to be overweight
have healthier teeth
have smaller, firmer feces
have increased energy levels
Disadvantages of Frozen Dog Food Diets
Those who are opposed to feeding frozen dog food diets argue that these diets present an increased hazard to both the dog and the food handler. They point to the fact that raw meat diets have a higher potential for bacterial contamination which can affect both pets and people.
A study performed by staff of the Colorado State University in conjunction with the USDA was published in the Feb 2006 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. This study evaluated 21 different raw meat diets which had been obtained from 3 different locations. This study found that over 50% of the samples contained E. coli and over 5% of the samples contained Salmonella. E.coli andSalmonella are both bacteria which can be responsible for severe intestinal disease in dogs and people. This same study detected that 99% of the raw meat diets, almost all of them, had some type of contamination. The study concluded that “owners feeding their pets these diets should be concerned about their pet’s health as well as their own health.”
The debate surrounding these frozen dog food diets and BARF or raw food dog diets will continue. Those involved with both sides of the issue feel very strongly. As a dog owner, if you are contemplating feeding one of these diets to your dog, you will need to weigh the risks and benefits of the diet and decide for yourself whether a frozen diet is right for you and your dog.
Written by Lorie Huston
Working as a veterinarian for the past 20+ years, Lorie has developed a strong desire to help pet owners keep their pets healthy by educating them on