Today, J- and I made dog food from scratch.
Yes, our dogs are spoiled.
But also, our poodle, Tobi, is getting older and has been unable to digest hard food, and our springer-lab mix Lily has been suffering from skin rashes! We have been buying refrigerated dog food (affectionately called "chicken log," or "dog bologna") but find that it is just way TOO expensive to feed both dogs- especially Lily, our mixed breed pup who needs over a pound of food a day.
Well, this doesn't save us way too much money, but we think it is the desirable alternative to dry kibble and chicken log.
Here's the breakdown-
1) Dog food needs to be 50% LEAN protein. Chicken, Turkey, Beef, and Pork. Dogs cannot digest too much fat and it will give them diarrhea. Also, giving dogs organ meat is extremely healthy. For this weeks batch we bought lean ground beef.
2) 25% needs to be a starch. Whole oats, brown rice, or mashed potatoes. We used brown rice. You need to overcook the starch just a little bit so that it is easier for your pet to digest. (Added bonus- I made double the brown rice we would need and fired up some fried rice with veggies for me and my honey's dinner.)
3) The other 25% needs to be fruits and veggies. There are lots of fruits and veggies that dogs cannot eat! It is important that you do the research before you feed anything to your dog. (This recipe included! I did a lot of research before I started making them food!) Tonight we used carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach. To prepare the vegetables, you need to boil them until soft and then puree in a blender. Dogs can't digest veggies as well as meat, so it's important to go ahead and break it down.
4) A complete doggy multi-vitamin! Make sure it has calcium! Several sources suggested adding bonemeal- J and I just decided to buy a multivitamin with calcium. This way you can be sure your doggies are getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need. Most commercially produced dog food does include vitamin supplements.
Josh and I feel really good that we can eat what our doggies are eating. And they loved it! J tried it and said it was bland- but that's okay. Most spices will upset your dogs stomach, and dogs have a different palate than us humans... so it doesn't taste bad to them!
Remember, please do your own research before making your own dog food. I am just sharing my own thoughts and recipes here.
Thanks for reading, and good luck!
Much love,
EE
Yes, our dogs are spoiled.
But also, our poodle, Tobi, is getting older and has been unable to digest hard food, and our springer-lab mix Lily has been suffering from skin rashes! We have been buying refrigerated dog food (affectionately called "chicken log," or "dog bologna") but find that it is just way TOO expensive to feed both dogs- especially Lily, our mixed breed pup who needs over a pound of food a day.
Well, this doesn't save us way too much money, but we think it is the desirable alternative to dry kibble and chicken log.
Here's the breakdown-
1) Dog food needs to be 50% LEAN protein. Chicken, Turkey, Beef, and Pork. Dogs cannot digest too much fat and it will give them diarrhea. Also, giving dogs organ meat is extremely healthy. For this weeks batch we bought lean ground beef.
2) 25% needs to be a starch. Whole oats, brown rice, or mashed potatoes. We used brown rice. You need to overcook the starch just a little bit so that it is easier for your pet to digest. (Added bonus- I made double the brown rice we would need and fired up some fried rice with veggies for me and my honey's dinner.)
3) The other 25% needs to be fruits and veggies. There are lots of fruits and veggies that dogs cannot eat! It is important that you do the research before you feed anything to your dog. (This recipe included! I did a lot of research before I started making them food!) Tonight we used carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach. To prepare the vegetables, you need to boil them until soft and then puree in a blender. Dogs can't digest veggies as well as meat, so it's important to go ahead and break it down.
4) A complete doggy multi-vitamin! Make sure it has calcium! Several sources suggested adding bonemeal- J and I just decided to buy a multivitamin with calcium. This way you can be sure your doggies are getting all of the vitamins and minerals they need. Most commercially produced dog food does include vitamin supplements.
Josh and I feel really good that we can eat what our doggies are eating. And they loved it! J tried it and said it was bland- but that's okay. Most spices will upset your dogs stomach, and dogs have a different palate than us humans... so it doesn't taste bad to them!
Remember, please do your own research before making your own dog food. I am just sharing my own thoughts and recipes here.
Thanks for reading, and good luck!
Much love,
EE