Feeding your dog a well balanced diet with recipes for homemade dog food may be easier than you think. The recent pet food recall has left many of us asking about the safety as well as the quality of our pets’ food. Can the suppliers and manufacturers of pet foods be trusted or has that trust been broken?

Many pet owners are turning to their kitchen to try to keep their pet safe. There are many great books out there containing recipes for homemade dog foods. Just remember to keep a few basic facts in mind when choosing the ones that are right for your dog.

First, a well balanced diet for a dog consists of 40% meat. 30% vegetables, and 30% protein. These are their needs over time, it does not mean that every recipe that you select contain these proportions.

Remember to always cook your pets meat. Many people believe that since dogs killed their prey for thousands of years and ate the meat raw that they should continue to eat their meat raw. What you need to keep in mind when making this decision is that the dog is no longer killing their prey. We are. And as we are processing it, sometimes it comes into contact with salmonella and other forms of bacteria. So although raw meat sounds like a good idea, there are other things to consider.

Some foods are toxic to dogs.

Alcoholic Beverages can cause intoxication, coma and sometimes death

Bones from Fish and Poultry can obstruct or lacerate the digestive system,

Coffee, Tea or any other form of Caffeine can be toxic and cause problems with the heart and nervous system

Citrus Oil Extracts can cause vomiting

Grapes and Raisins can cause damage to the kidneys

Large Amounts of Liver can cause vitamin A toxicity (affects muscles and bones)

Macadamia Nuts contain unknown toxin which affects the digestive and nervous system.

Mushrooms can contain toxins which can cause shock and result in death

Onions and Garlic can cause anemia (many homemade recipes contain small amounts of garlic which is widely thought to be acceptable for dogs - poisonous for cats however)

Raw eggs can lead to skin and coat problems

Raw fish if fed regularly can lead to loss of appetite, seizures and sometimes death

Work your homemade dog food recipes around these basic facts.

Wendy and Jack Volhald, well known and respected dog trainers, have been making their own homemade dog foods for over 30 years. In their book, Dog Food Secrets, they share some of their recipes for homemade dog foods that have enabled their dogs to live longer and longer with each generation. According to a National Survey done by the Newfoudland Club of America, the normal lifespan of a Newfoundland in 1998 was 6.2-6.7 years. Using the recipes for homemade dog foods found in their book, Dog Food Secrets, their dogs live to be up to 15 years of age.

We all love our pets and want only the best for them. You may feel as though you can’t make your own recipes for homemade dog foods, there are many books out there to help. Just remember, we have been successfully feeding our children well balanced diets for years and with a little knowledge you can feed your best friend too. At least you’ll know what they are eating.