How to Make Your Own Dog Food

Many pet owners reacted to the pet food recalls of 2007 by starting to make their dog's food themselves. It's the best way to be absolutely sure of what's in your dog's food and to know that it's safe.

Dogs tend to love homemade food better than dry dog foods because of the taste and bigger variety they often get. It doesn't have to be expensive, or take a lot of time to make your dog's favorite foods. There are many recipes that are easy, inexpensive and tasty.

There are a few things to definitely avoid when cooking for dogs. Never use chocolate, mushrooms, onions, grapes, raisons, raw meat or artificial sweeteners or fats. (Raw meats and poultry can contain bacteria, salmonella, or parasites or viruses.)

It's also important to make sure to keep the nutritional proportions close to these recommended by the National Research Council; protein 16%, fat 10%, carbohydrate 44%, calories from protein 20%. Check with your veterinarian for changes if your dog has any special needs. It doesn't hurt to add a good doggy multivitamin/mineral supplement, just to be sure your dog gets all the right nutrients.

Here are some of my dog's favorite dog food recipes. You can experiment with substitutions to find the mixtures your dog loves the best too.

Basic Dog Food

6 cups water or chicken stock
1 lb. ground turkey, chicken or lamb
2 cups brown rice
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination

Place the liquid, ground meat, rice, & rosemary into a large Dutch oven. Stir until the ground meat is broken up and evenly distributed throughout the mixture; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Refrigerate until using. Makes about 10 cups.

Stir Fried Dog Food

1 cup hamburger or ground turkey, stir-fried in 1 tbsp canola oil & drained
2 boiled eggs, chopped
½ cup cooked plain oatmeal
1 jar baby food green beans or peas
1 jar baby food carrots or squash
2 Tbsp cottage cheese

Combine all ingredients and serve at room temperature. Be sure to store unused portions in a covered container in the refrigerator and discard any remains after 3 days.

Faux Milk Bone Dog Biscuits

3/4 cup hot water
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
3 cups whole wheat flour

In large bowl pour hot water over the margarine. Stir in powdered milk, salt, and egg. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead for a few minutes to form stiff dough. Pat or roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut into bone shapes. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool. They will dry out quite hard. Makes about 1 1/4 pounds of biscuits. Costs around 30 cents per pound. These do have to be kept refrigerated after making them, since they contain no preservatives.

With just a little extra effort and very affordable ingredients, your dog's food can be healthy and delicious. And you can rest assured that your dog gets no harmful additives or by-products.

Sources for more dog food recipes:

Allrecipes.com - http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/homemade-pet-food/Detail.aspx
RecipeZaar.com - http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/pet-food
Bullwrinkle.com - http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Recipes/Recipes.htm