Make your own dog food recipe

If you are thinking of making your own dog food here are some simple steps to follow:

1. Meat is the most important ingredient. Make sure the meat is fresh – the best kind to use is meat from a meat processor or butcher. They can grind the meat up for you if you would like them to. The meat can be beef, lamb or chicken (some people also use fish).

2. Vegetables need to be added to every meal. The best vegetables to use are broccoli, yams, beets, sweet potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, cucumber and squash. Stay away from beans, spinach, chard, garlic, bell peppers, potatoes, onions, beet greens and spinach as these have been known to lead to digestive problems and red blood cell damage.

3. The best way to figure out how much food to feed your dog is to take its body weight and then multiply it by 0.4. This will give you the number of ounces your dog needs to eat every day and from there you can decide how those ounces should be served.

Natural dog food

You can feed natural ingredients to your dog in cooked or raw form. The most important thing is to make sure that they get the nutrients they need in the amounts they need.

Naturally made healthy dog food is far more convenient than commercially made dog food. While most people prefer commercially bagged or canned dog food because of its ease, the dog food you make yourself will save you time and money in the long run. The ingredients for your dogs food do not have to be expensive – they are basically the same foods that you are buying for your family. Another reason home made or natural food is better is that, in the long run, it saves you time and money on trips to the veterinarian and gives you more time with your pet (dogs who eat natural food live longer).

Homemade dog food is healthy

While it is certainly easy to run out to the store and grab a bag of the cheapest doggie kibble available, this is not what is best for the four legged member of your family. Dogs have dietary needs just like humans do and often, the commercially made dog food does not cater to these needs. By paying attention to your dogs nutrition and the ingredients of his food, you are making sure that your dog leads a long and healthy life. Isn’t your best friend worth it?

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This may have been good for the time.

But it made some people very powerful. And, inevitably, this power corrupted.

So, in time, good welfare was the last thing on some of these professionals minds. Good income was, and is, more important.

The advent of the internet is slowly changing all that.

But it can still be a maze, working out what is the most nutritious cat food you can feed your cat to make sure she has a healthy, trouble free and long life.

Pretty packets and cans can (and do) easily influence many people.

Impressive words such as ‘balanced nutrition’, ‘fortified with x for a longer life’ can easily lure people in if you are still stuck in the idea that ‘experts’ know more than you do.

After all, they’ve got a degree to prove they know more, haven’t they?

Degree or no degree, you can slash your way through the maze more effectively if you consider just two points.

Cats have been fed various forms of commercial cat food for a mere trifle compared with their evolution, perhaps 100 years. But in those years, cats have been more needed as mousers or ratters than pets. So it’s probably a lot less. A cat is a true carnivore, a true hunter. They will never be content without raw meat. Whatever you think of this idea, this is how cats evolved. This is their true nature.

It is essential that you take this concept into consideration in your ponderings of what is the most nutritious cat food.

You’ll be happy to know that to feed a cat according to his nature, it is not necessary to go out hunting mice and rats (although prey size is relevant).

Keeping this concept firmly in your mind, you can now see that you are easily able to cut through all the chanting salesmen, trying to gain access to your dollars.

Now you can avoid all the harmful fillers from China, all the toxic chemicals you’re afraid may be in a packet of ‘nutritious’ cat food. Now you don’t need to rely on anyone else. Or worry about how ethical a producer may be.

Whenever you want to reaffirm what is the most nutritious cat food, you just go back to this concept.

Cats need raw meat (and bones) to live a trouble free and long life. That’s how they evolved.

Cats need a diet of 95% raw meat and bones.

Not 30% low grade cooked meat by-products, 65% cheap filler and 5% toxic preservatives and synthetic ‘nutrients’ that can’t be digested.

So now, when someone asks you what is the most nutritious cat food, you can answer easily and with great confidence, whether or not you finished high school, let alone have a degree.

It’s common sense.

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But with commercial pet food you get what you get so to speak and most people are quick to point out that chicken or fish or whatever meat is the first ingredient on their bags or cans label. Therefore they believe or picture it as the main ingredient in the food. But is it really the bulk of the food your pet is eating?

The first ingredient listed on a label always makes up the bulk of the food. That applies to all food that comes pre-made, canned, or bagged.

So if corn is the first ingredient on the list than you already know that it’s making up the most of the food and you can bypass it for a more meaty meal.

But pet food companies obviously want you to buy their food at the least cost to them. Because corn is an inexpensive filler for pet food pet, along with other grains, these pet food companies want to put it in there without us realizing that it is making up the majority of the food and they use label splitting to accomplish this.

Let’s use corn as an example. There is a long list of corn products that can be used in pet food. These include:

Corn Flour – This is the small size, hard part of ground corn that contains modest amounts or none of the bran or germ.

Corn Bran – This is the outer covering of the corn kernel and contains little or none of the starchy part of the germ.

Corn gluten meal – This is the dried remains from the corn after the starch and germ are removed. It is a by-product of processing corn to make corn starch and corn syrup.

So to demonstrate food splitting let’s use these corn products in an ingredient list.

Chicken, Corn Flour, Soybean Mill Run 16% (source of fiber), Chicken By-Product Meal, Powdered Cellulose, Corn Gluten Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken Liver Flavor, Corn Bran, Soybean Oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, potassium iodide, Vitamin D-3 supplement, folic acid, sodium selenite, biotin. A-4586.

So we may think that chicken is the biggest ingredient and corn flour is the second biggest ingredient but that’s not really the case here.

When we pull out all the ingredients that actually come from corn we can see that they are spread around the ingredient list and clearly added together would make the bulk of the food.

Corn as a whole would be the greatest ingredient of this food. And that’s how food splitting works.

So check out your pet food and see if you’ve been feeding what you think you’ve been feeding or is food splitting with corn or other grains happening to you.

If it is you can bet that it’s a trick to make you think otherwise and how much would you trust a food making company that’s trying to trick you?

Learning your way around pet food whether it be commercial or homemade can be confusing. Learn how to make the healthiest decision for your pets by doing your research. Sharda Baker can help you do that with years of research behind her. Learn more at http://www.dogsfooddangers.com.

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On a daily basis dogs require a high level of vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates, proteins and water. At various stages throughout their life these requirements change and it is important to buy a dog food which suitably matches your dog’s age. You will usually find quality dog food split across three age ranges; Puppy, Adult and Senior.

If you buy a good quality dog food your dog will require little else (apart from a plentiful supply of fresh running water). Do not be tempted to feed your dog human snacks as a “treat”. Far from being kind to your pet foods like chocolate, crisps, bread and so on can really do your dog harm and contribute to significant weight gain. No matter how much your dog begs at the dinner table for a scrap from your plate your only reaction should be a firm “no”. If you do want to allow your dog occasional treats then purchase those supplied by quality pet food manufacturers. Reputable manufacturers have incorporated benefits into many of their dog snacks including oral health biscuits, light chews and snacks to aid mobility in older dogs.

The supermarket is probably the most common place for dog owners to purchase dog food. Supermarkets understand the nation’s obsession of pets, hence you will find aisles full of brightly coloured cartons, bags and tins of pet food. Whilst it is hard to criticise the budget pet food brands in this article it is worth noting that many of these mass produced foods have much lower nutritional value than the higher priced items. This means your dog may end up consuming more of this type of food before it feels full. If the price of the food is your major concern you need to consider this: a 1KG bag of premium, vetinary approved dog food will most likely last longer than 1KG of budget food, as your dog will require a smaller portion.

If you would like to try switching your pet to a premium dog food then there are plenty of places you can go to for advice. A great place to start with is at the vet’s surgery. They will be able to guide you on the nutritional needs of your pet. They may also be able to suggest some brand names to you, many of which are only sold through the vetinary surgery.

Once you have trialled your dog on the premium pet food you can perhaps shop around on the internet, or via the specialist pet mega stores. You can usually find some great deals on premium dog food, especially if you buy in bulk. Many online retailers will also offer you free delivery (great when you are ordering several kilos of food).  Getting into the habit of feeding your dog only the very best food will lead to a much happier and healthy life for your pet.

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Currently, most available rat foods are of mediocre quality, containing mostly low quality plant-based, and low-grade animal-derived ingredients which may be unhealthy over the long run. Even if higher quality, safer, and more nutritious organic ingredients are used, these are usually processed at high temperatures, which devitalize endogenous nutrients in the pet food products that contain them. High heat is used for most extruded rat food, i.e., pellet foods or ‘lab block’-type foods, even those products that are USDA certified organic.

A more ideal rat food would be composed of unrefined USDA certified organic ingredients and would not contain any artificial ingredients. These quality ingredients would not be exposed to, and therefore devitalized by, high heat processing. USDA certified organic ingredients are healthier because they are free of pesticides residues, are not genetically engineered, and are significantly more nutrient-rich than non-USDA certified organic ingredients. Moreover, organic certification assures that no toxic pesticides or cleaning agents are used during the handling, storage, and processing of food ingredients or final products. Currently, only organic certification assures that the pet food manufacturer uses the organic ingredients as claimed. Non-USDA certified organic claims are not yet regulated or enforced by US law.

As you might gather from the foregoing, even USDA certified organic rat foods aren’t necessarily perfect foods for your pet rat, particularly those containing refined ingredients or ingredients that have been processed at high heat, which destroys the nutrients contained in those ingredients. Even though in such cases, excesses of supplementary nutrients may have to be added to achieve minimally acceptable nutrient levels after heat processing, these nutrients are generally synthetic and of questionable quality, and are also easily degraded and deactivated when exposed to air or light. Therefore, the nutritional value of organic rat foods that have been supplemented with isolated nutrients may rapidly fall below promised levels soon after these foods are manufactured or purchased by pet owners.

An alternative to supplementation with isolated synthetic nutrients is to provide nutrients through the primary food ingredients and to preserve these nutrients by using a gentle processing method, such as freezing or gentle dehydration. Currently, we know of only one pet food manufacturer which uses such a mild processing method to provide live raw dehydrated pet foods for pet rats and other pet rodents.

If you don’t have the time or resources to provide your pet rat with fresh, healthy, and safe foods, then you would be well advised to search for the best available foods on the market and actively support those companies that supply such foods. Only in this way will more companies that are providing quality pet foods survive and be able to compete in the pet food market. In the case of rat foods, since there seems to be a general lack of interest and demand on the part of many rat owners, the market for such foods tends to be underexploited or even ignored by the majority of the pet food manufacturers.

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There are many sites and clubs where it is possible to get pet foodstuff coupons to avail discounts at fixed shops. Since most of these are seasonal promotions, you should constantly look out for pet meal coupon codes obtainable at discounts. Schmackos, pet foods bargains for dog treats, Friskies printable coupons for cat meal, Petsmart printable pet foodstuff deals and Natural Choice coupon codes for Nutro Foods for the pets are best examples of frequently out there discounts at several pet meal retailers. Most of these are printable coupon codes that could be obtained instantly.

Pet meals coupon codes could possibly be a fantastic dollars saver specifically if you’ve more than one pet. For example, Pedigree bargains can conserve you a dollar on dog treats and snacks each and every time you purchase them. Purina discount codes sometimes have as much a $2 discount on puppy chow and other pet weight loss plan. Many pet diet plan organizations offer these coupon codes for fancy treats and snacks as well along with the typical food bargains. This is often a promotional feature which is commonly typical during unique seasons. Some pet diet plan companies give discounts on fancy treats and pet diet plan supplements. Fancy Feast, for instance, offers deals from time to time for fancy gourmet cat meals.

Even though most of these deals are printable, some pet weight loss diet companies send the bargains by mail. Iams coupon codes are a very good instance of those sent by mail. Hartz pet products can also be bought at discount utilizing Hartz manufacturer bargains. These are diverse from the frequent store discount codes offered by the retailer or pet weight loss plan organization. Petcentric and Whiskas are two other communities for pet owners. Joining these communities can support avail info about different discounts and coupon codes offered. Looking out for these deals can guide save several dollars off the bags of dog and cat meal bought every month.

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The comments I’m finding are mixed, while a large amount say it is a good idea there are a handful that say it’s not healthy.

Is it? Would Bob, my two year old (almost three) Westie be healthier on a raw food diet or would I be doing him more harm?

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Mycotoxins, which are toxins that are produced by different fungi, have been the major culprit. As a result of these tainted pet foods and snacks being discovered, the FDA has gotten involved and mandated that the commercial manufacturers issue these recalls. The goal of course is that the FDA and commercial manufacturers work in conjunction with one another to prevent further outbreaks of pet deaths and illnesses.

Sometimes, keeping your pet healthy is simply a matter of knowing what to look for as well as knowing what you should avoid. In other words, knowledge of what is going on is your most powerful weapon and could be the soundest way of protecting your pet. Here are 4 suggestions on how to prevent as well as spot potential problems. In the long run, you could be saving the life of your pet.

1) Always look for an expiration date on the container or packaging before you purchase canned or dry pet foods. In addition to helping you identify items that are about to expire and go bad, this is just a common sense move on your part. Additionally, chemicals that have been added for flavor, as well as preservatives added for longevity of product life can be potentially harmful to your pet. The best suggestion is that you feed your pet an organic food.

2) If there is no expiration date, check for either a foul odor or staleness. It’s not likely that you will get your money back on expired pet food that you purchased, but this is not the key issue – you have a responsibility to not only your pet, but to the other owners and pets out there. So make sure that you report issues like this to both the commercial manufacturer as well as the retailer where you made the purchase.

This is all well and good, but common sense would mandate that you rethink purchasing any consumable for your pet that is lacking an expiration date. Will you purchase food for your family that had an expired date or was about to expire soon? Here’s more food for thought. What if that phone call you make instigates more action which eventually leads to another recall? And what if that recall saves the lives of a few thousand more pets?

3) Symptoms of abnormal or unusual behavior always warrant a call to your veterinarian. The earlier you treat the symptoms, the greater the chance of a quicker recovery. Unfortunately, many more pet’s lives could have been saved had their owners responded at the first sign of these symptoms. Never take these situations lightly and contact your veterinarian immediately.

4) Always keep abreast of media reports regarding pet food recalls. Current news, media reports, and news updates are all over the internet. Simply type in “pet food recalls” into the browser/search bar and start doing your homework.

Here’s a final tip. Avoid any information that commercial manufacturers publish regarding their products. Though the information they put forth may be accurate, remember that they produced the pet food or snack in question, and it is the job of that company’s market department to “sugarcoat” the situation as much as possible so they do not lose market share.

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