How To Cook for Your Dogs

Eating out is great! The food is almost always cooked to perfection, you have many options to choose from and you don’t have to do the dishes. Having some frozen burritos or a pizza on hand to pop into the oven at the end of a long day is nice, too, but there’s really nothing that beats a homemade meal. Your dog thinks so, too. You don’t have to open up a can of dog food every time old Fido gets hungry. He might enjoy a homemade meal once in a while. How can you become your dog’s personal chef? Check it out!

Know Which Foods Are Safe

Not all human foods are safe for dogs. For example, your family might love some cinnamon toast, but that same cinnamon is dangerous for your dog. Some other human foods you should leave out of your dog’s homemade meal include:

Avocados – Avocados contain an element called persin, which leads to diarrhea and vomiting in dogs. It’s in every part of the fruit, so you should keep everything away from your dog.
Garlic – Your dog will most likely enjoy his meal without additional flavors, so keep the garlic away. It causes dogs to become anemic with symptoms such as increased heart rate, pale gums and weakness.
Grapes – Even one small grape could make your dog feel sick, and over time, he could experience kidney failure after ingesting grapes.
Macadamia Nuts – A macadamia nut could cause your dog to vomit and become lethargic.
Salt – Again, your homemade dog food will taste fine without added seasonings. Salt can lead to sodium ion poisoning, which causes high temperatures, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, depression and seizures.

Of course there are plenty of human foods that are safe for dogs, though most require moderation. If you’re making homemade dog food, go ahead and add the following:

Coconut – Coconut contains lauric acid, which works to fight against viruses and bacteria, so it’s actually quite healthy for dogs.
Fish – There are plenty of amino acids and good fats in fish, particularly sardines and salmon. If you do give your dog fish, be sure you’ve removed the bones, and be sure it’s cooked thoroughly.
Peanut Butter – If you can find raw, unsalted peanut butter that doesn’t contain any xylitol, you can give it to your dog. Peanut butter contains vitamins B and E, plenty of protein, as well as niacin, which your dog needs.
Pork – When compared to other types of protein, pork seems to cause fewer allergic reactions, so it’s a safe alternative for homemade dog food. It also contains amino acids.
Turkey – Turkey is a yummy treat for dogs, but you should be sure your pup doesn’t get any bones. You should also remove the skin and any excess fatty portions of the meat.

Gather Some Healthy Recipes

Supplementing homemade dog food for store bought dog food is fine once or twice each week. To get started, try these easy recipes:

Beefy Rice and Veggies – Combine 2.5 pounds ground beef, 1.5 cups brown rice, one 15-ounce can drained kidney beans, 1.5 cups chopped butternut squash, 1.5 cups chopped carrots and a half cup of peas. Toss it all into a six-quart crock pot with four cups of water. Slow cook on low for five or six hours, then let cool completely before serving.
Turkey, Rice and Veggies – Combine 1.5 cups prepared brown rice, 3 pounds cooked ground turkey, 3 cups chopped spinach, 2 shredded carrots, 1 shredded zucchini and a half cup peas. Warm through for about five minutes, then let cool before serving.
Doggy Meatballs – Combine 5 pounds lean ground turkey or beef, 1 cup oat bran, 2 slices cubed bread, 2 eggs, 1.5 cans of pumpkin puree, 2 mashed carrots that were previously steamed and 2 finely chopped kale stalks. Shape the mixture into meatballs and roll in flour. Place on baking sheet and bake 25 minutes in 400 degree oven. Let cool before serving.
Chilly Chili – Fry 1 pound of ground beef or turkey. Add 2 tablespoons oil, 4 diced carrots and 1 can of unsalted tomato paste. Cook for five minutes. Add mixture to 1 can unsalted beef broth and 1 cup cooked macaroni noodles. Cook in casserole dish for a half hour at 350 degrees, and let cool before serving.

Understand Where To Get Started

You now know which foods to use, and even have some recipes, but you’re not sure where to go from there. The good news is it’s not difficult at all to become your dog’s personal chef.

First, you need to purchase the ingredients needed for the dog food you’re making. Be sure you have everything on hand so your dog benefits from all the nutritious elements from the particular recipe you’re making.

Next, you need some kitchen supplies. If you’re fine sharing your human cooking supplies with your dog, then you probably don’t need to invest in anything new. If you’d rather keep the dog utensils for the dog and the human bowls for the humans, you’ll need to purchase some things. Think about mixing bowls, a baking dish, measuring cups, stirring spoons and of course doggy serving dishes .

Finally, you should set some time aside to focus on your dog’s homemade meals. Because there are so many human foods and ingredients that are toxic and otherwise dangerous for dogs, you need to pay close attention to what you put into the mixture you’re planning to feed your dog.

As you can see, it’s not too difficult to make your dog homemade food once in a while. Whether you ran out of bagged food and your shipment won’t arrive for another day, or you simply want to spoil your pup, Fido will thank you for the personalized meal!