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Homemade Dog Food
Date April 8, 2011
Author creative

Homemade Dog Food

Sasha

Homemade Dog Food

I’ve lived in many different neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area over the years, but I like the East End of town the most because it’s close to everything – the parkway, restaurants and clothing stores all are within walking distance.

Something else I noticed when I moved to town 14 years ago – almost everyone in this area has a pet. The most common pets, it seems, are dogs. I’ve seen Chihuahuas, Terriers, Labs, Golden Retrievers and Pomeranians. If you own a dog, you know how much time and consideration it takes to be a responsible pet owner. You also know that pets can become an important part of the family, so it’s essential to make sure they’re healthy and happy.

I try to take my dog Sasha for a walk every day, but during the winter months it’s just impossible. She gets minimal exercise and is most comfortable burrowing under a blanket for warmth. The combination of her lack of exercise and irregular meals (and too many treats) contributed to her sudden and quite drastic weight gain.

I knew that action was needed, but I also knew that it would be difficult to start her on a new diet, minus the store-bought dog treats. After doing some research, I came up with a homemade dog food recipe. Before you try this for your pet, you may to talk to your vet. I’ve heard over and over again that you’re only supposed to give your dog approved food from an approved provider, but I’m not sure I agree. After feeding my dog with this recipe for the past three months, I’ve noticed her health improve considerably and she’s even dropped weight.

Enjoy!

Chef Chuck Kerber
Cooksandeats.com
chuck@cooksandeats.com

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10 Responses to Homemade Dog Food

  1. Terra says:

    This sounds like a hearty, and delicious recipe for the puppies! I like the addition of eggs. I had a dog that had severe allergies, and mostly to chicken. Unfortunately chicken is in everything. So we cooked for her everyday, and she did fantastic!!! I really believe in more natural approach for pet food, so much gross stuff in store bought pet food. Thank you for sharing!!!
    Take care,
    Terra

  2. Peggy says:

    Great idea with the homemade dog food! We try to keep our dogs on dry food (the wet stuff does a number on their stomachs), but I’m willing to give this one a go! =)

  3. Spice Sherpa says:

    What an unexpected post but I love it! I recently received a SmartPak catalogue that offered packets of vegetables to add to your dog food to boost you canine’s nutrition. You have it all covered here. Maybe it will cancel out some of the surprising things my lab/retriever finds and gulps down. (I don’t even want to imagine!)

  4. Jason Phelps says:

    My little buddy Pete just gave this a paws up!

    Can’t wait to try it.

    Jason

  5. TLC says:

    Good recipe, similar to what I feed my 3 dogs (minus the oatmeal because of food sensititvity issues with one of them). I’m glad to hear that your dog is doing well on it. My 3 are all healthier on a homecooked diet than they ever were on kibble. It’s interesting, isn’t it, how the dog food industry has managed to convince dog owners that their dogs cannot survive on anything but commercial dog food. Their marketing strategies are remarkable effective.

    Just a note though – if you are going to feed home cooked over the long term you need to add calcium to balance out the high phosphorus in the meat.

  6. Belinda Henby says:

    You’re the best! You read my mind and I plan to get started sooner rather than later. My furry babies will be so pleased!!

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