What about homemade dog food?

As the number of people who treat their pet dogs as family members increases, there are a wide variety of opinions, from those who want to cook homemade meals for their beloved dogs to those who are hesitant to make homemade dog food.

"Isn't commercial dog food cheaper than homemade dog food?"
"My dog ​​seems to enjoy homemade dog food more!"
"It seems like it would be a lot of work to prepare..."

With so many different opinions and thoughts about homemade dog food and dog food, it's no wonder that it can be difficult to know what's right and what's wrong.

Let's take a look at the pros and cons of commercially available dog food versus homemade dog food.

【Things to Know Before Making Homemade Dog Food】

First, let's look at the pros and cons of homemade dog food.

【Benefits】

• Easily hydrates from ingredients.
• You can obtain ingredients yourself.
• Use seasonal ingredients.
• Avoid allergens.
• You can freely change recipes to suit your dog's health condition.
• Depending on the recipe, your dog can eat the same diet as you.
• You can provide food with love.

The biggest benefit of homemade dog food is that you can choose ingredients based on your dog's constitution and health condition.

Homemade food is especially beneficial for dogs with allergies, as it avoids allergens.

Another benefit of homemade food is that it avoids the synthetic chemicals and low-quality fats and oils that are a concern in commercially available dog food.

【Disadvantages】

• Nutrition is difficult to balance.
• Vitamin and mineral supplements are required.
• More work than commercially available food.
• Inappropriate ingredients may be mixed in.
• If not properly prepared, pathogenic bacteria may remain lurking.
• Storage is difficult and takes up space in the refrigerator.

The disadvantage of homemade dog food is that it is difficult to balance the nutritional content, and it can easily become unbalanced.

Generally, complete dog food is designed to meet your dog's nutritional needs simply by providing the food and water. This is why most complete food intentionally contains synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements.

Making homemade food that can be considered complete is extremely difficult.

【What should you be careful of when making homemade dog food?】

There are a few things to keep in mind when switching to homemade dog food. Let's review the homemade dog food precautions.

＊What is the recommended amount of homemade dog food?＊

When making homemade dog food, you may wonder how much you should make. For reference, a 5kg dog needs 70-100 grams of animal protein (meat, fish, eggs, etc.) per day.

If you suddenly switch your dog to homemade dog food, he may stop eating. Therefore, if you are introducing homemade dog food as a topping, aim for 30 grams per day.

The ideal nutritional balance is 60-70% protein, 10% carbohydrates, and 30-40% vegetables.

* Know what foods you should avoid feeding your dog! ＊

When making homemade dog food, it's very important to know what ingredients should not be fed to dogs.

The basic rule is to avoid feeding your dog ingredients that are or may be toxic to dogs. Even ingredients that are harmless to humans can be harmful to dogs, and in the worst case, even fatal.

Before giving your dog human food as homemade meals or treats, be sure to fully understand the ingredients that should not be fed to your dog and the ingredients that require careful feeding. Take care when making homemade dog food.

To ensure your dog lives a long and healthy life, it's important to know which foods your dog should avoid.

Foods to Avoid

• Raw pork
• Squid, octopus
• Crab, shrimp, and other crustaceans
• Shellfish
• Dried squid
• Onions
• Chinese chives
• Garlic
• Eggplant
• Grapes, raisins, and prunes
• Figs
• Dried fruit
• Nuts
• Chocolate
• Coffee, cocoa
• Xylitol
• Alcohol
• Snacks

*Don't add seasonings to homemade dog food!*

Dog food should never be seasoned like human food!

Seasonings are designed to suit human tastes and preferences, so if your dog's food is too salty, it can be difficult to digest and can cause illness or ill health. Understand that dogs' taste buds and digestive systems are different from ours, and feed your dog food prepared using appropriate cooking methods.

【Recommended Methods for Those Considering Homemade Food】

Even if you're determined to feed your dog homemade dog food every day starting today, are you confident you can maintain that motivation?

Switching completely to homemade dog food takes time and money.

Unlike humans, you can't just go with whatever you have on hand today. If you suddenly switch to homemade dog food, your dog may stop eating.

Dogs can enjoy their usual meals with peace of mind, but they will be wary of homemade food they haven't eaten before, and will refuse to eat it.

Before you and your dog become stressed, try the following methods to slowly introduce homemade dog food to your dog.

＊Try homemade food once or twice a week＊

Instead of feeding your dog homemade food every day, try feeding your dog homemade food only once or twice a week on specific days of the week.
This method makes it easy for owners to continue feeding their dog homemade food. Also, by regularly feeding your dog high-quality dog ​​food, you can balance its nutrition and prevent problems like an unbalanced diet due to homemade food.

＊Topping Meals Using Dog Food＊

This is probably the easiest method and can be easily continued every day.
Slightly reduce the amount of dog food you normally give your dog and add boiled meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, etc. as toppings.

This method ensures that your dog gets all the basic nutrients from the dog food, and there's little risk of extreme nutritional imbalance. However, be careful, as overfeeding can occur depending on the toppings you use.

Recently, some dog foods have adjusted their nutritional values ​​to accommodate toppings, so it may be a good idea to use such dog foods.

＊Dried Food Mixes to Soak in Hot Water＊

Using dried food mixes to soak in hot water is recommended for those who find it difficult to make homemade food from scratch or are concerned about nutritional balance.

There are various types of dry food mixes available, including those that naturally contain animal protein and those that you can make yourself by adding meat. Another appealing feature of dry food mixes is that you can choose a product that suits your pet's preferences and style.

They're also recommended for owners new to homemade food and those who prefer ingredients harvested from certified pesticide-free farms.

[Summary]

Homemade dog food has a warmth and freshness that pre-made dog food lacks.

Feeding your dog homemade food allows you to connect with your pet, and many owners find joy in seeing their dog happily eating. It's only natural to want to feed your dog food you've made yourself, if possible.

However, making food carelessly can actually have a negative impact on your dog's health. If you're serious about homemade food, we recommend you first learn about canine nutrition.

Having proper knowledge is important to ensure your dog lives a long and healthy life.