Home Made Dog Food?

Question

I have been making my dogs Home Made Dog food for years. I take into consideration what dogs need (Protien, Carbs, Fats and Vitamins). And I make them things like chicken and rice, meatloaf, eggs and toast and bacon. My girlfriend says this is abuse they need dog food. I say prior to the invention of dog food dogs ate table scraps or killed for their foods whos right? I don't like feeding them dog food its gross and made with crap I wouldn't eat why should I expect my dogs to eat it?

I like the holistic site a whole lot. I didn't know onions and garlic are bad for dogs. And to anwser the question how do I know how to give my dog I asked my vet.

Answer 1

It is perfectly fine to make your own dog and to feed a dog "people food". THe general probolem with people food, is that people feed their dogs table scraps. This being the part of their dinner, that they did not want to eat (Chucnks of fat and chicken skin, etc.) These things have very poor nutirional content and lead to dogs being obese and other issues. If you do feed your dog human food, it is important to know what foods dogs can not tolerate. Dogs for instance can die from grape seeds, avacados as well as chocolate (the darker the chocolate the worse for the dog)

This site has a huge list of things that are bad for your dog.
http://www.holisticdog.org/badfoods.shtml

ALso this is a link to the AKC reference on nutrition. Basically saying if your dogs eyes are clear and it's fur is shiny, the food has the proper mix of nutirents and is doing a good job.

http://www.akc.org/public_education/nutrition_feeding.cfm

You can even find websites that have recipes for making your own dog food, but you don't have to make things that look like dog food. Just be careful with the fruits and veggies, some of them that are helpful to us are harmful to them. :o)

Hope this helps!!

Answer 2

You are both right in some aspects - you in that before dog food dogs were fed scraps (this means meat offcuts, horns, bones and offal) or caught their own food - your girlfriend in that you are not feeding them a species appropriate diet. And I am not saying that commercial dog food is one by any means. It is loaded with unsuitable and poor quality ingredients.

For some reason people have decided that dogs have a human digestive systems and need carbohydrates and fibre (grains and vegetables). This is simply not correct!! A dog's digestive system is not designed for these foods and they are not able to process or absorb the nutrients as well as we can. The first link is to a really informative article explaining canine physiology and the reasons that grains and vegetables are not suitable food for them.

The other two are discussing using raw meat and bones as the basis for your dog's diet. I hope they help sort out the argument.

Answer 3

No problem with you or anybody feeding their dog home made food.
I would like to ask you a question however ... Where did you learn the nutritional requirements that a dog needs? I find that many pet nutritionists and veterinarians do not always agree on the best feeding regimens for dogs. Just curious to know how you determined the best diet for your dog.

Answer 4

We feed my dog toast, boiled eggs and rice- along with the other food mind you.
Toast keeps his coat shiny, and the rice and eggs just seem to keep his system in check. It isnt bad or abusive to feed your dog this, but dogs will eat ANYTHING so dont worry about giving your dog 'gross' dog food because they wont mind or turn their noses up at it.

Answer 5

The toast and bacon is a bad idea.