If reports of how they are prepared have discouraged you from feeding your dog commercial dog food, then you are not alone. The big pet food recalls of 2007 highlighted the dangers of dog food and showcased what was in some of the so-called top pet food brands. Thousands of premature deaths occurred, and as a result, many animals now suffer from long-term illnesses.

Pet owners are now looking for alternative foods to feed their pets.

Why go home?
If you’ve decided to skip the convenience of long-lasting, prepackaged, dry, canned pet food and add the chore of preparing extra meals each day, the first thing you’ll notice, especially if you’ve been feeding your dog one of the best brands of dog food, now you will spend less. I have found that it is much cheaper to prepare my dog’s food myself.

Nutrition.
Regardless of what you decide to feed your dog, the first thing to remember is to meet all nutritional needs. Your dog will require a good balance of proteins that will come from meat, fish, poultry and a little dairy, while the soluble carbohydrates he needs will come from vegetables and cereal grains such as a little corn, oats, barley and brown rice. If you decide to prepare your dog’s food yourself, you will need to spend a little time getting the right balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates based on your dog’s age or activity level. Lactating female dogs and puppies, for example, need more protein than an adult dog, but less carbohydrates. Feeding a working dog too many carbohydrates is not preferable as they get their main energy from meat. In the wild, dogs will only consume vegetation from the contents of their prey’s stomach. Domesticated companion dogs do not live as hard and can tolerate large amounts of vegetation.

What’s in there
When you look at the label of a pet food, you will notice that there is a list of ingredients contained in the product. If you don’t recognize anything on the label, chances are it doesn’t need to be there. When it comes to canned food, unless you have a food diagnostic lab at your fingertips, you can only go by the label, and that’s NOT always what’s in the can. By preparing your dog’s food yourself, you will know exactly what is in it and what is not. You can get good quality fresh meats and poultry that have not been processed at all. Generally, everything you put on your dog’s plate is food that you can easily find at your local grocery or butcher shop.
A good rule of thumb when buying dog food ingredients is if you don’t eat them, why give them to your best friend?

Dangerous foods.
Another main point is that you should avoid foods that are dangerous for your dog. Your pet will now eat with less chemicals and fillers, but this will be in vain if you don’t identify what is harmful in your pantry. Large amounts of onions and garlic, for example, are unhealthy, while chocolate can be quite deadly for smaller breeds. Other human foods to avoid are grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, and avocado should also be left off the menu.

Variety.
Another advantage of preparing your dog’s dinner is that you can alternate with different recipes. You will find that your dog will have his favorite foods, and you can give him a lot of variety instead of the same old brand, day after day.

A good time saver is to make large amounts at a time and freeze smaller daily servings that are easily defrosted when needed. Also, start your dog on his new diet gradually. This will give you time to adjust. You can even choose to feed your dog only half homemade and half commercial food.