I have two dogs and because they have sensitive stomachs I sometimes make they're own food in addition to adding a healthy, high nutrition pet food to their diet. I'll give them something simple like brown rice, meat, and vegetables and I make sure to check for recalls on the dog food as well, and that can be an ongoing concern for pet parents as well. Have any of you made your own pet food?
I make food for my dogs also. I think it is healthier for them, than to just have dog food every day. For hundreds (if not thousands) of years, dogs have lived and traveled with humans, and they always ate the scraps that people fed them. Only in the last 75 years or so, have we had an actual food that was commercially made for our pets, and that was started by food companies that needed to find a way to use the leftover food products from manufacturing food for humans to eat, so even now, dog food is made from leftover human food. I usually take leftovers, cook some rice and maybe veggies, like carrots, and mix that all up and give it to the dogs, usually with a little olive oil, eggs, or coconut oil mixed in to help give them a shiny coat.
I haven't tried making food yet for our pets, but we feed them whatever it is that we eat or we buy them pork or fish that's specifically meant for them. I don't buy cat food anymore, specifically Whiskas after my cat got sick from eating it.
I haven't made anything out of the ordinary. I usually cook chicken for my dog. If I don't have chicken, I'll feed him some tuna. He LOVES tuna! He goes absolutely crazy over it. My dog won't eat canned dog food at all or dog biscuits unless it's a treat, he won't look at it twice.
I have never tried to make my dog food. What I will often do if cook some lean meat or chicken and add that to his food. But I mainly do that so that he will have a better appetite for the actual dog food. I also have been researching a lot to see which food I should give him, and I found one that has good ingredients: good chicken parts, no corn and natural conservatives. I have been feeding him that and he has been healthier.
I'm not the kind of guys who believes everything he reads. People have been feeding their animals with left-overs for ages without any problems [to the animal's health]. I don't see why that should change now. That's why I don't bother buying dog food or making my dog some special meal. Table scraps work best for me.
Protein is immensely important in a dog OR cat diet. Sadly, it's also a really expensive ingredient. There are a few brands that are phenomenal. My suggestion? Look at the ingredients. Often times they slap information on the bag about all the great stuff the bag provides but neglect to mention the percentage of protein. That is super important.
I have never even heard of making your own dogs food, although I suppose it seems plausible. Personally I simply buy cat food from the store. I would think that it's better for them seeing as the nutrients are tailored for their needs, although I do occasionally give them a treat.
