Homemade dog food

From there the recipe is simple: sell as much as possible food that costs as little as possible.

Meat is more expensive than cereals, this is how our brave doggie, from carnivore has become omnivorous and you will see, marketers will soon describe it to you as a vegetarian ...

So what food for our dogs?

 From there: 3 solutions seem to respect the needs of the animal

what food for our dogs?

1) Keep a diet in the form of kibbles

This has many benefits for us human beings.

The quick side first: at a time when a large majority of people no longer have time to cook for them, it would be illusory to think that they will spend some time preparing food for their dog
The practical side then: ease of storage, conservation, use (especially when moving), no loss,
Finally, the cost side: even of good quality, it remains cheaper than an equivalent fresh food. In addition, the kibble normally contains all the nutritional ingredients that the dog needs (well that's what we are told)
The main drawback for me is that I have quite relative confidence in the composition of kibble since no manufacturer seems to communicate all the information on the manufacture of kibble. When you write for clarification, they hide behind their “manufacturing secret”. Personally, without transparency, I cannot trust. We already see the scandals in human food where the mentioned compositions are not respected, what to think of animal food for which controls should not be frequent! In addition, we are not told everything…


2) Switch to a “homemade” diet

This has especially advantages for the dog but for us too

The pleasure side: there is no comparison on this side between the pleasure that all my dogs have in front of a bowl of fresh food compared to a bowl of kibble
The natural side: we really respect their nature
The side "I control what is inside": at least we know what we put in it and how it was made
The disadvantages now, because there are also ...

As I said before: preparation takes time and requires more financial resources if we want to provide quality food.
And then, you have to know a minimum to cover all the nutritional needs of the dog without deficiency, but it is learned quickly as long as you are interested.
When traveling, it is more complicated than a diet based on kibble.
Some dogs, so used to kibble do not support it
what food for our dogs what food for our dogs

3) Give them a mixed diet

This is personally the solution which I have adopted.

I keep the kibble with the best choice, that is to say kibbles without cereals. I choose a supplier that I trust and that manufactures on a small scale. Grain-free kibbles have become fashionable because many owners are starting to wonder about this subject. But, as always, faced with market demand, large groups are starting to offer grain-free kibble: if we replace the grains with other unsuitable ingredients, simply because they are not expensive, the result will not be for all the better. This is how many grain-free kibbles include very large amounts of potatoes ...

I can't imagine my dog ​​feasting in a potato field any more than in a wheat or corn field!

In my dog ​​food classes, which are certainly not new today, but I don't think the dog's needs have changed, we were told to avoid potatoes. Today, however, they form the basis of certain grain-free kibbles ...

And then, there are many parameters to take into consideration and for which you really have to be a specialist to find your way around:

Ingredients
Proportions
The rate of protein, fat (but not all are equal and it is complicated because if we know the quantity more often, we lack information about the quality)
The ash rate
Nutrients
The manufacturing process (the temperature and the heating time cause most of the important nutrients to be destroyed by cooking)


And everything else ... all of this makes it very difficult to know if what we give our dog is actually good for him.

The ideal solution, I do not know it otherwise I would gladly share it with you.

My solution today is to give kibble on certain days, when I don't have much time (and for budget reasons too). I chose them best based on my research and the information I was able to obtain.

There are still a number of objective criteria that can alert you to the way your dog supports them:

If the stools are soft, odorous or bulky
If your dog has flatulence
If his hair is not shiny and abundant
If he is scratching ...
All this is not normal: CHANGE IT WITHOUT WAITING !!!



Whenever I can, I give food in the morning and in the evening, when I have time, I give fresh food.

The main thing is not to mix the two during the same meal because the digestion times are not at all the same.


Benefits :

• if 1 of the 2 meals is not perfectly balanced, I think it is compensated by the ingredients of the other meal
• I keep a fun side and I control what I give
• it does not make me a big increase in budget and is not too restrictive
• my dogs are used to eating both as much when needed.

The price of a bag of food does not mean much: the daily amounts to be given vary from brand to brand and depend on the animal's physical activity. Quality still comes at a price. The most expensive is not always the best. The cheapest is always suspect.

There are good industrial foods on the market today and it is possible to save yourself the daily chore of cooking for your dog for a reasonable price without inducing more or less serious pathologies.

If you prefer a household diet, certain rules must be followed to cover all of your dog's needs. The simplest formula, but to adapt according to age is as follows:

1/3 protein: either raw red meat, cooked white meat, fish, or raw egg yolk. Do not often give cooked cheeses (Gruyère), and especially not fermented cheeses (Camembert, Brie ..), which often induce fermentations and allergies.

1/3 cereal: rice well cooked, washed before cooking and drained after, to eliminate gluten. The other cereals (pasta, bread, etc.) are too rich in gluten and therefore to be avoided. Dogs lacking enzymes to digest gluten well, this often leads to digestive allergies and intolerance,

1/3 of vegetables: cooked or raw: carrots, green beans, zucchini, leeks. Always use them in combination by 2 or 3. No preserves. Avoid what ferments: flageolet beans, lentils, cabbage ...

2 complementary contributions are essential in this type of diet to balance the ration:

brewer's yeast (or wheat germ): the tablets can be used as a reward, in place of treats. You can give 2 tablets for 5 kg per day.
An oil at first cold pressing: sunflower, corn or rapeseed, alternately if necessary. One tablespoon per day for a dog of 20 to 30 kg.