How to make homemade dog food: an instructional video guide

A lot of pet parents are overwhelmed at the thought of cooking for their dog. It is a lot of work, and it can be time consuming if you’re new to the job. But, learning how to make homemade dog food is actually a lot of fun. You can try different recipes and learn about your pet’s taste preferences.

Everyone enjoys a home cooked meal, including the four-legged members of your family. There are lots of benefits to making your own dog food, but there are a few drawbacks too. Learning how to make homemade dog food takes time, and they don’t keep as long as store bought products with lots of preservatives.

If you think making homemade dog food can’t be done on a budget, you’re wrong!

There are ways to make it more affordable, and I’ll discuss some of those later. In fact, compared to commercial dog food of the same quality, homemade dog food can actually be made for less money per serving.

MORE VIDEOS: Homemade Dog Food & Dog Treats Recipes

How To Make Homemade Dog Food

1. Work with a professional

When learning how to make homemade dog food, the key is to work with a professional. Unless you’re trained on the ins and outs of canine nutrition, you’ll need help to figure out your dog’s nutritional requirements.

Your veterinarian or a canine nutritionist can help you understand your pet’s individual needs. Like humans, every dog requires a different amount of nutrients from his diet. Some need more protein while others require a low fat diet.

Your dog may also need supplements added to his homemade dog food, but a vet or canine nutritionist can help you make that decision.

During your consultation, you’ll need to be prepared to answer questions about your dog’s weight, breed, overall health and well-being, and the diet that he currently eats. This shouldn’t be difficult if you already own the dog.

However, if you’ll be adopting the dog/puppy in the future you may need to speak with the shelter or breeder before consulting with the professional. Using this information, the nutritionist or veterinarian will be able to help you customize a diet that will meet all of your dog’s needs.

FURTHER READING: Raw Diet for Dogs 101 – The Ultimate Guide

Video: How to Make Homemade Dog Food Recipe & Cat Food Recipe With Linda's Pantry

The veterinarian or canine nutritionist that you work with will be able to tell you the amount of certain nutrients that your pet should be getting each day. These nutrients will include:

• protein
• fat
• calcium
• potassium
• sodium
• vitamins A, D and E

Your dog may require a special type of diet, and your veterinarian will be able to walk you through that. Puppies, senior dogs, pregnant dogs, dogs with skin conditions, and dogs suffering from food allergies all need special diets.

Your dog’s diet will also need to change as he grows and develops. Learning how to make homemade dog food is something that you’ll have to continue learning throughout your pup’s life. His diet needs to evolve with him over the years.

Finally, you can also always use the help of tons of dog food recipe books available for purchase online. Some of these contain the nutritional breakdown with macronutrients and calories, which is very helpful to know if you’re tracking your dog’s calories.

Just remember that whenever you cook for your dog yourself, it’s important to pay attention which nutrients may be lacking your canine’s homemade meals. Very often, pet parents skip on the essential fats and only feeds dogs protein and a little carbohydrates. In those cases, adding fish oil or other sources with omega-3s and essential fatty acids using dog supplements is highly advisable to avoid any health issues.

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