Taking care of a pet dog is surely fun as well as a great responsibility too. It is every dog owner's wish to give his pet the best, be it the comfort of a home or the food that he feeds the dog. As the advertisements of commercial dog foods focus on how good they are in enhancing the growth of the canine, more and more pet owners are opting for these foods for their pets quite blindly. Moreover, buying these dog foods from the market saves them a lot of time to prepare food for their dogs. However, what they do not know is that these commercial dog foods are not exactly healthy for the dog and also are said to be main culprit for the occurrence of dog allergies. Hence, according to expert opinion, it is best to avoid these foods and opt for homemade foods.

The advantage of cooking dog food at home is that you know what exactly your pet is consuming and also can take care of its nutritional needs. Here are some recipes that you can easily make at home.

Homemade Dog Feed

Before going into natural homemade recipes, it is important to know about the ingredients that are good for dogs and what must be strictly avoided. Just like human beings, even dogs need the right amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Your dog's diet should include meat, poultry, vegetables, whole grains, eggs, fish, dairy products, etc. On the other hand, you should never feed your dog with foods like raisins, garlic, chocolate, grapes, etc. as these can cause health problems in your dog. Let us look at some healthy recipes that will ensure that your dog will receive all the essential nutrients.

Brown Rice with Turkey

Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 16 ounces mixed vegetables, frozen
  • 16 ounces brown rice
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
Preparation

Take water in a large Dutch oven and add rice, ground turkey and rosemary into it. Stir for sometime and then leave the mixture to boil. As it begins to boil, lower the flame and cook for twenty to twenty five minutes. Next, put in the frozen vegetables like carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. and mix well. Cook for another five minutes and take it off the heat. Let the dish cool and then store it in the refrigerator. Making large amounts of this dish and then storing it in the refrigerator will save you lot of time from cooking food for your dog every time.

Chicken Broth Recipe

Ingredients
  • 12 ounces chicken broth
  • cup finely chopped carrot
  • 3 teaspoons olive oil
  • 4 ounces cottage cheese
  • 4 ounces amaranth
  • cup finely chopped zucchini
  • 4 ounces wheat germ
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 pounds ground chicken
  • cup finely chopped spinach
Preparation
Take a sauce pan and cook amaranth and chicken broth together. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat and cook for twenty minutes more. Take it off the flame and allow it cool for sometime. Take ground chicken in a mixing bowl and combine vegetables, cottage cheese, eggs, amaranth mixture, olive oil and wheat germ oil. Stir thoroughly till all the ingredients are fully blended. Spread this mixture into a loaf pan and cook in a 350 degrees F preheated oven for an hour.

Homemade Puppy Food Recipes

If you have just brought a cute little puppy at home and do not know what kind of dishes you can cook for him, here is a homemade puppy food recipe that you can try.

Fishy Dinner

Ingredients
  • 1 can salmon, boneless
  • 1 boiled potato, chopped
  • 3 teaspoons peanut butter
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 stick celery
  • 3 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 1 carrot, chopped
Preparation

In a large mixing bowl, mix egg, cornmeal and salmon together till they become a dough. Shape the dough in the form of patties and coat both the sides in cornmeal. Take a little canola oil in a pan and fry them till they become brown in color. Take them out and allow them to cool completely. Slice these patties into small pieces and fry them a little with vegetables and cottage cheese. Feed your puppy after it is completely cooled.

Homemade Doggie Treat Recipes

Apart from the daily dog meals, it is also necessary that you know about dog treat recipes which you can feed your canine as snacks. Here are some of them.

Homemade Biscuits Recipe with Peanut Butter

Ingredients
  • 4 ounces water
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 ounces oats
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 4 ounces oil
  • 16 ounces flour
  • 4 ounces cornmeal
Preparation

In a mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients including oats, flour, cornmeal together and set aside. In another bowl, combine all the wet ingredients and mix well. Transfer the dry ingredients in the bowl containing the wet ingredients and mix till a dough ball is formed. Shape them in the form of cookies and place them in a cookie tray. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F. After twenty minutes, switch off the oven and let the cookies remain inside to cool till they becomes firm and crispy.

Soft Biscuits for Dogs

Ingredients
  • cup dry milk powder
  • 3 jars of baby food, chicken
  • cup wheat germ
Preparation

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, take all the ingredients and mix well. Shape the dough into small cookies and place them on the cookie sheet. Bake for fifteen minutes till the cookies become brown in color. After they are cooled on the wire rack, keep it in the refrigerator to maintain its freshness.

These recipes are really easy to make and will not take much of your time. Remember that just like humans, even dogs can get bored of eating the same food again and again and hence, it is important that you add variety to their diet.