As a dog lover, are you questioning the health implications of commercial dog food ingredient? While processed foods are convenient, people are often alarmed by the number of non-food items in the processed foods, for both dogs and humans, which dominate our supermarket shelves. There are three key areas which seem to concern a lot of dog owners.

Just like human processed foods, commercial dog foods are laden with non-food items which you certainly wouldn’t find in a dog’s ‘natural’ diet. Just like humans, dogs thrive best on a diet of healthy, natural ingredients, and also like humans, their digestive system has not evolved to deal with all theses additives, preservatives and flavour enhancers. In humans, a build up of these toxins can cause digestive problems, lethargy and a general feeling of being unwell. The problem is that people often don’t realise the severity of their symptoms until the underlying causes are removed through a ‘detox’, at which point they report feeling ‘lighter’ and ‘full of energy’.

It’s also common for much of the ‘meat’ content of commercial food to be meat ‘derivatives’ or ‘by products’. This is not what we as humans would consider ‘meat’, yet for dog food manufacturers it’s a perfect way to use up anything left that’s considered unfit for human consumption, including diseased tissues.

And finally, even the way foods are processed can destroy a lot of the nutritional value. Heating to high temperatures can damage proteins, fats and vitamins. If the food ingredients aren’t of a high nutritional value to start with, processing degrades their nutritional value even further. This is true of all processed foods incidentally, not only dog food.!

The ancestors of our beloved dogs were certainly not exposed to the same types of processed pet foods that we have available today, and more and more people are switching to a ‘natural’ diet for their dogs. By preparing meals themselves, rich in natural ingredients, they not only know exactly what their dogs are getting, they are avoiding those potentially harmful additives and poor-quality ingredients.

Commercial pet foods do vary in quality. If you prefer to use a commercial dog food, and the majority of people still do, take a moment to look at the ingredients list and ask yourself if you really know what’s in it. If you don’t recognise the ingredients, and if you would not eat them yourself, do you really want to feed them to your dog?

If you would like to try making your own all natural dog food, click here for an excellent resource packed with recipes.

Many dog owners are making the switch to home made dog food, choosing to feed their dogs on high quality natural ingredients sadly lacking in many brands of commercial dog food. If you are using the internet in your hunt for healthy dog food recipes, there are so many resources out there it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Read on for our three top tips to finding the best healthy dog food recipes for you and your dog.

Firstly, you need to decide if you want your dog to follow a natural home made diet that will include ‘cooked’ recipes, or a completely ‘raw foods’ diet where you will feed you dog uncooked vegetables,  meats and bones. Both have advantages over commercial dog foods and this is the first area to research to decide which diet you want your dog to follow. Of course, theses diets are not mutually exclusive, and you may decide to use a combination of ‘cooked’ and ‘raw’ recipes. However, understanding the distinction and making an initial decision will help you narrow down your search for resources.

Secondly, you need to decide if you are looking for ‘breed specific’ recipes, or general dog food recipes. If you have a pure breed, a great place to start your search would be the breed specific websites and communities. Here you will likely find tried and tested recipes from other owners, so you’ll know that the foods will not only be good for your dog, but that he’ll most likely like them as well! If you have a mixed breed dog, or several dogs of different breeds, then a selection of general dog food recipes may be better suited to you.

Thirdly, consider where the recipe resource has been compiled, as some recipes may contain ingredients you find it difficult to source in different parts of the world.

When you have found some recipes and are ready to get started, remember that just like with recipes for human foods, some trial and error is involved. The good news is that, unlike with humans, if your first batch of dog biscuits don’t look like they did in the recipe book, your dog isn’t likely to care! He will hopefully love the new tastes and textures, and you’ll be happy in the knowledge that you know exactly what he is eating.

We recommend checking out this site, an excellent resource for healthy dog food recipes, in addition to some for homemade shampoos as well as lotions and potions for common problems.

As a dog owner you probably use treats to reward your dog’s good behaviour, strengthening the bond between you. However, at the same time you may be concerned about the nutritional value of commercial dog treats. Read on for our top 5 treat suggestions, using healthy food for dogs, that your dog will love!

1. Carrots – Maybe it’s the texture or the sweetness but most dogs love crunching on a fresh carrot. Our Bernese Mountain Dog prefers a carrot over commercial ‘teeth cleaning’ chews every time!

2. Apples – An apple makes an excellent flavoured ball, and you may find your dog eats the whole things when he’s done playing! A common question raised is whether apple seeds are poisonous. There is not really a ‘one size fits all’ answer to this question, as it will depend on the volume ingested and the size of your dog. Owners of smaller breeds may prefer to peel and deseed an apple before feeding it in small pieces. A large dog will probably be fine eating the whole thing, although you may still want to exercise caution if you have apple trees in your garden!

3. Snowballs – Blend together natural yogurt, a mashed banana and a little honey and/or peanut butter, and freeze in individual portions in a greased ice cube or cupcake tray (depending on the size of your dog) for a yummy ice cream alternative on those hot summer days.

4. Raw Chicken Wings – Raw chicken wings make an excellent chewy snack your dog will love getting his teeth around. DO NOT cook them first, as this makes the bones brittle and likely to splinter. For convenience as well as cost saving, buy in bulk and freeze the wings individually.

5. Cheese – Tiny cubes of cheese make an excellent extra special reward while training, while a cream cheese triangle stuffed into a kong will keep your puppy happy for ages as he tries to lick out every last bit!

There are some excellent resources available online containing more information on healthy food for dogs. Did you know you can even make your own fog biscuits, and there are even ‘bone’ shaped cookie cutters available? If you would like to try making your own dog biscuits, there are some excellent recipes here!

If you want to know how to make homemade dog food, you are one of a growing number of loving owners who want to make sure their dog is fed only the best natural ingredients. The great news is that it’s really simple to get started – read on for the top three things you need to know!

1. You need to understand a dog’s natural diet, the one that his ancestors would have eaten before commercial dog foods came along. Unlike cats who are natural carnivores, dogs were scavengers with a more varied diet which included fruit and vegetables as well as meat. And remember, dogs were eating raw meat and bones long before we came along with our ovens! When eating animals in the wild, they also ate the semi-digested grains that these animals had consumed, so whole grains such as brown rice, oatmeal, barley etc should be included in their diets today. An occasional egg and fish would also have been something they would have eaten as part of their natural diet.

2. Living as part of a pack in the wild, puppies would have learnt from older dogs that some foods are to be avoided, a role that you need to take on for your dog today. As well as some ‘new’ foods that are a common part of a hum diet, there are good reasons why some foods should be avoided, even though they may have originally been part of a dogs natural diet.

So, here are some foods you should not feed your dog:

Onions – Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Garlic is less toxic than onions.

Caffein/Chocolate – Caffeine, theobromine and theophylline can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous systems.

Raw Pork – This is due to the risk of infection from the parasites often found in raw pork.

Alcohol – Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.

Grapes/Raisins – Contain a toxin which can damage the kidneys.

Macadamia Nuts – Contain a toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.

Mushrooms – Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.

The danger these foods represent obviously depends upon the size of the dog in relation to the volume ingested

3. Finally, you need to understand that while it may work out cheaper, feeding your dog a natural diet of homemade dog food will take up more of your valuable time. In the early stages you will need to research and experiment with recipes, and try out different combinations until you find what is best suited to your dog. You also need to be prepared to introduce changes to your dogs diet slowly to minimise problems, and like with children, for some dogs you may need to be cunning in how you disguise those vegetables!

We recommend this site as an excellent recipe resource on how to make homemade dog food, packed full of tasty recipes and ideas.