| Believe it or not, most commercial dog food | | | | you the number of ounces your dog needs to |
| isn't really healthy for your dog. Most | | | | eat every day and from there you can decide |
| commercially made dog foods contain animal | | | | how those ounces should be served. |
| parts that were never meant to be included in | | | | |
| food. They also contain a host of | | | | Natural dog food |
| preservatives and chemicals that are there to | | | | |
| increase the food's shelf life, not help your | | | | You can feed natural ingredients to your dog |
| dog stay healthy. Keeping your dog fed with | | | | in cooked or raw form. The most important |
| healthy dog food is not as hard as it sounds. | | | | thing is to make sure that they get the |
| Sometimes all it takes is reading the label. | | | | nutrients they need in the amounts they need. |
| Sometimes, if you want to be one hundred | | | | |
| percent sure that your dog's food is safe, | | | | Naturally made healthy dog food is far more |
| you can make it yourself! | | | | convenient than commercially made dog food. |
| | | | While most people prefer commercially bagged |
| Make your own dog food recipe | | | | or canned dog food because of its ease, the |
| | | | dog food you make yourself will save you time |
| If you are thinking of making your own dog | | | | and money in the long run. The ingredients |
| food here are some simple steps to follow: | | | | for your dogs food do not have to be |
| | | | expensive - they are basically the same foods |
| 1. Meat is the most important ingredient. | | | | that you are buying for your family. Another |
| Make sure the meat is fresh - the best kind | | | | reason home made or natural food is better is |
| to use is meat from a meat processor or | | | | that, in the long run, it saves you time and |
| butcher. They can grind the meat up for you | | | | money on trips to the veterinarian and gives |
| if you would like them to. The meat can be | | | | you more time with your pet (dogs who eat |
| beef, lamb or chicken (some people also use | | | | natural food live longer). |
| fish). | | | | |
| | | | Homemade dog food is healthy |
| 2. Vegetables need to be added to every | | | | |
| meal. The best vegetables to use are | | | | While it is certainly easy to run out to the |
| broccoli, yams, beets, sweet potatoes, | | | | store and grab a bag of the cheapest doggie |
| zucchini, pumpkin, carrots, cucumber and | | | | kibble available, this is not what is best |
| squash. Stay away from beans, spinach, | | | | for the four legged member of your family. |
| chard, garlic, bell peppers, potatoes, | | | | Dogs have dietary needs just like humans do |
| onions, beet greens and spinach as these have | | | | and often, the commercially made dog food |
| been known to lead to digestive problems and | | | | does not cater to these needs. By paying |
| red blood cell damage. | | | | attention to your dogs nutrition and the |
| | | | ingredients of his food, you are making sure |
| 3. The best way to figure out how much food | | | | that your dog leads a long and healthy life. |
| to feed your dog is to take its body weight | | | | Isn't your best friend worth it? |
| and then multiply it by 0.4. This will give | | | | |