How to Make Homemade Dry Dog Food

Due to the recent pet food recalls, many pet owners are deciding to make their own pet food at home. This method ensures that the ingredients that you are putting into your animal's food are safe and healthy. A simple pet food recipe is dry dog food morsels.

Instructions

1

Start by taking the yeast and dissolving it in 1 cup of warm water.

2

Mix all the ingredients together once the yeast has dissolved. Knead the ingredients until a thick paste is formed. You may need to add extra water to the mixture.

3

Allow the dough to sit for at least 30 minutes once the paste is formed. This will permit enough time for the yeast to rise.

4

Roll the dough out on a generously floured surface using a rolling pin. The dough should not be overly thick once you have finished. Proceed to cut the dough into bite-sized square morsels using a small knife.

5

Place the squares on a large baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. Allow the morsels to cool down and then serve to your dog. Feel free to store any leftovers and use for the next feeding.

Recipes for Homemade Raw Homopathic Dog Food

Grains and carbohydrates are not a part of the natural dog or cat diet. These animals do not have the dietary structures in place to digest complex carbohydrates, and Russell Swift, DVM, suggests that grains were introduced by the pet food industry because they are cheap calories. The raw diet is a movement away from cooked food with grains and into a more natural diet for pets.

Homemade Raw Diet

A raw food diet, coined the BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) diet by Dr. Ian Billinghurst, DVM, consists of 50 percent raw meaty bones and 50 percent raw meat, which needs to include organ meat such as liver, heart and kidneys. Because dogs are omnivores, pureed vegetables must be added; the vegetables must be pureed because dogs don't chew much and can't digest whole vegetables. Eggs, yogurt and omega-3 fatty acids round off a complete homeopathic diet.

When feeding raw meat, vary the protein source for your dog. Good protein sources include turkey, beef, chicken, lamb, rabbit and venison. If your dog is allergic to a certain protein source, avoid that type. Find organic meat that isn't polluted with chemicals used on many factory farms.

Vegetables can be raw or cooked, but include as wide a variety as possible with each meal. Vegetable sources include asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celery, green beans, okra, pumpkin and squash.

To add more homeopathic nutrition to your dog's meal, Dr. Richard Pitcairn recommends adding this healthy powder to all homemade recipes: 2 cups brewer's yeast, 1 cup lecithin granules, 1/4 cup kelp powder, 4 tbsp. bone meal powder and 1,000mg vitamin C.

Build your dog's diet by combining any of the above proteins with any of the combined vegetables in a 3 to 1, meat to vegetable ratio. Add a raw egg and omega-3 fatty acid tablet from any local grocery store for complete nutrition. A 50-pound dog can eat about 1 pound of meat mixture per day; adjust accordingly to your dog's weight.

For a simple dinner, mix 6 oz. chopped meat, which includes organ meat, with 2 oz. ground vegetables listed above. Add 1 egg, 1 omega-3 capsule and a handful of fruit, such as apples, bananas or berries. Mix thoroughly and add 1 spoonful of grapefruit seed extract to kill bacteria. Top with 1 spoonful of organic vegetable oil, which provides twice the energy of other food sources. This makes one serving.

Though grains are considered unnecessary for dogs, raw oats can help your dog digest raw meat. If his stools seem a little hard, add a couple spoonfuls of oats or oatmeal.

A raw recipe with grains recommended by Dr. Pitcairn includes 5 cups raw oats, 3 pounds raw turkey, cup vegetable oil, 1 cup cooked vegetables, 6 tbsp. healthy powder mentioned above and 4 tsp. bone meal. Cook the oats and combine with the rest of the ingredients. This makes about five servings for a small dog, three servings for a medium dog and a little less for a large dog.

How to Help a Dog That Chronically Vomits Yellow Fluid

Vomiting is among the most common ailments that veterinarians treat. Chronic vomiting is not an unusual problem in dogs and often, the situation involves a yellow, liquid vomit. Vomiting first thing in the morning, before a scheduled meal, or immediately after is also not uncommon in cases where chronic vomiting is present due to irritation from stomach acids and bile.A dog that chronically vomits a yellow fluid may be suffering from a problem that's fairly easy to remedy with some simple life changes.

Instructions

1

Chronic vomiting can result when a dog eats just once or twice a day. The stomach acids and bile accumulate in the empty stomach, causing irritation and inflammation to the stomach's lining. So begin by looking at your dog's feeding schedule. Is it eating just once or twice a day?

2

If a dog is eating just once or twice a day, a new feeding schedule must be implemented. It is not necessary to feed the dog a greater volume of food, but the dog must eat more frequently, so feeding several smaller meals instead of one or two large meals is ideal. Divide the dog's daily ration into three or four meals instead of just one or two. More frequent meals will prevent the gastric fluids from upsetting the lining of an empty stomach.

3

Before serving a meal of kibble, add enough hot water to just cover the top of the kibble. Allow the kibble to sit for about 10 minutes. Serve once the kibble swells and absorbs all of the water. This will prevent the kibble from swelling once it's entered the dog's stomach. If the dog eats until it's full, and the kibble then swells, this will push the dog's stomach beyond the feeling of "full" and this can lead to vomiting, particularly when the stomach is already upset from the gastric fluids having prolonged contact with the stomach lining. These measures are not necessary when serving wet food.

4

Serving more frequent meals will often solve a problem involving chronic vomiting of a yellow fluid, since food will be in the stomach more often and this prevents the gastric fluids from upsetting the empty stomach. In cases where more frequent meals do not improve the situation, additional measures will be required, as this can indicate an overproduction of stomach acids and bile.

5

If more frequent meals do not solve the problem of a yellow liquid vomit, this usually indicates an overproduction of stomach acid and bile. To treat this, over-the-counter medication will be required and in most cases, this is very successful in resolving the problem when the medication is paired with frequent feedings. Pepcid AC or a similar famotidine medication like Zantac will treat the problem of excess bile and digestive fluids. The typical dose is 0.25 milligrams to 0.5 milligrams for each one pound of body weight, given every 12 hours.

6

If more frequent feedings and a medication like Pepcid AC do not solve the issue of chronic vomiting involving a yellow fluid, this can indicate a more serious underlying problem that must be addressed with a veterinarian. Fortunately, veterinarians say that most cases of chronic vomiting involving a yellow fluid are solved with the above-mentioned measures, therefore additional investigation into the situation is not required.

How to Find the Best Dog Food for My Siberian Husky

All dog foods are not created equal. Choosing the best pet food for your Siberian husky can improve her health, enrich her lifestyle and advance her performance as a working or show dog. The Siberian husky is a compact, working breed dog with high energy. Ingredients, preparation, feeding habits, and the dog's initial health can all affect the effectiveness of the best food for your Siberian husky.

Instructions

Ensure Your Pet is Healthy

1

Identify any health concerns with a thorough veterinary inspection. The best dog food for a healthy dog may not be the best dog food for a dog with vitamin deficiencies or genetic health disorders.

2

Watch for signs of hip dysplasia in the Siberian husky. Visit the veterinarian if the dog is having trouble walking or showing signs of discomfort. Hips are fully developed by the age of 2 in large breed dogs. Have the veterinarian take X-rays if they suspect dysplasia.

3

Learn about the dog's allergies or reactions to specific ingredients. Buy food that does not contain these ingredients. Take food up immediately if the dog begins to vomit or experiences diarrhea. Check with a veterinarian about the symptoms.

Dog Food Ingredients

4

Look for meat first on the Siberian husky dog food ingredient list. Dogs are omnivores and, genetically, predators. Dry kibble will contain some vegetables, but should have meat or meat meal high on the ingredient list.

5

Look for whole vegetables; these are healthy for dogs, especially when they replace grain particles in dog foods.

6

Locate supplements added to the food by manufacturers. Omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil can be beneficial to joint health in working dogs like the Siberian husky.

7

Ascertain if your dog reacts to grains by speaking with a veterinarian. Choose foods with whole grains as opposed to grain particles when possible. Grain-free dog food now is available from most major pet supply stores.

Feeding the Siberian Husky

8

Follow instructions located on the back of the food the Siberian husky eats. Locate the dog's weight and the corresponding cup amount.

9

Break up the total cup amount of food into at least two feedings spread out over the day.

10

Feed the Siberian husky in a calm setting to avoid over excitement and bloat, a digestive disorder common among deep chested dogs. Allow at least 45 minutes after feeding before engaging in vigorous physical activity.

How to Buy the Best Dog Food at the Best Price

Dog food companies spend millions of dollars every year on advertising campaigns designed to make their dog food look appetizing to us, regardless of whether or not it's actually nutritious for our furry friends. Here are some common ingredients that should be avoided when looking to buy the best, healthy dog food.

Instructions

1

Protein: We all know protein is good for dogs, but here are some questionable sources that should be avoided. Beef & bone meal, ground up remains of the cow, used to increase the protein percentage of the dog food. Blood meal is clean animal blood, unfortunately you don't know what animal it came from or if it was sick or on medication. Chicken byproduct meal, which is everything from the chicken minus the meat, head, bones, etc. another cheap filler to up the protein percentage. Meat and bone meal is rendered product from animal tissue, this can be from any source including dead, diseased, dying or disabled animals, can include road kill or even euthanized shelter animals! may even contain cancerous or spoiled tissue. No quality dog food should contain this!

2

Binders: Corn and Wheat gluten are cheap binders used in inexpensive dog food. Although not harmful, they should be avoided if only for their near non-existent nutritional value.

3

Food coloring; Of all food coloring, Yellow-6 was shown, in industry sponsored testing, to cause tumors in the adrenal gland and kidney. I would personally never buy a dog food with this in it, just choose a healthy dog food without this ingredient.

4

Fats: Animal and Poultry fat; the food industry is not required to disclose the type of animal or how it obtained this fat. Keep in mind that the four 'D's are prevalent here. diseased, dying, dead and disabled keep in mind that this also includes road kill, shelter animals and restaurant refuse! I would never feed my pup anything with undisclosed meat or poultry sources in it! I'd keep looking for a good healthy dog food.

5

Fiber: Here are some fiber sources which are inexpensive fillers with little to no nutritional value. Corn bran, oat hulls, peanut hulls, rice hulls, corn cellulose, soybean and wheat mill run, which is also known as floor sweepings. The big no-no is cellulose which is usually dried, bleached and powdered wood! Argh!!

6

Flavorings: There are flavoring additives known as animal digest, digest or as 'flavoring', for the most part this is made from an enzymatic hydrolysis of clean, undecomposed animal tissue. If the animal is listed that's almost ok. If it is not, and it doesn't have to be, assume it's part of the dreaded '4Ds' made from anything including rats or euthenized shelter animals! This is certainly not the kind of dog food you want your little friend eating. Look for good, healthy, high quality dog food.

7

Fruits: Some no-no's include apple pomace, which is a byproduct with little value. A huge no-no is grape pomace, and, as most of us know, grapes are bad for dogs in the first place. A good healthy dog food would not include this.

8

Preservatives: Stay away from BHA and BHT, they are banned in many countries but still allowed in the USA. And now for the big one.. Ethoxyquin, this was originally developed as a rubber stabilizer! This has been linked to thyroid, kidney, immune, and reproductive illnesses and also cancer. This is being studied again and may be banned. Don't buy any dog food containing these substances, it's not healthy.

9

Supplements: Salt should be in low quantities. Yeast is also sometimes added to boost the flavor of low quality dog foods. Mineral oil is sometimes added as a laxative and stool softener, obviously any dog food with this in it isn't a good high quality dog food!

10

Sweeteners: Stay away from all sweeteners period. Sorbitol, fructose, corn syrup and cane molasses. These cause hypoglycemia, nervousness, tooth decay, cataracts, obesity, arthritis and even allergies. Dog's can even get 'addicted' to sweet food and not want to eat anything else. Including good healthy dog food.

Over the Counter Dog Food for Diabetic Dogs

Diabetes is one of the most common diseases in canines. It affects a dog's ability to metabolize foods properly, which can lead to serious health issues. It's manageable through medication, exercise and diet. It's important to feed a diabetic dog food that contains the nutrients and protein he needs, with no unnecessary fillers.

Definition

Diabetes is an endocrine disease caused by an insulin deficiency. Insulin is important for a healthy metabolism. This hormone is responsible for helping the body absorb and use sugar effectively. It stabilizes glucose levels, so that food is used for energy and not stored as fat. If the body doesn't produce enough insulin, it must be injected under the skin. If this disease is not managed properly, it can lead to circulatory problems, cataracts and blindness.

Feeding

Symptoms of diabetes include increased appetite and water intake, so it's important that the food your dog eats is healthy and nutritious. Since diabetes hinders a dog's ability to metabolize fats and can lead to weight gain, his diet needs to include food that is low in fats and calories while being high in nutritional value. Foods that are rich in protein and fiber will take longer to digest and help him feel full for a longer period of time. Feeding two or three smaller meals each day instead of one large meal will help keep your dog's blood sugar levels stable throughout the day.

Sugar

Sugar is an ingredient in most dog foods, so it's important to read the labels on the dog food you purchase. Carbohydrates are converted to glucose in the body, so any foods that are high in carbohydrates should be avoided. This includes foods with grains, though rice and oats can be used sparingly. Fruits and vegetables are acceptable in moderation, because they help stabilize blood sugar naturally.

Benefits

By feeding an over the counter dog food to your dog, you can be sure it will deliver the same nutritional content consistently, which is important if you're administering insulin to your pet. Even the smallest variation of ingredients can cause his blood sugar levels to spike or plummet dangerously. A commercial dog food also includes a wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals that other foods may not.

Warnings

Though some diabetic dogs may benefit from weight loss, avoid foods designed strictly for weight control, as they may lack the nutrients that a diabetic pet needs. A dog with diabetes may experience weight loss as a result of a metabolic imbalance, so feeding him a diet of foods designed to help him lose weight won't provide him with the proper nutritional support. The effects of diabetes occur very quickly, so be sure to watch your dog for dizziness, difficulty breathing or any other signs of low blood sugar.

How to Make Bland Dog Food for Sick Dogs

Sometimes when your dog becomes sick, the best help you can give your pet involves careful preparation of its food. Not all conditions require a bland diet; however, a bland diet helps many of the most common problems such as diarrhea and vomiting. You can make a bland dog food with a few ingredients and help your dog feel better.

Instructions

1

Talk to your veterinarian regarding your dog's dietary needs, how long you should feed it bland food and any medical concerns.

2

Choose a protein source that contains low fat, such as lean hamburger meat, chopped lean beef, skinless chicken or tofu, suggests the Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine. Use canned salmon, mackerel or tuna in water for dogs with chicken or beef allergies.

3

Select a carbohydrate, such as rice or potato, to mix with the protein. Make a list of the needed food needed to mix one part meat and three to four parts carbohydrates to feed the dog for at least four days. Avoid adding too much meat as it may cause diarrhea.

4

Prepare the meat by boiling the chicken or beef cubes, cooking and draining hamburger meat or rinsing canned salmon or mackerel to help remove the sodium. Grind the chicken or beef cubes for dogs with problems swallowing or chewing.

5

Cook the rice with the protein, including tofu, or boil the potatoes, mash and add the protein. Mix the ingredients and allow the food to cool.

6

Refrigerate the food in one container or divide into daily portions. You may freeze larger quantities if your dog needs bland food for a longer time, such as dogs with pancreatitis. Freeze food in daily portions to make it easier to defrost.