How to Prepare Dog Food at Home

Protein supplement. Adult dogs weighing 15 kg need a minimum of 25 g of pure protein per day. ^[9] Protein can include eggs (containing many of the essential amino acids that dogs need), followed by animal proteins, such as chicken, lamb or turkey. High-quality plant-based foods such as protein-rich beans, nuts, and eggs can be added to the diet. Make sure there is at least 10% quality protein (meat) in your dog’s meal. ^[10]

• Proteins are made up of small blocks called amino acids. There are 10 amino acids that dogs cannot produce on their own and must be provided through the diet.

Add fat. Adult dogs weighing 15 kg (about the size of a medium-sized Staffordshire Bun) need at least 14 g of fat per day. ^[11] You can feed your dog meat or chicken skin to ensure adequate fat in the diet. Experts recommend that at least 5% of a dog’s diet should contain fat (by weight). ^[12]

• Fats contain fat-soluble vitamins that are essential for health. These vitamins also have a role in creating new functional cells.

Add carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the main source of calories for dogs. Specifically, half a dog’s diet should contain carbohydrates. Dogs weighing 14 kg need about 930 calories a day. ^[13] You should include wheat, rice, oats, and barley in your dog’s diet to ensure that your dog is getting enough calories.

• Carbohydrates provide energy (while some of the energy comes from protein and fat). Carbohydrates also provide fiber to ensure healthy bowel function.

Mineral supplements. Dogs need minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, selenium, iron and copper. Mineral deficiencies can lead to a host of health problems, including weak bones that break easily, anemia, or poor nerve conduction that leads to seizures. Different foods contain different levels of minerals, especially fresh fruits and vegetables that require careful research to ensure your dog is getting enough minerals from each type in his diet. ^[14] You should add vegetables with high mineral content to your dog’s meal:

• Green leafy vegetables (raw or cooked), such as spinach (spinach), kale, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and collard greens
• Pumpkin (cooked)
• Radishes (cooked)
• Yellow radish (cooked)
• French beans (cooked)
• Okra (cooked)

Vitamin supplements. Vitamins are an important part of a dog’s diet. Vitamin deficiency can lead to problems such as blindness, weakened immune system, skin damage and susceptibility to infections. Vitamins are found in many foods in varying degrees, so you need to use a variety of vegetables. Green vegetables are often a good source of vitamins and minerals, but some dogs do not like the taste of vegetables and do not want to eat them. Green vegetables can be eaten raw, but can cause gas in dogs.

• Avoid overcooking vegetables as this will break down the vitamins. ^[15]
• Vegetables that you wouldn’t normally eat raw (such as turnips, swedes, turnips, or potatoes) need to be cooked to reduce the risk of bowel obstruction and make it easier for your dog to digest.

Know how much to feed your dog. You need to find out how many calories your dog really needs to avoid becoming overweight or losing weight. Note that calorie needs do not follow a certain standard. For example, a dog weighing 18 kg does not need twice as many calories as a dog weighing 9 kg. ^[16]

• You can find a chart of your dog’s daily calorie needs. The chart will give you a general idea of your dog’s calorie needs based on body weight. ^[17]
• Once you’ve found general guidelines for your dog’s weight, you should consider whether there are any lifestyle changes that require adjustment (e.g. pregnancy, obesity, age of dog and dog). be castrated or sterilized). For example, a 4.5 kg puppy under 4 months of age needs 654 calories, while a neutered 4.5 kg dog needs only 349 calories. ^[18]

Know which foods are bad for dogs. We all know that chocolate is bad for dogs. However, there are many other foods that are good for humans but bad for dogs. Therefore, you should double-check the ingredients before trying to make dog food based on a new recipe. Absolutely do not feed dogs: ^[19]

• Raisins
• Grape
• Onions (including pilgrimages and chives)
• Garlic
• Tomato
• Chocolate
• Avocado
• Yeast bloom
• Caffeine
• Alcoholic beverages
• Artificial sweeteners
• Xylitp
• Macadamia Nuts