The best way to know what goes into your dog's food is to make it yourself. With the recent pet food recall, many pet owners are doing just that. Though some experts argue that a homemade diet is best for dogs, others insist that the appropriate course is to consult your veterinarian, as canines have definite nutritional requirements. Dietary changes should be done slowly to avoid digestive upsets. Recipes or ingredients may be rotated to ensure nutritional variety.

Another area of contention is bones. Some experts assert that you should not feed your dog bones, especially cooked bones. Fragments can become lodged in the digestive tract. Everyone is in agreement that cooked chicken bones must never be fed to dogs. But cooked bones of other varieties are not clear cut. Many experts maintain that dogs should be fed bones - and there is a diversity of opinion upon whether raw or cooked is preferable. Canines in the wild who eat bones have the benefit of consuming hair and hide too, which have been found to 'pad' the bone fragments and aid in their passing. Other foods to avoid that are dangerous for dogs are chocolate, avocadoes, mushrooms, macadamia nuts, grapes, raisins, onions, and garlic.

Remembering the pet food product recall not long ago, masters of many pets are looking for information about nourishing dog meals that can be prepared at home. There is a continual shift in thinking as to what constitutes a balanced, nourishing food regimen for dogs. It was once felt that canines were innately meat eaters. However, since a meat-only regimen sickened lots of dogs, it is now thought that they should be considered omnivores, that is to say eaters of both meat and plant containing foods. Felines, however, really are carnivores and just require meat.

Pet food companies formulated what they asserted was the perfect nutritional balance and turned it into a $15 billion dollar industry. However, there is much controversy on the optimal diet for our dogs. It seems there is a minimum of research in canine nutritional requirements and a maximum of profiteering, in the sense that the main, or only, objective of most pet food manufacturers is profit and nothing else.

There are so-called experts out there who recommend just about any kind of dietary regimen you can imagine: vegan, vegetarian, all meat, raw foods, top level meat kibble, inexpensive corn kibble, canned products, or collections of homemade recipes. You may want to go by your own pet's health. If the veterinarian says all is well, your pet has lots of energy, his weight is appropriate, and he has a shiny coat and clear eyes, then it's likely he's getting the proper nourishment.

The protein component in dog food should essentially contain ten amino acids. Corn as base is very popular in most brands of commercially manufactured dog food. This, no doubt, is protein but it contains just four out of the required ten amino acids. What has really caught on these days is a meat based diet which supplies good quality protein in the form of egg white, beef, lamb or white meat, that is, chicken and fish. This is further fortified with some carbohydrate like wheat, corn, oats, rice, barley, or soy and also includes vegetables that supply the energy, vitamins, minerals and fats.

You can find such ingredients in the top food products on the market or you can make them in your own home with foods you would eat yourself. If you are making homemade dog food, you should use an assortment of recipes to provide your dog with a nutritional balance. If you should wish to attempt making an array of fine meals, you will discover lots of excellent recipes for homemade dog foods on the internet.

About the Author

The aftermath of the recent pet food recall is that many people are searching for healthful recipes and dietary guidelines necessary to make their own homemade dog food.