Don't feed your dog scraps from the dinner table --- the wrong types of "human food" could make him ill.
There are many reasons why you might not want to give your pup his usual dry or canned food. Maybe you've run out of dog food and can't get more until payday. Or maybe you want to make your own dog food to ensure your dog gets the best nutrition, or to control allergies. Whatever your motivation, and regardless of whether you're looking for a short-term solution or a long-term change, you can feed your dog without purchasing commercial foods.
Instructions
1. Cook 1 1/2 cups of brown rice to feed to your dog as a meal if you only plan to be out of food for a day or so. Rice doesn't provide all of the nutrition a dog needs, but it's unlikely to upset his tummy or cause diarrhea. Brown rice has more fiber and nutrients than white rice.
2. Mix two parts cold cooked meat with one part grains and one part vegetables. Commercial dog food companies use corn, but corn isn't the best choice --- it's been super-bred over the years and contains more starches and sugars than other vegetables.
3. Know which foods to give your dog. For grains, you can use brown rice, rolled oats, whole-wheat couscous, buckwheat, barley, bulgur and millet. Cook the grains according to the directions on the package.
For meat, serve chicken, fish, beef, lamb, goat, rabbit or turkey. You can give your dog liver, giblets and hearts. Avoid giving your dog cooked chicken bones, as bone splinters can cause infection or puncture the esophagus. For vegetarian dog food, add lentils or other beans. When combined with the whole grains, they make complete proteins.
Dogs can eat alfalfa, grated carrots and beets, and mixed greens raw. Other favorites include broccoli, winter squash, potatoes and green beans and peas, though all of these foods must be cooked.
4. Know which foods to avoid. Never give your dog avocados, garlic, onions or chocolate. These foods can hurt dogs. Mushrooms, raisins, seeds and certain nuts like macadamias are also problematic.
Avoid sugary foods like donuts or cookies. In nature, dogs would not be eating white sugar. Sometimes they would eat fruits, but not often. Artificial sweeteners are not better; in fact, they can cause worse digestive distress than white sugar. Also avoid refined white flour, as it has absolutely no nutrients and can cause digestive problems in dogs.
5. Transition your dog to a new food slowly, over a two-week period. Begin by replacing one-quarter of the dog's usual food with homemade dog food; serve it in those proportions for three to four days. Then serve meals that are half homemade dog food and half commercial dog food. After a few days, and if your dog isn't having any digestive issues, serve meals that are three-quarters homemade food and one-quarter commercial food. After another few days, begin feeding your dog only homemade dog food at every meal. If you ever transition back to commercial dog food, wean him off homemade food slowly using the same technique.
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