Is Making Homemade Dog Food Better for Your Dog?
There is no scientific research to show that it is better or worse for your dog to eat homemade dog food.
The main benefit is that it gives you complete control of your pooch eats, helping you keep him healthy and happy.
Other Tips for Making Homemade Dog Food
In deciding how much homemade food to feed dog and how to make your dog’s food yourself, keep the following advice in mind:
All of this shouldnt discourage you from making homemade dog food, but hopefully, it shows you you will need to put in a little more work (at least in the beginning stages) than simply pouring kibble into your pets bowl.
To wrap this up: although I did give my recommendation for a serving size for most homemade dog food diets in this article and my tips on how much homemade dog food to feed a dog, I cannot stress enough the importance of working with a veterinarian or canine nutritionist.
This is the only way that you can be sure youre feeding your pet an appropriate diet.
Why You Need to Know the Exact Serving Size of Food
You may be wondering why you even need to figure out the right homemade dog food serving size in cups for your pet. Some pet owners assume that they can watch a dogs weight and make sure theyre not gaining or losing.
This doesnt seem right.
The consequences of feeding a dog too much or too little food are obvious. When overfeeding on calories, your dog will become obese, which then could lead to a slew of other health conditions: diabetes, joint problems, certain types of cancer, heart and respiratory issues.
Feeding a dog too much food can also lead to vitamin toxicity. In such cases, too much of a good thing could be very bad.
For example, some of the most common vitamin toxicity cases are related to Vitamin A, which can cause bone spurs, lethargy, constipation, stiffness, and limping in dogs, and Vitamin D, which can lead to vomiting blood, seizures, muscle tremors, and abdominal pain in dogs.
At the same time, if youre not feeding your dogs enough essential nutrients, theyll be at risk of nutrient deficiency and becoming malnourished.
When you havent figured out the exact serving size of homemade dog food and do not realize a dog isnt getting all of the essential nutrients, it will become weak, and a dogs organs will start failing.
In the end, nutrient deficiency will lead to death if its not corrected in time.
How Much Homemade Dog Food To Feed My Dog?
Feeding your dog a homemade diet is one of the best things that you can do for your pet’s overall health and well-being. In today’s modern city Kathmandu a lots of dog owner who make a regular visit to the vet for their pets they have one common question in their mind and the vets are often asked “How much homemade dog food to feed my dog?” It’s not an easy question to answer, but I’ll explain how best to figure out the proper serving size for your best friend. You may be wondering why you even need to figure out the right serving size for your dog. I mean, can’t you just watch his weight and make sure he’s not gaining or losing? WRONG!
The consequences of feeding your dog too much food are obvious. The dog will ultimately be obese , which could have other health conditions like diabetes, joint problems, certain types of cancer and heart and respiratory issues. This is mostly seen in certain breed of dog who is a voracious eater like Labrador and golden retriever. Did you know that feeding your dog too much food can also lead to nutrient toxicity? That’s right. In this case, too much of a good thing could be very bad! For example, Vitamin A toxicity can cause bone spurs, lethargy, constipation, stiffness and limping. Vitamin D toxicity can lead to vomiting blood, seizures, muscle tremors and abdominal pain. If you’re not feeding your dog enough, he can be nutrient deficient quite quickly. If you don’t realize your dog isn’t getting the proper nutrients, he may become weak and his organs could start to fail. Ultimately, nutrient deficiency can lead to death if it’s not corrected. Before you spend too much time researching how much homemade dog food to feed my dog, you need to understand that the only person that can give you an accurate answer to this question is someone that is trained in canine nutrition or a canine nutritionist which is unfortunately not available in Nepal. But there are many vets and animal nutritionist here in Kathmandu who can give you a valuable advice for you about your pets food need. In order to give you the correct answer to this question, the expert will need to evaluate your dog His physical condition and look at his medical history. And, even with all of their training and knowledge, an expert isn’t going to be able to give you an exact answer. They’ll be able to steer you in the right direction, and together you can work to find recipes and exact serving sizes to meet your dog’s needs. What factors affect a dog’s diet? You need to fully understand the nutrients that your dog’s body will require every day before you can figure out how much food to feed him. Your vet or a canine nutritionist can help you determine how much protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals that should be included in your Dog’s diet daily. These nutritional requirements are based on many factors, including:
The type of diet that you feed will also have a huge impact on the answer to your question, “how much homemade dog food to feed my dog?” Not all dog food recipes are created equally, and they all offer different nutrients. This is just another why it’s important to enlist the help of an expert when trying to figure this out. Serving sizes of homemade dog food are smaller For most homemade dog food recipes, The dog nutritionist recommend feeding about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of food for every 25 pounds of body weight. While this doesn’t seem like a lot, you need to remember that homemade dog food is much more nutrient-dense than most commercial diets. When you make homemade dog food, you use high-quality, whole food ingredients. Commercial dog food products use processed foods and fillers that are only added to the recipe to make your pet feel like he’s had enough to eat. Thankfully, homemade dog food does not include these types of ingredients. We know it seems like a small amount. But when answering the questions how much homemade dog food to feed my dog you need to remember that homemade dog food is so much more nutrient-dense. As a general rule, dogs will eat around 2 to 3 percent of their body weight in fresh food daily (use cooked weights for foods that are cooked). Large dogs will tend to eat a lower percentage, and small dogs a higher percentage of their body weights. Toy breeds may need as much as 4 to 5 percent of their body weight daily, while giant breeds might eat as little as 1½ percent, or even less.
YOU DON’T NEED TO FEED AS MUCH HOMEMADE DOG FOOD AS YOU WOULD A COMMERCIAL DOG FOOD RECIPE. This is better for your dog’s digestion and will reduce the amount of stool that he creates. It’s a win win situation for you and him! However Homemade dog food may not provide all of the nutrients that your dog it’s important to work with an expert who can explain your dog’s nutritional needs and how best to meet those needs.
In a recent study, researchers tested 200 homemade dog food recipes – many of which were written by veterinarians – and found that only 9 of them provided all of the essential nutrients in the right concentrations to meet the minimum standards set for adult canines by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. Sadly, only 5 of the recipes provided the essential nutrients in the right concentrations to meet the National Research Council’s minimum requirements for adult canines. It’s still alright to make homemade dog food. It’s just likely that you’ll need to add supplement(s) to the food to make it a balanced meal for your pet. The expert that you work with may also recommend adding supplements based on your dog’s unique needs. For example, if your dog is a breed that is genetically predisposed to hip and joint issues like hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia they may recommend including a joint supplement. Although I did give my recommendation for a serving size for most homemade dog food diets in this article, I can’t stress enough the importance of working with a veterinarian or canine nutritionist. This is the only way that you can be absolutely sure you’re feeding your dog an appropriate diet.t the National Research Council’s minimum require for adult canines. It’s still alright to make homemade dog food. It’s just likely that you’ll need to add supplement(s) to the food to make it a balanced meal for your pet. The expert that you work with may also recommend adding supplements based on your dog’s unique needs. For example, if your dog is a breed that is genetically predisposed to hip and joint issues like hip dysplasia or elbow dysplasia they may recommend including a joint supplement. Although I did give my recommendation for a serving size for most homemade dog food diets in this article, I can’t stress enough the importance of working with a veterinarian or canine nutritionist. This is the only way that you can be absolutely sure you’re feeding your dog an appropriate diet.