Homemade Dog Food Recipes Blog

I read an interesting post here that talked about difference between ingredients and nutrition in homemade dog food recipes and I have to tell you, it was a good eye opener. I mean, I usually look at the ingredients that are listed on a commercial dog food product and/or look at the ingredients in a recipe, but I’m mainly looking for those things that are harmful or questionable. I really didn’t consider looking at it as being nutritious.

In the blog post by Garry Neale, he says, “It’s not the combination of ingredients that determines the quality of your dog’s diet and whether or not the dog’s nutritional needs are being met, it’s the blend of nutrients”. So even though what’s listed on the ingredients, it’s really the interaction of those ingredients that really determine if the meal is going to be nutritious for your pet.

In fact, he says, “The ingredients in dog food only have to do with digestibility and palatability. A given dog food can contain certain ingredients that have no nutritional value or that can’t be digested by your dog.” I guess you can think of it like eating at a fast food restaurant or eating at home. The ingredients themselves at a fast food restaurant are not harmful in themselves, but they are not necessarily nutritious for you, especially if you ate at a fast food restaurant every single day.

Nutrition is the quality of the homemade dog food recipe. Ingredients would be the quantity if you will. It’s much better to have quality over quantity and in the same way, it’s better to have nutrition over ingredients if that makes sense. That is why it is advised that you consult with your veterinarian or a dog nutritionist before you use any recipe that you find on the internet. While the recipe you found may have all “valid” ingredients (i.e., nothing harmful), the recipe itself may not be nutritious for your dog. Also, remember, what might be nutritious for one dog may not be nutritious for your dog. Nutrition also has a lot to do with the breed, age, health and activity of your dog.

So play it safe, evaluate the nutritional values of any homemade dog food recipes that you find before feeding them to your pet.