Holistic Dog Food Choices

By Moses Wright

Dog owners who are concerned about the contents of popular commercial dog foods often seek out holistic dog food alternatives. Natural, commercial dog foods and homemade dog food are common holistic choices.

Natural dog foods that the companies promote as holistic often contain natural ingredients. Perhaps one of the biggest differences between these holistic dog foods and the most popular commercial dog foods is the quality of the ingredients.

Though animal byproducts are often the animal protein source in commercial dog food, animal byproducts are not usually included in holistic dog food. Animal byproducts are meat pieces that are not suitable for human consumption. Some holistic dog foods use only human-grade ingredients. Holistic dog food may have vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants added.

Holistic dog food can also be homemade dog food. Collections of natural dog food recipes can be found on the Internet. Dog owners should be warned that some dog food recipes on the Internet contain ingredients that can be toxic to dogs. A dog owner needs to make sure that the dog food recipe does not contain avocado, garlic, onions, grapes, raisins, or any other food that can be toxic to dogs.

One basic dog food recipe for meat and brown rice dinner allows the dog owner to include ingredients that are available. The recipe includes four basic ingredients of one and a half cups of brown rice, half a cup of cubed meat, two teaspoons vegetable oil, and one-fourth to one-half cooked vegetables.

Beef, chicken, turkey, ham, liver, or veal can be used as the meat in this dog food recipe. Ground beef or ground turkey need to be cooked thoroughly if used as the meat. The meat should be cooked until well done in the vegetable oil.

The vegetables can be a mixture of cooked carrots, celery, cabbage, broccoli, diced potatoes, or other dog-safe vegetables. Some dog food recipes similar to this basic recipe include a half cup of plain yogurt. The ingredients should be blended and cooled before being fed to the dog.

The dog owner should avoid using the same ingredients for this recipe. The dog's homemade dog food diet should include variety to ensure the dog is receiving a variety of vitamins and minerals. Liver and other ingredients of homemade dog food should not be given daily, but in moderation as part of the dog's diet. - 29953

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