What Are The Benefits Of Homemade Dog Food?
Homemade dog food can benefit your canine companion in a number of ways — especially if you have a pet who suffers from allergies, gastrointestinal sensitivity or skin problems.
Highly-processed foods also tend to lose nutritional value, whereas making dog food from scratch maintains more of the vital nutrients during the cooking process. With fresh food, you know exactly what your dog is getting versus reading the label and being confused by all the included additives and preservatives.
It’s also a good idea to have these recipes handy in case you happen to run out of dog food. Treat your dog as you would any of your other family members by preparing nutritious food from trusted ingredients.
Beef Stew, Doggie Style
A much healthier alternative to canned dog food, this recipe is loaded with iron from fresh protein and vitamins and can be stored in your fridge for most of the week (or frozen and heated up later).
Ingredients
- 1 pound of beef stew meat
- 1 small sweet potato
- 1/2 cup of carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup of green beans, diced
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Total: Makes approx. 4 cups (or 32 fluid ounces)
Nutritional Info (per 1 cup serving):
- Calories: 301
- Protein: 36.7 g
- Fat: 8.4 g
- Carbs: 17.4 g
- Minerals & Vitamins: Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Potassium
Directions
- Cook the sweet potato in a microwave for 5 to 8 minutes until firm but tender. Set aside.
- Slice the beef into small chunks, about the size of a nickel.
- Cook the beef stew pieces in a tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until well-done.
- Remove the beef chunks from the pan, reserving the drippings.
- Dice the sweet potato.
- Heat the drippings over medium-low heat. Slowly add flour and water into the drippings while whisking to create a thick gravy.
- Add the meat, sweet potato, carrots and green beans into the gravy and stir to coat.
- Cook until the carrots are tender — about 10 minutes.
- Let it cool and serve.
- Store remaining stew in the fridge for up to 5 days.
As a dog owner, you’ve likely come across this essential list before, but it’s always good to have it on hand as a reminder, especially if you’re cooking dog food from scratch. The principal toxic foods include:
- Chocolate
- Onions and garlic
- Avocados
- Grapes and raisins
- Macadamia nuts
- Raw bread dough
- Alcohol
*The original recipe can be found at caninejournal.com*
