How To Feed Your Dog Healthy Food and Extend His Life

That "Chicken Flavor" dog food you've selected may have some chicken in it. Then again, it just as likely to have NONE! Did you know it's not required to?

Following the FDA guidelines concerning dog food ingredient listings to the letter: That "Lamb and Rice Formula" for dogs certainly has some lamb and rice in it—but the total combined could be as little as 25% of the complete packaged product, and still conform to regulations.

So—What comprises the remaining 75%?

How about all the fillers animal by-products and chemical preservatives listed on the label? Do you know what BHA and BHT are, and why they are banned for human use? Are you familiar with ethoxyquin? Probably not! Some companies even have the gall to claim they use, "SELECT by-products".

Is meat the first (and thereby most prevalent) ingredient listed on the label, or does corn or grain top the list? How about meat by-products?
A closer look there will expose delights such as zoo animals, road kill, and so-called, "4-D livestock" (dead, diseased, disabled and dying). It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines.

By definition, by-products may contain anything from the specified animal except—in the case of chicken— feathers and feces or—in the case of beef—hooves, hide and feces.

Meat and fat are separated out first because they are costlier and therefore don't appear in any significant amount. What are left are the bones, tendons, cartilage, beaks, feet and entrails. Proudly displayed and camouflaged as meat. But meat byproducts are NOT meat. They can include almost any part of the animal except meat. Because any mammal can be used, cheaper meats like horse, pig, or goat are often included.

If all of that isn't enough, do you suppose all those artificial colors and flavors are there for your dog's benefit, or for yours? Does your chosen dog food supply complete and balanced daily dietary provisions for your dog? Pet food should not be a source of yet more profit for corporations, fobbing off stuff of unknown nutritional value. And, with the loose regulations on dog food labeling leaving us groping in the dark as to what exactly we are feeding our pets, how can you be sure?

There is really only one way to be sure

Give your dog some good home cooking. Homemade dog food allows for flexibility and purity. It also gives us total control over our dog's nutritional needs. We can be assured that all ingredients are of the highest quality, and add up to a balanced, toxin-free diet.

But if you don't know how, you may as well go back to commercial dog food because it can be just as dangerous.

Making the decision to feed your pet healthy dog food doesn't mean you need to over complicate matters. But you do want to be certain that you provide him with all the nutritional building blocks he needs to maintain a healthy body. Animal protein should be combined with vegetables, pasta, rice, cereals and other foods to provide all the protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals needed.

I purchased a copy of Dog Food Secrets by Andrew Lewis, and I urge you to do so as well. Not only does the book address the problem head on, it also comes up with answers and lots of cheap and healthy recipes for making food for you dogs. One unexpected bonus is that by making your own food you will save lots of money.

Andrew Lewis wrote Dog Food Secrets after 3 years of research following of the death of his own dog Noble at the age of four. His veterinarian told him that the preservatives in commercial dog food had destroyed his yound dog's kidneys.

If you would prefer to stick with ready made dog food, don't worry: for your convenience, Andrew's team has researched the best possible alternative commercial pet foods currently available on the market. Their 40 page report comes to you as part of the instantly downloadable package!

The book includes research showing that on average, dogs fed on a natural well balanced diet will live up to 134% longer. That's an 8.3 year gift of life to your dog!! That fact alone is worth the low cost of the book.

So what is a healthy, well-balanced diet for your dog?

A healthy, well-balanced diet includes healthy animal fatty acids, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

An important thing to remember when planning the preparation of a healthy, well-balanced diet for your dog is, what can be fed raw and what cannot. For example:

Raw bones are good for your dogs, especially raw brisket or mutton bones, as your dog needs to use its teeth vigorously to crack, crush and tear them down into small pieces, helping to improve his gums and teeth. Dogs that gnaw on raw bones tend to have stronger jaws, cleaner teeth, and healthier bones from the calcium and other nutrients they absorb from the bones.

On the other hand, cooked bones (in particular chicken bones), can block your dog's digestive tract or even pierce the wall of his intestine. In short-never feed cooked bones.

Because meat is the basic component of your dog's protein requirements, always choose healthy fresh lean meat. An all natural homemade dog food may contain beef, turkey, chicken, and fish. Kidney, liver and other organ meat are also good. Remember, we're talking quality, high grade components here, not slaughterhouse waste.

My suggestion is that you cook the meat before feeding it to your dog. Although dogs are carnivores, it is best to cook meat to kill the bacteria that may cause health problems for your pet.

Always steer clear salty or spicy foods and never feed your dog large quantities of cooked onions or large meals of fresh meat. Everything should be sensibly moderated.

Another component of all natural homemade dog food is vegetables. They provide antioxidants and are an excellent source of nutrients and vitamins. You can add cooked corn, squash, peas, carrots and potatoes, etc.

A lot of dogs also love raw carrots.

Never start feeding your dog table scraps. Not only is it a bad habit to teach, but the actual food involved is more than likely not good for your dog.

Finally, always keep a constant supply of clean, fresh water available. Dogs can quickly become dehydrated, which may lead to kidney disease, especially in Dalmatians. Wash the water container and refill daily.

Andrew Lewis's Dog Food Secrets includes two entire volumes of tasty homemade dog food recipes, one titled "The Hungry Dog"—A Couple of Hundred Recipes For The Ravenous Hound' and the second called "140 Doggy Recipes"—"Soon Your Dog Will Be Smiling Too". In addition you'll receive a real gem: a book called "23 Healthy and Delicious Doggy Treat Recipes"—Easy Home Made Health Snacks For Good Girls and Boys.

My dogs love the Akita Apple Crunch Pupcakes—page 12.

If you really care about your dog's health and longevity, this ebook makes fascinating reading.

Following the 2007 recall of Menu Foods, Purina and Hills Science Diet, causing more than 100 brands of dog food to be pulled from store shelves, knowledge such as this is critical. Well in excess of 8,000 reported cases were documented, created when well meaning dog owners fed their pets commercial dog food containing rat poison and a chemical used in the production of plastics and fertilizer.

Fortified with this knowledge, I try to provide my own two dogs with nutritious home cooked dog food as much as possible, but there are occasions when this isn't always practical: I lead a busy life and I don't always find myself with the time to cook doggie dishes. Also, if my husband and I go on a trip, a neighbor feeds and walks the dogs, but she can hardly be expected to cook for them as well. Sometimes, branded dog food remains a necessity.

I've already mentioned three recipe books contained in the Dog Food Secrets package. A fourth huge bonus is a 40 page report titled: "The Confidential Dog Food Report 2nd Edition - The 9 Very Best, Ultra Healthy, Dog Food Brands in All of North America". The Dog Food Secrets team documents the enormous lengths they've gone to, testing the alternative brands that claim to be "100% healthy dog food". Just 9 brands achieve recommendation. All are all-natural, made without chemical preservatives, anti-oxidant rich, and are free of all by-products.

From my point of view this absorbing report alone is worth the purchase price for the whole package. It's unbelievably reassuring to know that I can still purchase brand name dog food for occasional use.

I also strongly recommend joinig Andrew Lewis's Free Mini-Course—a sign-up form is on the Dog Food Secrets web site. A wealth of solid, useful information arrives periodically in your mail box and your subscription allows Andrew to notify you immediately should any further crisis in the dog food industry develop.

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I promised at the beginning of this lens to include some dog food recipes I use myself. I'll begin with a very easy to make recipe for liver treats. My two dalmatians Ingredients:

• 9 chicken thighs
  
• 6 cups frozen vegetables (NO onions)
  
• 4½ cups oatmeal
  
• 4½ cups wholemeal flour
  
• 4 eggs
  

absolutely adore them and whenever they are cooking they position themselves right next to the oven, savoring the aroma.

Liver Treats

Ingredients:

• 1lb. chicken or beef liver -I prefer the chicken livers, they don't seem to smell as bad
  
• ½ lb. PLAIN cornmeal (non rising)
  
• ½ lb. plain old-fashioned oatmeal
  
• 1 can salmon or mackerel (with juice)
  
• 1 Cup chicken broth or water
  
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  
• 1 egg
  
• Dash of salt
  
• 
  

Preheat oven to 350°F
Liquefy liver in a blender. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add liver. Beat eggs in the same blender, then add broth or water and blend again (this serves to remove a lot of the liver from the sides).

Add to the bowl and mix well.

Grease a 8"X12"X1" (approximately) baking tray and spread the mixture to cover it evenly.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes. Remove from tray and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F

Cut into evenly sized approximately half inch squares and return to the tray - at this point I often use a second tray because it's easier to spread the squares more evenly. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 250°F. Turn all the squares over and return to the oven. The treats will be done when they are completely dry and crunchy.

Store them in an airtight container. If they are not completely dry they will go moldy when stored. Never feed a dog treats if they appear to have mold growing on them - they will be poisoned.

Dalmatian Patties

Ingredients:

• 9 chicken thighs
  
• 6 cups frozen vegetables (NO onions)
  
• 4½ cups oatmeal
  
• 4½ cups wholemeal flour
  
• 4 eggs
  

Boil the chicken thighs, cool, de-bone and puree in a food processor. Retain the stock to use later in the recipe.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F

Puree the vegetables and add to chicken. Add garlic, eggs and 3 cups of the stock and hand mix well (hands are easiest!).

Add oatmeal, flour and (approximately) 2 more cups chicken stock and mix to a medium-soft, not runny consistency.

Coat baking sheets with non-stick oil and drop large, heaped tablespoons of the mixture onto the sheets. Flatten the dough out a little with the back of the spoon.

Bake each batch 15 minutes for chewy or 20 minutes for somewhat firm, but they are not intended to be hard or crunchy.

I then cool them on wire racks and divide them into multiple quart storage bags. I freeze some and always keep the "in use" bag in the fridge. Before feeding to a dog you may want to zap those being fed for 15 - 20 seconds in the microwave, although it's not necessary. My dogs are perfectly happy to eat them straight from the fridge.

Liver Brownies

Ingrediants:

• 1lb. chicken or beef liver -I prefer the chicken livers, they don't seem to smell as bad.
  
• 1 cup PLAIN cornmeal (non rising)
  
• 1 cup plain old-fashioned oatmeal
  
• 1 can salmon or mackerel (with juice)
  
• 1 cup chicken broth or water
  
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
  
• 1 egg
  
• Dash of salt
  
• ¼ cup fresh parsley (well chopped) or flakes
  

Place liver, egg, fish, broth, garlic, salt and parsley flakes in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Mix corn and oatmeal, and then add liver mixture. Mix well. Once mixed, batter should be like a slightly wet brownie mix. Add more broth or water if necessary. Pour mixture onto well-greased cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Cut into squares while still warm. Cool, and then freeze what you won't use in 1 week or less.

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Before progressing all the good healthy, homemade meals you SHOULD feed your dog, I thought it would appropriate to sidestep and provide you with a list of things you SHOULD NEVER feed.

I should also mention that if you ever suspect that your dog has eaten something possibly poisonous; get him to a vet as quickly as possible. Depending upon the actual substance, the situation could be life threatening, and the sooner your dog receives professional medical attention the better his chances of survival.

Below are some items you should never feed your dog. It's by no means an all-inclusive list, but there are items that will probably surprise you!

Chocolate
Don't ever give your dog chocolate, even in tiny amounts. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine that's closely related to caffeine and causes your dog's heart to race. Hypersensitivity to theobromine can cause almost instantaneous death. Even sensitivity to it can result in anything from vomiting to kidney damage or seizures. Most brownies, cakes and cookies do not have enough chocolate in them to be dangerous, but don't take the risk. Bottom line, if there's chocolate in it, it's best not to give it to your dog.

Salt
Salt just isn't good for your dog, in the same way salt isn't good for you. Dogs have a really tough time processing a lot of salt, so try to be aware of how much has been used in what you're feeding him. Canned and processed products have a tendency to be high in salt content, so avoid them whenever possible.

Onions, Garlic and Anything in the Onion Family
Raw onions can cause liver damage in your dog, and even cooked onions can cause a rare form of anemia in some dogs. Luckily, most dogs don't even like raw onions, but keep them out of his diet. Also, garlic or garlic powder can have much the same effect.

Raw Eggs and Egg White
Raw eggs are one of the top allergens for dogs - they not only cause allergic reactions, but they also put your dog at risk for contracting salmonella poisoning. Many people think adding a raw egg to their dog's food is good for their coats, but use a teaspoon of flax oil, or if you don't have any, olive oil is actually much better for your dog.
Most bones aren't safe to give your dog, and it might be a good decision to leave them out of his diet entirely. If you have more than one dog, giving out bones can also incite aggressive behavior.

Fish, Poultry and Pork Bones
DON'T give these bones to your dog. These smaller bones can splinter in your dog's intestines and puncture through the intestinal wall and possibly result in death. They can also splinter in your dog's mouth, and puncture the mouth, trachea and many other places. And they can get caught in your dog's trachea. I promise you, it's scary and dangerous for you and your dog when you have to reach your hand into his mouth and down his throat to pull out a splintered bone that he is choking on.

Beef Rib Bones
Beef rib bones - the wide, meaty bones taken from the back are really the only bones I recommend you give to your dog, and even then, use caution. With some breeds, English Bulldogs for example, bones in any size aren't really appropriate due to the construction of their jaws and teeth.

Beef back ribs are big enough and dense enough to be safe for most dogs, although some dogs that chew off the cartilage and swallow it can experience some stomach upset, but that's fairly rare.

A final caution: If you have more than one dog, giving out bones can also incite aggressive behavior.

Rawhide Chew Strips or Bones
There are a multitude of commercially available rawhide chew strips or knotted bones on the market. Although very popular with dogs and owners alike, I generally don't recommend any of them, due to the chemicals and dyes used in the processing of these products.

Alcohol
Alcohol can act as a poison to a dog's system, just as chocolate can. You may think it's amusing to see your poor dog drunk, but you're seriously endangering his health. Also, subjecting him to alcohol poisoning is a form of animal abuse.

In conclusion, if you're ever in doubt about whether or not to feed something to your dog, DON'T. It's always better to err on the side of caution. Also, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.