Next to my cats my dogs are priceless to me. I only say that because my dogs can't read but I think my cats can. Right now I only have two dogs and I want to keep them as long as possible. I got my first dog when I was 13, years after my first cat, but it didn't take long for me to see that both were to play a major role in my future.

Of course when I was younger my mother took care of buying the food for the dog and it would be a few years before I would begin to understand the importance of their food to their over all well being. The truth of the matter is, without getting on my soapbox, most of the commercially produced dog foods are essentially garbage both literally and figuratively.

Having said that, allow me to share a few observations about the need for homemade dog food recipes and some suggestions. My experience has been that a dog is a lot like a human - it will eat just about anything. The major difference is the dog probably doesn't have the good sense you and I have, if I can make that assumption. So it is up to you and me to help the dog out. Here are a few broad guidelines:

1) Dogs can and should eat vegetables and grains as well as meats. My dogs love carrots and will chew on them like bones. Just like humans a rough ratio of about 40% meat, 1/2 veggies and 10% carbohydrates like grains is good.
2) Stay as far away from preservatives and additives as possible. BHA, BHT and Ethoxyquin, to name a few, aren't good for any of us unless you're making money off producing products with these in them in which case: dog poop on you. A good rule of thumb is to use the same ingredients for your dog's food as you use for your own assuming you prepare your own meals of course. This, however, doesn't mean just feed them your table scrapes, either.
3) Avoid some obvious ingredients like sweets, alcohol, coffee and tea. Commercial cat food is just as obnoxious as commercial dog food so stay away from it. That aside, cats require a lot more protein and fats then dogs so cat food in general is not good for dogs because it is way to hard for them to digest.
4) Be careful with dairy products because many dogs don't have enough of the enzyme lactase to handle them.
5) Avoid raw potatoes, raw eggs, rhubarb and persimmons; you won't like the vet bills associated with them.

What I have found is, although there are a lot of recipes out there for homemade dog food they all need to be adjusted to the individual dog. So I have learned develop specific recipes by combining my normal meal preparation for the family with the preparation for my dog's meal taking note of any special adjustments that need to be made for the particular dog. By this I mean any change in behavior that might indicate an allergic reaction or physiological reaction to a certain diet. Weight gain or loss is also another important indicator.

As I began to learn and be more involved with my dog's diet I found a book called Dog Food Secrets to be extremely valuable. I would highly recommend it to anyone who really loves their dogs like I do. You can find more information about the book here: HOMEMADE DOG FOOD RECIPE