Cheap Pet Insurance

October 12th, 2009 by Moses Wright

Some dog owners have concerns about the quality of the ingredients of commercial dog food. Holistic dog food is a healthier alternative to many commercial dog foods. Holistic dog food is dog food, either manufactured or homemade, that contains only natural ingredients.

Dog food manufacturers that make dog food with only natural, high-quality ingredients sometimes promote the dog food as holistic dog food. The quality of the ingredients is a common claim that differentiates the holistic dog food from the most popular commercial dog foods.

Most commercial dog foods use animal byproducts as the dog food’s animal protein ingredient. Animal byproducts are pieces of meat that are not considered suitable for human consumption. Some holistic dog food companies claim to only use human-grade meat instead of animal byproducts. Vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants may be added to holistic dog food.

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.

The dog owner can choose from beef, turkey, chicken, ham, veal, or liver as the meat. Ground meat can be used if it is cooked thoroughly. The meat used should be cooked in the vegetable oil until it is well done.

The cooked vegetables used in this dog food recipe can be celery, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, diced potatoes, or other dog-safe vegetable. Some basic dog food recipes like this one include a half a cup of plain yogurt. Before the dog food is given to the dog, the prepared ingredients should be blended and cooled.

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.