A dog owner may feed the dog food that the dog owner cooks or a raw food diet. All homemade dog food diets should follow some basic dog nutrition guidelines.

Commercial dog food contains significantly more carbohydrates than what I dog would naturally eat. While most commercial dog foods contain thirty to seventy percent carbohydrates, the most a dog eats in the wild is less than thirty percent.

The homemade dog diet should imitate a dog's natural nutritional needs. Homemade dog diets contain a lower percentage of carbohydrates than commercial dog food.

Carbohydrates in a dog's diet can be grains, rice, and starchy vegetables. It is strongly recommended for the carbohydrates to be cooked since dogs have difficulty digesting carbohydrates like raw potatoes.

Fat and protein are crucial ingredients for a homemade dog diet. A dog's diet for adult dogs should be up to fifteen percent fat according to the Merck Veterinary Manual. Puppies need slightly more fat than adult dogs.

Twenty-five percent is the recommended amount of protein in a dog's diet. Protein is essential because dogs need the protein for amino acids. Amino acids are so important that a dog can die if it does not get enough protein.

Some examples of protein for a homemade dog diet are chicken, turkey, lamb, and beef. Liver may be used, but a dog should not eat too much liver.

A homemade dog diet can contain a variety of fresh, finely chopped vegetables. Fiber is not as important as many dog owners think, but a small amount of fiber can help the dog's digestion and help the dog to maintain a healthy body weight.

A dog owner following a homemade dog diet should not feed the dog grapes, raisins, chocolate, mushrooms, raw eggs, raw fish, or too much salt. If a dog owner has any questions regarding their dog's diet, the dog owner should consult a veterinarian. Homemade dog diets can be tailored to meet the special needs caused by some illnesses, pregnancy, and obesity.

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For many years, dog owners have questioned the safety and quality of commercial dog foods. Often, stories questioning the quality of dog food ingredients and chemicals in manufactured dog foods become popular topics.

Some dog owners have responded to doubts about the quality and safety of commercial dog foods by making homemade dog food. Raw dog food diets have become popular as well as other homemade dog foods. For those who continue to feed their dogs with commercial dog food, they may still want to know about commercial dog foods and homemade dog food alternatives.

People can often find information on common concerns about ingredients and consumer reviews of dog food on the Internet. Many people question the quality of specific dog food brands.

Is commercial dog food safe? Is science diet bad dog food? What dog food ingredients should I look for? These are just a couple of the questions that dog owners may have.

There are slightly better quality ingredients in wet, canned dog food than in dry dog food since the ingredients do in wet dog food are not as processed. Wet dog food also contains more protein than dry dog food.

The protein in dog food is usually labeled as animal by-products. Animal by-products are the parts of animals that are not used in foods for humans because they are considered unsuitable for human consumption. The feet, heads, spleens, intestines, bones, and blood are examples of animal by-products.

Some people believe that the labels of dog foods are deceptive. Its easy to see why dog food labels have that reputation since the terminology on the labels is often misleading. For example, people may think that a dog food that is called beef dinner has mostly beef in it, but the regulations require that only twenty-five percent of the product has to be that ingredient in order to be called a dinner.

Science Diet pet foods are touted as a healthier pet food. Many of the ingredients in Science Diet dog foods are similar to other commercial dog foods. For specific questions regarding the contents of a particular brand of dog food, the dog owner can often find information on the ingredients on the manufacturers website.

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While most dog owners rely on the convenience of manufactured dog food, many dog owners enjoy making their dogs food. A dog health food recipe can come in handy if the dog has a health problem like obesity or diabetes.

Though some dog food recipes available on the Internet are designed specifically for dogs with health conditions, many make healthy meals for any dog. If the dog has a health concern, the owner may want to seek meal preparation advice from the veterinarian.

Lamb stew is an easy dog health food recipe. The ingredients are: one pound lamb, two pints of chicken broth, three diced potatoes, two chopped celery sticks, two or three chopped carrots, and two tablespoons of olive oil.

The meat should be cooked thoroughly in the olive oil before adding the chicken broth. The lamb and chicken broth should cook for forty-five minutes. The vegetables should be added and stewed for forty-five more minutes. The dog owner should make sure the lamb stew is cooled before it is served to the dog.

Lean ground beef or lean cuts of beef can be substituted for the lamb. Other ingredients can be added like corn or rice. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for use in the next day or two. The dog owner should not over-feed the dog even though this food is healthy.

A cabbage roll meal is another dog health food recipe. Four large cabbage leaves, one fourth cup of plain yogurt, one half cup of white rice, chicken broth, and one half cup of cooked, shredded chicken breast are the ingredients. After the large vein is removed, boil the cabbage leaves until tender.

The other ingredients should be mixed for the cabbage roll filling. Divide the cabbage roll filling among the cabbage leaves. Roll up the cabbage leaves and place in a baking dish with chicken broth to cover the bottom of the baking dish and part of the cabbage rolls before baking for thirty minutes.

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