4 Reasons Why You should Cook for Your Dog

Dogs never had it so good!  Just look at the variety of food available for them…. the food, the attractive packing, the freebies and coupons that come with it…..

Yet there are so many write ups everywhere telling you that you should rather cook the meals for the dog than buy it.

The reason why pet experts advocate this (See Facts about Dog Food and Feeding) are many, but four of them are most important and after reading them you too will want to prepare your dog’s meals for him.

Reason 1: FRESH IS FABULOUS!

Just like you and me, a dog too should be given fresh wholesome food.  This way you can cut down drastically on your pet’s intake of food additives that give shelf life to commercial dog food.  Fresh food smells good and tastes good— even for your dog!

Reason 2: POSSIBLE ALLERGIES

Food additives like Ethoxyquin, Butylated Hydroxiansole and Butylated Hydroxytoluene, may  cause allergies in dogs.  Allergic symptoms may be watery dull eyes, skin eruptions, undue shedding,  lack of interest in food,  lack of energy, or a lack lustre appearance.

Reason 3: THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS?

Do you know whether the commercial food contains no such ingredient that may be harmful to the dog.  Some dogs are known to develop  the problem of bloat after consuming soy regularly. Also, there are a variety of ingredients that may seem safe to you, but are actually not at all good for your dog.  Are you sure these have not been included in the ready-made dog food?  Here is a list of some of these ingredients.

1. raw eggs 
2. onions
3. alcoholic and caffeinated drinks
4. chocolates
5. fruits like raisins, avocados and grapes
6. macadamia nuts 
7. leaves, stems, and seeds of  cherries, plums, peaches and apples

Reason 4:SPEND WISELY

Commercial dog food is quite expensive.  You will be saving an unbelievable amount every time you opt to cook your dog’s meal rather than serving it directly from the carton/tin. Watch your monthly expenses slide down when you switch over to home made food for the dog.  You can really spend wisely and buy the wholesome ingredients, rather than the ready made food.

There are many good brands of commercial food that provide a balanced meal made of nutrtious and harmless ingredients.  But there are other foods too that are not so good and still make their way to the shelves.  You will have to be careful to avoid them.

There are hundreds of recipes available for preparing  a dog’s meal.  101 Delicious Recipes for Your Pet Dog is a book that puts together recipes that have ingredients that are generally harmless for your dog. (If your dog is allergic to a specific food item, you should know it and avoid it.  For instance, I know of one dog that develops skin problems, whenever he is fed carrots!)

All the recipes in this book, use ingredients that are generally safe for your dog. If your dog is specifically allergic to any of them, avoid that ingredient. 

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