Homemade Dog Food From Scratch

By Thomas Henricks

Is your pets health important to you? I would hope the answer to that question is yes, it is important. It might surprise you to read that many studies indicate that commercially prepared dog food is not entirely healthy for your dog, and can even contribute to health issues. To avoid these problems, some people are turning their own homemade dog food. While this might seem like a much unnecessary work, it is a small price to pay to keep your beloved pet healthy.

Baking Basics for Your Dog

If you want to make your own homemade dog food, there are a few basic issues to bear in mind. There are some specific guidelines for homemade dog food that should be followed when you are determing the base products required. These guidelines ensure that the end result will in fact be a healthy alternative for your dog.

The primary elements that make up commercial brands of dog food are protein, fats, fibre and moisture.

To satisfy nutritional requirements, about one third of the components of homemade dog food should be high in protein. This protein can come from eggs, dairy products, or any type of meat. The remaining two thirds of the homemade dog food should consist of grains and vegetables.

It equally as important to know what ingredients you should avoid when preparing homemade dog food. We sometimes have a tendency to think that a dog can eat nearly anything but in fact there are certain ingredients that upset a dogs digestive system. To assure that will not occur, there some products you should never include in a homemade dog food recipe. These include chocolate, onions and onion powder, mouldy foods, garlic, grapes and raisins, mustard seeds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, and any candy containing the sweetener Xylitol. These products have all proven to be intolerable to your canines digestive system.

A Sample Homemade Dog Food recipe

Although a number of common household food products are suitable for your own dog food a simple list of ingredients could include the following.

Mix together 6 cups water, 1 pound ground turkey, 2 cups brown rice, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, and a combination of carrots and cauliflower. You can prepare these ingredients for use as your own custom homemade dog food by simply placing them in a large Dutch oven and cooking them for approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Let the mixture cool and package in quantities suitable for to satisfy single serving requirements. Be sure to package your servings in a manner that will dispel surrounding air.

Vacuum sealing is a great way to package portions that will remain safe for use for extended periods of time. When preparing large batches, these portions can be frozen until required.
If you want to be sure that your dog is receiving high grade, healthy food products, try making your own. You might be surprised at the satisfaction you feel when cooking up a meal for your dog exactly as you would for any other member of the family.

For more information about Petfood please visit Petfood Resources

Article Source: http://www.bestdogarticles.com

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Buying Pet Health Insurance For Cat Or Dog Peace Of Mind

By Craig Thornburrow

Cats are a very individual minded animal. In other words, cats do for cats and are not mentally hardwired to follow a leader in the same manner that a dog will. That is why a cat will probably want to forgo the need to acquire proper cat insurance. Now, while cats are notoriously single-minded, human beings should know better. Human owners who love their cats should go the extra length and acquire the proper pet health insurance for cat so as to provide a financial blanket to cover a major procedure in case a pet cat requires such help.

Some may not see the need for cat insurance if the cat is an indoors cat. After all, all the major problems that a pet cat could face derive from an unfortunate incident that might occur outside the safety of the cats (well, your) home. Unfortunately, common things such as aging can result in medical and dental problems that can prove virtually catastrophic. And remember, such events can occur without any trauma presented to the animal or in conjunction with any out or normal circumstance.

It is not uncommon for a cat to develop bad breath. Sometimes, the halitosis will be so severe that the cats owner decides to take the pet to the vet to have a little dental cleaning performed. It shouldnt be that big of a problem, should it? After all, a little dental cleaning certainly wont cost that much. Well, if all that is required is a little dental cleaning, then there will not be much of a cost.

But what happens if the cat has developed a severe cavity that needs to be pulled? What it there are two or three cavities? What if there is the presence of gum disease that may lead to a life threatening infection? What if a blood test is required in order to gauge the severity of the potential infection? All of a sudden, a $50 visit to the vet has expanded into a major procedure that can cost upwards of $500. Pet health insurance for cat is the answer.

If that cautionary tale did not provide proper impetus for motivation to purchasing proper cat insurance, nothing will. Well, actually, there can be a whole host of cautionary tales provided that would hopefully motivate people into purchasing cat insurance. The common thread behind of these cautionary tales is the moral of the story: accidents and problems can occur at any time.

Therefore, it is always wise to have the precaution of a proper cat insurance policy in place so as to financially cover any catastrophe that might occur. Pet health insurance for cat can be acquired from a quality insurance issuer and is usually quite affordable. Furthermore, the coverage can be quite extensive and all encompassing.

Craig Thornburrow is an acknowledged expert in his field. You can get more free advice on dog insurance and cat insurance at http://www.petinsurancegroup.com

Article Source: http://www.bestdogarticles.com

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