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Food and water are the basic necessities for the survival of every mammal, whether it’s a dog, cat, or man. That’s why if your dog is not eating his food as he used to be, you need to discern what can be the issue and tackle it. Due to their high pricing, though, commercially available dog foods can be difficult to afford for everyday use. In this post, we’ll talk about homemade dog food recipes vet approved for small dogs that you can use for the sustenance of your pet.
While not made owners consider them, homemade dog meals have a lot of significance to a dog. The same goes for you the owner as you it allows you to properly control what your pup is putting into his body. Particularly, if your pooch has unique health conditions like allergies or gastrointestinal issues, homemade dog food recipes let you know exactly what he is getting.
Essential Tips to Consider When Preparing Homemade Dog Food Recipes
When it comes to the table, your dog is just like any of your other family members. As such, the food you offer be nutritious and from trusted ingredients. In general, protein, fat, carbohydrates, water, minerals and vitamins are the six main nutrients that any dog should have in every meal.
A mix of all makes sure your dog gets the energy to facilitate its metabolism and growth. Each of the nutrients, however, has its own benefits to the body. They include:
Protein: Assists in the growth and maintenance of tissues, cells, organs, hormones, and enzymes. Some of the best sources of proteins include chicken, turkey, lamb, beef, fish, and eggs.
Fat: mostly people focus on it to promote good skin and hair growth, but, it also helps a lot in the absorption of some vitamins. Meat and oils [like fish oil] are the primary sources of fat.
Carbohydrates: They help provide energy [and or glucose] to critical organs and help keep the intestines healthy with the contained prebiotic fiber. Rice, corns, wheat, and oatmeal are some of the sources of carbohydrates.
Vitamins: They are quite many and they help in boosting the health of the immune system, skin and more. Some of the essential vitamins include A, B, C, D, E, and K.
Minerals: they also are quite many and they help in the formation and maintenance of strong bones and teeth. Some of the essential minerals include calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, zinc, etc.
Water, of course, is also very important [actually the most essential nutrient]. About 60-70% of the dog’s body weight is water since it’s what helps in the carrying of nutrients and maintenance of temperature. Therefore, as you give your dog his meal, always ensure there’s enough water to him hydrated.
Homemade Dog Food Recipes Vet Approved For Small Dogs
There are very many homemade dog food recipes vet approved for small dogs to get you started. With “Vet-approved”, it means licensed professionals are the ones who have endorsed them [recipes]. Thus, you can pour in your canine’s feeding bowl without worries since they’re a healthy option. As you provide your dog with these vet-approved recipes, nonetheless, there are two important things you have to note.
One, avoid table scraps and processed human foods at it can make your dog develop bad behaviors like pickiness.
Secondly, the dietary requirements for a dog are not the same as yours. So, create a balanced diet that will meet your dog’s unique need in respect to the age, breed, and health condition.
Anyways, some of the top-best homemade meal recipes vet-approved for small dogs include:
1. Walkerville Vet Dog Food Recipe
The reason we have opted for this recipe as our first is because it’s based on the diet of wolves [well-known ancestors of wolves]. Wolves predominantly rely on raw foods for their survival. Contented with their safety and effectiveness, veterinary professionals endorsed this recipe with raw meat plus cooked carbohydrates and vegetables. Walkerville Vet can be a good switch for your dog and it features all the essential nutrients your dog needs to grow.
Ingredients
- About 250g raw chopped beef/ lamb
- 1 cup of chopped raw apples
- 1 cup of chopped raw carrots
- 1½ cup of chopped pumpkin or squash
- 2/3 cup of uncooked basmati or brown rice [will cook to 3 cups]
- ¼ cup of defrosted frozen peas
- 4 grams of fish oil
- 4 teaspoons of sunflower oil
- Nutritional supplements.
Directions:
To prepare, you need to first cook the rice and the pumpkin [together] until they’re soft. Then, let them cool so that you can mix with the rest of the ingredients. Once done, now feed your dog with the required amount and refrigerate the remainder.
Walkerville Vet Dog Food Recipe can go for up to 3 days in the fridge or 2 weeks in the deep freezer without going bad.
2. Founder’s Veterinary Clinic Recipe
Unlike the previous one, this homemade dog food recipe is scalable. You can include a wide variety of ingredients, so long your pooch has no issue chowing them down. As you prepare the recipe, though, always take note of your pet’s weight and adjust in regard to it. For the purpose of this article, we’ll use 20 pounds as our reference dog’s weight since that what the majority of small canines weigh.
Ingredients:
- 110grams of a cooked protein [beef/ lamb/ chicken/boneless fish]
- 1 cup of cooked carbohydrates [rice or potatoes/ yams/ sweet potatoes/ pasta]
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of a fat source [vegetable or olive oil]
- ½ cup of cooked vegetables [broccoli/ peas/ carrots/ green beans/ cauliflower]
- ½ teaspoon of bone meal powder
Directions:
Since the ingredients are already cooked, you only need to combine them and you’re done. Even so, though, make sure the food is completely cool to prevent your furry friend from burns.
Since the Founder’s Recipe is a versatile one, you can try different ingredients each time so as to provide your pooch with different flavors. Every recipe, however, should feature the same ratios.
3. Massachusetts’ MSCPA-Angell Animal Medical Center Recipe
Just like the Founder’s Veterinary Clinic Recipe, this one too gives you the option to substitute the ingredients for those you have with you. You also have to make sure you prepare the recipe in regards to your pooch’s ideal weight. The following example is for a small dog weighing about 15 pounds.
Ingredients:
- 80 grams or 3 ounces of cooked protein [chicken, beef, lamb, pork, or eggs]
- 190 grams or 1 1/3 cups of cooked carbohydrates [rice, oatmeal, barley, corn, or pasta]
- 15 grams of vegetables [green beans, broccoli, carrots, or baby spinach]
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of a fat source [vegetable oil]
Directions:
To prepare, you only need to combine the ingredients and you’re done. Also, the next time you prepare the meal try out different ingredients but in the same ratios to retain the nutritional value. By the way, in every recipe make sure you add supplements to balance the missing macro- and micro-minerals, vitamins, and or amino acids.
4. VetCo Dog Christmas Recipe
If you feel your dog needs a festive treatment, this is one of the recipes you can prepare for him. It mainly comprises of the leftover ingredients from your dining room table but you can as well make it when preparing your dinner.
Ingredients:
- 3 pounds or 1360 grams of cooked skinless, boneless turkey meat
- 1 pound or 450 grams or 2pcs of cooked sweet potatoes
- 1 cup of cooked oatmeal
- 2 teaspoons of homemade cranberry sauce
- 4 tablespoons of turkey gravy with no onion [you can also use olive oil]
Directions:
If you’re using your dinner’s leftovers, the recipe is pretty easy to prepare as you’ll only to mix the ingredients. If you’re preparing separately, with the sweet potatoes you can either boil or roast them. With the former, the timeframe is about 20 minutes while the latter can take 45 minutes. As such, as they [potatoes] cook, you can be chopping up the turkey into small bits for easy mixing.
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked and cool, now mix all the ingredients, then add your gravy or olive oil.
Note: if your dog is prone to pancreatitis, avoid using the gravy and also consult your vet to make sure olive oil is safe.
5. Northwest Holistic Pet Cooked Dog Food Recipe
At the time they created this formula, Northwest Holistic Pet Care was operating as Whole Pet Vet. As such, in some sources, you’ll find the homemade dog meal under the name “Whole Pet Vet Cooked Dog Food Recipe”.
Long story short, the recipe requires you to measure the weight of your dog before you start to prepare. Considering the recipe we’ll be using is for a 20-pound dog, you can, therefore, halve or double the ingredients if your pooch is smaller or larger. Also, it’s good you incorporate nutritional supplements like parsley, cod oil, or mineral nut mix to provide your dog with any missing nutrients.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces or about 230 grams of ground organic boneless turkey
- 2 teaspoons of ground organic turkey organs [ heart, liver, or gizzards]
- 1 teaspoon of ground raw sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup of organic veggies [finely grated]
- ½ teaspoon of organic coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon of salmon oil
- ½ Grams of calcium citrate
Directions:
Blanch the veggies by lightly boiling them in water. Then, put them in a clean coffee grinder [or food processor] and pulse until they’re finely grated. Gently cook the ground boneless turkey and organ meat until it’s white. Now, mix all the ingredients thoroughly and allow them to cool down for serving.
Homemade Dog Food Recipes: Please Note
While there are others, those are some of the best and easy to prepare homemade dog food recipes vet approved for small dogs. If you follow the provided links, you’ll note the links redirect you to the original releases by respective professional veterinarians. Thus, each of the five provides your dog with balanced nutrition that maintains his healthy being.
Even so, however, you have to be pretty careful with homemade diets if your dog has unique dietary requirements. For the best performance, we recommend you to first consult your vet before you proceed to use any of the recipes in such a case.
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