Beef Stew

As animal lovers we want nothing more than to make our dog's life as happy and long as possible. We buy him toys to play with, we make sure that he is warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and we feed him a high quality food. The only problem is that many of the 'quality foods' that are sold in pet shops and supermarkets are not exactly what you would consider quality at all.

The fact is that some contain products that most of us would prefer our pets not eat. With that being said it's not surprising that there is a growing trend for dog owners to make their own homemade dog food. This is one way to insure that your dog is getting a quality food and you know exactly what it is made of.

Beef Stew

If the thought of creating your own dog food sounds intimidating, relax - it can be as easy as you want to make it. Here's a quick and nutritious dog meal that my dogs love. I begin with instant oats, instant rice, and peanut butter.

In reality I don't measure at all, but for the sake of this article I will say that I use about 1 cup of oats, ½ cup of rice and about 1 cup of peanut butter. I then add enough water to cook the oats and rice. The next step is simply microwaving the mix for 2 - 3 minutes. Then I add a large, store bought can of beef stew. My dogs love this mix and it's quick and easy to whip up. I add the beef stew after I have micro-waved so the mixture will be warm but not hot.

This is a healthy and nutritious meal because it provides plenty of protein along with lots of grains and vegetables. But even though this recipe works great for my dogs, you should check with your veterinarian before using it or any homemade recipe. The reason is that many dogs have food related allergies and that means the recipe would need to be modified to meet your dog's needs.

Although my method of creating homemade dog food is quick and easy, some people prefer to cook homemade mixtures more slowly in crock pots or Dutch ovens. This of course means they are preparing large quantities that can be separated out for future single uses. This method allows for immediate future feedings then, as all you have to do is warm the prepared meal before serving.

A sample recipe of that sort follows:

Start with a pound of chicken or turkey. Add 6 cups of water and 2 cups of rice (brown rice is preferable). Mix in 8 ounces of frozen mix of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Season with 1 teaspoon of dried Rosemary. Cooking time in a Dutch oven will be approximately 25 - 30 minutes, in a crock pot it will be approximately 2 - 3 hours.

When finished cooking let cool and separate into single servings. These can be frozen if desired. When feeding time arrives, simply remove dish from refrigerator or freezer, warm in microwave, and serve.

How to Make Homemade Dog Food

The above article is just one of many parts when caring for puppies. Visit Puppy Care Basics for some interesting puppy training techniques.

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