You don't have to buy ready-made food for your dog. You can prepare your dog's meals at home, as long as you know exactly what foods to include in the various preparations. The challenge is to perfectly meet the needs of the animal's body. Cooking for your dog is also an excellent idea because it's a change from the eternal kibbles. Motivated owners can find here some ideas for tasty and balanced recipes for their little companion.

Preparing your dog's meals yourself: what's the point?
Not so long ago, most dog owners used to make their own meals for their little companions. At most, they bought a few treats specially prepared for their pets.
There are some real benefits to preparing food for your four-legged friend. For example, we can see that homemade dog food is tastier than commercial food, and that it can be perfectly balanced if we take care to adapt the menus and the rations to the needs of the animal according to its breed, its sex, its age and its lifestyle. Moreover, the specific recipes for dogs are not very complicated to make and it doesn't take much time as long as you are used to this type of preparation.
This is the best way to know exactly what your pet eats, to control each ration and to limit the risk of overweight. Let's not forget that some breeds of dogs are particularly prone to this.
Finally, the notion of pleasure is not to be neglected. Your dog will enjoy the recipes prepared by his owner much more than a bowl of kibble or a can of dog food. Ideally, you should get your pet used to homemade recipes as soon as possible so that he is not totally dependent on industrial food.
Foods to include in homemade recipes for dogs
Homemade recipes for your dog are limited to a few well-chosen ingredients so that each ration respects the recommended daily intake, namely
- Fresh vegetables (no canned vegetables) and why not Organic: rich in water and fiber, they help fight against constipation. Moreover, they are well supplied with vitamins. Green beans, zucchini, carrots and leeks are preferred. They can be offered raw or cooked but they must be mixed. Be careful not to give your dog vegetables that ferment, as is the case with all those from the cruciferous family (all kinds of cabbage).
- Cereals: they provide essential carbohydrates. They must always be perfectly cooked. The best solution is to give your dog rice because it is easy to digest. It is important to avoid all gluten-rich cereals because, as in humans, some dogs are intolerant and can be affected by many symptoms.
- Protein-rich foods: A dog needs an adequate source of protein. You can therefore vary the pleasures by giving him lean meat, fish or even egg whites, as long as they are raw.
- A little vegetable oil: the right dose is 2 tablespoons per day for a dog weighing 50 kg, 1 tablespoon if it weighs 25 kg or ½ tablespoon if its weight does not exceed 11 kg. We choose an oil extracted by first cold pressure, of the sunflower, rapeseed, grape seed or corn type.
A few straws of brewer's yeast: brewer's yeast is one of the perfect food supplements for dogs because it supplements their daily diet with vitamin B and maintains their intestinal microbiota.
To give your dog a well-balanced diet, it should be composed of one third fresh vegetables, one third rice and one third protein-rich food, all subtly sprinkled with a little vegetable oil. To avoid mineral, trace element and vitamin deficiencies, an adapted supplementation can be given to him on the advice of the veterinarian.
Respecting your dog's rations
The quantity of food per ration should be sufficient but never excessive. We recommend more or less 30 g of food per kilo, i.e:
- 180 g for a dog of 6 kg,
- 450 g for a dog of 15 kg,
- 900 g for a dog of 30 kg,
- Between 2000 and 2200 g for a dog weighing 80 kg.
Whatever the weight of the ration, it must always contain each type of food in the proportions indicated above. At the same time, the dog must have some physical activity every day. If he spends his life on the couch, it is necessary to reduce his ration. Similarly, the diet of a pregnant or nursing dog must be completely readapted to this period of life. Don't hesitate to ask your veterinarian for nutritional advice to avoid mistakes.
Recipe ideas to treat your dog
As we have seen, homemade food for dogs is limited to a few ingredients. So there's no need to be a Master Chef! Forget about salt, pepper, chili, onion, wine sauce or crepes Suzette with Grand Marnier...
Beef with carrots and zucchini: 1/3 coarsely chopped beef, 1/3 grated raw carrots, 1/6 sticky rice, 1/6 cooked zucchini mashed, 1 drizzle of sunflower oil, 1 pinch of beer yeast flakes.
Chicken and chicken mishmash with rice and green beans: 1/6 of potted chicken meat, 1/6 of sautéed chicken fillet, 1/3 of well-cooked rice, 1/3 of green beans, 1 dash of corn oil.
Egg vegetable pie: 1/3 leek fondue, 1/3 carrots, 1/3 rice, 1 or 2 raw egg whites. Mix the egg whites with the various vegetables and grains to make a small terrine and sprinkle it with beer yeast flakes.
Pork and vegetable stir-fry: 1/3 lean pork (roast or rack), 1/6 green beans, 1/6 semi-cooked carrots, 1/6 rice cooked in meat stock.
Tuna and zucchini with rice: 1/3 natural tuna or fresh tuna cooked in court-bouillon, 1/3 steamed zucchini slices, 1/3 rice cooked with rapeseed oil.
Duck and chicken terrine with rice and green beans: 1/6 duck, 1/6 chicken, 1/3 rice, 1/3 green bean purée.
Be careful not to give the skin of poultry to your dog because it contains a large amount of fat. Chicken and turkey are very common meats served to dogs, but it is possible to include beef, pork, duck, lamb, rabbit and even kangaroo in their meals.
Whatever meat you choose, it is imperative to remove the fat from the pieces you wish to cook for your dog, because if your dog needs protein, it should not be full of fat! When buying meat, you should ask about its fat content, knowing that it varies according to the piece of meat. To avoid making a mistake, simply ask the butcher for advice. After a few weeks of practice, the dog's owner should know everything about this subject.