When you feed commercial dog food to your pet, do you stop to think what it contains? Standard dog food from the supermarket is a blend of haemoglobin powder, to which they add processed meat and pulverised bone, all cooked at very high temperatures. Artificial flavours, colours and vitamins are added, to make this cocktail palatable to dogs. We now know that a lot of everyday chronic health probloems in dogs are caused by food allergies and by feeding this mechanically reclaimed protein to our four legged friends we are definitely not helping their long term health. Artificial additives will aggravate skin allergies – the cause of most visits to the vet’s – and colourings make your dog evry excitable and potentially more aggressive.

You can ask your vet about the best diet for your dog and they will tell you that dogs need quality protein, minerals and calcium to maintain their health. You may think that feeding packaged dog food is the easiest way, but it is likely to make your dog ill and any savings on the price will be eaten up in medical bills. Even if you stay with that supermarket, it is a good idea to give home prepared food at least twice a week.

Home made meals for your dog are also a good way to use the cheaper cuts of meat that would otherwise be wasted.

Healthy Dog Food Recipe

Boil fresh meat for at least ten minutes to kill any harmful bacteria but keep the important nutrients in the meat. Cool the meat and chop into small pieces, to stop your dog bolting his food, and also reduce mess as he will not nned to pull it out of his bowl! To increase the calcium content you can add a natural supplement such as ground egg shells or you can buy calcium powder in a health store. Keep some water with the meat as most dogs do not drink wnough in the normal course of events.

Add some carbohydrate in the form of boiled rice, preferably brown rice. This is the most easily digested starch for a dog, especially the breeds that are prone to torsion of the gut. Mineral content is improved by adding some cooked vegetables, carrots, peas, cabbage and other root vegetables are all favourites for most dogs. Microwave the vegetables if possible to preserve maximum vitamin and mineral content. Serve the meal in the proportion of one-third for each food group. You can cook a bulk serving and freeze portions to serve to your dog over the following week: the plastic dishes from your local takeaway give the ideal serving for a medium sized dog.

Just a word on bones. Of course, most dogs love a bone but they can cause constipation so they should be given as an occasional treat only. Dogs should never eat pork or chicken bones as they can shatter and cut your dog’s digestive tract. But you can boil up the bones and strain off the stock for your dog, this is a great protein addition and very tasty.