If you are concerned about the fillers and additives that are going into your dog's foods, here are some pretty simple methods for whipping up healthy alternatives for your dog. They take a minimum of ingredients and are not that hard to prepare.

Make sure that you follow the storage guidelines to keep them fresh but at least you will know what your dog is truly eating! Most supermarkets now sell freshly made dog food that you can buy in the dairy case - and it costs a fortune. Here is an economical way to do it yourself.

Why make dog food from scratch? Because you are eliminating all the possible allergens and additives that make up so many of the pet foods available today. I know several people who have switched their dogs to homemade pet foods and they have seen a remarkable decrease in skin conditions and also improvement in bone and joint health, overall endurance and exuberance.

There is no evidence to support that a raw diet is beneficial or recommended although I know from experience that many breeders highly recommend it for certain breed dogs. I prefer my dogs to have cooked food products, however, there are many views on the subject. Ultimately, you have to research it and decide on what diet is best for your individual pet and likewise, even in the same household, one dog may thrive on one diet and another do poorly.

The only down side is that you have to prepare it but most of the recipes are not that time consuming and are highly nutritious. BirkDale Pet Mix is recommended for certain dogs with extreme health issues and is easily prepared by combining water with the mix and meat.

Rule of thumb for dog food - they should be 1/3 protein (from meat, eggs or dairy products) and 2/3 grains and vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground meat – antibiotic and hormone free if you like - can use beef, chicken, lamb, turkey, etc.
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 pound bag or equivalent pound of mixed vegetables (I favor carrots, celery, potatoes, sweet potatoes - I know people who use kale, broccoli, cauliflower)
• 1-2 pound of plain yogurt

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet if you desire, drain fat. Set that aside.
2. Steam vegetables in a vegetable steamer or steam in pan with a veggie steamer device until tender. Remove from steamer and allow to cool a bit.
3. Chop the vegetables to desired size by hand or add vegetables to a food processor and pulse until the vegetables are coarsely chopped.
4. Mix the chopped vegetables with the rice and ground meat.
5. Store refrigerated in a tightly sealed container.

INGREDIENTS

First set of ingredients

• 4 cups uncooked rice
• 9 cups water
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1 teaspoon salt

Second set of ingredients

• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped fine
• 3 ounces liver, chopped fine
• 8 ounces ground beef, chicken, lamb, turkey (you can buy any kind of meat whole and grind your own)
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 beaten eggs
• 2 cups vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc in any combo) chopped fine

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine first set of ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil (rice through salt).
2. Once the mixture is boiling, add second batch of ingredients (milk through the 2 cups of vegetables).
3. Stir, turn heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes until all water is absorbed.
4. Spread out in flat containers, cool and cut into 1/2 cup squares.
5. When feeding, add cottage cheese or yogurt and 1 teaspoon supplement mix per 30 pounds of dog weight. (see below for supplement mix)

Supplement Mix

• 1 cup brewer’s yeast
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1/8 cup powdered kelp

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup boiled poultry, chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup boiled mixed vegetables
• 3-4 tablespoons unsalted chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

1. Mix together and serve at room temperature. 
2. Store unused portions in a covered container in the refrigerator.
3. Use within 3 days.