Did you know making your dog food isn’t as difficult as you may think? Many are concerned their dog won’t get the correct balance when feeding a DIY diet. This is all marketing based on a commercial pet food way of thinking, and we know how bad this is for them. So fear not! Making your own is pretty simple when the confusion and misinformation surrounding this concept are removed. Dogs are pretty simple to feed. As long as we ensure they have a variety of bone, muscle meats, and organs rotated over time, they should receive enough nutrients to keep them healthy.
I prepared this turkey and beef heart meal for my dogs over Christmas and thought I would share it with you.
Turkey is loaded with B vitamins.
B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), B12 (cobalamin), B1 (thiamine) and B2 (riboflavin).
B3 – Your dog can meet all its needs from niacin through diet. It helps keep your dog’s nervous system, digestive system and skin healthy.
B6 – It is important for normal brain development and keeping the nervous system healthy.
B12 – Plays an essential role in red blood cell formation and metabolism.
Turkey also contains selenium, zinc, and phosphorus minerals vital to bone, thyroid, skin, teeth, and blood health. Turkey is also loaded with the amino acid tryptophan, which helps make melatonin and serotonin. The hormone melatonin plays a role in the sleep-wake cycle. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that controls mood and creates a long-lasting feeling of happiness and well-being. The liver can also use tryptophan to produce B3, which is needed for energy metabolism and DNA production.
Turkey’s skin is very high in fat. Be cautious when buying ready-made minces as they will be marketed as ‘low fat’. Some cuts with skin have more calories and fat than skinless cuts. The raw food manufacturers rarely remove this before putting it through the mincer. If they do, it won’t be the amount we would if preparing it in our kitchen. As toxins are stored in the fatty tissues, we do not want to feed this to our dogs. The only way we have control over the fat content is to make the food ourselves.
Beef Heart
It is classed as muscle meat.
It is best to feed in moderation as it can be pretty rich for some dogs. Ideally, feeding no more than 20% of the diet is sufficient. If it is the first time feeding beef heart, I suggest feeding 10% and working up to 20% of the daily amount. Poop-watching is your best guide. If poops become loose or your dog has diarrhoea, cut back and work up gradually or stick to what is suiting. It will also depend on how much bone is in the diet (which is what I help people with to ensure they are getting the correct ratios). I feed heart regularly to my dogs due to it being rich in the B vitamins B1, B3, B12, and B6. Hearts are an excellent source of iron, contain all the essential amino acids, and are a highly concentrated source of CoQ10, also known as Q10, which improves energy and heart health, of course!
Although I haven’t pictured organ meats such as liver, spleen or kidney, I regularly add these to the diet, sometimes fresh and other times as dehydrated treats. On this particular day, I gave beef liver treats throughout the day for training and enrichment. Homemade, of course, in my dehydrator 🙂
Liver treats
Beef liver is one of the most nutritiously dense foods on the planet. It contains significant amounts of iron, B12, B2, and the nutrient choline essential for brain development and liver function. It also contains Vitamin A, which helps the heart and kidneys function and is necessary for good eyesight. Around 5% will be sufficient as feeding too much can cause loose poops, so it I best to weigh this to make sure. You will know what your dog can tolerate once you have fed this a few times, and you will no longer need to weigh it.
Turkey Necks are brilliant for cleaning teeth. They are relatively soft and easily digestible. They are super for mental stimulation, too!
If you need nutritional help, are looking into preparing your dog’s foods yourself or are dealing with a health issue you would prefer to manage through a more natural approach, get in touch.
Thank you for reading,
Teresa
Canine Wellness Specialist 