Today, I’m bringin’ down some bad guys.
The culprits? Harmful, dangerous or just plain reckless myths about making or feeding homemade dog food. Watch me bust ’em up!
Tell me if you’ve heard, or thought, any of the following ideas about homemade dog food.
- It’s unbalanced.
- It’s time-consuming.
- It’s expensive.
- It’s difficult.
- I don’t even cook for myself, so how can I cook for my dog?
- If I give my dog “people food,” I am spoiling him or her.
So lemme at these bad boys……
Myth: Homemade dog food is unbalanced.
Reality: Just as with any diet, homemade dog food can be healthy or unhealthy, balanced or unbalanced. With a little guidance, you can learn to create nutritious meals with natural nutrients still intact. Such a diet leads to great nutrition.
Also, a point to consider: is every meal you eat 100% balanced? Generally, we know that in order to have a healthy diet for ourselves, we eat a wide range of nutritious foods. The same can be said for our dogs.
Myth: Making homemade dog food takes too much time.
Reality: Making homemade dog food can take just a few minutes, or you can spend longer in the kitchen. It really depends on your preferences and lifestyle. Some recipes can be ready in as little as a few minutes.
Myth: Homemade dog food is expensive.
Reality: When it comes to dog food, the sad reality is that the cheap stuff is often really unhealthy, and you may wind up paying for it later at the vet’s office. There are also some more ‘upscale’ dog foods available, and they can be quite expensive. Homemade dog food is an excellent way to offer quality food while avoiding premium charges. Stock up on sale items or shop at price clubs, and you will save even more.
Myth: Making homemade dog food is difficult.
Reality: Our lives are made up of learning experiences, and putting together dog food is just another example. With a few simple recipes and some practice, assembling dog food becomes second nature, and much easier than worrying about recalls, bad health reactions, poor quality and other problems associated with commercial foods. You are giving yourself peace of mind – nothing difficult about that. And see my site, Dog Food Journal, for some really easy healthy foods you can add to your dog’s diet.
Myth: I don’t even cook for myself! How can I cook for my dog?
Reality: We humans have the choice to cook for ourselves, go out to eat, get delivery, eat prepared food or whatever we wish. We can choose different foods based on our moods or cravings. In our hearts and minds, we know what foods are healthy; we just don’t always eat them.
But when it comes to our furkids, they have no choice in the matter, and it’s up to us to offer healthy options. Making dog food can be way simpler than making human meals. For example, you never have to worry about presenting it in a fancy way, and you can cook all ingredients together in one big pot.
Myth: If I cook for my dog, I will spoil him or her.
Reality: This may be one of the biggest and most disturbing myths. Often, people mistakenly think or say that if a dog is eating, for example, a bowl of meat and vegetables – simple, real ingredients – somehow the dog is ‘fancy’ or ‘spoiled.’ On the contrary, homemade dog food is simple, basic, and very old school. It’s been around forever.
If you feed homemade, it does not mean you are ‘spoiling’ (of course dogs deserve to be spoiled, but that may be another discussion). It means you are taking care of him or her, using food as a tool.