The best natural foods and recipes for your cats and dogs

Natural, organic, and homemade food is the best option to give your cat, dog, or human family. Such foods are free from preservatives and can be healthier for the gut of your pet. But not every ingredient used can be beneficial for your pet. For this reason, you need to choose suitable options for your pet so that natural food is a better alternative to the big bags of food you might buy at the stores. This article will talk about some tips for preparing pet foods at home and recipes for your dog or cat.

Tips for making home-cooked pets food

• Make sure they have a balanced diet

It is very important to balance the diet of your pet. A diet that is not balanced can lead to deficiencies and health problems. In addition, health problems could develop quickly if the diet lacks essential vitamins or minerals such as calcium (important for your pet). This is especially true for puppies who need all the vitamins and minerals required to develop their immunity and health during their first months. Health problems and deficiencies can be the main reason why vets oppose homemade meals, as they are the ones who have seen pets suffer from such issues.

• Choose the right meat type

If you use meat as the base ingredient of your homemade pet food, you could use it raw or cooked. For dogs, who are obligate carnivores, a protein-based diet is essential. The meat options you have could range from lamb, beef, chicken, pork, venison, turkey, buffalo, and others. Make sure that you use fresh meat which is fit for human consumption. Think to yourself; if I won’t eat, why would my pet eat it? Make sure that it doesn’t have fat content greater than 15 to 20%. You can also feed your pet fish, but this should not be the main staple for dogs.

• Do not forget to include vegetables

Vegetables are a great source of fiber, minerals, and vitamins and should make up about 25% of the meal. To give your pets more nutrients from veggies, they should be served pureed, chopped, or steamed. Almost all vegetables are suitable to be included, but here are the most recommended: sweet potato, squash, zucchini, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, yams, peas, broccoli, and beets. However, there are some vegetables that you need to avoid, and these include beet greens, onion, chard, potato, leek, tomato, garlic, bell peppers, raw beans, and spinach.

• Stay away from carbohydrates as much as you can

Carbohydrates include potatoes, corn, rice, wheat, and brown rice. These are bad for your pet because dogs do not have digestive enzymes that break down and metabolize carbohydrates. Carbs also do not have nutritional value for dogs and are directly sent to the digestive tract. They are usually the leading cause of different canine diseases such as obesity, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, and kidney disease. If you find them in commercial pet food, it is because they help cut down on the production cost.

• Always follow a recipe

Recipes provide instructions on how to use the ingredients at hand. They are usually recommended or prepared by vets or by people who’ve tried and loved them. Do not improvise, especially if this is your first time preparing homemade food for your pet. Make sure you also refer to your veterinarian to clear any doubts you have, especially if your dog has any health problems; this will also help you understand the impact of alternative ingredients on your dog.

The best homemade recipes for your pet:

Recipe 1: Salmon meal (for you and your pet)

The ingredients you will need:

• 2 salmon portions with their skin on
• 3 potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 head of broccoli (with stem)
• 1 squash
•  2 carrots

How to prepare (dog’s meal):

1. Cut the squash, then the broccoli stem, and peel the carrots. Put the peelings aside because they are for your pet. Blend these ingredients and bake them in the oven or steam them in a rice cooker.
2. In the meantime, air fry the potato shavings after adding one tablespoon of olive oil to the air fryer. You can also place them in the oven instead.
3. Fry the salmon in the pan, adding one tablespoon of olive oil, keeping the salmon with their skin on. Start frying them with skin side down on the pan, keeping the heat at medium temperature. Then flip them, pull the crisp salmon skin off both pieces, and add them to a dog bowl.
4. Once everything is finished cooking, blend all together in a dog bowl. Then, cut into small bitesize pieces so your pet can eat them quickly.

P.S.: Let the food cool for 15-20 minutes before allowing your pet to eat them.

Also, there are some variations of this recipe if you’d like to consume it by yourself.

Recipe 2: Chicken and veggie slow cooker

The ingredients you will need:

• 2 1/2-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts and thighs
• 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 sweet potato, cubed
• 2 medium or 1 large apple, cubed, and remove the seeds
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 c. frozen peas
• 2 c. frozen green beans2 tbsp. olive oil

How to prepare:

1. Place the meat in the crockpot and add water so that the chicken is covered. Next, add the potato, the carrots, the kidney beans, the green beans, and the apple.
2. Cook them all at low temperature for 8-9 hours. After about 7 hours and a half, add the frozen peas and cook for another 30 minutes.
3. When finished cooking, drain off all excess liquid. Then, add olive oil, and place in a food processor to mix and mash everything well.
4. When the recipe cools, scoop daily servings, add them to individual Ziploc bags, and add them to your freezer. Every night, remove one bag from the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost overnight. Serve it the next day. You can heat it again if they prefer their food hot.

Recipe 3: Turkey and veggie mash

The ingredients you will need:

• 2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chicken liver or raw turkey, pureed or finely diced
• 1/2 zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 2 medium carrots, chopped

How to prepare:

1. Add 1,5 cups of water to a double boiler. Place the carrots in a steam basket over the pot and cover it. Heat until the water is boiling, decrease the heat to a low boil and allow steam until carrots start to get tender, or for about 10 minutes.
2. In this time, you can add the turkey and liver to a large skillet and cook them on medium-high heat. When they are done, and you can see no more pink color, you can drain off any fat and remove them.
3. Add to the mixture zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower. Then continue to steam them until all vegetables are tender. Make sure they are not mushy, therefore for no more than 6-8 minutes.
4. Allow the vegetables to cool down to some extent before you chop them in a food processor or use a knife to cut them into pieces. Make sure that the size of the vegetables is suitable for your pet, so they do not feel like they are unable to eat.
5. Add the chopped vegetables to the turkey and liver, stirring everything to combine them. Next, you can add olive oil and toss to combine everything with the turkey and vegetable mixture.
6. Let them cool before separating batches into freezer-safe containers.

Recipe 4: Meat cakes

The ingredients you will need:

• 3 cups of water
• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 8 eggs
• 1 dash of salt
• Market Pantry Ground Beef 1-lb Pkg
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped
• 2 large potatoes, grated
• 1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
• 4 large carrots, grated
• 1/4 cup olive oil

How to prepare:

1. Start by preheating the oven to 205 degrees C or 400 degrees F. then grease 36 cups of 3 large muffin tins.
2. In a medium saucepan, add the rice to the water. Allow them to a boil over high heat, keeping them uncovered, and let them cook for 10 minutes. After that, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and let them simmer for 20 minutes. Then you have to remove it from the heat, and let it cool for several minutes before you fluff them with a fork and set the whole aside.
3. In a large bowl, add the celery, the eggs, the potatoes, the ground beef, and the carrots. Combine the ingredients with your hands or a spoon. Next, add olive oil, salt, the rolled oats, and rice; and mix everything very well.
4. Add the mixture to the muffin tins, filling each cup with some of the meat mixtures. Pat down on them to make them look firm. Bake for 45 minutes or until you feel the surface set. Let it cool on a rack for no less than 10 minutes.
5. You can remove the meat cakes by turning the muffin tin upside down. Do that over a sheet of aluminum foil. For more accessible release, tap each muffin cup.

P.S.: you have to refrigerate or freeze the cups in sealed plastic bags.

Sources:

https://www.knowbetterpetfood.com/pages/making-dog-food-at-home

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/cooking-for-your-dog-dos-and-donts/

https://www.thedogbakery.com/blogs/news/top-20-healthy-homemade-dog-food-recipes-your-dog-will-love