Debunking the myths about home-cooked dog food
There are a lot of preconceived ideas when it comes to feeding your dog fresh food or a home-cooked diet. With years of feeding our family’s dogs on a budget and now being in the business of nutritious dog food, it’s a subject that is close to our hearts.
Let’s debunk 5 myths about home cooking for your dog!
Myth 1: Cooking for my dog is expensive.
Price will depend on where you shop, and whether organic or human grade ingredients are important to you.
Here are some tips to keep cost low:
- Buy any meat and veggies in bulk.
- Talk to your local butcher- cuts of meat in their window would have been trimmed. Ask for the trims or offcuts. Most butchers are happy to keep aside for regular customers. Building a good relationship can go a long way!
- Buy your rice or other grains in large quantities at bulk wholefood stores.
- If feeding eggs as part of your dog’s diet, head down to your local egg supplier and buy in bulk.
Remember, when using human grade ingredients, that’s groceries for your dog AND the rest of the family!
Investing in your dog’s health with high quality ingredients can help save money in other areas in the long run. A healthy dog means less trips to the vet.
Myth 2: My dog’s food won’t be balanced
Arguably, it can be difficult to make sure your dog’s home-cooked food is correctly balanced with the right amount of nutrients. Difficult but not impossible!
If you offer your dog a variety of food, they will get all the nutrients they need from it, and in their most natural form, which makes it highly digestible. Micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals rarely need to be given as a supplement and will be prescribed by your vet.
Adding superfoods can help provide your dog with specific nutrients they may be lacking and, in our opinion, it’s always better to get micronutrients from food rather than their synthetic version.
There have been many recalls of commercial dog food for their high level of (synthetic) Vitamins, causing a health risks to dogs.
If you worry your home-cooked dog food is not balanced, using Doggy Grub meals can help put you concerns at ease.
Our formula is developed alongside vets and pet nutritionists to ensure your dog get all the nutrients they need, using only “real” ingredients you know and recognise.
Our casseroles can be used daily or simply a few times a week, and you can mix it with other foods or feed it as a whole meal.
Myth 3: Dogs needs dry food to clean their teeth.
This is the biggest myth of all in our opinion!
The idea behind dry food cleaning your dog’s teeth is that the hard kibble scrapes the plaque off your dog’s teeth. However, dry food is high in carbohydrates which transforms into sugars, leaving a coat on your dog’s teeth and in fact creating more plaque. It would be as if we were flossing with a Jatz cracker!
For best oral health practice, give your dog raw, meaty bones to gnaw at, natural chew treats and toys, or learn how to brush your pup's teeth.
Fresh food is better at helping your dog maintain good oral health. Most importantly, fresh food doesn't contain the additives, sugar, and simple carbohydrates that are found in dry food and contribute to bacteria growth. Instead, fresh food contains more of the good stuff that helps to keep your dog's mouth healthy.
Fresh food also keeps your dog’s tummy healthy and inhibit bacteria growth in the guts, meaning your dog’s breath is better.
Myth 4: Cooking for my dog is time consuming
Meal prepping for yourself is one thing. Add to that, cooking for your furry friend and you have what feels like a full-time job.
The best way to combat this is to put aside a few hours each week to cook for you dog. If you’re anything like our family, and meal prep for yourself on a weekend afternoon, try prepping for your pup at the same time. This saves time on clean up as well!
Myth 5: Cooking for my dog will stink up my kitchen!
An easy myth to debunk! Because you’re using similar ingredients to what you would use for your own meals, your kitchen will most likely smell like you’ve just baked a nice country pie!
Just watch the reaction of the rest of the family when they ask you what’s for dinner and they realise it’s the dog’s chow!
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The Doggy Grub blog is dedicated to helping dogs and their owners achieve happier, healthier lives, changing the way we feed our dogs one bowl at a time! If you would like to know more about our fresh food head to Doggy Grub
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