Homemade Healthy Dog Food: Tip #3

So I just told you about using finely crushed egg shells for a calcium supplement, but I forgot to put in there that the eggs are a great source of protein, vitamins, and minerals for your dog.

Side Note:
There is a huge debate over whether you should cook the eggs or can serve them raw! Raw egg whites have a protein which binds with and depletes biotin (a B vitamin). However raw egg yolks have enough biotin to actually prevent deficiency. Raw egg yolks can also contain Salmonella. I don't risk it - but there are a lot of people out there who feed raw eggs to their dogs with no problems.

So here's my shortcut/tip:

I boil some water, turn it down to a simmer and poach about a dozen eggs. If I can rinse off the egg shells right away, I'll do that. Otherwise I put them in a bowl of water and just let them soak until I can rinse them off. Then I use the egg shells as stated in Tip #2.

I tried hard boiling the eggs, hoping to make it easier, but sometimes (not sure why) it was just too hard getting the egg shells off the eggs without egg white sticking. Poaching just ends up being easier for me to "harvest" the egg shells.

After the eggs are poached/cooked, I put them in a container and put in the fridge. Cook only as many eggs as you can use within 3 to 4 days. Use the eggs as a protein source in your homemade dog food, either alone or with another meat.

Eggs are great to have around in case you run out of meat for your dog food. They only take a couple of minutes to cook, most dogs love them, and they are great for your dog.

If you want to find out more about foods that are good/bad for your dog, download this e-book, Dog Food Dangers.

Homemade Healthy Dog Food: Tip #2

Dogs need calcium! In the wild, they got their calcium from the blood and bones of their prey. Since our pets don't go out and hunt, we must provide them with the extra calcium needed. The best way to provide extra calcium for your dog with their homemade dog food is..... egg shells.

Rinse off the egg shells and let them air dry. Then place them in your oven at 275 for around 10 - 15 minutes (this makes it easier to crush the shells). Next you need to crush the shells into a fine powder form. The biggest thing is to make sure there are no sharp edges to the shells that could hurt your dog's insides. I went out and bought a marble mortar and pestle for around $15 to crush the shells. I then pass the powder through a small sifter to make sure I got it all.

You can also buy crushed egg shells online.

I use a ratio of 1/4 teaspoon of finely crushed egg shell to 1/4 lb of meat.

Learn more about vitamins, minerals, and supplements that are beneficial to your dog from Dog Food Secrets

Homemade Healthy Dog Food: Tip #1

OK. So here is one of the shortcuts I use for homemade healthy dog food:

Vegetables:
I buy precut frozen vegetables - usually, not always, the kinds that have a couple of different veggies in them. Just make sure there are NO onions! I also buy whatever brand/veggie mix is on sale!

Some will say the frozen veggies are not as nutritious as fresh - others say the "fresh" veggies aren't all THAT fresh and lose some of their nutrients just sitting out. My opinion, they are good enough, fresh or frozen! (I don't use canned - for one, most have a lot of sodium, and two, most are pre-cooked)

Now I whip out my blender and throw some veggies in with some water and a couple of tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar (I'm a HUGE fan of Apple Cider Vinegar!!). My daughter calls this my dogs' veggie smoothies - they are a little more chunky than a regular smoothie, but about that consistency. I pour this into a container and it lasts for a few days.

And my dog's veggies are done! It's actually good to switch up the veggies that they get. My dogs have loved them all so far - they're not very picky eaters.


Here were some of my initial questions regarding veggies:

1. Why puree the veggies instead of just cutting them up or whole?
A dog's digestive system is not as long as ours. So they don't have the time in the digestive tract that is needed to digest the veggies. In the wild they got their veggies/grains from the intestines of the animals they killed and ate (naturally pureed, with enzymes thrown in also). You can cut them up, but they need to be small.


2. Don't you cook the veggies first?
You can, but you'll lose a lot of the nutrients (same with humans). And I like short-cuts.

Visit my website to find out more about the benefits of homemade healthy dog food. I highly recommend this e-book, Dog Food Secrets, to get you started. It gave me the confidence to make my own dog food.

My dog keeps itching, but it's not fleas.

It's amazing how many people I talk to tell me about how their dog is itching and scratching, but they don't see any fleas. I remember with Shadow, just constantly checking him and bathing him to try to get the scratching to stop. But I never saw any fleas on him or in the bathwater.

Why do I scratch? Number one reason - bug bite. But my dog doesn't have bug bites. Why else do I scratch? Sometimes when my arms and legs get real dry, they'll itch. So I thought, maybe my dog has dry skin. So I started feeding him supplements to help with skin and coat. And it worked!

Now add in another dog - and she came to us scratching without any signs of fleas. The thought of buying more supplements and more dog food just got me mad. Why 2 dogs with skin problems?? Then I talked to my sister - she just got back from her vet where her dog was given antibiotics and medication to help with her dog itchy skin (she had been scratching so much she got open sores - at least mine weren't that bad!).

Then I found homemade healthy dog food (actually my main reason for researching this was the cost of commercial dog food). The added benefits of better health for my dogs was the clincher! If you're skeptical, just try it for 2 to 3 weeks. It's not like you have to buy a bunch of special equipment - just regular food. And don't worry, your commercial dog food won't spoil - for like 2 years (ever wonder why it can last that long???).

Want to find out more about what is in your commercial dog food (like why your food has a 2 year shelf-life)? Download this e-book, Dog Food Secrets, to learn about what the commercial dog food industry is really like. Visit my website to find out more about the benefits of homemade healthy dog food.