Home-Prepared Meals
Over the past decade, many people have begun to prepare their dogs' food themselves rather than rely on commercial products. They may do this because the dog has a health problem that requires a special diet or because they believe that home-prepared meals contain higher-quality ingredients. Homemade food can be raw or cooked. Raw diets are popular because they're thought to be more natural, thus better at meeting a dog's nutritional needs.
Table scraps are not appropriate as a complete diet for dogs. Your meals are not formulated to meet a dog's nutritional needs. It's okay to let him lick the egg yolk or a little gravy off your plate, but stick to commercial foods or an appropriate homemade food for his regular meals.
The down side to preparing a dog's food at home is that it's difficult to produce a meal that's nutritionally complete, and it's time-intensive. Many people don't have time to prepare healthy meals for themselves, let alone their dogs. It's also important to handle raw meat carefully to prevent bacterial contamination. Wash your hands and mixing bowls and utensils thoroughly after handling raw meat.
Recipes for nutritionally complete dog foods are available in a number of dog nutrition guides. (See Appendix A for suggestions.) Choose a recipe from an expert source, such as a veterinary nutritionist or a layperson with training in animal nutrition. You can also find commercially available raw foods (usually frozen) at pet-supply stores, including “base” mixes to which you can add your own meat and vegetables.
