Alternatives for Commercial Dog Food

"Did you know that back in 2007, a number of dog food brands announced a recall for their products because of reports of their products causing dogs to become ill? Some of these brands were even popular brands that promised to provide the best and safe dog food for our beloved pets. Not surprisingly, the announced caused panic among dog owners, who turned to alternatives to give their dogs during meal time. 

 People have actually been feeding their dogs other meals aside from dog food for a long time. This also helps you make sure that your dog is eating something safe and it's easier for you to control their diet. Here are a few things that you can replace commercial dog food when feeding your pet. 

 Meat 

 Dogs naturally eat meat. Wild dogs such as wolves and coyotes eat nothing but meat, but your Chihuahua might find this a bit too overwhelming. Domestic dogs have more or less the same diets as humans, but they need more protein. Feeding your pet an all meat diet is an alternative, but too much meat may not be a good idea, especially for smaller dog breeds. Another issue about feeding them an all meat diet is if the meat is raw or cooked. Raw meat might pose dangers to food poisoning, but cooking the meat too much might make it loose its nutrients. To be safe, feed the dog half cooked meat. Cook it just enough to kill any bacteria. The down side of an all meat diet is that is not advisable for dogs that are ill. Dogs that have degenerative myelopathy, arthritis, heart problems, just to name a few, need more than protein to get well. 

 Bones 

 Bones, specifically chicken bones, is another option. Although bones can pose a possible hazard, especially when it comes to intestinal punctures/blocks and choking, raw chicken bones retains a lot of its flexibility, making it easier for them to chew it and digest the bones. Cooked bones can become a bit too brittle and the sharp bone shards can puncture their intestine. Another down side is that dogs with mobility problems, like dogs that are paralyzed or have degenerative myelopathy, may find it hard to eat the bones. 

 Vegetables and fruits 

 It's not that you'd want to turn your dog vegetarian, it's not going to survive. But you'll want to give them some kind of fiber and other vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables. The easiest way to incorporate these to their diet is to cook it along with some meat into a stew."

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