Many of you would love to give your dog excellent recipes that are not only nutritious but also liked by him. Many such recipes abound in the internet. But though you have lots of recipes both from the net as well as those from friends and neighbors you should exercise caution while giving these pet foods to your pets. Many ingredients that are used in the various dog food recipes may be harmful to your dog and some may even be lethal.
Here is a list of some of the dog food ingredients you should avoid while looking for recipes.
Some natural foods like raisins and grapes should be avoided especially when added in recipes. These have found to cause renal failure in dogs and if you find that your dog has ingested some it is better to get veterinary help.
Onion is one of the natural food ingredients that should also be shunned from dog recipes. Though many may not know it, onions can make dogs more prone to anemia when ingested. The smaller dogs are more susceptible to get anemia by onion ingestion.
Giving raw eggs or meat is like inviting the salmonella and Escherichia coli bacteria into your dog. Further, the raw eggs cause skin allergy and also harm the coat too. Fish either raw or cooked can cause loss of appetite and also seizures in some cases.
Fat trimmings should also be avoided as they cause pancreatitis. Alcoholic beverages should never be given to dogs as they lead to intoxication and also coma or death in case of heavy ingestion.
Corn, soy and wheat are ingredients that cause much harm to the dog. Corn is known to cause skin allergy in dogs. Instead of using processed grains like rice, wheat four etc. you can switch over to whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal and barley for your dog.
Commercial dog food also contains lots of harmful ingredients which should be avoided at all costs. While looking at the ingredients listed in a commercial dog food package protein should make up most of the food rather than being one of the minor ingredients. Protein is very essential for dogs.
Generic terms present in the commercial foods, like for instance poultry which does not specify the type of protein included should be avoided. Same goes for the term ‘animal fat’ which is very general and the manufacturer may have added low quality foods that may harm your pet severely.
By-products are another ingredient that is found normally in commercial dog foods. These include meat that humans do not eat like the head, intestine, lungs, bones, blood and other parts! These by-products should be avoided as much as possible.
Chemical preservatives found in dog food like BHT, BHA and ethoxyquin have found to be carcinogenic and should be totally avoided.
While selecting the food for your dog you should be very careful and look for the approval of USDA on any package you buy. Some manufacturers put general terms like organic or natural which may not mean much. Know what foods your dog is specifically allergic to and other general harmful ingredients before you go out shopping for dog food recipes.
