Honest Kitchen Dog Food Reviews

Commercial dog food is a disgrace. It is full of fat, stuffed with fillers and barely passes food standards. Owners are generally disinclined to actually take a bite of it, but if a pet lover really wants to do the best thing for their animal, consider kitchen-made food that combines human-grade natural products in specified amounts to prolong the life of your pet.

Dogs and cats are carnivores and they are naturally attracted to raw meat. Rather than buying pet-grade ground meat, be sure that you are doing the best for your animal by purchasing ground beef from cows that were not treated with steroids or hormone supplements. Do the same with raw ground chicken, lamb or fish. You can be certain that the ingredients are fresh and natural. Other types of protein are found in legumes, dairy and eggs. All of these will satisfy your pet as well as give him the best basic food.

While meat makes up about a third of a good diet for your pet, the remaining two-thirds should be composed of grains, vegetables and even fruit. Rice is a good carbohydrate, as are oats, barley, flaxseed, potatoes, carrots, spinach and kale. Invest in a simple hand grinder and run the veggies through it. Remember that herbs are vegetables as well, and parsley, tarragon, oregano, sage and basil are excellent additions. Many pet owners are surprised to learn that their pets enjoy fresh fruit as well. Grind up an apple, sprinkle in a few pomegranates seeds, a dollop of mashed banana and a few small cubes of melon for variety. The natural fruit sugars are appealing. Never add commercial sugar. Animals will occasionally nibble at your candy bar, but they shouldn't, especially if it's chocolate

The percentages in a bowl of dog or cat food are roughly 1/3 protein with 10 percent or less from crude fat, 2/3 carbohydrates and moisture. Each cup of food is about 450 calories. You may serve the food raw or cooked or in combination with dry dog food that you can also make in your kitchen.

You will probably find it easiest to prepare a week's worth of food and store it in individual packages in your freezer. Be sure to rotate your stock just as you would with your own frozen food. The optimum shelf life of your pet food is about a month before essential vitamins and minerals begin to deteriorate. Wear food handler gloves to mix the food to avoid cross-contamination.

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of ground meat with 6 cups of grains, vegetables and fruit. Double or triple this amount depending upon the size of your animal. Crack three or more raw eggs into the mixture and spoon in some plain non-fat yogurt for moisture. This is the time to add chopped herbs and sprinkle in vitamin supplements. There are several specialty liquids such as lecithin that can be added, but keep in mind that unless your animal is delicate, your kitchen-made meals will supply everything she needs for nutritious good health.

You may choose to cook a stew from your mixture, turn it into meatballs--cooked or raw--or pack a container with the mix to be spooned into a bowl at feeding time. By all means, sample a bit of the cooked product and be pleasantly surprised that it smells and tastes far superior to commercial blends.

You have chosen human-grade products, inspected each to ensure that there are no unwanted steroid or hormone additions to the raw meat, purchased vegetables at their peak, invested the time to hand-make your pet's food and considered every supplement you might add. People who love their animals will do this gladly. You are satisfied with the smell, taste and look of the end product and, when you compare the results, penny for penny, you will also be pleasantly surprised to find that you save a great deal of money making your own pet food.