The recent pet food scare has made most pet owners wonder if they should start feeding their pets homemade food instead of commercial pet food. The idea as a concept is great, and if we were trained pet nutritionists it would be a very acceptable way to go.

However, most of us wouldn’t know a vitamin from a mineral if we came across one on the street, and that’s where the problem lies. Cooking up a batch of chicken and rice with some carrots makes a great meal for your dog, once in a while. In the long run, you are not giving your dog all the nutrition he needs for proper growth and good health.

Dogs, just like humans, need adequate amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, minerals, and water in their diets. Home cooking, unless you’re following a recipe formulated by a pet nutritionist, won’t have all of those things in the proper amounts.

Dogs actually need 38 different nutrients per day. Most home-cooked foods contain too much protein (and not enough calories, calcium, vitamins, and minerals) that will harm your dog in the long run. And if the truth came out, it can be even more harmful to your pet than commercially prepared foods.

Why?

When you cook at home for your pet, you are less likely to know proper food safety precautions, and food can become contaminated, contain bacteria, and/or foodborne toxins. Besides the fact that cooking for your pet takes time and costs much more than commercial pet food.

If you’re thinking of feeding your dog organic food and cost isn’t an issue, that’s one way to go. However, there is currently no evidence that organic pet foods can guarantee that your pet will become healthier from eating them. The difference between organic foods and regular foods is the way they are grown, handled, and processed. By law, foods that carry the “USDA Organic” seal must be grown to a set of standards determined by the Department of Agriculture and be free of hormones and antibiotics. Having the USDA seal does not mean that the food is more nutritious or safer than commercially prepared pet food.

So what is a pet owner to do? Although some 100 different brands of pet food have been contaminated, there are many brands that are safe and have been for many years.

Despite the problems we have faced, commercially prepared foods it does they contain all the nutrients that our dogs need. It’s our job to do some research (the internet is a good place to start) on companies that haven’t had any problems and put our trust in them. Buying the best foods you can afford is the first place to start, reading labels and noticing foods that have the wrong type of condoms. The information is available for you to read, all you have to do is put in the effort.

Feeding your dog a home-cooked meal once in a while is great and feeding your dog people’s leftovers from time to time is an acceptable treat. But, if you want to know that your dog is getting all the proper nutrients he should have, the safest way to do it is with commercially prepared food. Buying the best food you can for your dog will provide all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Internet research on natural foods and commercially prepared foods? Find foods that are right for your dog’s lifestyle and size, become an expert food provider for your dog, and you will.