With the recent pet food recall anxiety, let's make an effort to prepare home cooked food for our pets. By preparing nutritious wholesome home cooked meals for our pets, we know EXACTLY what goes into their body. We are able to control dog food intake and most importantly, allow us more happy waggy years with our animal friends. So, make the commitment today to be your doggie’s favourite chef! Herein are some tips on selecting food sources for your pet when preparing home cooked pet food. Put this in your shopping bag and refer to the list when shopping for your home made dog food. This is to ensure we do not accidentally add on food sources not appropriate for pets that could jeopardize their health.
Shopping list on foods to AVOID for your Dog:
Corn, Soy, Sesame, Sunflower oils:
Avoid using all commercial brands of polyunsaturated vegetable oils as they are chemically unstable resulting in toxic compounds that can damage DNA and cell membranes, promoting cancer, inflammation, and degenerative changes in tissue.
Soy:
Dogs with allergy to soy may find their dogs with itchy, flaky skin and a dull coat and may cause bloat in dogs as it is also a gas producing product.
Dairy Products
Examples of daily products are butter, cream, milk : these are high in fat and cause dogs to be unhealthily overweight. Dogs who are lactose intolerant can also get severe diarrhea.
Pork:
Some dogs are prone to allergic reaction from pork. But if your dog reacts well with it, it is ok to include in their diet but they must be well cooked to kill all microorganisms which may be harmful to them.
Sugar:
Sugar is one of the primary trigger of excessive shedding, weight problems, diabetic conditions and behavioural problems in dogs. Excessive amounts can also lead to obesity and dental problems.
Salt:
Can cause kidney problems and causes dogs to shed excessively and may lead to electrolyte imbalance. The only salt I feel is safe enough to add just a little before feeding is sea salt. Sea salt has lot of natural minerals which are good for your pet. Just sprinkle a little will do for taste and health
Nuts:
Some dogs have allergies to nuts. Also, nuts are generally bad for dogs as their high phosphorus content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones, especially walnuts. They are poisonous to dogs and at all accounts should be avoided.
Peanut Butter / Peanuts:
These are high in fat and can cause allergies in dogs.
Onions:
These can cause anaemia in dogs.
Bacon or bacon bits:
These are high in salt and fat.
Tuna:
Tuna contains mercury which is harmful to dogs. Unless we are sure of the source of fish. Otherwise, ensure continuous supplmentation to boost your pet's natural immune system to rid the toxins.
Raisins and grapes :
Are toxic to dogs!! They contain a toxin, which can damage the kidneys. Symptoms can include gastrointestinal signs like vomiting and diarrhea to life-threatening kidney failure which starts about 24 hours after ingestion. The amount of grapes ingested in these cases varied between 9 oz. and 2 lbs., which worked out to be between 0.41 and 1.1 oz/kg of body weight.
Night shade vegetables (e.g. tomatoes) : They are known to be toxic to dogs. This vegetable contains atropine, which can cause dilated pupils, tremors, and heart arrhythmias.
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Veronica Eng @ www.dogcarezone.com www.dogcarezone.com/blog
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