While there is no shortage of commercially produced dog food, it’s fairly common for many pet owners to prepare it themselves.
One of the reasons they opt for homemade dog food for small dogs is to avoid unnecessary or unknown ingredients being consumed by their pets.
Let’s look at some of the best ingredients for homemade dog food you can use.
By being in control of the recipe, you can be sure that it is fresh and free from components that can negatively impact your pet’s health and well-being.
Overview of Making Homemade Dog Food
Unless you are a veterinarian or a specialist in animal nutrition, you will definitely have some struggles in giving your cute companion a well-balanced meal.
Factors To Consider
Keep in mind that each breed of dog requires a specific set of nutritional needs.
Other factors such as gender, age, physical condition, and size also play a role in determining what components are required in their diet.
You also have to consider portioning, shelf life, and storage because you also want to avoid spoilage.
It goes without saying that at a glance, cooking for your beloved dachshund or other breed looks complicated.
What You Should Do
If you’re determined to give it a shot, you must make an effort to do some research about the nutrients needed by your dog.
Patience is also required because there’s a good chance that your hard-earned recipe may not be appetizing enough for your pet’s taste.
The Benefits
Despite the inconveniences, the benefits your dog could gain from home-cooked meals are not to be underestimated.
The natural, personalized taste is also a factor that no commercial product could ever replicate.
Best Ingredients for Homemade Dog Food
If you’re eager to start making home food for dogs but don’t know what to have, below are five key ingredients that should never be absent from your recipe.
Meat
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as meat is by far the essential component of your dog food recipe.
While your wiener dog can also consume plant-based ingredients, they are primarily designed by nature to eat meat.
There are two types of meat that you must include in your recipe: muscle meat and organ meat.
- Muscle Meat
Muscle meat should be your primary protein source; in fact, it must at least cover 25% up to 50% of your overall ingredients.
One reason why muscle meat needs to be the dominant component is its amino acid content.
Other ingredients also offer a good amount of protein, but not on the same level as muscle meat.
Your dachshund needs a healthy amount of proteins because it constantly needs strong muscles and bones to accommodate its distinct body structure.
- Organ Meat
Organ meat is also an important ingredient for your homemade dog food.
Besides its high-protein content, it also provides several vitamins and minerals.
With its collection of nutritional components, it is viewed as the most nutrient-dense ingredient.
As such, you should never forget to include it in your recipe.
Some organ meats you can use are the heart, brain, liver, tongue, and kidney.
Oils
Contrary to popular belief, fats are essential. Without it, your beloved dachshund could easily be prone to numerous health issues.
You can get a good dose of fats from meats, but if you used lean meat, most likely, you need fat sources to compensate.
Vegetable oil, krill oil, and olive oil are all excellent sources of healthy fat.
If you want to keep your sausage dog in top condition, adding a recommended amount of oil to your recipe should be mandatory.
You should have around 10% up to 20% healthy fats in your home-cooked dog food on average.
Calcium Sources
If you’re cooking for your dachshund, it is one of the most important nutrients your recipe needs to have.
A strong, functioning skeletal system is a requirement if you want it to have a good quality of life.
Sawdust from meat shops is very easy to mix into your recipe because of its powdery form.
Another inexpensive calcium source is crushed eggshells.
You should have at least 10% up to 15% calcium content in your recipe.
Grains
While there are debates concerning the importance of grains in a dog’s diet, you should not shy away from including them in your recipe.
Just keep in mind not to use by-product grains. Oatmeal, brown rice, and other wholegrain ingredients are recommended.
You can add grains to your dog food recipe but keep it around 5% up to 10% of your recipe.
Vegetables
If you want your wiener dog to have a strong immune system plus other health benefits, adding vegetables to your home cooking is a must.
As we all know, veggies and fruits are exceptional natural sources of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
Some of the popular homemade vegetable dog food ingredients are carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, and tomatoes.
With their nutritional content, vegetables should cover at least 30% up to 40% of your dog food recipe.
Conclusion
We often hear the saying, “Nothing beats a home-cooked meal.“
That saying couldn’t be more true when it comes to cooking for your sausage dog!
You may face difficulties, but the fun and satisfaction of cooking are one the best feelings you can have.
Just make sure you use the best ingredients for homemade dog food to provide your dachshund with nutritious and safe food.