| What kind of food are you feeding to your dog? Do | | | | I have been feeding my dogs homemade food for |
| you remember the olden days when we fed our | | | | four months now. My dachshund is diabetic, so I was |
| dogs table scraps? Nowadays most people believe it | | | | searching for a way to give him a diet higher in fiber |
| is a bad thing to feed your dog food from the table. | | | | and protein. I have now come to the conclusion that |
| Many now believe that this idea was originally | | | | it is best to prepare his food myself. I also have |
| encouraged by the makers of commercial dog food, | | | | three other dogs, a Maltese and two Yorkshire |
| as a way to sell more of their canned and dried pet | | | | terriers, and they were beginning to put on weight |
| food. | | | | and had become very hyperactive. After eating my |
| Lately, especially after the pet food scare of early | | | | homemade food for the past few months their |
| 2008, when hundreds of cats and dogs died after | | | | behavior has changed, their weight has stabilized, and |
| eating pet food tainted with poison, more and more | | | | my dachshund has not had to have an increase in his |
| people have returned to feeding their dogs more | | | | daily insulin dosage. I am also saving money at the |
| foods eaten by humans. | | | | same time. |
| If your dog has special dietary needs, such as being | | | | I prepare chicken by boiling or baking it, and then |
| diabetic or obese, the commercial dog foods simply | | | | combine yams or sweet potatoes. These vegetables |
| do not offer good choices that are healthy and | | | | have a low glycemic index and are particularly good |
| nutritious and meet the needs of your dog. They | | | | for diabetes. I also prepare lentil soup each week, |
| tend to be filled with ingredients that are not healthy | | | | and add this to the food as well. Legumes, like lentils |
| at all, and also have many preservatives to extend | | | | and other dried beans, are high in plant protein. Finally, |
| their shelf life. We do not know for sure where the | | | | I prepare long grain brown rice, and my homemade |
| ingredients have come from because the | | | | food is complete. I only do this once a week, so it is |
| government does not regulate packaged and canned | | | | not like I have to prepare my dog food every day. |
| pet food as it does food for human consumption. | | | | I encourage you to learn more about preparing |
| This alone is a powerful reason to stay away from | | | | healthy and nutritious food for your dog, to reduce |
| commercial dog food. | | | | the risk of disease and help to extend their lifespan. |