DIY means do-it-yourself, and it’s also applicable to the concept of dog food. It represents the diet a pet owner would make at home using essential human food ingredients. DIY food is believed to be widely adopted as many pet owners experiment by shifting from commercial and processed food.
But DIY has a different connotation here as well. There are times when you make the food yourself, while other times you could purchase homemade dog treats at the store. This helps you get the right nutrients and in the right quantities for your dog. A homemade dog diet has several benefits when appropriately prepared.
Homemade Dog Food
There are different types of homemade dog foods. The types depend on different perceptions about the dogs’ diet and what humans believe their dogs would prefer.
These diet types include:
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Barf Diet
The barf diet is based on the traditional belief of dogs being omnivorous. The food is considered ‘biologically correct’ to dogs because it includes unprocessed meat, fruits, and vegetables.
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Prey Model Raw Diet
The raw diet is based on the idea of dogs sharing genealogy with wolves. It includes raw meat and bones with no vegetables or fruits. Dogs are given the food they would have had, had they been in the wild.
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The DIY Diet
The DIY diet includes both cooked and uncooked food. The dog owner decides on what’s best for the dog and can include several ingredients. The diet is changed from time to time as the owner pleases. There’s no specific rule or belief guiding it.
Reasons Dog Owners Choose DIY Food
Some dog owners prefer homemade food over processed food for several reasons. The reasons include:
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Bonding With Their Dogs
Preparing your pets’ food can give you a good chance to bond with them. You’ll understand what they need and love. You might connect with your dog in more than just a physical state.
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Monitor The Diet
Some pet owners may decide to monitor their dog’s diet after sickness or after the dog had a bad reaction to some food. This will help them know what’s best for their dogs.
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Avoid The Hassle Of Buying
Instead of heading to the grocery store to buy your food then heading to the pet store to buy dog meals, you could get them all in one place. Because a DIY diet is made primarily from human food ingredients, some dog owners find it more convenient to shift to homemade meals.
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Feed The Picky Eaters
Some people might have a hard time making their pets eat. If a dog is selective on the type of food it eats, it’s better to prepare the food yourself. Because you know what they like, you can get the ingredients and make the food.
Benefits Of DIY Diet
Homemade diets have a number of benefits to a dog. When you consider adopting DIY foods, here are some of the benefits that you and the dog might get:
1. The Food Is Fresh
Unlike processed food bought in pet stores, homemade ones are usually fresh. The ingredients used are freshly-bought because they’re meant for human consumption. Processed food contains preservatives that might harm dogs with underlying health conditions.
2. The Quality Is Regulated
Dog owners may not know the ingredients used in commercial pet foods. Even though the components might be labelled on the containers, you will not always know if you’re getting a suitable ingredient by reading the label. The quality of the food may not be top-notch, which could negatively affect the dog.
However, if you choose to make the food, you will know what ingredients to use. Recommendations from the veterinarian will help you get the right quality and amount suitable for your dog.
3. The Diet Is Dog-specific
Companies that process dog foods use mass production. They don’t consider what works best for a specific dog. They generalise the needs and taste of all dogs and produce their food in large quantities.
Homemade food takes into account what a dog needs and likes. As a dog owner, you should know what ingredients work best for your dog. You can then prepare proper food for your dog. Homemade food may also be more nutritious than the processed food.
4. The Diet Is Of A Wide Variety
Once you purchase your pet food from a store, it could mean that you feed the same meal to your dog for several weeks. This monotony could be tiresome to your dog to the extent that it won’t eat regularly. The food may also offer less nutrition as there’s no change over a long period.
Homemade food, on the other hand, allows you to change the diet regularly. DIY food may be dependent on the ingredients of the human diet. If dog owners change their diet, they may also change their dogs’ diet. Variety is considered the spice of life, and a regularly changing diet could be enjoyable. This diet could provide a wide range of nutrition.
5. The Food Could Be More Digestible
Homemade foods are fresh and lack preservatives. Hence, they could be easily digestible compared to processed food. This easy digesting could help avoid conditions such as gastrointestinal problems and constipation.
When cooking homemade foods, allergens present are destroyed by the heat. Dogs won’t have a problem digesting the food. This will help dogs avoid allergies or intake of other reactive substances.
6. Homemade Food Could Be Cost-effective
As homemade meals use ingredients from human food, you can use leftover ingredients from your diet to prepare dog nutrients. This prevents wastage of resources. In the long run, you might not have to visit a veterinarian due to your dog’s reaction to a particular food. This will help you save money and time.
Some processed foods, such as prescription food, could have a high production cost. In turn, the sellers will price it highly, and it will be expensive for some dog owners. If your dog doesn’t need prescription food, then you could turn to homemade food to help you save costs.
Feed Your Dog Better
Just like human beings need proper nutrition, so do dogs. Owners need to get the right food for their pets. Getting the proper diet might help their furry friends have better health, be more active, and have a better bond with their owners.
Even though feeding your dog with DIY food could have numerous advantages, it’s advisable that you first consult with your veterinarian. The veterinarian will recommend the best diet type after examining your dog. Doing this will help you get the best food for your pet.
