“Holistic” dog foods are of high quality with what is referred to as “human-grade” ingredients, but the prices are substantially higher than quality human foods per pound. Though pet parents want to ensure their dogs receive the optimum nutrients for their overall wellness, the price point proves to be too high for many who are budget conscious.
Subpar brands typically do more harm than good for a puppy’s health. Most have found the best option to be providing the animal with homemade options with ingredients like beets, apples, rice, chicken, and other wholesome ingredients providing nutritional value. You can also make enough for dinner so that the puppy can indulge in the leftovers.
How To Feed Dogs Without Breaking The Budget?
Pet parents tend to get creative when it comes to feeding pups. Each wants to provide the optimum in care and safety for animals, with many posing the question to their dog’s regular vet, can my dog eat this? Parents do so in an effort to try to establish a home menu rather than buying expensive pre made dog food.
An increasing number of people are using fruits like apples and vegetables, including carrots, along with lean meats to make their own version of dog food. Some are simply making enough from each meal to provide the pup with leftovers in his bowl. If you choose to do this, you need to make sure these are whole, healthy items like some of these:
- Eggs (Boiled / Scrambled / Even Fried: Plain eggs are the perfect dish for a dog. You don’t want to present a dog with an omelet that has the potential for unhealthy additives like onions, which are a big “no” for a pup. A boiled or scrambled egg can enhance the canine’s coat and reduce the chance of shedding. You can even give the puppy a fried egg, but you might want to make it over-well so that pup doesn’t get messy.
- Giblets: The heart, gizzard, and liver or giblets of a whole chicken offer incredible nutrients for your puppy, but these should be given to the dog uncooked to maintain the nutritional value. The only downside with these is the fat content. If the puppy has any excess weight, you might want to avoid providing these. Follow the do’s and don’ts for table scraps at https://www.mypet.com/pet-nutrition/tablescraps.aspx#:~:text=It’s%20OK%20to%20give%20table,of%20long%20life%20with%20you.
- Yogurt (Plain): The GI tract benefits from plain yogurt because it replenishes the “bacterial flora.” Many people eat yogurt for its health advantages but don’t realize their furry friend will also do well from eating it. It should be plain with no additives and no extrasugar.
- Cottage Cheese: Dogs enjoy cheese and like cottage cheese. The food is healthy for them with calcium and high-quality protein.
- Apples / Carrot Sticks: Dogs can eat fruits and vegetables and tend to enjoy the treats. These are wholesome leftovers that provide incredible nutrients.
- Peanut Butter: Dogs genuinely have a love for peanut butter, and it provides them a source of vegetable protein. Pet parents do need to be careful when buying the product in reading the labels. Xylitol is a common ingredient found in peanut butter. You want to avoid that and any other artificial sweeteners.
Puppies can consume moderate amounts of pasta but no type of sauce,and a variety of fish in limited portions. Fish offers exceptional protein and fatty acids but can potentially upset the dog’s stomach. A pup can enjoy beef “trimmings,” but, again, not significant quantities.
Final Thought
While these foods are safe to give your dog in a “table scrap” capacity, it’s essential not to consistently change the type of food that you’re feeding your puppy. It can result in gastrointestinal issues. Take this for a guideline on what foods you can and can’t share.
A dog needs to be fed a regular, stable diet. If you want to incorporate human food into the canine’s plan, it’s better to make homemade dog food that the puppy will receive each day than to toss leftovers in the bowl that change with each family meal.
Wholesome ingredients like rice, lean white meat, apples, or some other type of fruit that dogs areallowed, a vegetable like carrots provide the optimum in nutritional value. The effort is minimal, with the need to pick a day to make a batch for the week and package it in serving-sized bowls for each day’s meals.
The cost proves to be comparable to expensive, high-quality dog food brands, but your dog will enjoy eating it much more and will likely see greater benefit.
