Why I started feeding my dog homemade dog food recipes

I have two little dogs, Maxie and Frankie, and I am also the Founder of Healthy Active Pet.

I also make homemade dog food recipes for my dogs and have done for a couple of years.

But I haven't always fed homemade dog food recipes to my dogs and when I had my previous dog, Zippee, I used to feed him kibble.

And the reason I fed him kibble was that I just didn't understand that kibble wasn't the best product to feel our dogs and it had never occurred to me to look into what they were eating - a fact that I am super ashamed of now.

But when I got Maxie and Frankie in 2022 I started to take a deep dive into dog food, what they were eating and the nutrition in dog food after Maxie was severely allergic to chicken.

It was this deep dive into dog food and searching for chicken free dog food as well as the best dog food to feed my dogs that led to my discovery that homemade dog food is the absolutely best food we can all feed our dogs.

It was a hugely eye opening experience and the more I learned about homemade dog food or raw dog food the more it made complete sense that dogs should eat a natural, unprocessed and species appropriate diet - which is the opposite to a kibble dog food diet.

And it was at this point that I contacted pet nutritionists to help me create balanced and healthy homemade dog food recipes that I could use as well as other people looking for this kind of dog food.

And this was the starting of the Healthy Active Pet business as I realised that if I had no idea about the best dog food to feed our dogs and was so grateful to discover a better way that other people would be in the same situation.

It was then I brought on a pet nutritionist to start creating raw feeding dog food recipes that met AAFCO standards. And now a couple of years later we have over 80 raw dog food recipes with more on the way!

And I am so happy that our recipe books and website is now helping so many other dog owners create healthy homemade food for their dogs.

And the recipes have been so popular that we now also have a published book that you can buy in all book stores as well as on our website.

Freeze dried dog food

As the business developed I also had lots of people asking about if there was anything they could use that was as convenient and easy as kibble but as healthy as a homemade dog food diet.

And the answer to this was freeze dried dog food where the raw food is literally freeze dried so all the goodness is locked in and this is where we invested in manufacturing to create freeze dried dog food so that it could work hand in hand with our homemade recipe dog food. And we even made chicken free dog food.

You can see all the freeze dried products in our shop here.

So what are the benefits of a homemade dog food diet?

So many! But here are just a few!

Here are some of the potential health benefits:

1. Control Over Ingredients: Making your own homemade dog food allows you to have complete control over the quality and the ingredients.
2. Tailored Nutrition: Homemade meals can be customised to meet your dog's specific dietary requirements, taking into account their age, breed, size, and any health issues they may have.
3. Avoiding Harmful Additives: Homemade dog food is free from all artificial additives, preservatives, colours, and fillers that are often found in commercial dog food. This can reduce the risk of allergies or digestive issues associated with these additives.
4. Better Digestibility: Homemade dog food can be easier for some dogs to digest, especially if they have sensitive stomachs.
5. Improved Coat and Skin Health: A balanced homemade diet with essential fatty acids can promote healthy skin and a shiny coat.
6. Maintaining Ideal Weight: When you make your own dog food, you can better manage their calorie intake, helping them maintain a healthy weight.
7. Better Dental Health: Including crunchy vegetables or raw bones in your dogs diet can help keep your dog's teeth clean and reduce the risk of dental issues.

However, it's important to note that preparing homemade dog food requires correct preparation

Unbalanced diets can lead to nutrient deficiencies or excesses that may harm your dog's health. Also, it's crucial to maintain hygiene and handle raw ingredients safely to prevent foodborne illnesses.

All Healthy Active Pet homemade dog food recipes are created by our pet nutritionist and meet AAFCO standards and if you are looking to start this way of feeding then have a look at our recipe books that are not only jammed with recipes but also information to help teach you about how to ensure your dog is as healthy as possible - and the large role nutrition plays in this.

You can Healthy Active Pet homemade dog food recipes here