How to keep dogs safe from dangerous foods

How to make healthy choices for your dog

Dogs survived on table scraps for hundreds of years, but the human food supply has undergone many changes, including harmful preservatives and ingredients that clog arteries and trigger allergies. Unfortunately, commercial dog food has also undergone some nasty changes that were brought to light when thousands of dogs started to die from cancers, liver and kidney failures. The best solution to feeding our pets a healthy and nutritious diet is to make it ourselves or to buy organically made pet food that has no animal by-products, harmful chemicals or nasty preservatives, food coloring and artificial flavors

Instructions

Step 1

Organic dog food

Commercially produced organic dog food can be found at Health food stores across the Nation or through online stores, such as Amazon who carry organic brands such as Newman’s Own, Castor and Pollux and Karma organics.

Step 2

Human foods to avoid

***Chocolate, coffee and alcohol -The ingredients are toxic and can send a dog into convulsions and ultimately death.
***Onions — This includes chives and onion powder. Onions will cause intestinal damage and potential death.
***Garlic — From the same family as onions and can cause anemia in dogs. A clove of garlic once in a while mixed in with home-made dog food will help keep ticks away. If unsure of how much is too much, it is best to leave it out completely.
***Grapes — as well as their dehydrated form, raisins, cause liver damage.
***Avocados — Contains a toxin that could be a death sentence to certain breeds of dogs.
***Soft bones — Dogs swallow soft bone pieces and with nothing to cushion the descent, ruptured intestines are made more prevalent.
***Fat and salt — large quantities are as bad for dogs as they are for humans.
***Artificially sweeteners — Found in most candies made for diabetics and in toothpaste. It will cause convulsions in dogs.
***Raw eggs and meat — can carry harmful bacteria. Cook them thoroughly.
***Walnuts and Macadamia nuts — Weakness, tremors and vomiting.

Step 3

Home made dog food

By far the healthiest choice if made from natural and organic ingredients. Striving for variety in order to achieve optimal nutrition is as simple as keeping these numbers in mind: 40/30/30. A veterinarian can advise on the proper amount of food and how many servings per day based on the dog’s age, size and breed.
The basic formula explained:
***40% meat — Cooked ground turkey, beef or chicken
***30% vegetables — steamed and mashed with the rest of the food. Baby food can be used as an alternative.
***30% starch — cooked oatmeal, brown rice, pasta, sweet potatoes.
***Canned salmon or tuna can be substituted for ground turkey, chicken or beef occasionally to promote good skin and a healthy coat.
***Add a multi-vitamin per veterinarian recommendations.

Step 4

Keep your dog away from the vegetable garden

Green leafs may be fun to chew on, but the green stems of tomatoes and their leafs are toxic to dogs. Broccoli, mushrooms, apples, cherry, plums and most seeded fruits are toxic and dangerous. Many garden plants are also toxic, such as mistletoe and aloe plants.

Things Needed