Vegetarian dog food diet needs to be designed properly, so that your pet dog gets all the nutrients in the right amount. Keep reading to learn how to prepare this diet so that all essential nutrients are included.
Many vegetarian or vegan people like to feed their pet dogs vegetarian food too. By understanding the nutrition requirements of the dog and the amount of daily value percentage needs, you can design a good balanced vegetarian diet for your dog.
To avoid deficiencies certain vegetarian supplements can also be added. Here are the nutrition requirements you need to observe for your pet, and the foods which are a good source of these nutrients.
Veg Dog Food Nutrition Requirements
Despite the misconception of dogs being strictly meat eaters, they are actually considered to be omnivores, and hence a veg diet can be provided to them. Here are the important nutrients that need to be present in the vegetarian diet to ensure good dog health.
Dietary protein foodstuffs are a must, some good sources are soybean, canola, and rapeseed protein concentrates.
For dietary energy, foods like vegetable oils or carbohydrate-rich sources like wheat middling or cornmeal can be used.
In a similar manner byproduct foods like tomato pomace, distillers dried, or brewer's grains can be also added.
Fiber is another important component of a dog's diet. However, excessive feeding can have some side effects, and deficiency can led to digestive system-related problems.
Many dietary supplements will have the proper amount of vitamins and minerals in them. However, it is good if you add these nutrient foodstuffs separately too for preventing any deficiencies which can lead to dog health problems.
For example, when the commercial foodstuffs are processed there can be loss of thiamine vitamin, hence additional supplements of such nutrients should be added.
Homemade Dog Food Recipes
To make the recipes even more healthy, use organic food ingredients for extra dog care. Here are two recipes you can prepare to feed your pet dog.
Veg Dog Food Biscuits Recipe
The things you require are:
Vanilla, 1 teaspoon
Eggs, 4
Honey, 3 tablespoons
Whole wheat flour, 1 cup
Shortening, ½ cup
Baking powder, ½ tablespoon
Carob powder, ¼ cup
Directions In a large bowl, mix cream shortening and honey, then add the rest of the ingredients and beat everything well. To bake the biscuits, use a greased cookie sheet of size 10" by 15" for about 25 minutes at 350ºF. Let the biscuits cool down and serve.
Homemade Vegetable Stew Recipe
The things you require to make the stew are:
Eggplants, peeled and cubed, 1
Potato, peeled and cubed, 1
Oregano or basil, 1 tablespoon
Olive oil, 3 tablespoons
Sweet pepper, sliced, 1
Zucchini, sliced, 1
Yellow squash, sliced, 1
Directions In a sauce pan, heat some oil and add all the vegetables and mix well. Let the mix boil for 2 minutes and on low heat cook it for half an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste, cook for further 15 minutes, let it cool, and serve.
Above were the essential nutrients that need to be present in a vegetarian diet for dogs and two homemade food recipes. Many commercial vegetarian dog foods are available in the stores, but make sure you buy FDA-approved products.