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How to Develop Healthy and Safe Homemade Meal Plans for Your Dog

Three Parts:Avoiding dangerous foodsFeeding dogs safelyMeal planning for your dogCommunity Q&A

If you are tired of buying mass-produced dog food from the store and not knowing what's going into your dog's food and how exactly it influences its health, it's time to take control of your dog's diet. You can plan the meals and make the food to ensure that it is healthy for your dog.

Part 1
Avoiding dangerous foods

  1. 1
    Know what you absolutely must not give your dog. You might think that dogs are living garbage cans, that they try to eat anything they can get their paws on. In reality, there are a lot of foods that can be potentially hazardous and dangerous to your dog that you will want to avoid at all costs while planning his/her meals. A few are:
    • Avocado (contains a substance called "persin" that can be toxic to your dog)
    • Alcohol (it affects a dogs liver and organs just like it affects a humans, just on a larger scale so it is very bad for your dog)
    • Onions and garlic in any form (destroys your dogs red blood cells)
    • Coffee, tea, and and kind of caffeine (large enough quantities can actually kill your dog, it's known as caffeine poisoning)
    • Grapes and raisins (can cause kidney failure in dogs)
    • Milk and dairy products (causes your dog diarrhoea and other digestive issues that can harm your dog in the long-run)
    • Macadamia nuts (fatal to dogs)
    • Candy and gum (this is an obvious no-no to feed your dog; there is a sweetener in candy and gum called xylitol that causes your dogs blood sugar to drop and liver failure)
    • Chocolate (again, the most popular food that dogs should be kept away from; the toxic agent in chocolate is known as theobromine, and just your dog getting a taste of chocolate can cause vomiting, diarrhea, extreme thirst, and all that can lead to tremors, seizures, abnormal heart breathing, and even death)
    • Peaches and plums (the main problem with this is the seeds or pits; they contain a substance dangerous to dogs that if eaten, can cause inflammation of intestines)
    • Raw eggs (you might have heard that feeding your dog raw egg is good for it, but actually there is a possibility your dog could get salmonella or food poisoning, and it can cause coat/fur problems if eaten too much)
    • Salt (eating too much salt can cause your dog excessive thirst and urinating, which then can lead to sodium ion poisoning)
    • Yeast dough (do not feed your dog dough that contains yeast because the dough is slowly rising because of the yeast, and if you fed it to your dog it would expand in your dog's stomach and cause extreme pain; also, when yeast ferments the dough it produces alcohol, then your dog would have alcohol poisoning)
    • Your medicine (do not give your dog your own medicine. Unless your vet specifically tells you a brand of medicine and that it is okay for your dog, never give him/her your medicine. Ingredients in medicine that are pain-relievers for humans like ibuprofen and acetaminophen are deadly to your dog).

Part 2
Feeding dogs safely

  1. 1
    Know what you can give your dogs. Not all human food is bad for dogs. There is actually quite a bit that you can feed your dog that is quite healthy and can be a replacement for store-bought food. A list of some of those foods are:
    • Lean meats (meat like chicken that has been cooked thoroughly is safe to give your dog. Be sure all the skin and fat is removed from the meat before you give it to your dog, and do not add any seasonings, they could upset your dogs stomach or harm him/her)
    • Fresh fruits (fruits like apples, oranges, bananas, and watermelon are all safe to give your dog. Be sure there are no stems, seeds, or rinds attached to the fruit and be sure to cut up the fruit into small pieces before giving it to your dog)
    • Vegetables (the safe ones are carrots, green beans, cucumber slices, or zucchini slices. Even a plain baked potato is safe to give your dog. *Remember, do not feed your dog raw potatoes, as those can harm your dog)
    • Cooked white rice and pasta (plain cooked rice and pasta is a simple dish that if mixed with other foods can be very safe and enjoyable to your dog)
  2. 2
    Check the meal sizes and proportions. This is important for your dog's health. You do not want to over-feed your dog (or underfeed him, either). Base how much you feed your dog on its weight, and how much your dog is exercised daily. And remember, if your dog isn't finishing off all of its food, you could be giving it too much, and if it eats its meal quite quickly and still seems hungry, give it a little more. A chart to go off to know how much food your dog should be fed per day (and note that this is daily portion sizes):
    • 3-10 pounds should get 1/4 to 2/3 cup of food
    • 10-20 pounds should get 2/3 to 1 cup of food
    • 20-30 pounds should get 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food
    • 30-40 pounds should get 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of food
    • 40-60 pounds should get 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 cups of food
    • 60-80 pounds should get 2 1/2 to 3 cups of food
    • 80-100 pounds should get 3 to 3 1/2 cups of food
    • Over 100 pounds of dog, it should be 3 1/2 + 1/3 cup for each 10 pound over 100.

Part 3
Meal planning for your dog

  1. 1
    Note that there are a lot of meal plans and ideas you could do for your dog now. When you start cooking your dog's meals, a whole new list of options and possibilities pop up. Some ideas include:
    • The chicken meal. Boil up some chicken, cook some plain white rice, and top it off with a handful of chopped-up carrots
    • The veggie meal. Cook some pasta, then chop up some potatoes and green beans (you may also add some meat if your dog isn't big on the rabbit-food idea)
    • The fruity meal. Make a fruit salad of chopped watermelon, apples, bananas, and some orange slices.
  2. 2
    Factor the cooking and preparation into your feeding routine. It's true, buying and preparing your dog's meals can cost more money and be more time-consuming. Checking out farmer's markets for fresh produce and make sure that the meat you buy for your dog is clean and that the place you bought it from is not dirty or unsanitary. It is possible you could prepare your dogs meals in advance and keep them refrigerated. Just make sure they haven't gone bad or moldy when you give them to your dog.

Community Q&A

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  • If your dog isn't used to the homemade food and is currently on store-bought food, you can gradually get it used to human food by mixing a small portion of homemade meal with its regular food, and over time, after mixing more and more each time, it will completely transfer over to homemade food.


  • Do not feed your dog raw meat and especially bones. Bone shards can cut open your dog's stomach or other organs inside of it, and raw meat can give your dog food poisoning or salmonella. Stay away from raw meat at all costs.
  • If you think that your dog is sick or something is off, the first things you would notice is its drinking habits, how much it is eating, and its poop. The dog could be dehydrated, it could be having stomach pains, and both of those things could be signs for some serious illnesses or sickness. Take your dog to the vet immediately if you see signs like this.

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Categories: Feeding Dogs

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