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One of the most common questions from pet owners is what to feed their pets. With all the recent pet food recalls, more and more pet owners are trying to educate themselves on dog and cat nutrition in order to ensure that their pets receive only the best food. So with all the brands and choices on the market, how can we ensure that our pets are not eating anything harmful to them?

First, a pet owner should educate themselves on how to choose a good commercial pet food. There is a lot of information available on the internet about choosing ingredients, vitamins and nutritional value. Dog food ratings can also help to compare similarly priced foods. However there is only one good way to ensure that our best friends receive only the freshest and healthiest ingredients.

A homemade dog food can be made using the freshest chemical ingredients, and still cost a lot less than a commercial food. While it can take some time and planning to prepare, your pet's health will certainly thank you for it, and he will show these benefits in his coat and energy levels in a very short time.

First, stir-fry one cup of ground beef in canola oil. Then, combine the cooked meat with two boiled eggs, and 1/2 cup each of cooked oatmeal, pureed green beans, pureed carrots (baby food in jars can be used), then add 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese and serve to your pampered pet at room temperature. For extra vitamins and minerals, a good pet supplement may be added to the mix.

Pets can be picky with new foods, so a gradual switch might be in order. Begin by mixing larger and larger portions of the new pet food with the old so that your pet has a chance to become used to it. Cooked bones can fragment and become lodged in a pet's throat and digestive tract and should be avoided in a dog food. So should ingredients like chocolate, nuts, garlic and onions and mushrooms.

More pet food recipes can be researched on the internet and pet nutrition books. Soon both you and your pet will become accustomed to eating healthy, balanced diets, and you will see improvements in his coat and temperament. Cooking for your pet may not be as easy as feeding commercial food, your pet will thank you for his healthy diet, cooked with love.

A writer of dog food ratings for internet publications, Melinda Smith and her several cats and dogs are advocates of educated choice when it comes to pet food and nutrition. Homemade dog food and organic and natural diets are often the best ways to eliminate nutritional problems in our favorite pets and informed choices can help to keep our pets healthy and happy for many years to come.