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A dog's diet is based on three foods: meats (and/or offal), cereals, and vegetables. According to the dog's weight, add a tablespoonful or a teaspoonful of sunflower or corn oil. The oil should constitute 2 to 3 per cent of the serving. Add a similar proportion of dry brewer's yeast, or, better still, lactic yeast, and, of course, a mineral and vitamin supplement.
. For meat, it is generally acceptable to buy cheap cuts for your dog. Viscera, such as beef liver or lung, can also be used. Lung provides a better quality of protein than beef cheek. Liver is an excellent source of proteins and vitamins. For sanitary reasons, meat should be served cooked.
Dogs may eat fish, provided it is cooked and the bones have been removed. If the, fish is ground fine with its bones, the dog can eat it safely, while benefiting from the additional calcium. Never give fish heads or fish offal.
. For carbohydrates, use broken or whole rice, barley meal, corn, porridge oats, pasta or pasta scraps, bread, and dog biscuits. Avoid beans because dogs find them difficult to digest, and they cause flatulence. Be sparing with oats; they contain a substance that disrupts the assimilation of minerals.
. For vegetables, carrots are generally the best choice because of their low price. Cooked potatoes are another economical vegetable. Green beans, although many dogs enjoy them, are sometimes quite expensive.
Boil the vegetables, change the water at least once, and dry them before serving. Do not give them as soup. (When soup is left standing at room temperature, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.)
. For fats, in addition to the sunflower or corn oil mentioned above, you can include an equal measure of lard to make the food more appetizing.
Never give your dog rancid fats or fats that have even once been heated to the smoking point.
Unlike people, dogs do not have a wide range of possible foods to help compensate for any deficiencies or dietary imbalances.
Therefore make sure you choose those few foods carefully. Remember to add a mineral and vitamin supplement, and oils rich in essential fatty acids (corn or sunflower oil) to provide a balanced diet.
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