You've been turned off kibble, and you're wary about the pitfalls of homemade dog food that's not complete and balanced. There are pre-made fresh food options of course, but is there a homemade human-grade alternative? Something that makes a raw (or lightly cooked) diet for dogs simple and foolproof?
I'm glad you asked. It's precisely that question that led us to create the method I'm about to share. It's a method that's easy and literally, one-two-three. But before you whip out the food bowl, there’s preparation – and not the kitchen-related kind.
Preparation
The key first step is work out how much you need to feed your dog. That’s because we need to manage our dogs’ weight. (We talk about why portion control is essential in Is fat killing your dog?)
We created https://thebestie.app/to make portion control easy and scientific. (By the way, the app is what’s called a web app. This means that you don’t need to download it from the App Store or from Google Play. It’s essentially a website, that behaves like an app.
That means that you go to the web address, and you can access it on any device – phone, tablet and computer. On your phone and tablet, you’ll save to homescreen, so that it’s always there in the future. On your computer, you’ll bookmark it. If you’re uncertain how to do either of those two things, then just google ‘add to homescreen’ or ‘how do I bookmark’ for your relevant device.
Because you’re using a web app, it will display in your browser. The app works best with the Google Chrome browser. Internet Explorer is no longer supported. (You’ll know it’s IE because there will be a blue ‘e’ with a yellow slash somewhere along the bottom of your screen.)
So, either jump online or access https://thebestie.app/ on mobile, and punch in your dog’s weight, age and activity level.
However, before the app gives you the daily feed quantity, it will ask you what proteins you intend to feed your dog over the next week. Why is this important?
Two reasons. Firstly, we believe in rotating the proteins. That’s because the nutrient composition of various meats is not the same. For example, the level of thiamine – deficiencies in this essential nutrient were the basis for a number of pet food recalls in 201710 – is three times higher in lamb than beef. If we want to make sure our dogs get a truly balanced diet, then we won’t just feed one protein.
Secondly, many argue that feeding one type of diet increases the risk of food allergies, often manifesting as itchy skin. (Plus, one type of meal day-in, day-out is boring!)
If you are going rotate the proteins, as we recommend, then the app is going to give you a different feed quantity, based on the protein. That’s because, as we saw before, fat is your dog’s most concentrated energy source. However, the fat content of lean lamb vs lean beef vs kangaroo is vastly different – about 4.7gm/100gm vs 2.8gm/100gm vs 0.7 – 1.1gm/100gm respectively.11,12
Once you’ve chosen your proteins then, the app will work out exactly how much food you’ll need to give your dog, and a shopping list for the week. Preparation, you’ve done it!
After that, it's time to mix up a raw homemade meal for your dog.
- Measure out the right amount of bestie balancing supplement (you’ll get this from the app.)
- Mix it with a dash of water to make a curry-like paste.
- Add the right amount of raw or lightly cooked meat protein (you'll also get the right quantity from the app.)
After that, serve! Simple, huh?
Now you may have been expecting a homemade dog food recipe, with a bunch of ingredients. If that's the case, it's just possible you think we've cheated.
(If makig up the meals from scratch is really what you want to do, then you could check out this very lengthy guide to what dogs can and can't eat...but you'll need to make sure the quantities are all in the right amounts.)
The key reason this method is so simple (and foolproof) is because the bestie balancing supplement is doing the hard yards. Instead of you trying to work out how much of each food is needed to make meals that are both balanced and palatable, we've done that for you.
This simplicity is by design, not accident. As we said at the beginning, we created the bestie balancers to help you easily balance your homemade dog food and boost your dog’s health, right from your own ‘bestie kitchen’.
