Download this quick guide to making natural homemade pet food (dog food, cat food, puppy food and kitten food) in PDF format for yourself or to share with friends and family.

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Feeding your dog and cat a natural and wholesome raw meat diet is ridiculously simple, yet many people make it complicated and I never know why. Do you?

In less than 9 minutes and 52 seconds, I will provide you with a hassle free way of making natural homemade pet food – guaranteed.

If you want to feed a dog or cat a natural and wholesome raw meat diet, then I am here to help you.

My ridiculously quick and simple guide to natural homemade pet food makes things so simple that even a monkey could do it – or in other cases – your husband.

The key is to love the whole process. When there is love, everything is easy.

This is a short and basic guide to making and feeding a wholesome raw meat diet for dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. If you want to learn more, then read my entire book online for free at www.pet-grub.com.

This guide is meant for those who hate reading, who want something simple and also, the PDF version of this guide can be shared with friends and family.

Thousands of pets are sick today and even more are destined to become ill. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Pets don’t have to be sick. Pets deserve the chance to be healthy.

I love pets and it breaks my heart when I see a sick pet – if only the pet had a chance to eat a wholesome and natural raw meat diet, if only I could help that dog or cat – that’s what I think to myself. So I write this guide not for the benefits of humans, but ultimately for the pets who rely on the humans to make wise decisions for them.

People have been brainwashed into thinking that a recipe is needed to make natural homemade pet food. But, making wholesome homemade pet food is mind boggling simple. Recipes, as a result, only make the process unnecessarily complicated. Natural homemade pet food requires a maximum of three things:

1. Raw meat
2. Finely chopped vegetables (optional)
3. Some nutritional supplements, most important of which is calcium

Today, you are going to learn the basic principles and guidelines to making natural homemade pet food and how to mix it all together – without recipes!

Recipes are very restrictive. If you don’t have one part of the recipe, you can’t make the meal. Plus recipes are always complicated – you also spend too much time measuring. Oh what a hassle those recipes are!

The principles and guidelines that I will teach you will provide you with freedom. The freedom to relax, the freedom to have fun, the freedom to use what you have – and ultimately, the freedom to spend more time loving your pets.

So many pets are sick today that humans now see illness as normal. Whether it be fatty tissues, dental problems, allergies, flea infestations, cataracts, diabetes, kidney failure, cancer, pancreatitis, skin problems, colitis – whatever the problem, so many pets are sick today that humans have begun to see these health problems as normal, but health is normal. Our pets don’t need to be sick.

Health begins with diet. Without a wholesome diet, the body cannot be healthy. It’s just common sense!

Thus the benefits of feeding a natural and wholesome raw meat diet is twofold:

1. Helps give sick pets the nutrition they need to hopefully regain health.
2. Helps prevent health problems.

While I would love to tell you that a natural raw meat diet would prevent every problem, life just does not work this way. Ultimately, any pet can get sick regardless of the diet. But, the simple fact is that without a wholesome diet, the body never has the chance to be healthy.

There is only 1 reason to feed a wholesome raw meat diet – love.

When you love your pets then you want the best for them – you want them to live a happy and healthy life.

It has been said, 90% of diseases are diet related. Stop and think about how powerful that statement is. Next ask yourself, Can I feed my pets better?

Mother Nature created carnivores to eat raw meat.

Carnivores were not designed to eat cooked meat and carnivores were definitely not meant to eat grains such as rice. Cooked meat shuts down the digestive system of our pets and foods like rice, corn and other grains lead to many health problems in our pets.

Some people are afraid to feed raw meat because they fear food poisoning. If you have this fear, then it’s because you are thinking about human nutrition, not animal nutrition. But here are 3 things you should consider:

1. Dogs and cats produce antibacterial saliva naturally.
2. When a dog or cat is eating a natural raw meat diet, they produce approximately 15 times more hydrochloric acid in their stomach than we humans do. This strong acid not only helps to digest the meat, but it also kills bacteria.
3. A carnivore has a very short intestinal tract. This means the meat leaves the body before any putrefaction can happen.

The funny thing is that when you feed cooked meat, the acid in the stomach is a lot weaker leading to poor digestion. As a result, the food can then get stuck in the intestinal tract leading to health problems. Ironic when you really think about it – cooked meat, which is perceived to be safer is, in many ways, the actual cause of health problems in our pets.

More information:

• Read Part 1 of my book online.

Meat:

• You can use ground (minced) meat or boneless meat chunks.
• Chicken, beef, lamb, mutton, goat, turkey and eggs are the most common meat sources. Don't feed pork.
• Try not to combine the meats. Feed one type of meat per meal.
• Puppies and kittens younger than 8 weeks of age should only eat ground meat.
• o not feed cooked fat and never feed only fat to your pet.
• Depending on the size and/or number of pets, I normally buy meat in 1 pound (454 gram) packages.
• You can freeze meat and thaw as needed. Thawed meat will generally last about 4 days in the fridge before spoiling.

Vegetables:

• Feeding vegetables is optional.
• Dogs benefit from some vegetables more than cats do.
• Some of the vegetables you can feed include: asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, dandelion leaves, kale, kohlrabi, okra, parsnips, peas (& pods), pumpkin, rutabagas, sprouts, squash, sweet potatoes, turnips, and zucchini.
• If you feed vegetables, then you must finely chop the vegetables in a food processor. If the vegetables are not finely chopped, then your pet will not be able to digest them.
• If you don't have a food processor or if you don't have enough time to chop vegetables, don't worry about it. Vegetables are not crucial to the diet.
• You can chop vegetables in advance and then freeze them in bags so you can remove them as needed.
• Finely chopped vegetables will usually last about 3 days in the fridge before spoiling.
• I feed most vegetables raw. But, some squashes may need slight cooking to soften the rind.
• Some vegetables should not be fed such as beets, collard, eggplants, green peppers, parsley, potatoes, tomatoes, spinach and Swiss chard.
• Onions, chives and garlic are either toxic or potentially toxic to dogs and cats and therefore should not be fed.
• It's okay to use frozen vegetables instead of fresh.

Fruits:

• Fruits should never be fed with a meal. When you feed fruit with meat, the fruit will not get digested leading to the fruit fermenting within the stomach. This would be okay if your pets were a winery, but they are not!
• Feeding fruits with the main meal can ultimately lead to the growth of bad bacteria within the body.
• Fruits can be fed in between meals. However, fruit should be fed in size appropriate amounts. A little Chihuahua should not eat a whole banana, as an example. Instead, a Chihuahua should have just a small portion of the banana while a Rottweiler could eat the whole banana.
• Too much fruit can lead to diabetes in our pets.
• Some fruits are either poisonous or potentially poisonous and therefore should not be fed. This currently includes avocados and raisins.

More information:

• Read Part 2 of my book online.
• Learn more about feeding fruits.
http://www.pet-grub.com/appendixA/information_about_fruits

Although a wholesome raw meat diet is very nutritious, some nutrients are missing – especially calcium. Actually, there is some calcium, just not enough. Therefore, we must add calcium to the diet.

You have two choices when it comes to a calcium supplement – either make it yourself or buy it. Human calcium supplements should not be given to our pets, as they do not provide enough calcium. Below, you will learn where to buy the calcium supplement and how to make it yourself.

When feeding cats, it's better to use a plate so their whiskers don't get wet.

Ground Meat:

• Ground meat is ideal for young puppies and kittens as well as older dogs or cats whose digestive system is weak and/or for those with not enough teeth to grab meat chunks.
• If you are feeding vegetables, mix 3 parts meat to 1 part vegetables.
• Add some hot water to the ground meat to help remove the chill. Do not make a soup. The consistency should be a thick stew only.
• A benefit of ground meat is that it is easier to mix finely chopped vegetables and supplements into the meat.
• Add your pet supplements, especially the calcium.
• Serve.

Meat Chunks:

• Meat chunks are arguably better than ground meat because they more closely resemble how our pets would naturally eat – there is no ground meat in the wild!
• Feed the correct size of meat. Don't feed giant size pieces to little dogs and small sizes to big dogs.
• Cats tend to be better at cutting large pieces of meat into smaller sizes than dogs. Cats naturally cut the meat using their molars whereas dogs normally rip meat off their prey and then swallow.
• Remove the meat chunks from the fridge and let sit on the counter for about 30 minutes. This helps remove the chill from the food.
• I don't normally add vegetables to meat chunks because it's difficult to mix the vegetables in with the meat. However, some dogs (and some cats) will eat their vegetables if you just place them on the side of the plate.
• Add your pet supplements, especially the calcium.
• Serve.

Eggs:

• Eggs should be soft boiled to kill an ingredient that can cause a loss of B-vitamins.
• All you do is bring some water to boil, turn off the heat and then let the eggs soak for 5 minutes in the hot water.
• The egg will still be essentially raw but you might see a small amount of cooked egg white.
• Eggs are nice on a cold day.
• Eggs are one of the most easily digested foods we can feed our pets.
• If you are in a rush, it's okay to feed raw eggs. The loss of B-vitamins will only happen if you feed raw eggs too often.
• Add your pet supplements, especially the calcium.
• Serve.

Fish:

• Never feed canned fish such as salmon, sardines, tuna, etc.
• Where I live, I am able to buy fresh whole fish, which I then freeze. When it comes time to feed, I simply soak the frozen fish in room temperature water. This thaws the fish.
• I feed the whole fish, which includes the head, tail, guts, bones, blood, eyes, organs, meat, etc.
• I find my pets don't like eating fish with scales.
• I prefer smaller size fish so the bones are never too big.
• Fish bones can be a problem when the fish is not fresh and/or whole. Hence, I only suggest feeding fresh whole fish.
• If feeding fresh whole fish that still contains all of its blood, then no calcium supplement is needed.

More information:

• Read Part 3 of my book online.
• Feeding fish to dogs and cats.

When you feed a wholesome raw meat diet, you actually want your pets to eat as much as they want at each meal. I realize this goes contrary to what most people have been taught, but it’s important to understand that our pets are not starving for food, but rather they are starving for nutrition.

The only reason why dogs and cats are constantly hungry is because they are not getting the nutrition they require.

When we feed our pets a wholesome raw meat diet, we begin to feed them maximum nutrition. So, in the beginning, your pets will eat a lot of food. But usually, after about 2 weeks, your pets will reduce their food intake substantially – often by 50% or more.

When your pets reduces their food intake you will wonder if they are sick because there is food left on their plate. But, they have eaten. They just don’t need to eat as much food now. At this point, they are on a maintenance diet.

You want to feed your pets until they walk away with some food left on the plate.

If your pet continues to eat excessively after about 4 weeks, then it means there is an underlying issue or health concern – usually, but not always, related to the thyroid. Either way, this is a medical condition that needs the attention of a vet, preferably a holistic vet.

Only those feeding a wholesome raw meat diet should use this method. Pets eating commercial pet food and/or cooked meat cannot be fed this way.

More information:

• How much to feed dogs and cats.

Mature dogs and cats only need one meal per day. Carnivores are meant to eat 1 large meal per day while horses, cows, goats, etc are meant to eat constantly. Mother Nature designed carnivores to have a shockingly large stomach. Carnivores are gorgers, not grazers.

Carnivores have been known to eat as much as 25% of their own body weight in 1 meal. But I am happy to report that I’ve never heard of a pet doing this. Only an animal that hasn’t eaten for several days would do this.

When you feed 1 meal per day and when you let your pets eat as much as they want, then you will find that they will easily go 24 hours without being hungry.

I personally feed at nighttime. This way, in the morning, my pets are calm allowing me to do whatever I need to do.

More information:

• How to make natural homemade dog food.
• How to make natural homemade cat food.

Puppies and kittens have a different feeding schedule.

 
1 - 3 months         4 to 6 times per day 
3 - 6 months         3 to 4 times per day 
6 - 12 months        2 times per day 
1 year and older     once per day 

I realize not everyone can feed their puppy or kitten as many times as needed. But do try your best. This is the formative year of our pet's lives and ultimately affects their health during adulthood.

If you are not able to feed the suggested number of meals per day, then feed in the morning, when you get home from work and then again later at night.

Puppies and kittens will ultimately reduce the number of meals they require naturally. You will start to notice that they are no longer interested in a meal. When this happens, reduce the number of feedings per day.

Generally speaking, a cat or a dog becomes an adult at the age of 1. But large breed dogs take 2 or 3 years to fully mature. Therefore, large breed dogs should be fed twice per day for 2 to 3 years.

Puppies and kittens that eat a wholesome raw meat diet will begin to develop a strong immune system around 8 to 10 months of age. Once this happens, they may begin to expel live worms until about 15 months of age. As a result, I personally don't deworm my pets – I let their body do it naturally.

More information:

• How to make natural homemade puppy food.
• How to make natural homemade kitten food.

Try feeding your pet a 100% wholesome raw meat diet. If they like it, great. If not, then start by adding a small amount of new food and to the old food. Next, slowly increase the new food daily while decreasing the old food.

My experience has taught me that when a pet is hesitant to eat a wholesome raw meat diet, it’s because the human is forcing it thus creating tension. Just relax. If your pet doesn’t want to eat the new diet right away, just do a slow transition. Otherwise, if your pet wants the food – feed it – why wait?

More information:

• How to encourage.

Initially, some pets may vomit a natural raw meat diet. This usually indicates their digestive system is weak. The simple solution is to add some pancreatic-derived enzymes to the food. Then, after about 2 to 4 week, the enzymes are usually no longer needed although still beneficial. In fact, I suggest giving enzymes with every meal, regardless of the state of health. The enzyme supplement I use is called FloraZyme LP.

More information:

• How to prevent vomiting.
• My notes about enzymes.
• The benefits of enzymes and friendly bacteria.

Pets eating a raw meat diet will detoxify. The detox can last for a day, a week or possibly a few weeks – it depends on how unhealthy the pet is.

In order for the body to be healthy, it needs wholesome nutrition. When your pet gets the nutrition it needs, then the body responds – it detoxifies. Nutrition provides the strength the body needs to clean (detoxify) itself. Detoxification can happen in many forms including, but not limited to: constipation, loose stools, uncontrollable bowel movements, bad breath, itchy skin, bad gas, strong urine, frequent urination, uncontrollable urination, lethargy, extreme lethargy, mucous discharge, hair loss and more.

Don’t be surprised when your pet detoxifies. It’s a sign that your pet is getting stronger and healthier. Detoxification can be a scary process and in health, things get worse before they get better. Most pets will begin detoxifying anywhere from 1 day to 1 month after eat a raw meat diet.

More information:

• Thoughts about detoxification.

When feeding a wholesome raw meat diet, your pets won’t need many nutritional supplements. But some nutrients are missing. The most significant is calcium. Therefore, always add calcium to the diet.

I choose to use ground eggshells as the source of calcium. Ground eggshells are high in calcium yet low in phosphorus.

• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of ground eggshells is added to every 1 pound (454 grams) of meat.
• Therefore, if you feeding ½ pound (227 grams), then you would add ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of ground eggshell powder.

A list of supplements I use and provide, including a ground eggshell supplement, which are designed specifically for your pets, can be found at:

http://www.pet-grub.com/pet-supplements

How To Make Ground Eggshell Powder:

1. Wash some eggs before cracking.
2. Let the eggshells dry on the stove top, in a gas oven or in the sun.
3. Once dry, bake them at 300° F. This helps to make the eggshells even more dry and brittle for easier grinding. Plus, this helps get rid of the mineral oils that have been applied to the eggshells.
4. Add the eggshells to a blender, grinder, etc. and grind. The eggshells should become a powder.
5. Use a sifter or strainer to remove large and sharp pieces of eggshells.

More information:

• The importance of calcium.
• How to make ground eggshell powder.

The safest bones to feed your dog or cat, in my opinion, are chicken necks.

While other types of bones can be fed, chicken necks are the easiest for our pets to crush without us having to worry about bones getting stuck inside their body.

Bones should not be considered a calcium supplement. Although bones do contain calcium, they also contain a high amount of phosphorus. Therefore, think of bones as a mineral supplement. When feeding bones, you must still provide ground eggshells as a calcium supplement. If not, then your pet will suffer from calcium related health problems.

I like to feed a few chicken necks two or three times a week.

Never feed cooked bones.

More information:

• Feeding bones to dogs and cats.

Jesse is an avid pet lover and author of the extremely popular ebook entitled Pets Need Wholesome Food Also, which he originally wrote starting in 1995. Jesse's writing style is simple, easy to understand and at times, humorous. People enjoy Jesse's book because he makes feeding a wholesome diet simple rather than complicated – yet still highly informative and educational. Jesse has helped thousands of humans, since 1994, learn about wholesome homemade pet food. Jesse also operated a cat sanctuary in the Philippines for 3 years. In 2003, Jesse wrote another hugely successful ebook known as Juicing Book. Jesse allows individuals to read his ebooks online for free at www.pet-grub.com and www.juicingbook.com.

Download this quick guide to making natural homemade pet food (dog food, cat food, puppy food and kitten food) in PDF format for yourself or to share with friends and family.

Webmasters may also freely provide this PDF document on their web site, or, provide a direct link to the PDF document to ensure your readers always get the most up–to–date document.