With concerns about the nutritional value of the contents of commercial dog food, some dog owners opt to make their own dog food. Manufactured dog foods advertised as using natural dog food recipes are becoming common. Dog owners have more options for choosing the best dog food for their dogs.

Amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can be found in natural dog food recipes of some commercial dog foods. Many dog food manufacturers advertise that they use natural ingredients such as lamb and vegetables. The dog owner may want to check the list of ingredients or information on the manufacturers websites when choosing a healthy commercial dog food.

Some dog owners still have concerns about the nutritional value of the commercial dog food. They may make their own dog food for their dogs. Some dog owners who make homemade dog food cook the dog food while others stick to a raw food diet for their dogs.

There are numerous resources for natural dog food recipes on the Internet. Some natural dog food recipes utilize fresh vegetables and meats.

Some natural dog food recipes emphasize convenience and use ingredients that may already be present in the home such as meats and canned, fresh, or frozen vegetables. Some raw food diet recipes call for specialty ingredients like bone meal that the dog owner would have to order from a specialized company.

One natural dog food recipe is called meat and rice dinner. The dog owner cooks one half pound of ground meat. The meat can be ground chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, or ground pork. The meat should be cooked thoroughly.

The recipe calls for one cup of a vegetable. The dog owner can use the dogs favorite vegetable. One half cup of two different vegetables can be used. Some suggested vegetables are carrots, peas, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.

The dog owner can use three to four cups of rice. The meat can be cooked thoroughly first or can be boiled with the other ingredients. No matter which way the dog owner prefers to cook the rice and beef dinner, the ground meat should be cooked thoroughly.