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Homemade Dog Shampoo

Bathing your dog is an important grooming ritual. As a pet owner, youd obviously want whats best for your pet, and that automatically includes grooming products. You would ordinarily find a variety of dog shampoos and conditioners in pet stores, and you could even have your favorite brand.

However, there are several pet owners across the world who express concern over the chemicals used in these products and the long-term effects of using them on their beloved furries. Even otherwise, wouldnt it be great if you could whip up a nice cleanser at home?

A perfect shampoo would be the one that gets the cleaning done, without a trace of strong chemicals. So here are some shampoo recipes that are easy to make and work fabulously well on your dog.

Natural Shampoo
Ingredients:
1 cup mild dish washing liquid
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup glycerin
1 quart water

Directions
Mix all the ingredients in a container. Store this mixture in an old shampoo bottle. Use this shampoo while bathing the dog and rinse well. Make sure you shake the bottle well before every use as the glycerin tends to form a layer on top of the liquid.
*Do not use it on the ears or near the eyes.
Oatmeal Shampoo
Ingredients:
Oatmeal, as required
Warm water, as required

Directions
The measure of the ingredients would depend on the size of your dog. Combine the two ingredients to form a starchy mixture. Pour it into a sock and apply it over the dogs coat. Keep it on for 5 minutes and rinse with warm water. Oatmeal shampoo is ideal for relief from dry and scaly skin, mosquito bites, to remove fleas and also for cleansing and deodorizing.
Shampoo for Dry Skin
Ingredients:
1 box cornstarch
10 drops of essential oil
(choose from tea tree, lemon, lavender or rosemary)
1 and 1/2 cup cornmeal

Directions
Mix all the ingredients in a container and store. When giving your dog a bath, apply this shampoo and massage it well into the skin. Let it stand for around 5 minutes and then brush it away, followed by a good rinse.
Flea and Tick Shampoo
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp peppermint oil
2 tbsp eucalyptus oil
2 tbsp white cedar oil
cup white vinegar
cup citronella oil

Directions
Mix all the ingredients and store it in a bottle. This shampoo works well to remove tick and flea infestation in dogs. Other than that, it also has a cleansing and deodorizing effect.
A Few Conditioner Recipes...
The regular grooming routine for a dog would suggest a conditioning treatment after a shampoo. Using homemade dog conditioner after shampooing will give a healthy shine and soft feel to the dogs coat, along with leaving a pleasant, lingering smell.
Rosemary Conditioner
Ingredients:
Rosemary seeds
Water

Directions
Add some rosemary seeds to boiling water and boil for a minute or two. Remove this mixture from heat, let it cool down. After ten minutes, strain the rosemary seeds and pour the solution into a bottle. Use this conditioner after shampooing and rinse well.
Egg Conditioner
Ingredients:
Eggs
Warm water

Directions
Whisk some egg yolk with warm water until it turns creamy, then add the egg whites and whisk well. Apply this to the dogs coat and let it stay for around two minutes and then rinse out with lukewarm water. Ensure that the final rinse does not leave any egg residues on the dogs coat, as it may result in itching and leave an unpleasant odor.
Homemade dog shampoos and conditioners will keep the dogs fur and skin healthy, soft and shiny. They will prevent flea infestations and skin disorders. Whats more, they are also easy on your pocket and completely safe to use. Youll begin to notice the difference soon after you start using these shampoo and conditioner recipes.

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How to Make Homemade Dry Dog Food

Pet owners prefer making dry dog food at home for various reasons. The dog food made at home is easier on the pocket as compared to pet food bought from a store. The amount of preservatives that go into the dogs stomach are also significantly reduced. Another major advantage of homemade dog food is that the food is fresh and healthy, preserving most of the nutrients in the food.

The following is a very simple, yet delightful recipe of dry dog food. This homemade dry dog food recipe is very healthy for all types of dogs. It can also be fed to puppies who are a few months old. However, it cannot be fed to puppies who are very young, as it contains heavy nutrients and is hard to digest. It can also be fed to sick and convalescent dogs.

Requirements

• Whole wheat flour, 4 teacups
• White flower
• A cup full of wheat germ
• 2 cups of ground beef
• A tablespoon of yeast
• Two tablespoons of garlic powder
• 2 cups of milk powder
• 4 eggs

Procedure

The first step in making the dry dog food is to dissolve the yeast in a cup of heated water. Then mix the wheat flour, white flower, milk powder, and garlic powder in a bowl. Then add the wheat germ and the beef in the mixture, and finally put in the eggs. Knead the whole mixture till it becomes uniform and add water accordingly. The final step in making the dough is to add the cup of yeast and water prepared earlier.

Keep the dough aside for about half an hour, so that the yeast rises sufficiently. The next step is to remove the dough on a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough and cut it into pieces that are as thin as possible. You can also make different shapes, like that of a bone while cutting the dough. It is also very simple to make each piece very small like a dog biscuit.

The final step in the preparation is heating the morsels or pieces. Place the morsels or pieces on a baking sheet and place the sheet in an oven. Allow the morsels to be baked at 350 Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. It is advisable to let the pieces or morsels cool down inside the oven before serving it to your pet. This dry dog food can also be stored for about a week.

The beef in this recipe can be substituted with any kind of meat, in the same proportion. The heating period should also be changed accordingly. Many more recipes of homemade dog food are also available, like the recipe for vegetarian dog food, dog food with gravy, dog biscuits, etc.

If done properly, your dog is certain to enjoy this simple homemade meal. The homemade dry dog food can also be used for any kind of meal. It is not necessary that it has to be fed during regular meals. A single piece can also form an excellent snack.

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Nutritious Dog Food Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipes

While most people are comfortable and accustomed to feeding their pet ready dog food, there are many who dispute the nutritional value of these packaged foods, and are suspicious of their contents. Some owners are concerned that homemade dog food may not cater to all the nutritional needs of their pooch. Let me assure you that homemade dog food can be just as nutritious, sometimes even more, than commercially prepared dog food. You can also cater to the special needs of a pet with an illness or condition. If your dog has canine kidney disease he may need low protein dog food, or diabetic dog food if he has high blood sugar levels.

Most people maintain a proportion of one-third protein, one-third carbohydrate, and one-third vegetable and fruit in homemade dog foods. However, it always helps to consult your vet, who may have useful inputs on how to make nutritious dog food.

Recipes for Homemade Dog Foods

Snoopys Favorite
Ingredients

• 3 tbsp cottage cheese
• 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 pound ground chicken, fried

Directions

Stir together the ground chicken, potatoes and grated carrots. Heat the mixture in an oven for 10 minutes or in the microwave for 3 minutes. Once cool, add between 1 to 3 tablespoons of cottage cheese over it and serve!

Savory Turkey
Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 cups brown rice

Directions

Place the water, ground turkey, rice, and rosemary into a large pan. Stir until the ground turkey is well blended with the rest of the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Cool and serve or store.

Yummy Liver Treats
Ingredients

• 1 pound raw liver (any kind) blended into a paste
• tsp brewers yeast (adds a nutty flavor)
• 1 egg
• tsp oregano
• 1 cup flour
• cup cornmeal (or flour)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Start by blending the raw liver into a smooth paste. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg and then add the yeast, oregano, flour, and cornmeal. Then stir in the liver paste. Place small portions in greased molds or in a inch layer in a greased pan and bake for half hour at the same heat. Remove from oven and allow to cool. If baked in the pan, slice into doggy treat sized bites.

Quick Doggy Meal
Ingredients

• 4 cups rice
• 3 pounds minced chicken meat
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups frozen vegetable blend (no garlic or onions), minced

Directions

Mix the chicken, vegetables, rice and water in a large saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, while stirring continuously. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Cool and serve or store in the refrigerator.

The best healthy dog food combines nutrition with taste. Some people feed their dogs two meals a day, while others three. Two large meals work well for a small dog, while three meets the needs of a big dog. Most people will testify that home cooked dog food has sustained their pets for longer than the average life span of the breed.

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