Several years ago there was a major pet food recall that affected thousands of dogs and their owners worldwide.
Because of this many of us have considered making our own dog food and have been in search of the best dog food to make our "best friends.
"  So in order to make a good dog food recipe, what would be the right ingredients to use in order to have proper dog food nutrition? If we were to look at any pet food label we would find a list of ingredients listed by weight order with their nutritional properties.
  The first item on that list would be the ingredient containing the largest volume.
  Though being listed first may not actually represent its actual volume, we find that Beef, chicken, turkey and fish are the first ingredients listed.
  These four ingredients are the best sources of protein for dogs, with Chicken and fish being the best.
  Proteins are the building blocks for proper nutrition and the most important nutrients in any dog diet.
  These ingredients should make up the bulk of all our dog food recipes.
Adding eggs, another good source of protein, will make that recipe more appealing, especially when they are scrambled or hard boiled.
Looking at the pet food label again, the next nutrient we should include in our recipes is a starch or carbohydrates.
  Carbohydrates are necessary in a dog's diet because they provide the  extra energy a dog needs to be and stay active.
  They also aid in the digestion process and add bulk.
  Potatoes and Brown rice are the preferred starches.
  Brown rice is better because it contains an extra fiber which makes it easier to consume and digest.
  Though carbohydrates are an important part of a dogs nutritional profile, they can cause medical problems like obesity.
This occurs when the extra sugar created by the digestion process of the carbohydrates is stored as fat.
Excesses in proteins and fats can also lead to obesity.
Vegetables is the next ingredient to be added to our dog food recipes.
Vegetables are stacked with plenty of vitamins to help keep our dogs healthy.
  Some favorites to include are peas and carrots,cucumber and zucchini.
  The nutrient found in vegetables is fiber.
  The main benefit of including fiber in a dog's diet is that it improves colon health.
One of the last ingredients on that pet food label that we would need to add to our recipes is fats.
  Us humans have a negative outlook towards fat, but fat is actually a very important nutritional requirement in a dog's diet.
Some of the fats that we can use in our recipes are lard, poultry fat, cottonseed oil, and hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Fats aid in keeping a good healthy coat and skin, but as mentioned above over consumption of fat can lead to obesity.
So in summary, Chicken, fish, beef, turkey and eggs add protein.
  Brown rice is the best carbohydrate.
  Vegetables have vitamins and contain fiber, and fats help with good skin and coats.
  If all our dog food recipes contain these ingredients for proper dog food nutrition our dogs would lead healthier, happy lives.