It is a great idea to give a home-cooked wholesome meal to your lab puppy. In his growing stage, home-cooked food will provide him with all the nutrients that he needs. Doctors recommend home food for dogs with skin conditions, allergies, and gastrointestinal problems.Home-cooked food not only cures these problems but it also improves the health of the dog. When cooking food for your dog you must know what ingredients to include in his diet. The food should have the required nutrients in the right quantity.Consult your vet or a dog nutritionist before you start your dog on home-cooked food. A health assessment of your puppy will tell you what nutrients and ingredients you need to add to his diet. The vet will also tell you if you need to supplement home-cooked food with packaged canine food.Another benefit of home-cooked food is that your puppy will get fresh and organic food. Some food items that you can add to your dog’s diet include:Minced/cubed beefGive raw/ cooked liver but only once a week. Too much can cause a vitamin A toxicity build-upSkinless and boneless lean chickenTuna and salmonWhole grains like brown rice, wheat, couscous, quinoa, and oatmeal. Get your lab tested for gluten tolerance before this since some dogs are prone to it.You can give eggs in any form to your dog. He can have it in scrambled, hardboiled, or poached form but not all days of the week.Boiled pasta but without any kind of sauceLeafy greens like lettuce and spinach. Make sure you wash these wellRaw/steamed/ boiled vegetables like green beans, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and peas.Root veggies like potato and sweet potato in boiled form.Organic peanut butter. The commercial brands have a high quantity of sugar and additivesNon-flavored cheese but only in mild quantities and once or twice a week onlyYou can give milk to your dog along with cottage cheese and plain yogurt but in small quantities. In some dogs, milk may cause an upset stomach.Small portions of fruits like apples, bananas, watermelon, and pearYou can use 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar to your dog’s water bowl to aid in his digestion. This will also keep fleas away.Some things which you must not give to your dog:Refined sugarPackaged human food as it has a lot of added preservativesChocolates, raisins, and grapesOnions in any formRaw eggs which may cause biotin deficiency or salmonella poisoningYou can give your dog something from your plate as a treat sometimes. Whatever you give must not be too spicy or junk food like a burger or a pizza. When you give these scraps to your dog, do not give them right off the table. Put these into his food bowl for him to eat. Giving food to the dog from the table or plate will encourage him to start begging.
