What Can Be Mixed With Dry Dog Food? 7 Top Picks
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Whether you’re looking to make your dog’s dry food tastier for them or trying to get them to eat more nutrients, adding other ingredients to the food may be the answer. In this article, we look at seven top ingredients to add to your dog’s food. Individual tastes and health will vary, so these recommendations may not all be suitable for every dog. Read through this list to see if one of these suggestions works for your finicky canine.
Top 7 Foods You Can Mix With Dry Dog Food:
1. Eggs
Eggs add nutrition to your dog’s food and may entice them to eat. They’re safe additives, giving your dog a boost of protein and fat. The fatty acids work to give your dog’s coat softness and shine. You can offer your dog eggs over easy, scrambled, or hard boiled. Just make sure they’re fully cooked before your dog eats them.
2. Canned Dog Food
Canned dog food is a great option to add to your dog’s dry food. It contains the nutrients that dogs need and can give the food a better taste and aroma. It also contains moisture that your dog needs. If you want your dog to have the nutrients of dry food with the benefits of wet food, mixing the two is the answer.
Canned dog food will add to the calorie count of your dog’s meals. You may have to measure the dry and canned portions to make sure your dog is staying within their caloric intake for the day.
3. Pumpkin
Canned pumpkin provides fiber, vitamins, and minerals and your dog may enjoy the flavor. This is a good way to keep your dog’s digestive tract working properly too. It adds moisture to the food and gives your dog something new to eat.
When buying canned pumpkin, be sure to only buy pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie mix, which dogs should not eat.
4. Cooked Chicken Breast
Pieces of a fully cooked, diced, cooked chicken breast are healthy treats to give your dog any time. They add more protein to a meal, and if you mix the pieces in well with the dry food, your dog will have to work to find them. This could automatically make your dog finish the bowl.
5. Broth
Broth adds hydration and flavor to dry dog food, and sometimes it’s just what dogs need to be enticed to eat. Low-sodium broth is best. If you warm the broth first in a saucepan or microwave and pour it over the dry food, it can soak in and make the food softer. This is great for dogs that have teeth problems or just prefer a softer food.
If you’re using hot broth, let it cool before giving it to your dog. Waiting a few minutes will also enable the broth to soak into the food more.
6. Fruits & Vegetables
Dogs can eat certain fruits and vegetables, but not all of them. For example, you should never give your dog any onions, garlic, grapes or raisins.
Safe fruits and vegetables to add to your dog’s bowl are apples, bananas, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, and spinach. These provide vitamins, minerals, fiber, and great flavor. You can cook the vegetables first to make them softer and easier to mix into the food.
7. Yogurt
Yogurt is full of protein and probiotics for your dog, making it a great addition to dry dog food. Plus, many dogs love it. It’s an inexpensive option, but there are a few things to keep in mind. The yogurt should be plain flavored. It’s also important to not get any yogurt that includes artificial sweeteners, as these can be toxic to dogs. Low or zero-sugar yogurts often use artificial sweeteners.
Final Thoughts
You can mix and match foods that are safe for your dog to eat and see which ones they prefer in their dry food. Added ingredients in your dog’s bowl can provide exciting new flavors, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Try a few of these suggestions or rotate in ones of your own. Just be sure to only include things that your dog can safely consume and only in small amounts.
Featured Image Credit: Christian Mueller, Shutterstock
