Yes, We Make Our Own Dog Food

It all started with a Facebook post that someone found metal shavings in their dog's food. It was a popular brand-name bagged food, and the pictures were scary. I took a minute to look at our food supply, and I found one piece that had metal in it, like a thick hair but hard and sharp.

The consequences of this contaminated food were eye-opening, too. The metal was tearing up the dogs' digestive tracks, sometimes to the point of bleeding to death. There was no way we would expose the dogs to something this dangerous, so we made the immediate decision to stop giving them this food and make our own.

With three big dogs, buying in bulk is mandatory. For one batch of food that lasts more than a week, I combine a 28-ounce bag of mixed vegetables, a 5-pound bag of chicken (that I grind in our food processor), a bag of fresh lettuce or spinach and about 5 cups of cooked brown rice. This balances out their nutritional needs, and I can store it in the refrigerator or freezer, thawing and heating it as we need it.

When all was said and done, our dogs loved it. Molly had a little queasiness the first morning, but after that they've completely taken to it. We've had to re-teach them dinner manners, though. They get so excited to eat real food that they forget to sit and wait until the bowl is on the floor. But that's a small price to pay for knowing exactly what we're feeding them.

If you made you dog's food or have had a similar experience with bagged food, share your story in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you.