As a pet parent, your challenge is to find a suitable diet to keep Rover healthy, happy, and live a long, prosperous life of companionship. Research is the key to identifying what foods can be safely administered to our pets, and that is where the rubber meets the road.
Many advocates state that human foods can be fed to our dogs, like ground beef. But, is ground beef the best food to give your dog? In this article, we will explore some of the advantages and disadvantages that come with feeding Rover ground beef.
Meat is protein
Let’s examine some of the benefits that lean protein provides for Rover. Like all sentient beings, protein makes up a big part of a diet. Like humans, dogs need protein to create skin, bulk up on muscle mass and keep hair growing. Protein performs another vital function; it boosts the immune system and keeps Rover healthy and free from viruses and diseases.
The best thing about lean protein that comes with consuming ground beef is that it holds a great degree of amino acids while limiting caloric intake. Proteins can’t be accumulated and stored in the body, they must consume protein daily to get the amino acids required, and daily activity drives the amount of protein needed.
Lean ground beef
As a portion of food for dogs, lean ground protein is the third-ranking food given to dogs. When dogs eat ground beef, they will receive nutrients with a high dose of amino acids and plenty of vitamins and minerals.
One thing about giving your dog ground beef as a dietary staple is that it must be cooked because bacteria in raw meat is dangerous for dogs or humans to eat.
High-fat ground beef diets for dogs are not a good thing
The fats in less than lean ground beef can impact a dog’s ability to learn and pay attention. It is almost like your dog has ADD when it consumes too much fatty ground beef. There is a reason for that. The fat build-up in the membranes of cell tissue in a dogs’ body is how the problem starts. Cell membranes are the clearing-house for food entry and waste release.
When healthy, cell membranes promote good cell health – when unhealthy, the membranes decrease the cell efficiency, and the body’s organs suffer. Balancing your dog’s diet when feeding them fat is one of the keys to advanced learning.
Your dog will remember the lessons taught better; dogs will take better direction from a behavioral standpoint, enjoy better heart health, and have thick, rich coats of fur. The risk for cancer in dogs is significantly reduced when eating a low-fat ground beef diet, and studies across the globe bear this fact out.
High-fat ground beef diets contribute to bad behavior.
When a dog overeats fatty ground beef, it will see changes in its brain chemistry. The brain systems that determine motivation and the desire to obtain food are two facets affected by high-fat ground beef diets for Rover. When Rover is a puppy and fed high concentrations of fatty ground beef, it will have far-reaching effects that impact your dog for life.
Your dog needs fatty acids to survive – LA, LAA, AA, EPA, and DHA are the building blocks of life for a dog. Without them, skin problems arise, as do issues with a dog’s coat. Diminished EPA levels lead to depression. The eventual loss of vision, hearing, thinking, and memory will be outcomes that can be avoided by reducing a fatty ground beef diet.
Lean ground beef, preparation, and its benefits for your dog
When comparing and contrasting the differences between industrial-made dog food (kibble) and a homemade diet, you can see that your dog is better off with a homemade diet that consists of ground beef. When you purchase kibble, do you know what is in it and how it is prepared?
There are many potential issues with kibble, like slaughterhouse waste contamination, poisons like pesticides or herbicides, artificial flavoring, preservatives, and fillers that aren’t nutritious.
Ground beef contains a high amount of omega-6 fats, Vitamin E, beta-carotene, lutein, and linoleic acid that are the foundations of cell development. Our dogs love ground beef, and it is an excellent choice for many reasons for a dog’s health and well-being.
Boiling lean ground beef is a great way to prepare a tasty dish for the dog. Place the ground beef in a skillet to a pot, add some water and bring to a boil. Then let the pot simmer until the meat is no longer pink it is ready to eat. Once the ground beef is ready, drain the excess fat in a colander and feed the dog.
If your dog is a connoisseur of fine food, sauteed ground beef will be an excellent method of preparation for your dog’s gastronomic delight. Take a skillet and add one or two teaspoons of olive oil; crumble the ground beef into the skillet using a medium heat setting.
Lightly heat the meat for approximately five to seven minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. For extra zest, add some mixed vegetables to the mix and let simmer on a low heat setting until the veggies are soft.
Another treat you can give your dog is muttballs. The process is the same as making meatballs with a twist or two. First, ball up the ground beef in small balls, add low-fat cheese (parmesan or romano are excellent choices) sprinkled liberally on the top of the muttballs.
Using a cooking sheet that is lined with parchment paper, add the muttballs, and place them in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes, add a little spice to the dish, add brown rice or veggies for a balanced meal that your dog will adore.
Beef allergies and dogs
For some dogs, beef is an allergen, and it can cause many different afflictions that your dog will suffer from if they are allergic to beef. Itchy or uncomfortable skin, indigestion, ear infection, and breathing problems are the common symptoms of beef allergies in dogs.
A dog’s immune system’s defensive response to protein is the cause of the allergic reaction because the system believes that protein is an invasive substance.
Symptoms of allergies in your pet
- Bald spots
- Ear infections that come regularly and considered chronic
- Flatulence
- Constantly inflamed feet
- A bad cough
- Diarrhea
- Hives
- Obsessive licking of any area
- Gnawing at paws
- Pawing the face
- Limited growth as a puppy and adult
- Head shaking
- Skin infections without cuts or wounds
- Skin rashes that appear overnight
- Vomiting, wheezing
Let’s remember that Rover can suffer from beef intolerance also. It takes the form of many reactions that come to light as symptoms develop. You will know if your dog is intolerant to beef if you see a color change in their stools, hear its stomach growl, and have stomach pain.
Alternatives to ground beef for dogs
Brown rice, couscous, corn, oats, and quinoa are excellent ground beef substitutes.
- From the legume family, split peas, pintos, and kidney beans, and lentils make great dietary additions.
- Uncooked vegetables and herbs are a nice change for dogs, and carrots, zucchini, alfalfa, parsley, and basil are good for Rover.
- Cooked veggies that dogs eat in copious amounts include corn, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and yams.
- Dairy products like eggs and cottage cheese are an alternative source of protein that is good for dogs.
- Fish that are safe for dogs include whitefish, flounder, salmon, herring, catfish, cod, and light canned tuna. Don’t forget to remove any bones in the fish that might get caught in Rover’s throat, causing choking.
- Chicken is an excellent source of dietary protein for a dog. Don’t feed Rover raw chicken; make sure it is cooked first, and remove skin and bones. The same rule of thumb applies when serving your dog chicken as fish; bones cause choking and aren’t suitable for dogs.
In conclusion
Like anything we feed Rover, cooked ground beef must be given to our pets in limited amounts. Too much of a good thing is never acceptable, and allergies and intolerance can become a problem when too much ground beef is consumed. The upside is that cooked ground beef in a dog’s diet has many benefits.
Your dog will be invigorated because they have more energy due to the addition of ground beef in their diet. The addition of essential fatty acids can’t be discounted – omega-6 is the most important addition here.
The minerals and vitamins contained in ground beef will produce a shiny coat, healthy skin, strong muscles and joints that your dog needs for an active life.
Make sure your dog is eating unseasoned ground beef cooked for the best health outcome, and Rover will thank you for it with a long, happy life of companionship.
