Can You Make Homemade Dog Food

Resources For The Chef

• Your best resource and first stop is your dogs veterinarian, who knows your dog and has a thorough understanding of his health history and current condition.
• A good resource to help find a veterinary nutritionist for a homemade diet consultation is the Diplomate directory at www.acvn.org. If there isnt a nutritionist in your area, you can consult with one remotely.
• An alternative option is to use the online consulting service called BalanceIT, a site operated by a veterinary nutritionist to formulate a basic, nutritionally balanced recipe.

• The American College of Veterinary Nutritionists has prepared an informative brochure, called Your Dogs Nutritional Needs: A Science-Based Guide for Pet Owners
• Answers to frequently asked questions are provided here: ·
• The Veterinary Medical Center Clinical Nutrition Service provides a list of common mistakes pet owners make when choosing and preparing homemade diets:

• Another site that provides answers to your questions is: Ask the Nutritionist

An Alternative To Home Cooking

Cooking for your pet is a process thats demanding on your time, labor, space, and finances, says Dr. Larsen.

Home cooking is not for everyone, though, and it doesnt have to be. Another option to provide your dog with whole ingredients is to get carefully prepared ready-made meals.

There are commercial foods that can be purchased that contain whole ingredients that are pre-cooked. Which is very close to cooking, notes Dr. Bartges.

So, while you might think that cooking for your dog is better for their health, it can be just as beneficial to purchase pre-prepared food thats made with the same principles in mind. Whichever method you choose, just to make sure you are always catering to your dogs individual health and nutrition needs.

If Youd Prefer Dry Food

My family has always fed our dogs dry food, which seems so boring, but my mom says she does it because its easier for her, and she can free feed.

If youre stuck on dry food, heres a recipe:

• 2.5 cups of whole wheat flour

• 2 teaspoons of flaxseed oil

• 2 tablespoons of natural peanut butter

• ½ cup of pureed cauliflower

• ½ cup of pureed zucchini

• ½ cup of pureed green beans

In total, $14.91 will yield about 30 cups, which would feed a large dog for more than a week.

A hearty shoutout goes to Best Bully Sticks for this yummy recipe! Youll find how to put this together there.

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Diy Homemade Dog Food

Want to start your dog on homemade dog food tonight? This recipe from Damn Delicious is one of the fastest recipes on this list.

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup peas, canned or frozen

DIRECTIONS:

• Cook rice according to package instructions and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the turkey as it cooks.
• Stir in spinach, carrots, zucchini, peas and brown rice until the spinach has wilted and the mixture is heated through about 3-5 minutes.
• Let cool completely before giving it to your dog.

Scrambled Eggy Spinach And Salmon Gourmet Dog Food

For a more gourmet selection and if your pet is a big fan of salmon and eggs, this recipe is going to be the highlight of its day. Eggs are actually good for your dog as they have good digestible protein and a range of vitamins while salmon has a great dose of healthy oils!

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 can of skinless salmon
• 1/2 cup of thawed spinach

For the full recipe and instructions check out Lifehack

If you have tried out any of these recipes, do comment which was your favorite or how you would improve some of these recipes further. Feel free to add more recipes in the comments if its one that you would like to share with the community!

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How To Make Homemade Dog Food:

Making homemade dog food is a cinch! Heres a quick rundown of the process:

• Brown the turkey. Heat a large skillet or pot over a medium-high heat. Add in the coconut oil and turkey and sauté until it is browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Add the veggies. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the zucchini, spinach, carrots and turmeric. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
• Mix in the egg. Turn off the heat and and crack in the egg. Let the egg cook in the hot food, mix it around to ensure it mixed through and cooked through.
• Stir in the rice. Add the rice and stir it in with the other ingredients until everything is well combined. Cool and serve!

Is Homemade Food Better For Dogs

Though dogs are our closest domestic companions and have evolved with humans over the centuries, they still have different nutritional needs than us. They are omnivores, meaning that they can eat a varied diet of both meat and plants. Dogs need this variety in their standard meals wont be able to thrive on just meat alone.

The benefits of homemade dog food:

• Its fresh and customizable
• It can be great for the picky pup that wont eat kibble
• Its a great way to supplement your dogs diet
• It can add great variety to a meal plan

Homemade dog food can be a great way to provide for your pet with special nutritional needs, get creative in the kitchen, and treat your furry pal to the best. However, it will take a mindful approach to ensure your dogs nutritional needs are met.

Enough with the appetizers, lets get to the ground beef of it all: the recipes!

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Blood Tests Don’t Lieand Hooch’s Numbers Shifted Drastically In Just The First 6 Weeks We Made These Diet And Lifestyle Changes

He noticeably had more energy, was suffering less from inflammation, was shedding less with a more luxurious coat, and for the first time EVER he had zero bloating! NO GAS for the first time in his entire life! The best news though, was that those stage 4 kidney disease blood levels he had at his yearly checkup had climbed back up to to midrange stage 1 kidney disease blood levels! The extra time and energy invested in making his food and the other small changes we made to his lifestyle have given us more quality time with our beloved Hooch which is more than we could have ever hoped for!

If youve made our Easy Homemade Dog Food for your pup I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below! I just love hearing from you and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours. Want to be a part of our online community outside of the blog? Its easy!! All you have to do is follow @THISMESSISOURS on , , , , or to see cooking demos, and peeks into our day to day life.

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How Many Cups Of Homemade Food Should I Feed My Dog

This will vary from dog to dog, but a basic rule of thumb is that for every 10 pounds your dog weighs, 1 cup of prepared homemade dog food should be provided.

That implies two meals a day, each including four cups of food for our 80-pound Hooch. Its worth noting that dogs with renal difficulties generally feel better if theyre eaten multiple little meals throughout the day rather than just one or two large meals.

So, you may need to change your feeding plan as time goes on to keep your pup comfortable!

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Vet Approved Homemade Dog Food Recipes For A Thriving Pup

Despite all of the commercially available dog foods that are on the market nowadays, many dog owners are turning to homemade recipes to keep their dogs healthy. Homemade meals offer greater control over what your pup is putting into their body.

Not only can you cater recipes to meet your dog’s particular size, breed, and activity levels, but you can also address unique medical concerns or dietary restrictions. Instead of taking a stab at the dark and hoping that your dried kibble contains good ingredients,

you can make your canine companion’s meals yourself and know for sure.

Before you start whipping together canine meals, there are a few things to know.

First, you should steer clear of table scraps and processed human foods. It’s important to remember that there are many things that dogs are allergic to.

Secondly, the dietary needs of your dog are much different from your own. The goal of homemade dog food recipes is to create a balanced diet that beats what you can get in your local pet food aisle.

There are many vet-approved recipes out there to get you started. These recipes are endorsed by licensed professionals, so you can have peace of mind knowing that they’re a healthy option. You should also consult with your own vet to make sure that your dog’s unique needs are being met.

Keep A Track Of The Effect Of Diet

Make sure the diet is working on your dog. After almost 2 to 3 weeks of feeding him your homemade dog food creation, take him to the vet to get his weight checked. The vet can also check if he has conditions on his skin, coat, or internal body which may be due to the diet.

Note: Do not change your dogs diet suddenly. You can initiate mixing kibble with homemade dog food and then slowly changing his diet over two weeks.

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Easy Homemade Dog Food Recipe

Jump to RecipeMy easy homemade dog food recipe combines lean ground sirloin, wholesome brown rice, fresh vegetables, hard boiled eggs, and tender herbs

***Please note, I am not a veterinarian, just a very passionate dog owner! The information in this blog post documents our own personal experiences, research, and the recipes that we feed our dogs under our veterinarian’s careful supervision. Please, consult with your vet and use your own personal judgment when considering transitioning to a 100% human grade food diet for your pup. This post was updated with video August 16, 2020, updated with additional recipe links 9/14/2020, updated 1/7/2021 with metric measurements.***

Turkey And Vegetable Dinner

This is a dish that should give your dog the protein and vitamins that he needs. Turkey, if you havent known by now, is rich in protein. It also has less fat than beef, so this is a good recipe to follow for pet owners who have dogs that can afford to lose a few pounds.

The vegetables in this food carrots and green beanswill provide your dog with the vitamins and minerals he needs.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of brown rice
• 1 cup of chopped carrots
• 1 cup of chopped green beans
• 1 tablespoon of fish oil

You should not use heavy oil for this as it can lead to your dog having an upset stomach.

Step by step guide

• In a non-stick skillet placed over medium heat, cook the ground turkey. It should take around 5 minutes for the meat to get cooked.
• Add the brown rice and water to a large pot. Bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat and cook for an extra 5 to 10 minutes or until the rice has become soft and tender.
• Add the carrots and green beans. Cook for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the vegetables have become tender.
• Add the carrots and green beans. Cook for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the vegetables have become tender.
• Cool before serving.

This recipe should last for 4-5 days.

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Benefits Of Making Your Dogs Food

• You can personally select the ingredients in your dogs food this is helpful if your dog has allergies or if you want to make sure you use or avoid certain ingredients

• You can choose the quality of the food you want to use whether its food from a local farmer, market, grocery store, or from a bulk source you can use organic, free-range, or other kinds of food that you want

• If you buy ingredients in bulk you can often save money and making your dogs food doesnt have to cost any more than buying dog food sometimes it can cost less while being more nutritious

• You know how your dogs food is prepared and can be assured there wont be any dog food recalls

• You can prepare foods in larger batches so you can freeze smaller portions for later use, thus saving time and effort

• Making food for your dog is no more difficult than making food for yourself or your family but it is usually more nutritious than commercial dog food

• Even the pickiest dog usually loves to eat food that you have prepared for him in your own kitchen

• Other benefits include good skin, good breath, clean teeth, and less doggy odor. In addition, dogs usually have smaller, more compact stools. Dogs are more likely to be well-muscled and lean on a home-prepared diet, according to people who feed this kind of diet.

With all of these benefits you might be wondering why everyone doesnt make their dogs meals. Well, there are some downsides to consider.

Common Mistakes When Preparing Homemade Food For Your Dog

Silently judging you hooman!

The number of dogs suffering from food allergies and digestive tract issues is continuously increasing, which is alarming.

That is why so many dog pawrents decide to switch from kibble to homemade food.

When I started the transition, I was utterly lost. I made so many mistakes that I reached a level of frustration beyond any measure.

I was like I’m quitting, I’m done doing this, I’m incompetent to cook for my dog.

I wasted so much time, money, and food until I learned what food is a go-to and what is a no-go, how to organize his portions, and how to keep them edible for a more extended period.

So to avoid all my mistakes take a quick look at the rows below to learn from them.

Using unsafe and unhealthy ingredients – Using products whose origin is not familiar to you is very dangerous.

You risk infecting your dog with salmonella, E. coli, clostridium, campylobacter, Listeria, Yersinia, and many more.

Remember, some kinds of foods are more associated with foodborne illness and poisonings than others.

Make sure to learn all the steps you can take to prevent food poisoning this will be beneficial for both of you and your tail-wagger.

Including protein that isnt fat and meaty enough – Humans and animals are a lot different than you think.

We may prefer the lean cuts, but meat that you will use to feed your dogs must have at least 15% of fat but preferably 20% of fat.

They will be a crucial help when you need to decide how to supplement your dog.

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Energy Requirements For Dogs

Omgosh squirrel!!!

To sustain normal daily activities, dogs need energy. Different size, age, and breed dictate how much energy an individual dog needs.

That is not all pregnancy, lactation, growth, and activity increase energy requirements.

So let’s learn a bit more about this matter:

• Puppies

• Once all is cooked let it cool and mix together

• Feed your dog a fancy dinner

What dog is this for?

• 15 month old and up

• Dogs who never tried fish before and ones who prefer fish

• Make sure your dog always has access to a bowl of fresh water after a full meal.

Add The Right Supplement For Homemade Dog Food

A lot of people give curd regularly to increase their dogs calcium intake but these are just myths and misperceptions about homemade dog food. Do not add random supplements on assumption. Get your dogs examined from the vet and take guidance from a pet nutritionist before including supplements for homemade dog food. If you are feeding homemade dog food to a puppy, he will need supplements that might be missing in the recipe.

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Our Favorite Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Weve written up some of our favorite dog food recipes to share with you. To jump to a recipe youre interested in, click on the link below. We also have some yummy organic dog treat recipes and treats made with Thanksgiving leftovers.

You may wish to have a collection of pet food recipes on-hand at all times, making a cookbook an excellent choice. Dinner PAWsible is one of our favorites.

Note: The recipes below do not include serving size because portion sizes will vary depending on breed, weight, activity level, age, and the health of your dog. A common recommendation is to feed your dog a comparable amount of ounces/cups to what you would usually feed in kibble BUT check with your vet to be certain.

• Minerals & Vitamins: Vitamin D, Calcium, Iron, Potassium

Select A Wholesome Recipe

Many dog food recipes lack certain requirements like calcium, zinc, and manganese. A lot of homemade dog food recipes vet approved also fall short of these necessary nutrients. The best way to do so is to take the guidance of a dog nutritionist. Your dog not only needs proteins, fats, and vitamins, he also needs certain fatty acids and oil. Additionally, if your dog as health issues, he may need a different diet altogether.

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