How Do I Make Dog Food At Home

How To Cook Beef For Dogs

In a large skillet place cubed or ground beef. Add just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cover and gently simmer gently for about 15 minutes until beef is cooked. Remove from heat. Drain excess liquid. Fat when cooked becomes grease and when eaten upsets a dogs digestive system.

Add fresh or frozen peas to the cooked meat. The heat will lightly cook the peas.

Step 2

Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes

“Why make dog food at home when you can just buy it at the store?”

The #1 reason is simply this: Control. You have full control over every single ingredient with no surprises.

Dog’s with allergies, sensitivities, or intolerance can live a happy life and you can live worry free. Which is why we like making grain free treats at home too.

The second reason is money savings! When it comes to healthy dog food the top brands are quite expensive, but you can simply use the same ingredients at home and save an absolute ton.

Of course, the next biggest concern is your time investment.

But surprisingly this isn’t as bad as it looks, and with just an hour or less per week you can make enough food to last for several days. We recommend you make use of a some big ziplock bags or containers and freeze what you’re not immediately using.

Each recipe allows for customization based on your dog’s individual nutritional requirements and tastes. But, before you get started you must speak with a Vet to see what your dog should and should not eat, as each dog’s diet will vary.

Homemade Dog Food For Renal Disease Recipe

You NEED to consult with a vet or canine nutritionist before switching your dog to a kidney-friendly diet. The professional you work with will likely recommend either a low protein homemade dog food diet or some low protein dog food brands with lower phosphorus levels and are made with high-quality proteins.

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Why Do Dogs Need Homemade Food

Makers of commercial dog food products may want you to believe otherwise, but feeding your dog with homemade food is actually good for him.

Perhaps the most obvious benefit is that you can personally choose the ingredients to be used in the dog food. This is very critical if your dog has allergies, or you just want to spare him from consuming certain ingredients.

You can also be assured that the food you are giving him is 100% safe. In times when dog food recalls due to possible contamination have become a very common occurrence, you will have peace of mind knowing that the food your dog is eating wont make him sick.

It is also possible to save time and effort when you prepare your dogs food. Preparing foods in large branches would let you do so, as you would be able to freeze smaller portions which you can feed to your dog later on.

Of course, you get to benefit from preparing your dogs food, too. While preparation may take up time, you can save a lot of money in the long run especially if you buy ingredients in bulk.

What To Watch For When Feeding Homemade Dog Food

It’s important to monitor your dog closely when changing to homemade dog food. Stay in contact with your veterinarian regarding any changes you notice, whether good or bad. For best results, keep a record of your dog’s weight and body condition over time. Weigh your dog at least once per week and contact your vet if you notice unintended weight loss or gain. Watch for vomiting or diarrhea that may occur if your dog is sensitive to one or more ingredients. Note and report these or any other signs of illness to your veterinarian.

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The Best Diy Dog Food With Turkey And Veggies

Ever since we published our first Easy Homemade Dog Food Recipe we have been overwhelmed by the number of people who have told us that they have already made the leap and are preparing fresh meals for their pups at home! Ditching processed kibble once and for all is one of the best things you can do for your dog. We learned this ourselves this last year after our 11-year old dog had an incredibly positive change to his health once we moved to a healthy dog food! Recently, I developed a new 100% human grade homemade dog food recipe that utilizes some of the best fall produce for your dog like sweet potatoes, cranberries, rosemary, and sage! Our dogs love it so much I decided to share it here too so you and your pup can celebrate the best the season has to offer.

***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 veterinarians 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.*** Updated with video 9/4/2021

How To Prepare Homemade Puppy Food

In general, puppies need about twice as many calories per day than their adult counterparts. According to the Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Cats and Dogs of the National Academy of Science, a 10-pound puppy that is expected to weigh 33 pounds at adulthood needs to eat about 990 calories per day. In addition, puppies need more protein, fat, vitamins and minerals than adult dogs.

A homemade puppy diet should contain the proper balance of:

• Protein, such as chicken, turkey, fish, lean beef
• Carbohydrates, like rice, pasta, potatoes
• Vegetables, such as peas, green beans, carrots
• Fat, often in the form of vegetable oil
• Vitamin/mineral supplements

Once you have chosen a recipe, it’s time to prepare it for your dog. Many owners who feed home-prepared diets set up a regular schedule, setting aside time weekly or monthly to prepare and portion the diet. The food can be prepared in bulk and portioned into containers . You can keep meals frozen for several months or refrigerated for about 5 days. When the supply of pre-prepared meals runs low, it’s time to make a new batch. If you like to feed a variety of foods, you can make multiple batches and color code by ingredients, rotating out the different meals.

Remember to increase portions appropriately as your puppy grows. It’s best to weigh your puppy every week or two to make sure you are feeding the proper amount of calories

The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong

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Making Homemade Dog Food Is A Big Time Commitment

Finding the time to prepare a healthy meal for yourself and your family is often difficult, let alone preparing your dogs meals from scratch.

Prepping meals in advance for the week can helpfor example, preparing one large batch on a Sunday and dividing it into meal portions for each day would minimize the daily time commitment.

Also, recipes can be made to be freezer-friendly, so large batches can be prepared in advance and stored for future use.

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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A Cooked Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency Diet For Dogs

I start with 1/2 pound of cooked meat, rotating between chicken, pork, beef, venison, rabbit, turkey, and fish . Ive recently begun using chicken and beef heart along with muscle meat. I usually feed one protein for a week, then switch to another, with canned fish fed once a week. I grind the cooked meat in a food processor for easier digestibility because of Annies EPI.

I add 3/4 cup of starchy carbohydrates, rotating between brown rice, sweet potato, quinoa, spelt, and whole-grain pasta. I overcook the grains for better digestibility. Sweet potatoes are baked and fed with the skins. I also include 1/8 cup of fresh, raw veggies, herbs, and fruits, such as celery, spinach, parsley, cilantro, carrots, green beans, other dark leafy greens, and berries. These are pureed in a food processor. Occasionally I include nuts , or canned clams or oysters.

I add 1 teaspoon of oil, rotating among fish oil, olive oil, safflower oil, and butter, with the emphasis on fish oil. I feed about half a pound of raw, organic liver a week, spread out over multiple meals, as too much at one time leads to loose stools. Annie doesnt do well with eggs or cottage cheese, so I leave those out of her diet, but I often add some plain, low-fat yogurt to meals. I also give her appropriate human leftovers. Each meal is mixed with a cup of warm, filtered water, along with Annies prescription digestive enzymes.

At The End Of 2019 During Our Yearly Vet Check We Received The Devastating News That Our 11 Year Old Dogs Blood Work Showed That He Was In Stage 4 Kidney Failure

Honestly, I was a basket case, how on earth did we miss this? He seemed like he was just dealing with some symptoms of getting older frequent urination, sometimes excessive water drinking. It definitely didnt feel like life threatening symptoms. As much as the diagnosis was a shock, the price tag of the prescription diet he would need to eat for the remainder of his life was pretty horrifying too!

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What Kind Of Snacks Can I Feed My Dog With Kidney Disease

Our dogs walk a bit on the wild side when it comes to snacks as they love thin apple slices, banana chunks, carrots, whole unsalted peanuts in the husks, and dehydrated sweet potatoes! Dogs with kidney disease should avoid meat based chews/treats that are high in phosphorus, so you may find that you need to explore doing friendly fruit and veggies for treats like we have. We still on occasion will offer Hooch bully sticks or a jerky treat, but it is better for him if we limit his intake due to the levels of phosphorous that those treats contain.

What Can You Do When Your Dog Wont Eat Their Food

It’s normal for a dog to self regulate and even skip a meal here or there. However, if this pattern continues for more than a meal or two, , contact your vet. In the meantime, try stimulating your dogs appetite with the following tips.

• Feed with other dogs: Studies have shown dogs will eat up to 85% more if another dog is around.
• Timed Meal: Offer the food at normal feeding time for 15 minutes. Then remove the food bowl and store in the fridge. Do not present the food bowl again until the next scheduled meal time.
• Warm Food: Serve the food at room temperature. Having the food slightly warm will release aroma. Dogs smell their food more than taste it.
• Pretendto eat the foodyourself. Dogs are very curious about what their humans are eating and may become interested again.
• Exercise: Ensure your dog has had stimulating exercisebefore the meal, like a long hike, or a game of fetch for about twenty minutes.
• Hand Feed: Put a small amount of food in your hand and allow the dog to eat out of your hand.
• No Treats: Do not offer a higher quality food as an alternative. If your dog does not eat during regular meal times, do not give it snacks, treats or chews throughout the day.

FAQ’s

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What Food Can I Make For My Dog With Kidney Disease

Brown rice is a popular ingredient in dog food for pups with kidney disease, thanks to its high digestibility. You can also give your pooch sources of lean protein that are moisture-rich and cooked when fresh. Some good options include beef without the fat, turkey breast, and chicken. Ideally, you want to opt for half meat and half veggies and grains.

Before You Start Cooking: Homemade Dog Food Needs To Be Balanced

Your homemade meal must contain protein, fiber and carbohydrates. Puppies require about 25 percent protein in their meals, while 18 percent is sufficient for adults. However, protein needs change according to your dogs age and vary according to breed, so check with your vet regarding the right amount for your dog. You might have noticed that commercial dog foods often dont list the percentage of carbohydrates. Thats because the proper percentage of carbs in the dogs diet is still not set in stone by the veterinary community and regulators. If youre making Fidos meals yourself, you have the freedom to purchase the freshest, highest-quality ingredients available. Make sure you weigh your dog frequently to verify he stays a healthy weight. Take your dog to the vet before starting the homemade diet so your vet can determine Fidos ideal weight.

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You Have To Follow The Recipes Exactly

Once you have a nutritionally balanced recipe for your dog, you need to follow it preciselyfrom the ingredient types to measuring the ingredients to the cooking methods used.

Cooking methods matter because steaming versus roasting versus boiling can change the nutrient composition of a food, which contributes to a balanced diet.

Adding or substituting ingredients, like adding chicken on top, or substituting chicken for beef in a given recipe, unbalances the diet and poses a risk for providing too much or not enough of one or multiple nutrients.

Generating several balanced recipes, using a reliable professional source, will allow you to offer a wider variety of ingredients while still making sure that you meet your dogs specific nutritional needs.

When Fresh Herbs Are Not An Option

This easy to make custom spice blend combines dried parsley, basil, dill, rosemary, and oregano. I sprinkle on a little of the seasoning blend at every feeding for added nutrition. I know I’m contributing to fresh breath, happy tummies, and better long term health benefits for both of our dogs!

***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 veterinarians 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. POST UPDATE 9/25/20 to add more information on ingredients. The original recipe is still the same***

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Easy Home Cooked Dog Food

This easy home cooked dog food recipe uses chicken and turkey as the protein sources. The best part of making homemade dog food is that you can substitute ingredients if you’d like . So if your dog is allergic to chicken or just prefers a different meat, feel free to use something else instead.

• 1 cup frozen blueberries

What Other Foods Can You Use In Homemade Dog Food

• You can interchange all the ingredients.
• I buy the meat that is on sale such as hamburger, turkey, and chicken. Whatever you choose, choose very lean cuts and no skin. Your dog cannot eat very fatty protein.
• You change out the vegetables from time to time also. I sometime switch out the butternut squash with pumpkin or sweet potato.
• You can add in apples or apple sauce for a variety in flavor.
• Instead of the kidney beans, you can use lentils or pinto beans.
• You can also add in chicken livers. Chicken livers are really good for your dog, but also very rich. You want to add in small amounts.
• The egg shells are also very good for dogs. This adds in calcium. Most dogs won’t eat the shells unless they are really broken up or crushed. You can crush the shells in a coffee grinder, food processor, or with a mortar and pestle.
• Salmon, salmon oil, and fish oil also helps with skin allergies and inflammation.
• I use white rice because it is easier on sensitive stomachs than brown rice. You can use brown rice if your dog does not have a sensitive stomach.

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Making Your Own Dog Food

Check Out The Best Selling Raw Dog Food

Of course, there was lots of advice about feeding dogs long before there was commercial dog food. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of it was similar to what we know about feeding dogs today. For example, some owners were advised to give their dogs liver and heart from deer, along with milk, cheese, and bread . Beloved pets usually ate better than yard dogs.

Today we have come full circle and many owners like the idea of making their dogs meals instead of feeding them a commercial diet. There are a number of benefits of making your dogs food.