Ingredients Needed For This Homemade Dog Food Recipe:
This DIY dog food made at home is filled with rich protein, vegetables, and healthy grains. Heres what youll need:
- Coconut oil provides a variety of health benefits for dogs, such as improving the skin and coat, increasing energy, aiding digestion, and reducing allergic reactions, just to name a few. And just like us, your dog needs healthy fats in their diet.
- Ground turkey will add necessary protein to your dogs diet, as well as important vitamins and minerals.
- Veggies this homemade dog food recipe uses a mix of zucchini, spinach and carrots. All are safe for dogs and will provide your baby with a variety of nutrients.
- Turmeric a dog-safe seasoning that also provides antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
- Egg for extra protein and nutrients.
- Rice a complex carb that provides energy and aids in gastrointestinal function.
A Meal For You And Your Dog
Love cooking for your dog but never have the time? Rocky Kanaka from The CWs SAVE our SHELTER, Dog’s Day Out and founder of The Dog Bakery, has a solution. This easy to make salmon meal for yourself can also be made for your dog.
This recipe is designed for those who want to eat healthy and want their dogs to eat healthy as well but are always on the go. This is also one of the most eco friendly recipes we have seen. Instead of tossing things we would usually not eat such as broccoli stems, the recipe uses these as a key part to the dogs delicious meal.
This recipe also has a bonus tip on what to do with that salmon skin that is usually thrown in the trash. I get asked a lot if salmon skin is okay for dogs. While it is not safe if consumed raw, due to unwanted parasites, cooking in the oven for 20 minutes to make a crunchy, healthy, limited ingredient, organic, high omega dog snack that may help with heart health and give them a great skin and coat is a big win! says Rocky.
And there is more, when you cook for your dog you are more conscious of what you put in your body. For all of those reasons and more we give this recipe four paws up!
Healthy meals are important for you and your dog but the best thing about this recipe from Rocky Kanaka is it allows you to take time out of your day to spend time with your family two and four legged! Read on to find out how to do it or watch Rocky has he demonstrates!
Complete And Balanced Dog Food Diets
Its important homemade dog food is complete and balanced, meaning it meets all of the dogs nutritional needs. It is not important, however, that every meal be complete and balanced, unless you feed the same meal every day with little or no variation.
Home-prepared dog diets that include a wide variety of foods fed at different meals rely on balance over time, not at every meal. Similar to the way humans eat, as long as your dog gets everything he needs spread out over each week or two, his diet will be complete and balanced.
A human nutritionist would never expect someone to follow a single recipe with no variation, as veterinary nutritionists routinely do. Instead, a human would be given guidelines in terms of food groups and portion sizes. As long as your dog doesnt have a health problem that requires a very specific diet, homemade dog food should be the same way.
For more on homemade dog treats, see DIY Gifts for Dogs: Homemade Dog Treats & Healthy Recipes.
Keep in mind that puppies are more susceptible to problems caused by nutritional deficiencies or excesses than adult dogs are. Large-breed puppies are particularly at risk from too much calcium prior to puberty. See Puppy Food: Nutritional Guidelines to Maximize Health, for more on puppy nutrition.
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How Do You Make Homemade Dog Food For A Chihuahua
How Do You Make Homemade Dog Food For A Chihuahua? The recommended serving size is 1/4 cup for every 10 pounds of body weight, at 2 servings per day. This homemade dog food for Chihuahua can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
How much homemade food should I feed my Chihuahua? The recommended serving size is 1/4 cup for every 10 pounds of body weight, at 2 servings per day. This homemade dog food for Chihuahua can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
Cooked Dog Food Recipes
Always be sure to carefully follow the directions for cooked dog food recipes, as some of the ingredients may be dangerous if served raw. For those of you who would like to sample raw homemade dog food recipes, stay tuned. Well get to that in just a bit! Both of these recipes from the American Kennel Club are animal expert-approved, high protein options:
Mini Omelette Recipe for Dogs:
This omelet recipe calls for 2 eggs plus ingredients, which may be enough to satisfy one pup. But if you have more than one dog, or need to sample the recipe along with Fido try doubling the recipe. .
Frozen Meat Treats Recipe for Dogs:
This frozen meat treat recipe is especially convenient as you can pop one out of the freezer any time to serve as a refreshing snack, or to reward an especially good dog!
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Second The Foods Your Dog Can Eat
There are actually lots of yum, nutritious human foods your dog can eat in moderation. But foods like turkey, sweet potato, blueberries, strawberries, carrots, oatmeal and so many more are on the menu. Check out the American Kennel Clubs list and be sure to check with your vet before adding any ingredient to your dogs diet. The American Kennel Club chief veterinary officer warns dog owners that it is always a good idea to introduce a new food item slowly into a dogs diet. If your pup hasnt had any of these foods before, prepare and add them incrementally to your dogs current diet to see if she tolerates them. .
Summary: Homemade Dog Food Recipes
These high-quality recipes are great alternatives to your pets regular dog food, and weve included different recipes for different kinds of dogs. We feel most dogs will enjoy our first pick, the Allrecipes Homemade dog food. It has turkey for protein, brown rice for fiber, and plenty of vegetables for healthy vitamins and minerals. The Farmers Dog and College Housewifes recipes are also very good and will provide your dog with helpful omega-3 fatty acids, which will help reduce inflammation and help create a shiny coat. The Dog Quality recipe is perfect for senior dogs, and the raw recipe is great for a dog that likes to return to the wild. Lastly, the raw food recipe is a great option if you want to give that diet a try.
We hope you have enjoyed reading over these recipes and found a few you would like to try. If we have helped make your dogs dinner more interesting. Please share these top homemade dog food recipe ideas on Facebook and Twitter.
Featured Image Credit: Jaromir Chalabala, Shutterstock
Contents
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You Need To Find A Verified And Reliable Recipe Source
Again, it is important for your dogs health to provide nutrients in the correct amounts to avoid excess or deficiency. So, while you can find recipes for generic homemade dog food online, in books, or in magazines, not all recipes have been checked to make sure they are nutritionally balanced.
Consult with a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist to make sure that the recipe or recipes you use are balanced to meet your dogs nutritional needs.
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.
Is Homemade Food Healthy For Puppies
Like humans, dogs have specific caloric requirements and need certain vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Puppies have even more specific needs in order to grow at an appropriate rate and thrive. The food you feed your puppy must be complete and balanced. It must also be designed to support growth.
One of the biggest mistakes pet owners make when they decide to feed home-prepared diets is not following the right recipes . Preparing the right puppy diet is about more than just feeding enough calories. It must also have the proper balance of protein, fat, and calories for a growing puppy. The diet must also contain the right amounts of vitamins and minerals.
When you begin to develop a home-prepared diet, make sure your puppy gets everything it needs in its diet to keep it as healthy as possible and help it grow. The best way to do this is to consult with your veterinarian. You might even want to ask for a referral to a veterinary nutritionist.
Working with a vet, you can design a diet that meets all of your puppy’s nutritional needs. Your vet may have recipes for you to use or may guide you to a website like BalanceIT.com or PetDiets.com. These websites have recipes developed by veterinary nutritionists. They can help you choose a diet that is complete and balanced but also meets other needs. In many cases, you can choose your preferred ingredients or find formulas designed for puppies with specific needs or health issues .
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Preparation Of Our Homemade Diet
All of the information above might seem intimidating, but I assure you that making the actual meals for our dogs takes no more than 20 minutes of actual hands-on time.
First, we cook our complex carbs, whether theyre grains, legumes, or starchy vegetables.
While that pot is simmering on the stove, we cook the meat in a separate pan in coconut oil and ground turmeric. After its cooled a bit, we add chunks of meat to our food processor and pulse until theyre broken down into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces.
Then, we gather whatever vegetables or fruits we have in the kitchen , chop them up as needed, and toss them into the food processor.
We also add a few clean, crushed eggshells to the mix. A few pulses turns all this food into smaller pieces, making them more digestible for our dogs.
Finally, we add the cooled, cooked carbs to the food processor and do a couple more pulses to combine. Everything should have a finely crumbled texture by this point.
Since dogs have short digestive tracts, its crucial that you break down the food to increase its bioavailability that is, making all the nutrients in those wholesome ingredients more digestible in a dogs system.
I prepare enough food to last my two pugs an entire week. Its unbelievably easy, and I like knowing exactly what goes into their food. Friends will watch us feed our pugs and remark that it looks good enough for them to eat!
Did You Make This Recipe
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How to make our original Homemade Dog Food recipe
Its a fact, feeding your pup a diet of 100% human grade dog food is easy, cost effective, and WAY better for them than a traditional doggie diet of processed kibble! My easy homemade dog food recipe combines lean ground beef, wholesome brown rice, fresh vegetables, hard boiled eggs, and tender herbs for a healthy, vibrant alternative to traditional dog food that has given our 11 year old dog a new lease on life!
Pumpkin and Yogurt Bowl for Dogs recipe
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for all of us, even our dogs! Get your dogs day off to a great start with a healthy dose of protein, vitamins, and minerals by feeding him/her a delicious Pumpkin and Yogurt Bowl for Dogs. These yogurt bowls are filled with good for your dog ingredients like fat free Greek yogurt, 100% pure pumpkin puree, plant based vitamin and mineral powder, and my Homemade Dog Food Seasoning which is a blend of 5 herbs that have extraordinary health benefits for your dog!
Homemade Dog Food Seasoning Blend recipe
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Homemade Dog Food Sources
- Meats: chicken, turkey, beef, bison, pork, lamb, venison
- Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, zucchini, summer squash, spinach, kale, collard greens, chard, thawed frozen peas
- Complex carbohydrates: brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, lentils, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, winter squash
Recommended Serving Amounts
- 2 pounds of food per day for a 100-pound dog
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of food per day for a 50-pound dog
- 1/2 to 3/4 pound of food per day for a 25-pound dog
- 5 to 6 1/2 ounces of food per day for a 10-pound dog
This information is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Every dog’s dietary needs are different. Please consult with your veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
Homemade Dog Food Recipes That Are Easier Than You Think
Homemade dog food seems like an unnecessary amount of work, no? But there are actually lots of good reasons to cook your pups meals. For one, theres the benefit of knowing exactly what Winnie is eating. And, in certain cases, it could actually be the money-saving option. For instance, if she requires a special, expensive diet, DIY dog food could wind up costing less than packaged. And alsoits honestly not that hard! Here are three easy-peasy homemade dog food recipes and everything you need to know before you hit the kitchen.
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There’s No Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipe That’s A Perfect Fit For Every Dog
While these recipes can sometimes be a better choice than commercial diets.
Feeding this way can also be detrimental to your pet’s health if you’re not paying attention to the nutritional content of these meals and comparing them with nutritional requirements.
Well-balanced meals are key. For example, if your homemade dog food meal contains too many vitamins, it could cause vitamin toxicity.
On the other hand, if it doesn’t provide the dog with enough nutrients, it will cause nutrient deficiency or malnutrition.
You must also know how much to feed your dog and what portions of these healthy homemade dog food recipes are appropriate.
Know also what supplements you’ll need to include to make up for the lack of nutrients that your pet requires.
Feed Smaller Meals More Often
Dogs with kidney problems often feel better when fed several small meals throughout the day rather than just one or two large meals. You may find that you need to adjust your feeding schedule as time goes on to keep your pup comfy! Hooch has really benefited from smaller meals throughout the day and seems to have much more energy all the way into the evening.
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What Causes Kidney Disease In Dogs
Kidney problems can occur as acute or chronic. When kidney disease occurs, it can lead to kidney failure. Canine kidney disease is often caused by untreated high blood pressure. Ingesting toxins can cause acute kidney failure. It is important to find the cause right away so treatment can be administered.
Vitamins And Nutrients For Dogs
Humans dont get all of the vitamins and nutrients they need from a one-stop-shop kind of a diet and neither do our dogs! Whether your dog is eating a diet that consists of kibble or you are dishing up a homemade dog food recipe like this one, your pup needs vitamins and minerals just like you do! We really like and use the brand Dog Greens every single day! It is a plant based vitamin and mineral powder that we sprinkle over the dogs food with each meal. They love the flavor and we love knowing that all of their nutritional needs have been met each day!
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The Results From Feeding Our Diy Dog Food
Back to the story of Bug
After only a couple of weeks of feeding her a homemade diet, the hubby and I were blown away by how much her mental and physical health improved. And we wholeheartedly believe she was able to bounce back because of her new food.
She went from an ailing, exhausted, incontinent, tail-down dog to a happy, energetic, curious, communicative pup. While she isnt miraculously walking again, her hip dysplasia also hasnt progressed or caused her any pain.
Weve learned to watch for signs that she needs to relieve herself as weve realized she knows when she has to go, she just cant get there without our help.
We feed both of our pugs the same food, with the hope that we can stave off any potential health problems for our older one.
When we travel, well bring their homemade food on the road in a cooler. On occasion, weve even ordered their dinner from a restaurant when we ran out of food .
If were camping, well usually just feed them whatever were cooking in camp they love corn on the cob, hobo packs , and the whole assortment of tri-tip, sausages, and ribs that weve usually got going on.
As you might imagine they lovecamping trips!
Homemade dog food gives us the flexibility to fine-tune their diet as needed. Im forever grateful for the extra time we were given with our beloved Bug as a result of the food we chose to feed her.