How To Make Dog Food Kibble

Soften The Food With Warm Water

How kibble is made – what every pet parent should know

When attempting to make a dogs food more flavorful, water is the best place to start. It doesnt add any extra ingredients it only softens the food. Warm water can be added and stirred in to make a gravy-like liquid. The warmer temperature releases some of the aromatic compounds, which might make it more alluring to your dog.

Mix Canned Dog Food To Dry Dog Food:

This is another approach you can consider. Mixing up canned/wet dog food with your kibble dog food will help soften the dry dog food.

That aside, you also get the rich flavor from the canned food to the dry dog meal, improving the overall flavor of the food.

Using Milk to Soften Kibbles: If your dog loves milk, you can consider using warm milk to soften the dry dog food, adding a rich flavor and essential nutrients like calcium at the same time.

Problems With Fish Oil

Fish oil is very unstable and its quality varies tremendously. And rancid fish oil is worse to eat than no fish oil at all. Dont believe that fish oil already contained in kibble can be fresh. Its best to add it in just before serving.

If you open a new bottle of fish oil and it smells strongly fishy take it back to the store. Its quite likely poorly distilled and already rancid. So, if youre using fish oil buy a high quality product, keep it refrigerated, and add it fresh to kibble immediately before serving.

Other downsides of fish oil are that

It contains toxins

But there are better ways to give your dog omega-3 fats.

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Add Raw Or Lightly Steamed Veggies

This provides an antioxidant boost for all dogs, especially if theyre older or overweight. Raw veggies should be finely grated, ground in a blender or food processor, or juiced so the cellulose is broken down. Or, try our Great Greens whole food supplement which provides an ideal blend of essential nutrients for dogs.

Add Water To Dry Food

How to Make Healthy and Tasty Dry Dog Food

Start with adding a few tablespoons of warm water to the dry dog food and let it soften on its own. If you dont like the thickness, you can add a few more tablespoons of water.

Some people prefer getting more flavors out by using stock of such foods as beef, low-sodium chicken, and tuna juice in softening their dry dog food.

It all depends on what you want to what you plan to achieve. Do you want to add a strong aroma to entice your pet to eat, or do you simply want to break it down, so its a lot easier to chew?

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Homemade Dry Dog Kibble

This hypoallergenic recipe is excellent for dogs who have ahistory of food allergies. It is free from wheat and uses turkey that isdigestible for canines that are allergic to usual protein sources. Likewise,this kibble has all the essential nutrients because it contains a range ofvegetables, grains, and meat.

Ingredients:

1 cup and 1 tablespoon brown rice
½ cup lentils
5 cups water
3 medium carrots , peeled and chopped
1 medium sweet potato , scrubbed andchopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped, or ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
¾ cup steel-cut oats
1¼ tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 small sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2¼ cups ground turkey, about 18 ounces
¼ cup olive, sunflower or canola oil,plus additional oil for greasing

Directions

Put the rice andlentils into a saucepan and cover with the water. Bring to a boil, then reducethe heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes.

Once the rice andlentils are cooked, add the chopped carrots, sweet potato, and apple to thesaucepan. Stir in the oats and chopped herbs and gently simmer for 20 minutesmore. Add an extra cup of water if the mixture is too dry. Preheat the oven to350°F/180°C.

Meanwhile, brown the ground turkey in a separatefrying pan. You will need to keep stirring it while it is cooking to prevent itfrom sticking to the pan as it is very low in fat. It will take about 10minutes to cook through.

Repeat as above using the second cookie sheetand the remaining ingredients.

Best Hypoallergenic Dog Food Recipes

Certain ingredients in both commercial and homemade dog foods are known to bring the risk of an allergic reaction. Things such as gluten, soy, corn, and even beef should be avoided if youre afraid of an allergic reaction in your dog. Here are some of the best homemade dog food recipes for pets with allergies or sensitive stomachs:

1. Basic Chicken plus Rice recipe

4 chicken breasts
2 cups of chopped vegetables
1/2 cup of brown rice
3 cups of chicken broth

Directions: Cook together, adding the vegetables last, before the meat is ready.

2. Sweet Chicken

1 cup of red cabbage
1 skinned apple

2 stalks of celery
5 tablespoons of flour

Directions: Drain and fry the salmon with flour and the egg. Once the patties are done, remove them from the oil and stir the veggies in it for 5-8 minutes. Mix, let it cool off, and serve.

7. Homemade Kibble Recipe

1/2 cup of olive oil
1 cup of cooked cream of whole wheat

Directions: Mix and spread on baking sheet. Bake for 50 minutes, let it cool off, and freeze it.

8. Ground Round Dog Food

2 pounds of ground round meat, sautéed in olive oil
1 cup of cooked brown rice
4 boiled eggs
1 package of chopped carrots
4 tablespoons of low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons of bone meal

Directions: Cook together, adding the vegetables last, before the meat is ready.

9. Cheese and Chicken Dinner

3 cups of cooked chicken meat
3 cups of cooked brown rice
3 cups of cream cheese
1.5 cups of cooked broccoli
1.5 cups of cooked squash

1.5 of water

6. Beef Delight

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Wet Food Is A Treat For Dogs

Most dogs prefer wet food over dry kibblebut the cost of wet food along with a shorter shelf-life means the majority of dogs will be eating dry food. However, that doesnt mean you cant give your dog a treat and turn their dry kibble into wet food every once in a while. Give one of the six methods a try, your dog is going to love you for it!

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Blood Tests Dont Lieand Hoochs Numbers Shifted Drastically In Just The First 6 Weeks We Made These Diet And Lifestyle Changes

Easy Way to make Dog Kibble Smaller DOG RESCUE story DOG food Allergies

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.

Prep Time:30

790 grams cooked organic brown rice

700 grams ground lean beef, cooked through, fat drained

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced small

207 grams carrots, shredded or thinly sliced

14 grams minced curly parsley

22 grams of olive or safflower oil

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Fresh Vegetables Can Help

One thing you can do is add some fresh veggies to your dogs food. But dont just toss some raw carrots in his bowl. Heres why

Herbivores have a digestive enzyme called cellulase. Cellulase allows a plant-eater to break down cellulose a component of plant cell walls. This helps release other nutrients from the plant material. But carnivores like your dog dont have cellulase.

This explains why a chunk of raw carrot passes right through your dog in one piece! So, if you want your dog to absorb vitamin A from a carrot you need to give him the rabbit that predigested that carrot including its stomach.

But if your dog isnt getting the rabbit guts you have to mimic the pre-digestion that happens in the stomach of the prey. So you can add veggies to your dogs kibble. But first, make them digestible by lightly steaming or mulching them.

Or, you can make it easier. Boost your dogs kibble by adding a digestive enzyme supplement to his bowl. You can add powdered digestive enzymes to processed kibble. Sprinkle the powder onto the food before serving.

Feeding Raw By Body Weight

Ive always started adult dogs off by feeding them 3% of their body weight. I then adjust up or down based on if they are gaining or losing weight. My goal is to find the right percentage for an individual dog. But if youre starting with a puppy, you might need more detailed feeding guidelines:

2 4 months: feed 8-10% of their body weight
4 6 months: feed 6-8% of their body weight
6 8 months: feed 4-6% of their body weight
8 12 months: feed 3-4% of their body weight

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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.

Feeding Your Dog A Hybrid Diet

how to make dog eat kibble , solution to dog refuse to eat ...

When I started feeding raw, I experienced sticker shock because I started with a commercial raw food brand. Darwins Pet, a local raw food company that ships nationwide, was kind enough to help me get started they were amazing. And with the cost, they suggest that I feed raw in the morning and kibble in the evening. Years later, I learned that folks call this a hybrid diet.

I was able to continue meeting my dogs nutritional needs while transitioning to a better diet for them. And I was able to do this on my timeline without blowing my budget.

Figuring out how much to feed was easy. I already fed my dogs twice a day, so I replaced the morning meal with raw dog food and continued with the evening meal as normal. With the raw, I found the serving amounts on the Darwins Pet packages and made sure to feed the correct amount for 1 meal in a day.

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Healthy Dog Treats You Can Make At Home

Adding Liquids To Make Dry Dog Food More Appealing

1Mix wet and dry food to transition your dog to a dry diet. If youre planning on changing your dogs diet from wet food to primarily dry food, they will adapt faster if you mix the 2 kinds together rather than abruptly switching to only dry food. Check with your vet first to make sure your dog is ready, and then for the first week, mix 1/2 wet food with 1/2 dry food. For the second week, mix 1/4 wet food with 3/4 dry food. On the third week, offer your dog just dry food.XResearch source

The gradual change from dry to wet will be less noticeable to your dog.

The dry food will also help to dislodge any wet food bits that get stuck in their teeth.XResearch source

2Add warm water to make dry food softer. Some dogs just dont like the texture of dry food, or perhaps they have sensitive teeth and cant bite down on the food without pain. Mix 14 cup of warm water for every 1 cup of dry kibble to make it more palatable. You can either serve it right away as a kind of kibble soup, or you can let the water fully absorb into the dry food so it makes a kind of mash. It will take 3-5 minutes for the water to absorb fully, depending on the size of the kibble.XResearch source

Dont leave softened food out for more than a few hours as it can spoil, just like wet food.

After you have made the broth, you can save the leftovers in the fridge to use every day when you feed your dog. You can use warm or cold broth on the food, though warm broth will smell more aromatic.

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Simple Dry Kibble Recipe

Note: Making kibble takes practice. You may find you need to adjust the amount of flour or liquid to reach the ideal spreading consistency. Baking times can also vary, but it’s important to let the kibble remain in the oven after you turn it off so it will continue to dry and become nice and crunchy.

Dry Ingredients

6 cups flour
1 cup nonfat powdered milk
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Wet Ingredients

1 cup plain canned pumpkin
4 tablespoons safflower oil
3 cups cooked, ground meat
2 cups water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine first six dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Stir together next four wet ingredients and then mix well with the dry ingredients.

Work in the ground meat, making sure to disperse it well.

Add the water.

Divide the dough in half and spread it out about 1/2-inch thick on two greased cookie sheets. Cut it with a knife or pizza cutter into a small checkerboard pattern in whatever size you want your finished kibble to be.

Bake until uniformly golden brown, approximately 50 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool for ten minutes, and then use a spatula to break the squares apart. Stir them around slightly and return to oven.

Turn off oven, leave the kibble trays inside and allow kibble to remain drying as the oven cools. Stir occasionally to check consistency. You want it to be dry and crunchy when finished because this will also help preserve it for up to two weeks.

Earthborn Holistic Primitive Natural

Can My Dog Eat Human Foods and Making Kibble Better – Can My Dog…? Show – Ep 1

The Primitive Natural line of dry dog foods from Earthborn Holistic is designed to be rich in protein, low in carbohydrates, and packed with nutrients. This formula is made with high-quality, protein-rich ingredients like chicken meal, whitefish meal, and turkey meal as well as fresh fruits and vegetables to ensure balanced nutrition. The Primitive Natural line of dry dog foods from Earthborn Holistic is free from gluten and grains, designed to promote lean muscle mass and a healthy bodyweight in dogs at all life stages. Earthborn Holistic uses high-quality ingredients and advanced processing technology to ensure maximum digestibility and excellent nutrient absorption. Other high-quality formulas available from Earthborn Holistic include Adult Vantage, Puppy Vantage, and both a small-breed and large-breed formula as well.

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Why Kibble Isnt Ideal

Im not here to make you feel guilty but before closing, I do need to mention a few reasons kibble isnt the best choice for your dog.

Kibble is very high in starch. Dogs dont need starch in their diet at all. Its just what holds the kibble nuggets together! And its cheaper for the manufacturers than meat or fresh produce.

Kibble is dead food. Thats because its so highly processed and heated. Processing at high temperatures removes most of the nutrients from the food. So kibble manufacturers have to add synthetic vitamins and minerals to meet regulatory nutritional standards.

Synthetic vitamins and minerals arent well absorbed by the body. And they can even be harmful long term. So if you do feed kibble, its best to find one without synthetic nutrients.

Kibble can contain many toxins. From carcinogens like heterocyclic amines and acrylamides caused by high heat to aflatoxin mold in grains or legumes. Or potentially carcinogenic herbicides like glyphosate. Studies show glyphosate in kibble is up to 130 times the levels in commercial raw food.

There are still thousands of pet owners who believe that kibble is a complete and balanced diet. But its missing critical nutrients. Thats why a fresh food diet is best. By following these 6 recommendations, you should notice a difference in your dogs health and energy levels.

And if you do feed kibble, whatever the reason now you know how to make it healthier for your dog!