How Much Homemade Dog Food Should You Feed Your Dog
You can calculate how much to feed your dog here. It is a great resource to tell you how many calories your dog needs based on it’s size.
The calories in the recipe box are an estimate based on lean chicken.
If you are making your homemade dog food for the first time,introduce the new food a little at a time. You don’t want your dog to get sick from a fast transition.
You may want to start off with half of the homemade food and half of the regular food for a couple of days.
Consult your veterinarian on how to do that best.
When you make this homemade dog food, please tell me what you think in the comment section! It would mean the world to me to hear back. My readers will appreciate the information also.
Also post your picture of your dog’s food on or , and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
Delicious Brown Rice And Turkey With Rosemary Home Food For Your Dog
This delicious concotion has the added fragrance of rosemary to bring your pet running from the opposite end of your house. It can easily be made with frozen ingredients and left over turkey from dinner. With a total cooking time of just 30 minutes its quick too!
Ingredients
For the full recipe and instructions check out Allrecipes
Why We Switched To Homemade Dog Food
Recently, I shared a blog post about our dog’s health issues and why we decided to make the switch to a diet that is made up of 100% human grade food.
In our experience, the switch was easy, cost effective, and so much healthier for our dogs than a traditional doggie diet of processed kibble! The homemade dog food recipe that I make for our dogs combines lean ground sirloin, wholesome brown rice, fresh vegetables, hard boiled eggs, and tender herbs. This healthy, vibrant alternative to traditional dog food has given our 11 year old dog, Hooch, a new lease on life!
Since making the switch 8 months ago I have been so inspired by the improvements we have seen in Hooch! It’s pushed me to continue to research different ingredients that might help even more. I’m excited to share my first Homemade Dog Food Seasoning blend with you and your pup! I really hope you will benefit as much as we have.
You May Like: Is Wet Dog Food Bad For Dogs Teeth
Guidelines To Creating Balanced Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Following are guidelines for feeding a raw or cooked home-prepared diet to healthy dogs. No single type of food, such as chicken, should ever make up more than half the diet.
Except where specified, homemade food for dogs can be fed either raw or cooked. Leftovers from your table can be included as long as theyre foods you would eat yourself, not fatty scraps.
Meat and Other Animal Products: Should always make up at least half of the diet. A raw diet for dogs can be excessively high in fat, which can lead to obesity. Another potential hazard of diets containing too much fat: If an owner restricts the amount fed too much, the dog may suffer deficiencies of other required nutrients.
Unless your dog gets regular, intense exercise, use lean meats , remove skin from poultry, and cut off separable fat. Its better to feed dark meat poultry than breast, however, unless your dog requires a very low-fat diet.
Raw Meaty Bones : If you choose to feed them, RMBs should make up one third to one half of the total diet. Use the lower end of the range if you feed bony parts such as chicken necks and backs, but you can feed more if youre using primarily meatier parts such as chicken thighs. Never feed cooked bones. Read a full report on raw meaty bones here.
Boneless Meat: Include both poultry and red meat. Heart is a good choice, as it is lean and often less expensive than other muscle meats.
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.
Don’t Miss: Who Makes Dr Pol Dog Food
Should You Cook Your Dogs Food
Is cooking dog food at home really better for your pup? While there may be claims made to that effect, theres no hard scientific evidence to support it.
Owners are told by many sources that homemade food is superior to commercial products. However, there is no proof to support this claim, says Dr. Larsen.
Larsen cautions dog owners to be aware of fearmongering within the pet food industry. This is often driven by myths about ingredient quality. While there are no scientifically-supported benefits to homemade diets, whole ingredient-based diets are better in the long term. Commercial foods are made to be complete and balanced, adds Dr. Bartges, albeit not the most exciting of meals.
Think of it as eating the same highly processed food for every meal, day after day, for years, he affirms.
Put that way, feeding your dogs a variety of whole foods makes a lot of sense. In fact, there are a multitude of reasons why you might want to prepare homemade foods for your dog, according to Dr. Larsen and Dr. Bartges.
These include gaining control over your dogs diet, appeasing picky eaters, combatting food intolerance issues, concern over food recalls, or simply for the bond-building joy of preparing a home-cooked meal for your dog.
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.
Read Also: What Does Dog Food Taste Like
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.
Easy Homemade Dog Food Crockpot Recipe With Ground Chicken
If your dog is picky about the food he eats or suffers from food allergies, here is a homemade dog food crockpot recipe that helps my dog. Enjoy!
Are you wanting to make your own dog food? This is an easy homemade dog food crockpot recipe.
Just throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and cook for a couple of hours.
The result is a healthy, homemade dog food that your furry family member will love!
My dog has had food allergies FOREVER! I have tried almost every dog food under the sun from expensive to EXPENSIVE.
Finally, I had it and decided to look into making my own. I was shocked how easy it is.
Recommended Reading: Can Food Stamps Buy Dog Food
Don’t Have Time To Make Homemade Dog Food
This is also an excellent option of feeding your dog healthy and nutritious meals. A company called Spot & Tango provides a high quality natural dogfood. Spot & Tango gives you the quality nutrition of all homemade but with the convenience of prepared dog food. I suggest you give them a try and see what you think. You can get more information about ordering their high quality natural dog food products here.
If you must feed a commercial dog food at least make sure it is of excellent quality.
Choosing the best dog food brands can be very confusing. Let’s look at how to decide on the best food for your dog.
What’s Your Favorite Homemade Dog Food Or Dog Treat Recipe
Just use the form below to tell us about your canine gastronomic delight.
Tell us your Recipe’s Name , what Ingredients we will need and if there are any special Preparation Instructions . There’s also a area if you have any additional information you would like to share about your recipe or how much your Aussie loves it!
| Please note that all fields followed by an asterisk must be filled in. |
| First Name* |
Don’t Miss: Iams Prostora Max Gi
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.
Track Your Dogs Health
As you begin to introduce new things into your dogs diet, you must track their progress. Any changes to their behavior, stools, or digestive health could show that you need to modify quantities or change foods.
Youll want to keep an eye out for weight gain or weight loss, excessive gas, vomiting, and loose stools.
Track the foods your dog eats. Consider taking your pet to the vet if youre experiencing any differences in behavior.
Its especially important if youre finding its more challenging to keep your dog healthy and fit.
You will be able to get tests to let you know if their dog food is the problem or another concern.
Read Also: Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Low Fat Ingredients
Diy Slow Cooker Dog Food
We got excited about a weeks worth of dog food, but this recipe takes it up a notch and makes three weeks worth, making it that much easier to switch to making doggie meals from scratch.
Made with chicken, beans, sweet potato, apple, carrots, and any other dog-friendly add-insPSA: make sure to check with your vet before changing your pups diet!this recipe would also make for a great fall stew .
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!
Don’t Miss: Where To Buy Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Low Fat Dog Food
Diabetic Home Made Dog Food
If your dog has a diabetes problem, this recipe may be a lifesaver. The author has made this diabetic dog food recipe for seven years now and has run through her vet for approval. With the main ingredient consisting of a beautiful yellow bean from India called chana dal that ranks incredibly low on the GI chart, its a good complement to your pet’s diet.
Ingredients
- 1 can Libbys 100% Pure Pumpkin
- 2 bags frozen broccoli cuts
- 2 bags frozen crinkle cut carrots
- 2 bags frozen green beans
- 2 packages frozen chopped spinach
Directions
For the full recipe and instructions check out Myuntangledlife
We Arent The Only People That Have Converted To Making Homemade Dog Food And Are Loving The Results Check Out The Links Below For More Homemade Dog Food Recipes Your Pup Will Love
Easy Crockpot Dog Food from Damn Delicious || This simple homemade dog food recipe combines ground beef, brown rice, kidney beans, butternut squash, carrots, and peas in the slow cooker so you can set it and forget it!
Homemade Dog Food Recipe from College Housewife || Elizabeths sweet dog Rascal suffered from all sorts of health issues which led them to having him allergy tested. Turns out Rascal was allergic to all sorts of things even beef! So, Elizabeth developed a homemade dog food recipe that is just perfect for Rascals sensitive belly that is filled with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, carrots, and zucchini squash and macaroni noodles!
DIY Homemade Dog Food from Damn Delicious||Chungahs dog Butters battle with stomach issues led her to start making dog food at home. This recipe is easy to make and super good for your pups too! It combines a delicious blend of 50% protein, 25% veggies and 25% grains and is made of ingredients like ground chicken, brown rice, shredded zucchini, spinach, carrots, and peas.
You May Like: Homemade Dog Food Recipes For Kidney Disease
Diy Homemade Dog Food With Chicken
If you think about a dogs closest modern relative, the grey wolf, Pendelton AL, et al. . Comparison of village dog and wolf genomes highlights the role of the neural crest in dog domestication. DOI: 10.1186/s12915-018-0535-2 it makes sense that a canines diet should incorporate at least some produce perhaps a few greens in the belly of whatever omnivorous animal the wolf hunted down .
To that end, this recipe includes some of the other ingredients youve seen already, plus a few cups of spinach. Dogs dont need much in each serving a little greenery goes a long way.
Pro tip: You can also sub in ground turkey for this recipe.
Delicious And Healthy Dog Food Recipes You Can Make At Home
As the global outbreak of the COVID-19 outbreak exceeds 660,000 infected people at the time of writing, more governments are implementing stricter movement control orders in a bid to curb the spread and to flatten the curve. This impacts how often we can go out to get daily supplies and a 10kg bag of dog food may not be the best use of the limited space available for stocking up.
However, you can make delicious and healthy dog food right at home from ingredients you already have, and your pet would thank you for it. With your spare time from the lockdown, here are 10 popular recipes that you can try out from home for your pets.
Also Check: Iams Vet Formula
You Must Provide A Nutritionally Balanced Diet
Dogs nutritional needs are different from our own, so its important to provide a diet that is balanced with the appropriate nutrients needed to optimize your dogs health.
These nutrients include calories to maintain weight or encourage weight gain or loss protein fat vitamins and minerals. Not enough or too many of any given nutrient can lead to diseases, malnutrition, obesity, and even death.
Downside To Making Your Dogs Meals
- Making your dogs meals does take time. You have to allow time so you can shop for ingredients about once a week. You also need to allow time so you can prepare the food. Some people like to set aside one afternoon or evening per week so they can prepare their dogs meals for the coming week.
- The cost of making your dogs meals is up to you. If you can buy meats in bulk and freeze them, you can often save money. But if you buy your meats at your local store, the way you buy your own meat, then preparing meals for your dog can be expensive. If you have special requirements such as organic meats and vegetables, free-range chicken, or pasture-raised beef, for example, your costs will be even greater.
- There is no guarantee that your meats and produce will be entirely free of bacteria. You can use good sanitation in your kitchen, but even so, sometimes meats and produce are recalled because they have been contaminated before you buy them.
These are some of the things to consider before you decide you want to make your dogs meals. It takes some pre-planning, time, and it can be costly unless you are able to buy in bulk or buy family-sized portions.
On the other hand, once you get the hang of making your dogs food, its not nearly as hard and complicated as it probably sounds. There are lots of dog owners who make their dogs meals and their dogs are living happy, healthy lives on their homemade diet.
Check Out The Best Selling Raw Dog Food
Also Check: Is Iams Dog Food Grain Free