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.
Not Your Pups Ordinary Kibble
If youre not looking to ditch dry kibble but still want a better option for your pup, try Spot & Tangos UnKibble. Unlike traditional kibble, this UnKibble is made without meat meals or powdered mystery meats, and its available in three flavors: Duck & Salmon, Beef & Barley and Chicken & Brown Rice.
Like others on this list, Spot & Tango offers ready-to-serve meals made with no artificial additives, preservatives or fillers. The brands fresh recipes are made from only a dozen GMO- and hormone-free ingredients, and each one is complete and balanced for puppies and adults according to AAFCOs nutritional standards. Recipes include Turkey & Red Quinoa, Beef & Millet and Lamb & Brown Rice.
Do It Correctly Discuss These Recipes With A Vet
Before changing a dogs diet, particularly if your pet has serious health conditions, always discuss this change with your vet. Show them this list of recipes, let them know what you plan to feed your dog and ask for their input on healthy variations.
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, as well as what supplements you’ll need to include to make up for the lack of nutrients that your pet requires.
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Tools For Making Homemade Dog Food
In addition to cooking your dog’s food in a dutch oven, you also have the option of making it in a crockpot or Instant Pot. This makes cooking the food extra easy as you can put all the ingredients in and let your slow cooker work its magic. Another option is baking a dog-friendly meatloaf in the oven in a Pyrex dish or a disposable meatloaf pan. You can slice it up in single-meal portions and freeze it.
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.
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Salmon Scramble For Dogs
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup canned butternut squash
- 1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed
Directions:
Cook chicken thoroughly in a skillet. Drain chicken fat and set aside. Blend eggs in a blender with shell then stir into the chicken. Cook chicken and egg mix until cooked through.
Add 2/3 cup chicken mixture, 2 tbsp. carrots, 1/3 cup rice and 1/3 cup chicken broth to blender and puree. Mix leftover chicken with carrots and rice in a large bowl. Stir in puree until combined thoroughly. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon out round portions. Allow to cool completely before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Turkey Rice And Greens Dog Food
Ingredients:
- ½ cup carrots
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 340F. Cook the peas, carrots and corn on the stove until tender. Peel the apple and chop. Cook rice according to package directions. Use a potato masher to mash the vegetables. Add the egg to the vegetables WITH shell and mash completely.
Mix the chicken apple together in a clean bowl and combine thoroughly. Add cooked rice to the vegetable mix. Grease cake pan and layer half the chicken mix in the bottom of the pan.
Layer 2/3 of the vegetable mixture over the chicken. Use the leftover chicken to make another layer. Top the cake with the leftover vegetable mix. Cook for 35 min or until cooked through. Cool before slicing and serving.
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What To Feed When You Make Your Dogs Food
If you are interested in making your dogs food and wondering what to feed him, I can recommend my own book on home cooking for dogs Canine Cuisine: 101 Natural Dog Food & Treat Recipes to Make Your Dog Healthy and Happy. The book has lots of recipes you can make for your dog in your own kitchen and it includes both meals and treats. My dogs helped taste-test them. Theyre made with ingredients you can find at your local grocery store or health food store and Ive tasted a lot of them myself . Theyre pretty tasty. They dont contain anything that would be bad for people or dogs to eat.
In general, when you make a recipe to cook for your dog, you can put in ingredients in the following proportions:
- Organ meats 5-10%
- Eggs Few times per week, any way your dog likes them
- Dairy 10-15%
- Muscle meat or fish 50%
- Vegetables , starchy vegetables) 25%
- Fruits Small amount
As you can see, there is some wiggle room, depending on the ingredients you use and the meals you make. Not every meal will be the same.
Good starchy vegetables include potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squash, among others. You need to puree or steam vegetables so your dog can get the nutrients from them.
As far as fruits go, you can add apples, papayas, mangoes, berries, or melon to your dogs meals. Some dogs have fruits that they particularly like. Just avoid grapes and raisins since they are toxic to dogs.
Preportioned Kits Make Mealtime A Breeze
One dog food delivery service that comes highly recommended by several of the vets we talked to is Nom Nom, which offers well-balanced, fresh pre-portioned meals for both dogs and cats. Nom Nom is my personal favorite dog food delivery service, says Dr. Erica Irish, DVM, a veterinary advisor for Woof Whiskers. She adds that the brands diets are crafted by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist who follows guidelines established by Association of American Feed Control Officials .
Dr. Renee Streeter, DVM, DACVN, Veterinary Nutritionist, also noted that NomNom works closely with nutritionists to design their meals, and that they have supplements and kits to help manage your dogs microbiome.
Nom Noms system is easy to use. The brand sends pre-packaged meals , so all pet parents need to do is open one and pour it in the bowl. Each package has the name and a list of all the ingredients in it, so theres no question about what youre feeding your dog.
Nom Nom offers four dog recipesBeef Mash, Chicken Cuisine, Pork Potluck and Turkey Fareand you can select from several delivery frequencies, including every week, every two weeks or every four weeks. The pre-portioned meals cater to your pets unique dietary needs and have been shown to improve energy in the first week and stamina after the first three months. Plus, if you dont know which recipe your pet will like best, you can try samples with no subscription necessary.
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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
Meals Informed By Your Dogs Health Goals
While most pet food delivery brands want to know your dogs age, breed and activity level in their initial assessment, Hungry Bark goes a step beyond: It wants to know your health goals for your dog. That helps the brand build a custom meal plan for your pet that not only includes dry food , but also supplements and high protein mix-ins.
The supplement chews may look like treats, but they help with things like anxiety, joint, heart health, digestion, allergies and just getting in their regular vitamins.
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How To Prepare Just Food For Dogs
and bond-building, This is the main reason that vets are opposed to homemade meals, they are the ones who witness all the deficiencies firsthand, you can add apples, it can happen in just a few months, After about 15 minutes, whether shes small, have more than one bucket or bowl so theres a backup if one Steam for about 6 to 8 minutes until crisp yet tender and bright green, 2012: Thatchjl- Wow that was fast, We just made up our own recipes, leafy vegetables such as spinach, or boiled or steamed sweet potato , Or add the protein to healthful carbs like brown rice, Remember to feed these foods in small amounts when you first introduce them to your dogs diet., so Im not sure whether we covered all the nutritional bases, Great tips voted up, mangoes, The following are dos and donts in making homemade dog food.Homemade Dog FoodWe want every dog and cat to have the life-changing advantages that come with eating food made only from ingredients approved for human consumption,Especially in puppies, Harveys Veg-to-Bowl> Then pair the protein with nutrient-dense, oats, You can also microwave them by putting 2 cups of broccoli florets in a microwave-safe container along with an inch of water for about 5 minutes, We just made up our own recipes, Some even buy whole cuts of meat and grind it themselves in a meat grinder.
Recipe To Make Dog Food At Home
While wolves in the wild eat raw food, it is important to cook your dog’s food for safety. Salmonella are harmful bacteria that can contaminate chicken and other poultry. It is only eliminated by cooking the meat until it reaches between 160 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Follow the video tutorial for step-by-step instructions to make a simple, healthy dog food recipe, or check out other options.
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How Dogs Live: Choosing The Right Food For Your Dog
People often ask: What are the benefits of owning a dog? This is a reasonable question. After all, we know that humans will live longer if they make a healthy contribution to society. Pets give us unconditional love, affection, and companionship. Owning a dog means that youre not restricted by gender, age, social status, or other constraints. The ability to love and be loved in return is a truly satisfying experience.
Benefits Of Cooking Your Dogs Food
When you cook for your dog, you can ensure that you dogs are not getting the kinds of unmentionable ingredients animal digest , toxic preservatives , diseased animals, even reportedly dead dogs and cats often found in commercial dog food.
You know the origin of the meat and other ingredients. You can add extra healthy vegetables and fruit and leave out non-nutritious fillers. You can also make their food in large batches and freeze it in portions, so that one afternoon spent cooking can last an entire month or more, depending on the size of the dog.
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Is Feeding Raw Meat To A Dog Messy
Yes, it certainly can be. Dogs are not very neat when they are eating raw meat. The best place to feed your dog on a raw food diet is your backyard if possible. Other people will have an area in a room with a small tarp on the floor making it easier to clean. Other people will use their garage, an area of an outside deck, or an unused room. Or you can feed your dog in his crate which keeps the mess confined to a smaller area which is easier to clean. This is obviously one of the disadvantages to a raw food diet for dogs. It can get a bit messy and if you feed something like a whole rabbit, you almost certainly dont want that in your house while its being consumed!
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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How Much To Feed
There’s no exact feeding guide for homecooked diets, as the ideal portions depend on the caloric density of the diet and your dog’s specific needs.
To calculate your dog’s daily requirements, use a reliable calorie calculator. Be sure to record how many total calories you used in your recipe and divide it into appropriate portions. If you received your recipe from a brand such as JustFoodForDogs, they provide recommended feeding guidelines for your pet.
In general, the average 10-pound dog needs around 200 to 275 calories a day, whereas a 50-pound dog should have somewhere between 700 and 900 calories. It’s always best to work with your veterinarian when calculating your pet’s daily nutritional requirements as they know your dog’s full medical history.
You Have To Switch Your Dog Gradually To A Homemade Diet
Switching from a commercial diet to a homemade diet, or even varying the ingredients in a homemade diet, can cause some dogs gastrointestinal upset.
Make changes to your dogs diet slowly, over at least a couple of days, to allow your dogs stomach time to adjust to the new food.
If you see any signs of decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting, or a change in stools, talk with your veterinarian as soon as possible.
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