DIY Homemade Dog Food
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Keep your dog healthy and fit with this easy peasy homemade recipe – it’s cheaper than store-bought and chockfull of fresh veggies!
I never thought I would be one of those dog owners who made homemade human food for their pups. Not in a million years.
But when Butters recently fell sick with an upset stomach, our vet advised us to feed him a bland diet – chicken and rice without any kind of seasoning. So that’s what we did – we poached a chicken, shredded it in a food processor, and mixed in some white rice and fed him this bland diet for 3 days.
That’s when I started to do some research on homemade dog food, and I have been so amazed as to how many different kinds of vegetables dogs can have. And with the help of Balance IT, you can create so many different recipes for your pup!
Now the best part about making homemade dog food – just like making anything at home – is that you know exactly what is going into the dog bowl, and not any of that questionable gelatinous gunk from the canned food.
But it’s important to note that dogs have different nutrient requirements than humans for their proportional body size, such as:
- High-quality protein (meat, seafood, dairy or eggs)
- Fat (meat or oil)
- Carbohydrates (grains or vegetables)
- Calcium (dairy)
- Essential fatty acids (egg yolks or oatmeal)
Now this recipe here has a balance of 50% protein, 25% veggies and 25% grains, but the ratios can easily be adjusted to suit your pup’s breed and/or needs.
Once you’ve made your batch, you can divide them up into single servings, note the date, and freeze it. When ready to serve, you can defrost it in the fridge overnight and nuke it for 15-30 seconds. That’s it! Now who knew that making dog food would be this easy?
DIY Homemade Dog Food
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups brown rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 pounds ground turkey
- 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 zucchini, shredded
- ½ cup peas, canned or frozen
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 3 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground turkey and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the turkey as it cooks.
- Stir in spinach, carrots, zucchini, peas and brown rice until the spinach has wilted and the mixture is heated through, about 3-5 minutes.
- Let cool completely.
Did you make this recipe?
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I made a batch last night and it’s been a hit with my senior pup. This is my first homemade dog food, and I’ve been hesitant to leave the kibbles and can food behind. But my 13 year old Bordernese has been having digestion issues. She also doesn’t chew her food anymore so we had to stop giving her kibbles. Switched her to can food, but buying good quality can food gets pricey when you have a 55lb dog.
This batch looks to be about a week for her. I used all organic and it’s such a savings. Plus we can use the leftover veggies as well.
Thank you so much for making this process easy and I appreciate the nutritional facts. This has inspired me to never buy dog food again. I love to cook so now I can share my joy of cooking with my best friend.
How many cups a day do you give a 50 pound dog? We are new pet owners 🙂
I add about 3 apples chopped up, med sweet potato, and blue berries to my Blue Heelers food and he loves it. I saw someone was concerned about the calcium. I add a tablespoon of plain no fat yogurt to his morning meal. But he also gets a cow trachea once a week that helps with joint health which is a huge problem in older dogs so you have to start them on the trachea young.
our senior rescue (a Morkie) had to have all her teeth removed. We started giving her this recipe. Gigi LOVES it, is able to eat it without teeth and its very easy to make. We’ve been making and freezing it in individual serving. Thank you so much for this recipe
We also have a Morkie who had to have all her teeth, except the 4 canines, removed (must be the breed). Now she has pancreatitis, so I am going to start feeding her a low fat diet. I’ll be trying this one.
Looked up my dogs needs for how many cups a day he’d need and it’s 2.5. Figured double this recipe for a weeks worth and it made way more than anticipated! Which is great! I bought frozen veggies I know my dog likes and threw them in a food processor to cook them down a bit more. Ended up actually making nearly 2 weeks of food for $40 up front. Then going forward only $20 a month for meat!
I also saved the meat grease and made a thin gravy to add so it’s not dry.
How did you look up what your daily needs would be by cup??
You can just Google “how much dog food should I feed my dog.” A bunch of different calculators will come up (under all the ads). I’d try several different ones just to make sure they are in sync with one another and not off by say, 200 calories a day or something. It’ll give you a better gauge. However I would highly recommend asking your vet. My vet did a thorough exam, including bloodwork, then told us how many calories per day she needs (she’s overweight). You can also ask your vet if this recipe is appropriate for your dog or if you should add/subtract any ingredients. Meanwhile, here’s a calculator to start with https://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-feeding-tips/dog-food-calculator/
I would like to know how to look it up too..
You should go to the Balance IT website that she sites in the information leading up to the recipe. This recipe likely has vitamin and mineral deficiencies that the supplement Balance IT canine provides for. There is a link to the supplement and the nutritional information in the article.
Very good recipe!
How much do you feed per weight?? I want try English bulldog for her skin see if it helps but have no clue how much feed her??
This is awesome, and my girls love it, BuT how much do i feed per kg per day????
THank you for sharing. My 13 year old morkie gave us a scare recently and has not been eating well since. She’s turned her nose up to dry kibble, wet food with chunks and the pate version. At a loss for what to feed her besides treats (she’ll never turn those down) I went to the internet for a homemade recipe. Found this one, threw in some substitutions based on what I had available and she gobbled the first plate all up. Thank you so much! Hopefully the trend continues.
My dog just turned and was diagnosed with low level heart and thyroid problems. The disease and medicine was alot on his body, so.much weight loss. I decided to make his food and he and my new pup loves this recipe!! I must say btwn the medication and new food change I’m humbled. Thank you!!
My French bulldog was on kibble as soon as she was able to eat kibble, she has constant diarrhea and vomiting. I even thought she had patio. After many expensive vet visits, I decided t change her diet to home made. I followed this recipe and her diarrhea stopped almost immediately. She has not thrown up once since starting home made diet. I use squash instead of zucchini (personal preference) Lola lovesssssss her diet. She devours it in minutes. Thank you thank you thank you!
How much do you feed your Lola? I have a Lola frenchie as well and would like to start her on this new diet. She’s had tummy issues ever since I’ve had her. Do you use turkey only or do you switch up the protein?
I’ve been making my 8 year old Staffy’s food for about a year now. I would caution you to use fresh meats when possible to ensure you are not adding sodium to your pets diet. I use no sodium broth when I make her rice. She loved it!
My dog is enjoying this recipe very much and I love knowing exactly what’s in her food. But I HAVE A QUESTION though please, is it 1 1/2 cups of raw OR cooked brown rice. I used 1 1/2 raw and I think I’m wrong looking at the picture of the ratios.
The recipe calls for the brown rice to be cooked first.
Great question! Based on instructions in recipe, the 1 1/2 cups of rice listed in in gradients would be uncooked (raw) Then you would cook it in 3 cups of water (or broth). The amount you end up with is then mixed with the other ingredients after you cook it. Hope that helps.
I have a 5 year old Westie that LOVES this food. He started having skin and itching (it’s very common for Westies to have skin problems) and after trying a lot of different high end dog kibble we tried this recipe. After 2 weeks he has stopped scratching. The scabs under his front legs have healed and the hair is growing back! I add a couple chopped up hard boiled eggs and a little fish oil also. He gobbled this up where before he would skip a meal here and there and just graze in his kibble.
How much does your Westie weigh and how much do you feed at each meal? I have three Westies I am transitioning to homecooked now.
Excellent information on dog nutrition and love the recipe
Thanks
I dont think dogs should have rotisserie chicken because the salt/ sodium vomtent is very high even for hymans.
Can you tell me substitutions for peas, spinach and zucchini for dog food recipe.? Also, Serving size.
My 13lb rescue dog loves it and want to mix up veggies for variety.
Thanks,
Lynda
My cavalier king Charles loves this! My one question though is around quantity. With kibble, my dog east around 3/4 cups per day, but this recipe says 1 cup is a serving. Should I be serving 1 cup or still 3/4 cup?
Thank you!
I am not sure if this will help exactly, but with my Yorkshire terrier I gave him a cup at first and saw how much he actually ate and wait it out and from there I started giving him that much every time I fed him and it seem to work. You can vary this in many ways but it might be a good starter point. Hope this helps!
I just made this for my pup Minnie she’s a 4 month old
Chihuahua. I decided to make it because she had two shots
Yesterday and blood drawn and wasn’t herself. I made her
A small bowl and sat down to eat my lunch. Not even 3 minutes later she was at my feet with a belly full and full of energy!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe!
How much do you feed Minnie?! We just got our chihuahua and we wondering what the best portion sizes are.
I have been making this for awhile and my dog likes this and will look for more when finished. I will make this batch and trying to figure out if can be stored in container in fridge and for how long?
I have a lab hound mix who has food allergies that effect his skin. I am hoping that this will help! I’ve tried so many different dog foods to calm his allergies, some work better than others, but those dog foods are very expensive.
I normally feed him a cup of kibbles in the am and a cup in the pm. Do I stick to the same amounts with homemade. He is 2 years old and about 50 lbs.
Check the calorie intake for your dog. Should be around 1500 calories a day for the weight and age but check with your vet.
Can I use eggs instead of chicken?
My dog absolutely loves this food. I added rotisserie chicken (no skin or bones) to the recipe (half ground turkey, half chicken) But other than that, followed recipe exactly. Thanks for saving me $ and stress!
My schnauzer is a really picky eater. He only goes for the meat, a little bit of the brown rice and nose the veg to the side. I have shredded carrots, mashed and pureed the boiled broccoli, green peas, tiny cubes of apple etc but nope, i’ll find these on the floor or in the bowl. And these are in the smallest portion. Any advice? I even tried force feeding him bananas but felt bad and stopped immediately. I can only put a quarter of what you give your fur baby, otherwise he’ll waste it. Lastly, I give him probiotic powder in his food every two days, according to a friend’s advice, as well as egg shell powder and human grade fish oil every other day. Is it possible to add the probiotics into the meal while it’s cooking and then freeze portions? It’s hard to find ground turkey here and like most schnauzers cannot eat chicken meat. I use beef and pork, boiled and then cut them into small pieces into the cooking meat. Waiting for my meat grinder to be delivered. Help.
I have the same vegetable issue with my Rhodesian Ridgeback, we have started to blend his veggies with his meats and started to give him a veggie-meat mash on top of/mixed into rice! He eats it like a champ! Maybe it can work for you too 🙂
Try cooking the brown rice&veggies in no sodium chicken/meat broth. They’ll smell and taste more like meat that way.