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 just made this. My first batch of homemade dog food. I used deboned chicken thighs instead of turkeys. My Maltese Love it. I can’t believe not only will I know what they’re eating, I’m saving a ton of money.
My pup is 6 years old. I adopted Sir Goofiness (a nickname) when he was two years old. I have been trying different brands of dry dog food over the years. He always turns his nose up & walks away. Then eats it at night out of hunger. He loves wet food. I tried mixing that with his dry food. He picked the dry food out & dropped it on the floor.
I made this last night for my pup. Gave him a couple of ounces. Wolfed it down. This morning I gave him a couple of ounces on top of his dry food. He put the dry food on the floor again. Silly dog. But, ate every bit of the homemade dog food.
I enjoy cooking so I have no problem doing this for him. My question:
Should I just drop the dry food & give him straight homemade? I am trying to do the appropriate food switch but kind of hard when he doesn’t eat the dry food. lol
Can I store this in the refrigirator? If yes, how many days it would last?
I would treat it like my own food. I won’t eat meat that is more than 4 days old. So when I make this I’ll just keep enough in the fridge for that amount of time and freeze the rest in portions.
Good recipe. I cook lots of varied meats with veg. You should add some form of mineral supplement. Look online, there are lots of options. You can also feed raw chicken necks. My dogs are about 40 pounds each and I feed about 6-7 oz per feeding twice a day. Get a small food scale to weigh the meals. It’s very easy.
Someone mentioned being careful of too many legumes, that’s peas, lentils, beans. You may need to add taurine to keep from causing dialiated cardiomyopathy.
I suggest sweet potato, canned pumpkin, kale, carrots, fresh or frozen greenbeans for variations on veg. For filler ie. Carbs; brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal (all cooked)
Just make sure you are adding all necessary vitamins and minerals.
Also recommended is adding organ meats like heart, gizzard, liver to balance nutrition. I also feed canned fish;sardines mackerel, hard boiled eggs and add fresh raw beef as toppings . Oils are necessary vegetable oil, avocado oil, fish oil, coconut oil.
Look at multiple sites for recpies, there are lots out there.
Hello, am I missing where in the article it says how much to feed a dog per body weight? I like this idea but want to make sure my dog doesn’t get too much or too little. Please let me know. Thank you.
My westie is getting older and was having problems with stomach upsets. I changed him to more organic ( purchased) foods with little success over the longer term.
I made this food more in desperation than anything. No more stomach upsets, he’s more satisfied and it seems to move more slowly through his system. Really easy to make.
I shred the veggies small. Half cup x2 per day.
Lee. It says in the info above that 1 cup has approx 412 calories…so depending on the weight and activity of your dog you can google and see how many calories your dog should have. Most websites I have gone to say 25-30 calories per pound…so if you have a 10 lb dog it would get between 250 to 300 calories per day…which would be about 3/4 cup of food per day. or 100 lb dog would need 2500-3000 calories divided by 400 then divided by 2 for twice a day feeding. I am not a vet so to make sure the info is correct I would suggest asking them…but that is the method I am using along with adding a dog multi vitamin to make sure my pups are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need. Hope that helps…
Much easier to make the second time around. I used a real turkey pan with lid and spread ground turkey on it and baked for about 20 minutes. In meantime in Cuisanart I put all the other ingredients. (I changed it slightly as well…I added sweet potato, frozen blueberries and a small piece of turmeric as one of my dog has some inflammation as is older. I also plan to add a few other things to mix it up once in awhile, ie raw egg, yogurt, cottage cheese and kale..all of which are good for my babies in moderate amounts. I also looked at a few dog vitatmins and have talked to my vet about which one she thinks is right for my furbabies to add knowing Im cooking for them and they need calcium, magnesium and other vitamins/supplements that they may not get in this recipe. I am finding ground turkey is cheapest and best source of protein. I plan on getting most of my goods at Costco because of costs…you at this time can get 6.7 lbs of ground turken for $17.59 (2.59/lb) and I can buy spinach, carrots, etc in bulk and cook and freeze. I have 4 dogs, 2 big and 2 small…I am giving big ones 2 cups x day; small ones 1/2 cup 2xday. They are gobbling it up…I hope I can financially afford doing this. I think this is great for people with one or two dogs…hoping I can make it work for all four. And so far no digestive issues….they just can’t wait for suppertime. Thanks again…
Hi,
What vitamin brand and types did your vet recommend for your dogs. I was concerned myself about nutrients that may be missing from this recipe. My Chesney is a 40 lb golden doodle.
Thank you.
Homemade dog foods are the best. Love the dedication to our beloved companions. Also alternate with freeze dried fresh dog food.
Omgggg! This is one of the most famous dogs recipes. Congratulations, and I have to say, thank you for sharing it with was. I was looking for homemade dog recipes food. This one is amazing, and a lot of people like, I was reading all those comments.
This look like a great idea. I think these dog foods in the store shorten our dogs lives. I’m just wondering how much do I give a 47 pound and 55 pound dog. I’m thinking a full cup twice a day. Any advice?
Based on my research dogs that size should get 2 cups twice a day. I have A 65 lb. dog and that is what I give her.
I’m interested in making some homemade food for our 1 year dog. He has sensitive skin and a sensitive tummy. The post mentions “dairy” is an important part of the diet, but I don’t see any dairy products listed in the ingredients (in the directions). Thanks.
Hello Folks,
We are getting a 7 week’s young Labrador Puppy (Pure Bred) in a weeks time. Just wondering if someone can help me with the recipe for the little champ. I will be transitioning him to the home made food over 1 weeks time slowly just to keep things smooth for his little belly. Thanks in advance folks..please see if some can get back to me….Cheers
I haven’t tried the food yet but I gave it 5 stars cuz I love the fact of making your own dog food and you knowing what’s going in it, I would love to try this but my dog is hypoallergenic and not sure what protein to use. Do you know if shredding it in a food processor does that make it more digestible? Any help is appreciated as Ive thought about doing this for a long time.
I have a 5 month old shitzu and feed him chicken, beef, or lamb as his proteins. I haven’t tried turkey or salmon get but his vet said that’s good too.
I just made your recipe. After doing some research, my baby needs to eat 400 cal per day. How many grams is your 1 cup of serving? Thank you.
I have been looking on the web for this type of dog food. To purchase it would cost me $70. every two weeks. Your recipe looks like it has the same ingredients. I will make some today and see how my Maddie likes her new food. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you! My dog is a terrier chihuahua mix. Do you add vitamins and minerals to this meal? If so, do you recommend any supplements? Also, do you feed your dog once or twice a day? My dog is about 6 pounds. Any suggestions appreciated
My 7kg Plummer terrier absolutely loves this. She’s been on it now for about a week, I make batches and freeze them. Going to swap the meat at every batch from turkey, beef and chicken. My only concern is there seems to be no calcium in the diet ? I read about ground eggshells. Her stools seem a bit looser and orange in colour since changing but I’ve read that can be normal for the first 2-3 weeks. Any advice would be helpful please.
I am excited about trying these recipes however I also see a lot of reference here to using vet recommended potatoes, peas and other legumes. Please consider the following warning by the FDA regarding Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy (CDM) – I also received associated literature from my vet.
https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/outbreaks-and-advisories/fda-investigation-potential-link-between-certain-diets-and-canine-dilated-cardiomyopathy
Just made this for by beloved Boston Terrier, but I subbed the Turkey for chicken leg meat (as I had some to use up). Well, the whole batch went down really well, and even her poops look edible! LOL. Thank you for sharing this gem.
Chihuahuas love it! Question, can you substitute the peas for pumpkin? If so, how much?
Can you use hamburger meat instead of turkey or chicken??
I make this for my dogs BUT from what I have read dogs shouldn’t have rice everyday (that includes) brown rice. I also add no salt added green beans. I use ground turkey n chicken and give them either or each day. That way they dont get tired of the same thing.
I have had Bella since she was 9 weeks old. She is a German/Boxer mix. I feed her twice a day and her home made food is as follows: brown rice, frozen peas and carrots, boil eggs, kayle, , bonless chicken thighs, and diced sweet potatoe. She loves it and has a beautiful coat, healthy skin and great muscle tone. For treats I give her baby carrots, although she has already figured out how to reteve them from her treat toy LOL