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.
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Thank you very much for sharing this.
I’m having problems with my dog constantly chewing and scratching.
No fleas, and no allergies that we know of.
She’s a shorthair breed, but the hair is like a carpet all over the house. We can’t keep up with it.
I was thinking, maybe it was the dogs food that might be causing it.
But I’ve never made human food either. My recipe was similar, just not enough veggies.
So thank you for that insight.
I’m excited to see if this is her issue, because all I have left is a trip to the vets.
I recently read some pretty damning info about a link between grain free food and serious heart issues. We rescue our dogs so often we keep feeding whatever diet they’ve been on because “it’s been working.” Yet we’re still at the vet for skin issues, ear problems, and such. Why not give this a try? I tried this recipe and both dogs devoured it! (I admit I tasted it. Add a little ginger and soy sauce and you could wrap this stuff in a lettuce leaf!) Its early but we hope to update this post in a few weeks with some good news. Thanks for the great recipe!
My 8 month old Cavachon devours this dog food! But, I’m not sure if I’m giving her the correct daily a,punts. Currently, I’m giving her 1/2 cup twice a day, with little pieces of carrots, berries, sweet potato in between. Is that enough? Do it need to add some kind of dairy for calcium? Yogurt? Thanks
Hi Coni! We’re so glad to hear she’s enjoying the food! However, portion size and adequate nutrition for your dog might be best discussed with your vet and/or nutritionist. Hope that helps!
I am highly againsts any of the so called natural commercial dog foods on the market, so your article hits home for me since I have decided I am going to start taking the ingredients dogs can eat which are fresh and natural and prepare their dog food myself from now on, since my 8 year old rottweiler was born I have fed him the so called natural healthy dog food expecting him to be healthy and live to a ripe old age. Well he has tumors growing all over and through his body, so I am convinced even the so called healthy dog foods are not healthy for our dogs……………I never gave him people food thinking I was doing a good thing but from now on my dogs will be eating people food on the good food list from now on.
Thank You
Jeff
Can I substitute sweet potato for brown rice? If yes, will I need the same amount of sweet potatoes – 1.5 cups?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Great recipe, followed it to the T. Really helping with my dog’s upset stomach as this was our last resort. I only have 2 questions. What can I use in place of the baby spinach to mix it up from time to time? And also my dog has decreased in bowel movements…is that normal? It’s been greatly beneficial as my 10 year old, 38 lb. Staffordshire mix who was having diarrhea for over a week and now is back to almost normal thank goodness, but she’s maybe using the bathroom 1 time a day now rather than 3 times. Thank you for this great recipe!
You can try subbing in brussels sprouts for the spinach (I also recommend speaking to your vet about this) as they are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants that are great for humans and dogs, alike. But I recommend not overfeeding them to your dog because they can cause a lot of gas!
Just made this! I added 2 eggs and a pat of butter.
My 2 dogs have allergies and I’ve tried everything under the sun!
This recipe cost me $11.00.
The dog food costs about $30 per week.
I’ll update how long it lasts and if they quit chewing on themselves.
I have a Great Dane, and a black lab
Fingers crossed this does the trick! Thanks for sharing with us!
curious if this helps with allergies as i have a pitbull with allergies that is constantly chewing and scratching herself and nothing seems to help her. let me know if this helps for your dog! thanks
When my Chihuahua started to get a bald spot from scratching himself, I was told to look at all his food and treats and see what a common ingredient was. Well it turns out he has a chicken allergies (that was the common ingredient in all his food and treats). I stopped everything with chicken and his fur grew back and he is doing well. I suggest you take a look at the ingredients on all his food and treats and see if you see something similar. Apparently chicken allergies are very common in dogs! Who knew? Best of luck
Hi! I have a 100 pound Great Pyrenees. I want to try this with him as he has stomach problems. How many cup should do you feed your Great Dane per day?
I don’t know what all the hype is about. I am in my 70’s, and remember when there was no such thing as store bought dog food, and we all fed our dogs the meat and vegetable scraps from our plates. I have NEVER bought the poison that they suggest we feed our beloved pets, and I have never had a dog that didn’t live to be 16 years or more. My last Collie girl was 19 years old when she passed happily in her sleep.
wow that’s awesome!!
Any update on how your large dogs are doing and how much you feed per meal?
My dog has allergies as well. Dairy is not good for allergic dogs. I’m making his food at home now and he’s doing better. Turkey meat, old fashioned oats, turmeric and veggies. He cleans his bowl and the licking has stopped!!
I’ve got two ACD’s (Australian Cattle Dogs), anyone else have this breed and if so what has been your experience with this recipe? I’ve been making my own for a while now, similar to this recipe but I’ve been using beef. Had a few issues with diarrhea in the beginning but has leveled off. Will be trying this recipe on my next cooking day!
My Wheaton was vomiting every day and would not eat. I took him to the vet several times because of stomach issues. Nothing worked. His stomach would make noises and he lost 7lbs. He also had skin issues. He has been on this diet for two weeks now, and he is loving his food and is not getting sick. I have to feed him small meals four times a day. This diet is working out great. Thank you!
My dogs love this. I’m weaning them off of dry food and this will be their diet
Its cheaper than buying bulk no nutrition dry food and it’s good for them. I have a Yorkie with allergy issues and I want to see if this will help him. His skin does seem to be better. I’ve been feeding them this for over a month now and there’s never any leftovers.
I am considering using this recipe. I was wondering if it would be as good for the nutritional aspect of the dog if I substituted chicken breast for the turkey. Any opinions out there.?
That’s a great question! But this may be best discussed with your pet’s veterinarian and/or nutritionist.
I think they would be better off with the extra fat from the thighs and legs. I used to get boneless/skinless chick and since Ive been including the skins their coat is better. I bake them in my “easy bake” counter top oven take the chicken out, put the liquid in a bowel and put in the freezer some the heavy fat rises and separates after about 45 minutes.
Been giving him this recipe for a few years now and he still acts as if it’s something new… loves it! However, he’s now 10 years old now, so I was thinking of starting to watch his phosphorus levels. I’d substitute brown rice for white rice. But what would be a lower phosphorus substitute for peas and baby spinach? and how much? Thanks!
That’s a great question, David! But this may be best discussed with your pet’s veterinarian and/or nutritionist.
Brown rice is nutritious for dogs. One can give their dog brown rice in addition to his diet, but feeding it sparingly will help them to gain the necessary weight. The green peas are good for dogs and contains vitamins and minerals and are good for dog’s vision, skin, digestion, immune system, nerves, heart, and more. Spanish contains iron that will help for good hair growth.
https://devotedtodog.com/best-dog-foods-for-pitbulls/
this is a regular recipe with me. My Rottweiler is 9 years old and has a bad leg. This recipe keeps him happy and full and helps with his weight. Thank you very much
I have a rottie that has decided she no longer likes kibble of any kind! How much do you feed your rottie daily on this diet?
Can I use Chicken instead of turkey? It’s hard to find Turkey in my country.
Sure! 🙂
My Collie is 55 lbs. How much of this recipe should I be feeding her each meal. I feed her twice a day. She is a good weight right now and 3 year old.
Barbara, this may be best discussed with your pet’s veterinarian and/or nutritionist.
Feeding food like this is based on weight, 2-3% depending on activity level etc. then converted to cups. I’ve been feeding my westie homemade since he was a puppy. Not a vet, but that was the advice I was given to calculate, leave some room for treats by feeding a little less than the total amount.
This looks great. I was just looking into buying this pre made and it totaled about 200 bucks per month. This seems more sensible. I have a bulldog. How many servings did you give your dog per day.
Thanks for the help.
We feed our 3-yr old, 18-pound corgi one cup of food each day, supplemented by treats. This was decided after consulting our vet and a nutritionist. I recommend consulting with your own veterinarian to see what is best for your dog.
Planning on making this recipe for my Pomapoo. She’s a finicky eater and barely eats anything unless it’s what we’re eating. Do you add a supplement to this recipe to make sure they are getting the right amounts of nutrients/vitamins?
Yes, I add supplements/vitamins (ex. Balance IT® Canine) as directed by our vet/nutritionist.
I have the pickiest 12 pound chi-Yorkie mix ever. Think “refusing to eat the same food 2 days in a row” picky, even when it’s people food. She’s been like this since we adopted her at 4 months old, which was over 6 years ago.
Moxie had developed chronic diarrhea and was losing weight so I had to do something. I thought about ordering from a delivery service that makes food for dogs but the cost was way more than I could afford especially since I have 2 other rescues who need special expensive diets for urinary stones. I wasn’t sure where to start with making food for her but found this recipe and decided to try it.
It’s been 4 days and she’s still happily eating it twice a day. I never thought she would like something with zucchini and spinach but she is eating more on it than she ever has on prescription or commercial dog food. There’s no diarrhea and she seems to feel better now that she’s eating regularly. It was painful every day to offer various foods and have her walk away, knowing she was hungry but not interested in eating anything while I stressed over her nutrition.
I’m glad I tried it. 5 stars from Moxie!
I have not made this recipe yet. My commit/question is how much does this recipe make. It reads serving size is 1 cup, and servings per container 1 cup ??
Hi Tracy! The recipe yields roughly 8 cups. Hope that helps!