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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How much food should I feed a 100lb dog? He’s 12 years old so doesn’t have high energy anymore. He’s a golden so will eat any amount of food if given to him. I want to make his meals.
Barbara, I just joined this site and have figured on about 2-3% of your dog’s weight per day. For your older fellah about 2% of body weight – about 3 lbs/day. I have a 200 lb English Mastiff. That is about 5-6 lbs/day. You’ve likely got an answer, but just in case…. Hope it helps.
I made a batch yesterday and thought my finiky dogs would never touch this…they gobbled it up!
Do you drain the fat/juice from the meat before stirring in the veggies?
Yes, you can drain the excess fat.
I I would like to make this for my Cavs, but don’t know how much to feed them . At present I feed them 1/3 cup of dry food 2x a day. Please let me know.
Peggy
I have made this. I wanted to get away from kibble, even though using for years a ‘healthier’ kind. (It is scary how unhealthy any kibble is for our babies.) This recipe was enjoyed by my dogs & I believe this is a healthier alternative by far to commercial kibble. Easy to make & one batch – or doulbe batch – frozen in daily consumption servings for your baby(ies) is definitely the way to go. That said, it is important to note that whether or not your precious gems have bladder/kidney issues or you just want to do what you can to prevent these issues, read up on how/why stones form. Two of my aging babies have had UTI problems, one having Calcium Oxalate DiHydrate stones removed from her bladder, the other recurring bladder infections which actually lead to stones. Since I have learned this I make my own ‘dog food’ as well (which is really people food that I give to my dogs). (Smiling aren’t you? It just sounds better {bc it is} better.) I printed out a chart from Greenopedia.com that lists alkaline vs. acidic foods. IMPORTANT: You will want to choose mostly from the alkaline chart. My non-professional though lengthy research results in an 80% alkaline 20% acidic balance for bladder health in susceptible dogs, 60/40 in non-susceptible dogs, or dogs w/o bladder issues as yet. IMPORTANT: RESEARCH what to NEVER give your dogs as this list, and many others, have most likely been created for people not dogs, i.e. avocados, grapes, nuts, dairy, etc. are toxic to our pets (aspca.org). Good luck & may God Bless all our furry friends w/ good health & loving cuddles!
Is there a need to add nutritional supplements?
Yes, but this should be consulted with your pet’s veterinarian as supplements can vary by breed and weight.
Can you tell me why you need to heat the food up
Warm foods are essentially more palatable, no? 🙂
Penny and Tucker love this recipe! They are satisfied for the morning and both not chewing on their paws. (They were both licking). Its so easy to fix. When it’s done I fill up cupcake trays and freeze them and when frozen I put the frozen portions in a freezer bag. It then takes a day to defrost so I pull out tomorrows portion at the time I feed them today.
Teri, how much of this food do you give to your dog? My dog is 70 lb german sheppard and border collie. Thanks
Thanks a lot for sharing this. I am definitely going to try this for my doggos.
Sounds great but You can not feed dogs olive oil. It causes pancreatitis
What would the daily serving size be for a 70 lbs dog??
Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
The recommended amount for the size of dog so as not to over feed or underfeef.
So how many cups to weight of dog??
Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
I am very interested in getting all of your DIY
dog food recipes. Thanks!
Donna & Dusty
can lean beef or ground meat be used as a variety?
Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
what can you do with the portions? How long refrigerate? Can you freeze?
Methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with. Hope that helps!
This one looks really easy to make. I think my doggos will love this food.
What about organ meat??? I’ve been making turkey with 3 types of green vegetables, kidney beans and other items, but I keep reading about organ meat. Any thoughts?
Carolyn, this may be best consulted with your veterinarian.
The recipe is great and simple! But I wonder why the cholesterol content is so high? 49%
I’ve made this recipe but not sure how much for each meal any suggestions
Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
Thanks for the recipe, I was having major challenges with my dogs digestion and we were getting no answers from the Vet. I had her on a bland diet for far too long so I needed to do something fast, and that’s when I found your recipe. I made her first batch on July 15th and she’s had a healthy reaction and solid consistency ever since (knock, knock). I feed her 1 cup twice per day. I sent an email over to our vet with the recipe and asked if the nutritional value was right for our dog and she referred me to a “Veterinary Nutritionist” and/or “Balance IT… is it weird that she wouldn’t be able to tell me? Anyway I’d just like to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart. My Dog Bronx loves the food and its easy to make, especially when considering the alternative. You’ve changed out lives!
That’s really awesome to hear, Erik – thanks so much for sharing! We’re happy your little pup is doing so much better!
my mom “homemakes” food for her dog, which usually consists of pieces of meat from a rotisserie chicken and some canned veggies like green beans. the dog is elderly and super picky, sometimes snubs her nose to the food and eats the cat’s instead. i told my mom this recipe — only because if she’s feeding the dog homemade food, i want her to have a balanced diet. my mom and sister were very skeptical about the recipe. they had seen the dog walk away from her food numerous times. however, she *loves* this food so much that she never walks away, eats it all, and eats twice as much as she was with the rotisserie chicken/canned veggie meal. when mom told me, i had to leave a comment. thank you! we’re very impressed.
Thank you, Evelyn!