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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Hello!
I have two 4 year old Pomeranians and I have had them on a cooked diet since they were 8 weeks old. Your recipe
is very similar to mine, but I always use boiled beef liver as opposed to chicken or turkey. Then I add different veggies including carrots, lima beans, green beans, sweet potatoes, sometimes a small amount of corn, squash, blueberries and a little bit of olive oil. Then I add organic brown rice, but in small amounts. Usually the ratio is 50% protein, 30% vegetables and 20% grains. I feed them 1/3 of a cup in the morning and 1/3 cup at night. They love it!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
apologies, my puppy is a westie
Hi,
please can you tell me if I should add/substitute this mix for a 12 week old puppy?
Michelle, this is something that should be consulted with your veterinarian.
Thanks for your recipe. I will try to do it for my dogs. My mother made her own dog food for years. OUr large dogs lived 15-17 years under her care.
Hi Monica, do you know if your mom used supplements to their diet in addition to making the food? I’m not sure if I should add supplements and if so which ones? Thanks
This recipie was great! My little 10 y/o chihuahua with a picky tummy loved it! I substituted kale for spinach as spinach can lead to kidney damage in large quantities and added 2 eggs in while cooking the turkey. In the next batch I’m thinking of adding some fresh blueberries or pineapple. I portioned in small containers as she doesn’t eat much and this seems to freeze well also. Thanks a million!!
I feed my dog white rice, cottage cheese and boiled chicken and other ingredients. I watched Dr. Oz the other day and the show was about arsenic in white and brown rice. More so brown then white. They recommend boiling rice the same way as you would pasta with lots of water. Cook rice till tender then drain through mesh strainer. The rice is still just as good as cooked the other way but much more safe for you and you beloved pets. Please be sure to wash all veg. and fruits before cooking due to the fact of pesticides.
How do you measure fresh spinach?
Loosely in a measuring cup.
I have a service dog, lab also has allergies as well. Is this a good recipe. She needs a no grain diet.
Where’s the dairy in this recipe? I add a blob of cottage cheese to their bowls right at feeding time so it doesn’t get weird in the cooking process. I also sometimes add an egg to the food when I’m warming it up. My dogs can’t tolerate carrots (they come out undigested in their poops) so I omit that from the recipe, and sometimes I replace the brown rice with regular rice, black rice or quinoa. As for veggies I change them to wherever is safe and in season. Same with the meat, they’ve had everything from venison, freshwater fish, duck, pheasant and wild turkey…..depending what we’ve hunted/caught. It’s also way more economical to feed harvested meat and veggies than store bought, not to mention healthier. Thanks for a great base recipe!
Hi! I am just starting to do homemade food for my 12 year old daschund using the balance it supplements. When do you add it? They have two different formulas now, canine and canine plus (which can be heated). I got the regular canine formula and have been adding it right before I feed him. But, I am starting to think it would’ve been nice to add it when I make a big batch using Canine plus then I can heat it in microwave when I am ready for the individual serving. Love being able to create the different recipes on their site! What ratio protein/fat/carbs to do use in your recipes?
I prefer to add the supplements prior to serving, but as always, please use your best judgment.
As recommended by my veterinarian, I use BalanceIt.com to determine protein/fat/carbs.
Hi! I have been researching making my dogs food myself. This is not only because I want to save money but because I worry about what is really be putting in dog food. I am getting a new puppy in 4 weeks. Do you think this recipe is suitable for a puppy?
Misty, this is something that should be consulted with your veterinarian.
What is the suggested serving size per weight? I have 2 dogs and am trying to see how much I would need to make for a week.
Thanks,
Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
Hi
We’re moving our Lab onto homemade food to manage allergies and this recipe looks great. One question however, how much should I feed to my dog? He’s a large Lab (38kg)
Please consult with your pet’s veterinarian and use personal judgment when applying this information to your own dog’s diet.
One of my yorkshire terriers is a allergic to a lot of food, so I am always looking for more organic food, and then my sister enlightened me that you could make your own dog food, so here I am! This looks great for my yorkies and is high in protein, so thank you!
I was wondering how long this last in the freezer?
I’ve had them last for a few weeks but as always, please use your best judgment.
This is Great ! Is it ok for any dog? I mean i have Golden Retriever Puppy. (one year Old).
Also, Can i remove carrot form recipe? He don’t like 2 carrots. 🙂
Yes, you can omit certain ingredients that you see fit. That’s the beauty of home cooking! 🙂
I have three female chihuahuas. I usually purchase I/d prescription diet dry food, because they have gastrointestinal problems. Is there a special food that I can prepare for my girls. Because it is so expensive and I am limited in finances. Please if you have a recipe on hand, by all means could you email it to me. Bless you so much!
What is the serving size based on weight? And does it need to be doubled for a puppy?
Gericho, this is something that should be consulted with your veterinarian.
My dog loved this recipe! Thank you so much! Please post more.
I tried my dog on raw meat and it did not agree with her.
Had to stop it as after four days when she went to the toilet it had all turned a bright yellow.Vet said it was no good for her pancreas. So now looking for a homemade receipe as she seems to have been put off eating..Please do you have any ideas that will help.