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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This sounds easy and I’m sure my 84 pound Golden would love it, however, I have no idea of a serving size.
How Much do I feed my Mini Schnauzer who weighs 7,5 Kg or about 17 – 18 lbs
Hi, I thought dogs were not supposed to have rice ? Also should I add vitamins in it? About to try for my dog who is a very very picky eater.
According to my vet, feed a dog about 2X the amount you were giving of the dry food…. Hope this is helpful a bit. Think about the way that dry dog food expands in there tummy when it gets mixed with the stomach fluids and enzymes…
There is a conversion chart on Google. Dog food to home-made food conversions that will help
A healthy dog needs 2.5 percent of his ideal weight daily. Less if overweight, 2%, more if skinny and active, 3% of the weight they should be. Adjust for activity level too. Check out natural dog magazine site, pet food advisor etc.
This was exactly what I was looking for thank you very much
I have 2 dogs and they will not eat hardly anything unless they are starving, So, I made this today using ground been, White rice, Kale, Green beans drained, zucchini, carrots , put veggies into food process and cut up but not into mush. I drained the cooked ground beef really good.
It turned out delicious. To my husband and I I added Teriyaki sauce.
For the dogs, served plain. Before I could get ours served the dogs had everything ate and was licking the bowls all over the kitchen. I fed them some more. They instantly ate that also. I also added Dinovite to the dogs helping. I think it’s a keeper. I definitely will keep making it for hubby and I.
Thank you for the recipe.
After thawing the food in the fridge… can we serve directly or do we need to nuke it?
I warm the food in the microwave so it’s no longer cold. This helps bring the flavors to life. Just make sure it’s not too hot to eat.
Thank-you for the DIY recipe. Love making new dog treats 🙂
Sounds easy enough, pretty sure my guys would love this.
Question.. how much do you feed them ?
I have an overweight 11 year old Chihuahua that I currently have on a diet. Per the vet she gets only 230 cals per day. Does anyone know the calories in one batch of this?
I’ve made it for my girl in the past and she loved it! If I can add it back in to her rotation while being on the diet she would be so happy!
Responding to Chrissie: One of my pups put on some pounds. He is a rescue and a bulk eater due to previous food deprivation. We added cooked green beans to his food (frozen packs are cheap) which he likes and that really helped him with the weight loss without feeling deprived.
Can I freeze this recipe in portions
Of course you can. I do with no problem. That way you can make a batch every now and then.
I am making it right now, because my 12yo shih tzu/chi has allergies. My other dog is a shih tzu/yorkie and just 1yo. I want them to be healthy. Thanks for the base recipe. I will measure out and put in freezer bag. How many days worth would you freez at a time. I hate ro just keepa bag in the fridge for a week of it ahould stay frozen. How is everyone saving it?
I have two EXTREMELY picky eaters and tried just about every form and style of food on the market. This recipe was a miracle. They’ve been on it for over 4 months now and gobble it up like a dream. I sub in canned green beans for the peas periodically and they love it. Thank you!
This dog good recipe calls for .75 rice. Is that amount before or after being cooked? I don’t want to give my dog to much rice.
I have been making food for my dogs since 1980. I usually use chicken. The only veggie I have never used was zucchini. I liked the addition of zucchini and plan to add it to the dogs food from now on. I gave this recipe 5 stars because it is very much what I make. My dogs are healthy and happy. Glad you posted this delicious meal.
Patricia, would you share your original recipe. We have two Goldens who each weigh approximately 70 pounds each. Thank you!
I’d love to see your recipe also
Great recipe no doubt but in order to get adequate nutrition, some vitamins and minerals should be added. Fish oil for omega-3’s, flax seeds and or chia seeds are some staples to add to homemade dog food. Some may rotate a similar recipe with a bit of probiotic too. I always add organic bone broth for all-around wellness and a side bounds — it promotes a nice, shiny coat! This is a very great base and encourage anyone starting out to try this recipe!
Please could you tell me how much I should use of the vitamins in a whole batch of this dog food I have a Shiba Inu that is 12 lb.
How does an organic bone differ to a non-organic?
Make sure the bone broth has no onion in it!
Hi! This recipe is so simple and healthy. I love making human grade food for them.
We have four fur babies. For our senior dog under 5 lbs we are feeding her 1 oz twice a day. For our other dogs between 10-15 lbs (two are overweight and need to lose weight) we are feeding them 2 oz twice a day. This is the same measurements when they ate kibble.
I plan to keep this recipe in rotation so our dogs have a variety of foods.
Haha…my sis said the dogs eat healthier than her kids.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Love the idea of making your own homemade dog food – so much healthier than store-bought! Thanks for sharing…
When I originally found this site there were 3 recipes. I made the one with ground turkey (Harley LOVES it) and I have the salmon recipe. I can’t find the ground chicken recipe?
Hi, help! how much should i feed my 4 pounds tiny yorkie with this recipe? She is a very picky eater, And by the way would it be ok if i substitute ground turkey to lean ground chicken ?
Hi I have a quick question. Can your dog food recipes be home canned in a pressure cooker? They would be canned by the safe canning rules. Thank you
How much should I feed my overweight chihuahua? He’s 8lbs but should be close to half that! He needs to lose weight!
To everyone asking, a cup of this food has approximately 279 calories (see post further down). Google how many calories your dog needs daily and you can figure out how much to feed. For example: My fat, elderly dog who should weigh 50 pounds gets 3 cups of this daily plus a few treats. I figured that out by googling it.
Our dog, Jack loves this. His coat was dull and flaky, now is shiny. Friends have noticed how good he looks! Thanks
I have been using this recipe for about 6 weeks now because something either in the store bought food or treats I was buying my 1.5 yr old Havanese caused a food allergy reaction, and she was already a very picky eater.
Ever since I started with this recipe she is eager to eat (eats everything), her energy is higher, the allergy symptom went away and it is so easy and affordable to make. SO happy!
One thing I would like to confirm is the quantity. She is just over 10lbs. So far I give her 1 cup/ day and while she gained bit of needed weight I want to make sure that is right? Is there a way to find out how many calories per weight of food for this recipe?
I have been making this for our Furbaby for over a year now and I can’t tell you how much Clara loves it! She is 7 years old but when I get her food bowl out she starts doing spins and jumps. That was a first! I use ground turkey instead of chicken and add a little bit of salt. Dogs need salt and since I also make her treats, I know she isn’t getting any unless I add it. Clara is very picky about food and also has a very sensitive tummy, and this food has been fabulous for her. I do have a question tho….do you have any idea how many calories per cup? She is starting to get pudgy (could be the cookies I make for her….LOL). Thanks for great recipes!