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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Wonderful meal for my finicky chihuahua eaters!! Thanks so much, all 3 of them devoured it.
Add a tablespoon of powdered bone meal, a tsp of dried, powdered kelp, 1 tsp of brewers yeast and 5000 mg organic fish oil to make sure they get all the essential minerals they need! My 14 year old beagles love it! I also give them a little organ meat as a treat every 2-3 days, and extra nutrients. I mix up the brown rice with organic oatmeal. I make my own bone broth from chicken or beef bones to cook the grains. My pups don’t like peas, so i switch the veges around. they love pumpkin or butternut squash and green beans. actually I cook for them, and I share some of their food with them!!! I take some out without the fish oil or brewers yeast for me 🙂
Where do you recommend getting these supplements? Any particular brand?
Very helpful
Although I haven’t tried this recipe yet, I gave it 4 stars because of the brown rice. I just spoke with my veterinarian today about rice and was told that dogs can’t process brown rice like we can and should be given white rice. It may be better for us, but not our fur babies.
This webpage got me started on making homemade dog food for my 8-year old Pomeranian that we rescued from a shelter a year and a half ago. He has some heart damage from heartworms. For a year, I fed him a well-recommended dry dog food. He coughed up mucus, vomited, passed bloody, runny stools, and coughed all throughout the day and in the middle of the night. I switched him to homemade very quickly, not even mixing in much dry to aid in the switch. He go so much better immediately. Coughs in the morning and when he goes to bed. Very little during the day and never wakes us up in the middle of the night anymore. Never coughs up mucus, vomits, or passes blood. Stools are normal. His coat is so shiny now. He could hardly make it up the back stairs and now he tears around the backyard like a puppy. He weighs about 10 pounds and I’ve found I have to feed him a 1/2 cup in the morning and a 1/2 cup in the evening. I give him an omega 3 a couple times a week. Would like to add a vitamin, but haven’t yet. I looked up the list of recommended meats, vegetables, and grains on another website and rotate things, so he gets a variety. Not one problem from anything yet. He’s had brown rice, quinoa, hamburger, chicken, ground turkey, chicken gizzards and livers, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, peas, carrots, green beans, and some other misc. things. I do pulse everything in a food processor to break it up, but I don’t make it mushy. I do give him one “meaty bone” a day to give him a chance to chew on something. I don’t think he would have lived one more year the way he was going. I anticipate quite a few more years for him now. It’s not that hard if you make a large batch at once and freeze in one-week portions. Then I just scoop it out with a measuring cup. Individual servings frozen is too much work. Don’t forget to add enough olive oil or animal fat. He lost weight when I neglected this and was hungry all the time. It’s worth the effort!
I’d be careful with the spinach, especially if your dog has any kidney problems. Here’s AKC on spinach:
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/can-my-dog-eat-spinach/
Hi, with the threat of DCM in dogs and some breeds more so than others, that reports have linked to peas and lentils. Potdatoes they say are a nono. What dog food brand do you trust? What web site do you trust to gather information on home made dog food and how to store it properly to revent salmonella, etc type things. How long once unfrozen can you safely leave it out until your dog decides to eat it? What to do when your dog is picky and you want to change them over to home made dog food? Meat has to be top ingriedient because it has taurine which is good for a dog’s heart health. What of the supplements? How much do they cost? Bad when people can’t afford their dog’s food.
Any help would be wonderful!
Thank you!!!
Dogfoodadvisor.com
This is good as it stands, but is NOT a complete diet. Unless you are able to use a program to analyze the nutrient value, your dog may be missing out on some important stuff. I began making the food for my dogs, but I discussed it with my vet, who gave me some good advice. I also add, at each meal, a powdered supplement (1 tsp per dog … according to their weight) that provides vitamins, minerals and probiotics that are normally added to any commercially prepared dog food. I intend to keep making my pets food for as long as they are around. Better tummies, better elimination, and gorgeous coats. They also shed less!! But my dogs do not do well with brown rice … the hulls upset their stomachs, they do not do well with peas, unless I grind them up … and I make a great deal more than this in one batch. I do use the ground turkey, but there should also be some organ meats, like chicken livers. I use the squash, the spinach, sweet potato, finely grated carrot, chopped up no-salt canned string beans, and a host of other dog-safe veggies. I cook 3 cups of white rice. I add coconut oil. The meat and veg gets cooked in my Instant Pot. when I mix is all topgether and allow it to cool a bit, I portion it on large cookie sheets in serving portions of ⅓ C. Then freeze. When they are solid. I bag them up and have enough for my 2 dogs for about 2 weeks. It IS work … and it is a bit more expensive. But wre have no itching, no excessive shedding, no tummy upsets, and no gas!! Win.
Just my opinion from research, but white rice isnt the best. You should use brown rice or quinoa
Actually, white rice is easier to digest than brown rice, for dogs.
Recipe sounds good. Can I replace turkey with Salmon?
Hi Preeta! This would be best discussed with your vet and/or nutritionist.
I really don’t mind making fresh dog food. the only problem is he won’t eat it, I haven’t tried this one, so I will check this out and see what happens. I still give it a high rating because I want to find something my dog will eat and get him away from those store-bought foods that aren’t good for any of our animals!
Most dogfood in the market isnt all to bad blue wilderness is really great has no wheat or grain which can lead to an upset stomach. If you do an 80% dry food with 20% wet food. Most dogs will love you for it
The FDA has stated that grain free diets for dogs causes cardiomyopathy and has listed 16 grain free brands NOT to feed your dog. Dogs are domesticated and have to have some grain.
No, That is not what the FDA says; you are misinformed.
There is also absolutely zero nutritional requirement for grains or plants in the canine diet. You should especially read up on Dr. David Mech’s research.
Yes, they do. grain free diets are causing heart problems.
Great recipe my two pugs love homemade food. But I have noticed less bowel movements and it does seem that they have a harder time doing it. Does this mean they are not getting enough fat ?
Hi Sharon! This would be best discussed with your vet and/or nutritionist.
I Have heard before that the better the food the less bowel movements they will have.
Bowel movements are an effect of fiber, not fat. Add a heaping tablespoon of pureed pumpkin (make sure you don’t buy pumpkin pie mix) to each meal and you’ll really firm up your pup’s stool.
Totally agreed for adding pumpkin. I always include either pumpkin or squash as my vet recommended. Since then my dog has no problem on bowl movement.
Good recipe. I have been feeding something very similar to this to my 10-year-old golden retriever for about one year now. I believe he is allergic to chicken. His main protein now is ground turkey. I also occasionally give him fish and canned salmon. He seems to have difficulty with dairy products, so the soft bones in the canned salmon are a good source of calcium. I use a variety of veggies. Carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, frozen peas, fresh sugar snap peas, parsley, spinach, celery, zucchini,apples, blueberries, frozen green beans, canned green beans, canned pumpkin puree. I will never go back to commercial food. I also now give him one teaspoon per day of Seacure. His digestive woes are gone, his poos have returned to normal and are small and not stinky, he has gained a few much needed pounds and his coat is beautiful.
My boy weighs 80lbs, how much would you feed him? Would you give him the whole serving?
if your dog is allergic to chicken than he won’t be able to eat turkey My dog can not have chicken or beef only fish and she also takes a prescription drug for allergies
I also have a GSD with chicken allergies. Would you share your recipie and directions? Thanks!
I did this with my smaller dog. I do this know becaus my boy dog got kindy stones. So I am making it know for two large dogs now.
But I realized you ho through all that work and you put it in the Microwave, that kills all the good stuff. So now every morning I get my sauce pan out put we call it chicken soup for the dogs warm it up for two big dogs 60lbs and up,each with added dry food ,sometimes a raw egg and that’s it. I just want to put out their about the Microwave.
This is great! I sub out some ditalini for the rice so she won’t get bored, and also throw in green beans occassionly. Eats every bit!
Hi, do you not add supplements to the homemade meals?
Yes, I add supplements/vitamins (ex. Balance IT® Canine) as directed by our vet/nutritionist.
My dog has has had some runny diarrhea and upset stomach. Should this help? Vet says it’s nothing to do with an illness.
I have been using this recipe and a few others for over a year for the same reason; bad tummy and runny poop, and it has worked wonders for my dogs!
Looks great! Think I will be sharing from the doggie bowl with my furry baby
I just want to say thank you so much for coming out with this. I have a yorkie and we have tried soo many foods for her, after a few weeks she stops eating. She has never ate all of her food plus licked the bowl clean! I have an appt set up with the vet to consult to make sure she’s still getting all her nutrients but so far so good!
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! 🙂