Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes
- Chicken Casserole:. Directions: Cook the chicken, rice, and veggies separately. Once they are ready, pour them into a...
- Doggie Meat Loaf:. Directions: Mix everything and roll into a loaf. Put it in a roasting pan with potatoes and bake...
- Chicken and Rice:. Directions: Cook together, adding the vegetables last, before the meat is...
Full Answer
What are the best ingredients for homemade dog food?
- 6 cups water
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 cups brown rice
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination
How to make easy, healthy dog food?
- Specially formulated to balance and support the gastrointestinal tract
- Contains six different probiotic strains
- Treat-like flavor
How to save money with homemade dog food cooking?
Why Make Your Own Dog Food?
- Lack of Industry Regulation. There are very few regulations over the pet food industry in the United States. ...
- Control and Customization. When you prepare your dog’s food yourself, you have a lot more control over what they eat. ...
- Increased Nutrient Consumption. ...
- Avoid Additives. ...
What foods to avoid in a homemade dog diet?
What Should You Avoid When Making Homemade Dog Food?
- Unhealthy filler ingredients
- Untrusted brands
- Unhealthy ingredients
- Overfeeding
What homemade food is good for dogs?
If you prefer to feed your dog a mixture of kibble with add-ins, some good options would be:a whole egg (you can give it raw or you can cook it)a can of cooked salmon.mixed vegetables raw or steamed.a small portion of cottage cheese or yogurt.leafy greens such as kale or spinach (helps to digest the kibble)
How do I make sure homemade dog food is nutritious?
Cook grains, beans, and starchy vegetables to make them easier to digest. Never add foods that are toxic to dogs. These include chocolate, grapes, raisins, onions, garlic, avocados, and Macadamia nuts. If you want to mix things up, do it with the treats you feed.
Can I feed my dog homemade food instead of dog food?
Do Vets Recommend Homemade Dog Food? No, most vets don't recommend making dog food yourself because of the risk that you will forget essential nutrients and other health concerns. There are some exceptions, and your vet may suggest homemade foods to meet your dog's nutritional needs if they are precise.
Is it cheaper and healthier to make your own dog food?
Homemade meals may even make it possible to feed your dog well for less. Even when you add the cost of a vitamin/mineral supplement and calcium, it can still cost less than commercial food.
How much homemade food should I feed my dog per day?
The rule of thumb is about 2 to 3 percent of body weight for adult dogs and cats. That translates to about 16 ounces of food for a 50-pound dog, or 4 ounces of food for a 10-pound cat.
What vitamins should be added to homemade dog food?
Most common dog supplements recommended to add to homemade dog food recipes include:Multivitamin supplements.Hip and joint supplements.Omega-3 essential fatty acids (fish oil)Vitamins A & E.Calcium.Protein supplements.
Is Scrambled egg good for dogs?
How To Feed Your Dog Eggs. Eggs should be cooked before given to a dog. Cook or boil eggs plain without oil, butter, salt, seasoning, spices, or other additives. It doesn't matter how your dog likes their eggs — sunny side up, scrambled, or hard boiled — as long as they are cooked.
Do dogs live longer on homemade food?
Indeed, the statistical study showed that dogs fed with industrially processed food live an average of 10.4 years, while dogs fed with home-made food can reach an average age of 13.1 years. Increased lifespan is just one advantage of feeding your dog a raw food diet.
Which is better dog food or homemade?
As long as your pet's nutritional needs are met, it doesn't really matter if he or she eats store-bought or homemade food. Unfortunately, too often, homemade food lacks key nutrients.
What can I feed my dog instead of dog food?
RefrigeratorPlain, low-fat Greek yogurt.Mild cheeses, such as American.Cooked white or sweet potatoes.Cooked eggs, such as scrambled eggs.Rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed.Cooked lean meat, such as chicken, beef, or turkey.Cooked or raw fresh vegetables, such as carrots, corn, and broccoli.More items...•
What veggies are good for dogs?
Carrots, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, and bananas are packed with important vitamins, along with potassium, which is good for a dog's muscles, nerves, and kidneys. Their fiber can also help dogs stay regular. Oranges are great source of vitamin C.
Is chicken and rice a good diet for dogs?
The protein and starch combination that exists in a meal of chicken and white rice has the potential to stimulate a dog's appetite. Both chicken and rice are also very healthy for pups. Chicken is high in protein, which makes it a great source of energy for dogs.
What Are The Benefits Of Homemade Dog Food?
Homemade dog food can benefit your canine companion in a number of ways — especially if you have a pet who suffers from allergies, skin problems, or gastrointestinal sensitivity.
What Nutrition Guidelines Should You Follow?
Just like humans, every dog is different, so this is not meant to be a one-pup-fits-all rule. Serving size, your dog’s weight, health conditions, size, and activity level are all factors you should take into consideration when determining what’s right for your dog.
Homemade Dog Food Delivered
In the age of UberEats, DoorDash, and having just about anything you wish delivered, you also have the option to buy fresh, natural dog food for doorstep delivery. It can be a huge time-saver and may be worth the cost after you add up all the ingredients you’ll need to buy to cook a recipe.
Our Favorite Homemade Dog Food Recipes
We’ve written up some of our favorite dog food recipes to share with you. To jump to a recipe you’re interested in, click on the link below. We also have some yummy organic dog treat recipes and treats made with Thanksgiving leftovers.
CBD-Infused Dog Treats
You can purchase already-made CBD dog treats, but if you want to take a whack at making your own, here’s a recipe. Be sure to tell your vet that you’re adding CBD to your dog’s diet. Check with the manufacturer’s dosing guidelines of the CBD product you plan on giving your dog to make sure you’re giving the proper amount.
Beef Stew, Doggie Style
This recipe is loaded with iron from fresh protein and can be stored in your fridge for most of the week (or frozen and heated up later).
Turkey, Rice, And Veggie Mix
This is an excellent, low-calorie and low-fat recipe for pooches who may need to keep the pounds off. With a good balance of lean animal protein, healthy carbs, and veggies, it yields 12 cups of dog food and can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
The ABCs of a Balanced Dog Food Diet
Understanding the basics of what makes a homecooked diet balanced for your dog will help when you discuss the options with an expert. Here are important ingredients for the canine diet.
Making the Transition
If you’ve decided to transition your dog to a homemade diet, your first step should be to consult a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist. Those experts will consider your dog’s age, size, and health history and help you identify a high-quality recipe that is tailored to meet your dog’s specific nutritional needs.
Resources for the Chef
Your best resource and first stop is your dog’s veterinarian, who knows your dog and has a thorough understanding of his health history and current condition.
1. Easy Crockpot Dog Food
Chungah proves that making dog food at home is not only cheaper, but healthier too. You have full control over the ingredients, and so your fur-baby will eat nothing but the best. If your looking to lean up the meal a bit, replace the ground beef with ground turkey or chicken to curb some of those extra calories and fat.
2. Homemade Turkey and Rice Dog Food
Looking to make something quick and easy? Try a simple 4-ingredient recipe of Turkey, Rice, Broccoli, and a pinch of Rosemary. We definitely recommend cutting up the brocolli into smaller bits to ensure there is no choking hazard, since we all know some dogs don't chew as much as they should.
3. Make Ahead Doggie Stew
Here's another healthy time saver for your pup, making a stew ahead of time and freezing the leftovers until needed. Making use of nutrient-rich ingredients and a slow cooker, SkinnyMs has created a really high quality food source that humans and dogs can appreciate.
4. Crockpot Chicken
Another awesome crockpot recipe, this time just using some simple ingredients such as: Chicken, Rice, Green beans, Sweet Potato, and Carrots - all good stuff that will keep your dog fueled and happy. The best part is this recipe comes with a how-to video so you can follow their exact process.
5. Turkey and Veggie Dog Food
SkinnyMs is on our list twice, and for good reason - she makes awesome recipes! This is a fantastic blend of turkey, organs, and some nutrient rich veggies. Make sure you make enough for leftovers, using ziplock bags or containers so that you'll have enough for the whole week!
6. Beefaloaf Meatloaf
Yeah, you read that right - BEEFaloaf, and your dog will love it. It's exactly how it sounds too, just make some meatloaf with all your dogs favorites: beef, eggs, and veggies. Then just bake in the oven for 40 minutes and you're all set to spoil your fur baby.
7. Easy Slow Cooker Dog Food
Slow cooker recipes are especially good just for their time saving - since you may be making dog food each week. This is another simple recipe that you can create in just 20 minutes, using a combination of beef and anti-oxidants. If you want to lean things up a bit just swap the beef for chicken or turkey.
1. Homemade Chicken Dinner for Dogs
Dogs love chicken, and it can be an easy meat ingredient to use for homemade dog meals. While you can swap out some of the vegetables in this recipe, avoid onions, and if you use carrots cook them well. Carrots can be hard for dogs to digest.
2. Homemade Fish Dinner for Dogs
Fish is a wonderful meat choice for dogs, but your dog doesn’t need to go catch them. The healthy omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are good for your dog’s skin and coat. Some dogs may be allergic to fish, so if your dog starts to itch a lot when eating a fish diet check with your veterinarian.
3. Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Dinner for Dogs
Broccoli is a great treat for dogs, whether you feed it as a snack or in their meals. It can promote fresh breath and it’s rich in calcium. This particular meal is great to help ensure your dog has a well-balanced mealtime.
5. Homemade Doggy Dessert Dinner
As mentioned previously, fruit is good for dogs. While they don’t normally enjoy citrus and they should not be fed grapes, there are many other fruit choices that are very palatable for dogs. Your dog might even like to snack on fresh frozen fruits just as a simple treat. Blueberries are perfect for that!
How to Ensure Proper Nutrition in Homemade Dog Food
You’ll want to keep an eye on health, make adjustments when needed, and don’t overfeed them. You can also check with your veterinarian to make sure you are getting them what they need or if you need to add a supplement.
Best Dog Food Cookbooks
Five recipes are only good for a start. For even more recipes than we’ve outlined in this post, consider the following dog cookbooks so you can test out other feasts and carefully round out your dog’s diet.
Raw Dog Food & Frozen Dog Food
If you read through this whole post and decided you don’t want to make food from scratch for your dog, but you don’t want to stick with conventional dry dog food either, we recommend the following options that are just about as good as homemade:
Top 10 Healthy Dog Food Recipes
This recipe is so easy, it only has one step: combine the ingredients! Your pup will love the mixture of ground beef, protein-packed eggs, and dog-friendly herbs like parsley.
Dog Food Recipe Tips
Trying new foods is fun for humans, but it can be hard on our pets’ stomachs. The most important thing to remember is to change your dog’s diet slowly. Veterinarians recommend mixing new foods with your dog’s previous food. Start with about 25% new food and 75% old food. Then gradually increase the amount of new food until you reach 100%.
Storing Your Homemade Dog Food
These recipes are really simple, but you probably don’t have time to cook a full meal for yourself and your dog every night. An easy solution? Make a big batch and divide it into individual portions. Put each meal in a Ziploc bag in the freezer and pull it out at dinner time!
Making Your Own Dog Food: The Bottom Line
Now that you’ve learned how to make homemade dog food quickly and easily. We hope you’ve found your new favorite healthy dog food recipe. Cater to your furball’s specific dietary needs, learn a new cooking skill, and maybe even save a little money. Your dogs will love their upgraded diets!