Homemade dog food recipes and their endless health benefits…
Woof Woof!!! Did the word benefit grab your attention Paw-rents? 🐶
‘Thank you for sparing me from all those store-bought foods with these amazing homemade delicacies’- this is what your doggo will say while having their meal, mark my words.
Gastrointestinal disorders are common in dogs just like humans. I have heard this from my friends for a long time but only believed it to be confirmed once I became a dog mom.
Most often, GI disorders with your four-legged baby can result from infection from viruses, bacteria, parasites, certain medicines, or even store-bought food or treats you serve them. Symptoms you might notice include diarrhea, abdominal pain, vomiting, dehydration, and more.
Besides these, with news of commercial dog food package recalls circulating the news, it is important for us as dog owners to learn a few good homemade dog food recipes.
All these recipes that I will be sharing with you are vet-approved, rich in essential nutrients your dog needs as well, and best in taste.
Needless to say, dogs love homemade food but cooking for your pooch is different than cooking for yourself and your family.
There are a lot of ingredients that dogs are forbidden from having. And a lot of things that they can have while you prefer discarding.
Should You Feed Your Dog A Homemade Diet?
With all the reasons highlighted in our previous section, there is a growing trend among dog owners to provide their dogs with a homemade diet.
This will help you to control the amount of ingredients you want to add to your dog’s meal, making it more flavorful, and healthy together.
However, there are some important facts that you need to consider when preparing a homemade dog food recipe.
- Find e recipe that is well-balanced and complete. An incomplete imbalanced diet can have a negative effect on your pooch’s health.
- Measure the ingredients correctly before you start preparing the food.
- If your dog has any kind of allergies, keep in mind the ingredients they are not allowed to consume.
Dog Nutrition Chart Every Pet Owner Should Follow
Providing your dog with a tasty meal is just not enough. It is important to ensure that you are offering them a meal rich in all the essential nutrients their body requires for everyday function.
In this context, realize that your dog’s nutritional needs are different from that of your dog’s. This means the idea of sharing your lunch or dinner with your dog is definitely not a good idea.
On the contrary, feeding your dog an imbalanced diet can result in nutrient deficiencies. This can further give rise to various health complications that you would prefer to avoid at any cost.
When making homemade dog food recipes, make sure to include a proper balance of carbohydrates, protein, fiber, and fat. In addition, include ingredients or supplements rich in vitamins and minerals to complete the diet.
The daily calorie intake of dogs is much higher to help them meet their energy requirements. This depends on the age of your dog and their activity level. Talk to your dog’s vet to determine the amount of calories it needs every day.
Common Ingredients Safe For All Dogs
Carbohydrates
- Rice, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Pasta, Oatmeal, Pearled Barley, Quinoa
Protein
- Fish, Chicken, Turkey, Beef
Fiber
- Carrots, Peas, Green Beans, Brown Rice, Flaxseeds, Apples, Pumpkin
Fats
- Salmon Skin, Fish Oil, Flaxseed Oil, Soybean Oil, Canola Oil,
Must Have Accessories To Prepare Homemade Dog Food Recipes
As you plan to make your dog healthy homemade recipes, make sure to get these accessories for proper portioning of the food.
- Food Scale
- Food Processor
- Pots and Pans
- Storage Bags/Containers
When buying ingredients for homemade dog food recipes, get only high-quality fresh ingredients. Make sure the kitchen area is clean and free from any contaminants harmful to dogs.
You can always make food for your dog in bulk and store it in the freezer. However, vets recommend providing frozen food to your dog within two months from the date of preparing and storing it.
Some frozen homemade dog food is good for up to 6 months but anything beyond that is not considered safe.
Any refrigerated food is expected to stay fresh and healthy for 3 days from the day it is prepared.
When switching your dog from store-bought food to homemade food, begin with small amounts to see whether your dog likes the new diet or not.
6 Best Homemade Dog Food Recipes You Must Try
To help my dog lead a healthy life, the thought of making homemade dog food struck my mind. As I was looking through the internet and seeking help from my friends, here are some of the recipes I have tried and got a 5-star rating from my fur baby!
- Meat and Vegetables in Coconut oil
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients you will need:
- Turmeric powder
- Coconut oil 2 Tablespoons
- Fresh boneless meat 2 ½ pounds (turkey, chicken, pork, lamb, beef)
- Fresh vegetables your dog loves (cabbage, carrots, green beans, peas, broccoli, celery)
- Cooked Rice 1 pound or Complex carbohydrate (quinoa, oatmeal, lentils, sweet potato, winter squash)
- Clean and crushed eggshells 4
Preparation:
- Take an iron or non-stick skillet and heat it to medium-high. Once it’s heat enough, melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Make sure the surface is well coated.
- Wash the meat and season it with turmeric powder.
- Add the meat to the skillet. Saute it slowly on both sides until cooked.
- Once done, cut the meat into thin chunks, usually 1-inch chunks.
- Chop the vegetables you have picked in equal size to the meat.
- Since we are using cooked rice here, leave it whole. But if your dog loves other sources of carbohydrates like sweet potato, cut it into 1-inch chunks.
- Add the chopped meat, veggies, and cooked rice and mix together.
- Add the crushed eggshells to this mix. The eggshells should be finely grounded to avoid choking your dog.
- Do ensure the mixture is fine and not mushy. Once you have mixed all the ingredients well, it is time to transfer the mix to a clean and large bowl.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Or you can divide the food into portions and store it separately. This makes it easy to serve your dog and ditch the need to scoop every time.
Courtesy: Garden Betty
- Turkey over Rice
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients you will need:
- Ground turkey 1 pound
- Brown rice 2 cups
- Dried rosemary 1 teaspoon
- Water 6 cups
- Fresh Vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)
Preparation:
- Heat a large deep cooking pot and place the grounded turkey, brown rice, water, and rosemary into it.
- At high heat keep stirring for 5 minutes until the meat is evenly distributed. Reduce the heat to medium or low and let it simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Add the chopped vegetables, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Once the preparation looks well cooked, remove it from the heat and let it cool before refrigerating.
Courtesy: All Recipes
- Boiled Chicken Breasts with Rice and Veggies
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients you will need:
- Boneless and skinless clean chicken breasts
- White rice
- Vegetables your dog loves
- Pinch of salt
Preparation:
- Take a deep cooking pan and heat water in it.
- Then add the raw chicken breasts and rice. Let them boil together for 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped veggies to the half-boiled rice and chicken and let boil for another 20 minutes. (My dog loves carrots, broccoli, and beans; you can use other vegetables your doggo loves)
- Add a pinch of salt to taste.
- Once cooked, turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Upon cooling, shred the chicken using two forks and mix well with the rice and veggies.
- Transfer the mix to a bowl. Seal the bowl and store it safely in the refrigerator.
- You can also divide the mix into portions in zip-lock bags before storing them in the freezer.
Courtesy: Pawsome Recipes
- Sweet Potato and Meat
Cook Time- 30 Minutes
Ingredients you will need:
- Sweet potato chunks 1-inch thickness
- Finely chopped carrots
- Finely chopped spinach
- Brussels sprouts
- Brown rice/lentils
- Ground beef
- Water
Preparation:
- Cook the brown rice or lentils (whatever you are using) up to 90%
- Cook the ground meat in a deep cooking pot at medium heat. Toss until it turns brown.
- Once done, add the chopped vegetables and rice to it and mix well.
- Keep sauting at low heat until the rice is fully cooked and the vegetables turn soft.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool before transferring to air-tight containers or zip-lock bags for storage.
Courtesy: The Almond Eater
- Sardines, and rice cubes
Cook Time- 15 minutes
Ingredients you will need:
- 6-12 deveined sardines
- Boiled white rice
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
Preparation:
- Heat water in a deep cooking pot Add turmeric to the water and let the sardines boil in it for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the sardines and let cool.
- Upon cooling, transfer the sardines and rice to the food processor and paste it.
- Form cubes out of the paste and store them in the freezer. I serve these fish cubes to my dog as a side with his favorite veggies or fruits for the meal.
Courtesy: Petreddit
- Salmon and Egg Kebab over brown rice
Cook Time- 20 Minutes
Ingredients you will need:
- 10 Salmon fillets
- Curd 1 tablespoon
- Turmeric 1 teaspoon
- 1 Large egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- Cooked brown rice
Preparation:
- Marinate the salmon fillets* with curd and turmeric, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Coat the fillets with the egg white properly.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large pan at high heat.
- Once the oil is well heated, reduce the heat to medium and start frying the fish fillets.
- Make sure to fry them evenly on both sides.
- Close the lid of the pot while frying to retain the smell and taste of salmon.
- After you are done frying the fish, add the egg yolk to the same oil and cook well.
- Garnish the salmon-egg kebabs with scrambled egg yolk and serve your dog with cooked brown rice.
- Store the remaining part of the recipe in the freezer in an airtight container.
*You can use Tilapia fillets too
Courtesy- Petreddit
**Point To Remember: Meal portions for each dog are likely to differ depending on their biology- including size, weight, breed, and age. Consult your vet before deciding on the meal portions when trying any of these homemade dog food recipes.**
Wrapping Up
If you have been feeding your dog commercially packed food for a long time and thinking of switching to homemade food recently, it is important to closely monitor your dog during meal time. Look for signs indicating whether they are fond of the homemade dog food recipes you are offering and enjoying it, or looking for something else.
Not having their meals properly can lead to malnutrition and health issues in your dogs. Keep a record of your dog’s weight from time to time and get in touch with your vet if and when needed.
FAQs
What ingredients should be there in homemade dog food?
Any homemade dog food recipe you are making for your dog should have proteins (meat, fish, eggs), carbohydrate (white rice, brown rice, lentils, quinoa, oatmeal), fat (fish oil, soyabean oil/any vegetable oil), vitamins and minerals (mostly available in fresh green vegetables and fruits).
What homemade food is good for dogs every day?
Homemade foods containing ingredients like rice, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, eggs, and peanut butter are safe for your dog for daily consumption. As responsible pet parents, make sure to keep away any food ingredient your dog is allergic to.
Is milk good for a dog?
Cow milk is not safe for any dog at any given age despite of being rich in protein and minerals like calcium essential for a dog’s growth. This is because cow milk constitutes a sugar referred to as lactose which dogs cannot digest as they lack the enzyme needed for digesting it. Hence feeding cow milk can result in gastrointestinal complications in dogs.
