Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Looking for a little extra way to spoil your dog?  Why not try providing homemade dog food, where you’re sure of the purity and proportion of the ingredients instead of buying the cheapest bag you find at the store.  In general, you want to keep your proportions to at least 1/3 protein and 2/3 grains and vegetables.  But beyond that, the possibilities are endless!

Good protein sources include ground beef, fish, poultry, and eggs.  You’ll want to keep it as lean as possible to guard against obesity.  You can add any kind of vegetable from sweet potatoes to carrots to broccoli, and grains such as oatmeal or rice.  Make sure to include plenty of calcium, which can come from egg shells or the soft bones often included in canned fish.  Another important ingredient is a little bit of fat, the best kind being omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which are found in fish.

With these general guidelines, you can create an unlimited number of combinations to keep your dog interested and engaged.  Having trouble getting started?  Here are a few ideas from our friends at AllRecipes.com.

Lucky & Rippy’s Favorite Dog Food

Ingredients

• 3 pounds minced chicken meat
• 2 1/2 cups frozen vegetable blend (no garlic or onions), minced
• 4 cups rice
• 6 1/2 cups water

Directions

1. Place chicken, vegetables, and rice into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Stir in water until the mixture is smooth. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Cool completely before serving; store covered in the refrigerator.

Lucy’s Recuperation Food (especially for upset tummies)

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 cups rice
• 1 (15 ounce) can cut green beans, drained

Directions

1. In a saucepan bring chicken broth to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Once rice has cooked, stir in drained green beans.
2. Cool to room temperature before serving; refrigerate leftovers.

Redgirl’s Homemade Dog Food

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 2 cups brown rice
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination

Directions

1. Place the water, ground turkey, rice, and rosemary into a large Dutch oven. Stir until the ground turkey is broken up and evenly distributed throughout the mixture; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Refrigerate until using.

Pampered Pooch Rice and Lamb Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups converted long-grain white rice
• 2 teaspoons safflower oil
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 cubes beef bouillon
• 1 pound lean ground lamb

Directions

1. Combine rice and safflower oil in a saucepan over medium heat; stir and cook 2 minutes. Add the water, thyme, and bouillon. Cover, and cook 15 minutes more over medium heat, or until liquid is absorbed.
2. Meanwhile, cook the ground lamb in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Drain, then stir into the rice along with the Monterey Jack cheese until the cheese melts. Cool completely before serving.

Poochie Meat Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups brown rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 large potatoes, grated
• 4 large carrots, grated
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped
• 6 pounds ground beef
• 8 eggs
• 1 dash salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease 36 cups of 3 large muffin tins.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, uncovered, and cook 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool several minutes, then fluff with a fork and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, celery, ground beef, and eggs. Mix ingredients together using your hands or a sturdy spoon. Add salt, olive oil, rolled oats, and rice; mix well.
4. Fill each muffin cup with some of the meat mixture, and pat down the to make it firm. Bake 45 minutes, or until surface feels set. Cool on a rack 10 minutes or longer.
5. Remove the meat cakes by turning the muffin tin upside down over a sheet of aluminum foil. Tap each muffin cup to release the cake. Refrigerate or freeze in sealed plastic bags. NOTE: Do not feed to dogs while still hot.

Doggy Meatloaf with Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 apple, cored and diced
• 2 eggs
• 2 slices white bread, torn into pieces
• 1 cup regular rolled oats
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 4 medium potatoes, cubed
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, cubed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a large roasting pan with oil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, 3 stalks of celery, grated carrots, apple, eggs, bread, oats, wheat germ and tomato paste using your hands. Divide the meat mixture into four equal parts and make loaf shapes. Place the loaves in the roasting pan. Surround them with the potatoes, remaining carrots and remaining celery. Cover the pan with a lid.
3. Bake for 80 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the meat is cooked through. The internal temperature should be 175 degrees F (80 degrees C) when taken with a meat thermometer. Allow to cool.
4. Portion the food into containers with one loaf and one quarter of the vegetables in each one. Refrigerate. To serve, give your dog 1/3 of a container with each portion of kibble.

The BEST Doggy Biscuits

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, cornmeal and salt. Mix in the oil, egg and water to make a soft dough that is not too sticky. You may add more flour if needed. Roll teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until nicely browned and firm. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Now that we’ve gotten you started, be creative!  Provide your dog with a wide variety of different foods, and you’ll provide natural nutrition without any fillers or mystery items that the commercial dog food makers often include.