Homemade Dog Food
Homemade Dog Food
I’ve lived in many different neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area over the years, but I like the East End of town the most because it’s close to everything – the parkway, restaurants and clothing stores all are within walking distance.
Something else I noticed when I moved to town 14 years ago – almost everyone in this area has a pet. The most common pets, it seems, are dogs. I’ve seen Chihuahuas, Terriers, Labs, Golden Retrievers and Pomeranians. If you own a dog, you know how much time and consideration it takes to be a responsible pet owner. You also know that pets can become an important part of the family, so it’s essential to make sure they’re healthy and happy.
I try to take my dog Sasha for a walk every day, but during the winter months it’s just impossible. She gets minimal exercise and is most comfortable burrowing under a blanket for warmth. The combination of her lack of exercise and irregular meals (and too many treats) contributed to her sudden and quite drastic weight gain.
I knew that action was needed, but I also knew that it would be difficult to start her on a new diet, minus the store-bought dog treats. After doing some research, I came up with a homemade dog food recipe. Before you try this for your pet, you may to talk to your vet. I’ve heard over and over again that you’re only supposed to give your dog approved food from an approved provider, but I’m not sure I agree. After feeding my dog with this recipe for the past three months, I’ve noticed her health improve considerably and she’s even dropped weight.
You will need:
Sharp Knife
Ingredients:
1 pound each of either, organic cooked chicken, pork, turkey or lean beef
1 cup of chopped carrots
1 cup pureed un-cooked peas
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup uncooked oatmeal
The whites of four hard-boiled eggs
Directions:
Cube up the cooked meat and place in the food processor. Pulse the meat a few times, remove, and set in a bowl. Next, place the chopped, raw carrots in the processor, pulse and place in the bowl with the meat. Add the cooked rice and peas to the mixture. Chop up the cooked egg-whites and add them to the meat mixture with the uncooked oatmeal. Using a wooden spoon, stir the entire mixture until well incorporated.
At this point, I place two to three ounces of the dog food in small Ziploc bags and place them in the freezer. Every night before I go to bed, I pull out a bag of the dog food and place it in the fridge so that it’s ready for the next day.
This homemade dog food has plenty of protein, a small amount of fat and adequate amounts of fiber to keep your dog happy and healthy.
If your dog doesn’t care for peas or carrots, try other veggies. You can also use legumes in place of the brown rice.
Enjoy!
Chef Chuck Kerber
Cooksandeats.com
chuck@cooksandeats.com
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This sounds like a hearty, and delicious recipe for the puppies! I like the addition of eggs. I had a dog that had severe allergies, and mostly to chicken. Unfortunately chicken is in everything. So we cooked for her everyday, and she did fantastic!!! I really believe in more natural approach for pet food, so much gross stuff in store bought pet food. Thank you for sharing!!!
Take care,
Terra
Thanks Terra…your blog is AWESOME~~!
Great idea with the homemade dog food! We try to keep our dogs on dry food (the wet stuff does a number on their stomachs), but I’m willing to give this one a go! =)
Thanks! I hope that you’re able to give it a try!
Chef Chuck
What an unexpected post but I love it! I recently received a SmartPak catalogue that offered packets of vegetables to add to your dog food to boost you canine’s nutrition. You have it all covered here. Maybe it will cancel out some of the surprising things my lab/retriever finds and gulps down. (I don’t even want to imagine!)
My little buddy Pete just gave this a paws up!
Can’t wait to try it.
Jason
Hilarious!
Thanks for the feedback Jason!
Good recipe, similar to what I feed my 3 dogs (minus the oatmeal because of food sensititvity issues with one of them). I’m glad to hear that your dog is doing well on it. My 3 are all healthier on a homecooked diet than they ever were on kibble. It’s interesting, isn’t it, how the dog food industry has managed to convince dog owners that their dogs cannot survive on anything but commercial dog food. Their marketing strategies are remarkable effective.
Just a note though – if you are going to feed home cooked over the long term you need to add calcium to balance out the high phosphorus in the meat.
You’re the best! You read my mind and I plan to get started sooner rather than later. My furry babies will be so pleased!!
Awww- we love our pets!