The Ideal Dog Diet!
Take a whiff of your dog’s food. Mmm, appetizing isn’t it? Now, of course it smells a lot better to your dog, but let’s face it – it’s nothing special. Just like you, your dog wouldn’t want to eat the same food every single day even if it was his favorite food. But, that’s a dog’s life for ya. Once in a while, or even every day, it’s a good idea to include homemade dog food recipes in your dog’s diet.
A truly responsible dog owner wants to feed their dog the best possible diet. This means healthy food with good nutritional value, and once in a while, variety.
Commercial dog foods are full of filler and preservatives. Some dogs even suffer from dog food allergies, from the cereal contents which make up 50% or more of the kibble, and which, by the way, offer your dog nothing in terms of nutrition.
Cooking homemade dog food recipes, allows you to be sure that your dog is getting the best.
Very important reading: Before you leap into the homemade dog food recipes, please read about the B.A.R.F. raw dog food diet.
In that article, I discuss in great detail which foods you can, and cannot, feed to your dog. I’ve also outlined a lot of the pros and cons, smart shopping habits, and more – consider that page a partner to this one.
In short, homemade dog food recipes offer your dog a lot of health benefits – everything from stronger teeth and gums, healthier skin and coat, better muscle development, heightened immunity to illnesses, more energy, and a longer life.
Please read the article linked above before you cook for your dog –
it’s very important to get this right!
Now, here are the homemade dog food recipes:
Homemade Dog Food Recipe #1:
The Loafer
Cost: About $10
Time: About an hour
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups of breakfast oats (not instant)
- 1/2 a cup cottage cheese
- 2 whole eggs
- 3 cups ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, or buffalo – don’t mix multiple meats)
- 3/4 cup of grated vegetables: mix broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, and zucchini
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly by hand. Press the mixture into a suitable meatloaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes.
Homemade Dog Food Recipe #2:
Super Slop!
Cost: About $7
Time: About 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 or 3 garlic cloves
- half a cup of apple cider vinegar
- half a cup of plain yogurt
- 2 cups of pureed vegetables
- 1 tablespoon of ground kelp
- A palm-full of parsley
- 3 eggs (complete with shells)
- 2-4 ounces of raw offal (liver, tongue, etc.)
- 1 pound of raw ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, or buffalo – don’t mix multiple meats)
Preparation:
Mix the ingredients thoroughly. You can either puree it all together, or stir it by hand. Divide the end result into portions and freeze or refrigerate them. (Don’t serve meats to your dog after they’ve been in the refrigerator for more than 4 days!)
That’s it! Serve at room temperature.
Homemade Dog Food Recipe #3:
Cheesy Carrot Wings!
Cost: About $5Time: About 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- half a cup of cottage cheese
- half a cup of shredded carrots
- 4 or 5 raw chicken wings with skins (bones optional)
Preparation:
Grate the carrots thoroughly – don’t puree them, you want there to be something left for your dog to chew. Mix the ingredients and serve at room temperature.
Homemade Dog Food Recipe #4:
Rice and Dice!
Cost: About $4
Time: About 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of water
- 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 3/4 cup of instant brown rice
- 3/4 cup of mixed, cubed carrot and cubed sweet potato
- 2/3 cup of cubed meat (beef, turkey, chicken, or buffalo – don’t mix multiple meats)
Preparation:
Boil all ingredients in a large pot, except for the rice. Once the veggies are soft, add the rice and follow the instructions on the rice box. Add water if needed until the rice is soft.
Homemade Dog Food Recipe #5:
Doggie Casserole!
Cost: About $4
Time: About 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice
- 4 tablespoons of sodium-free broth
- 1 cup of steamed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, yellow squash, greens, and/or sweet potato)
- 1 cup of boiled turkey or chicken
Preparation:
Simply cook the vegetables, rice, and meat separately, then mix the ingredients thoroughly and serve!
Homemade Dog Food Recipe #6:
Fishing Dog’s Filets
Cost: About $4
Time: About 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons of corn meal
- 1 potato
- 1 can of boneless (or deboned) salmon
- Plain yogurt or cottage cheese
Preparation:
Chop and steam potato and celery. Whip corn meal, egg and salmon in a mixing bowl. Press into patties and flip in more corn meal to form a coating. Sautee in an oiled pan until cooked throughout. Cut cooked patties into bite-sized pieces and combine with the steamed veggies and cottage cheese or yogurt. (You only need enough cottage cheese or yogurt to avoid overly dry food.)
Time and Money-Saving Tips
for Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Here are a few things you can do to make your homemade dog food recipes less costly on your wallet and your time:
- Buy bags of frozen vegetables to save time on preparation.
- Multiply the ingredients above to make bigger batches, and freeze them for later.
- Talk to your butcher about any discounts for meaty bones for your dog.
- Use a crock pot and let the meals cook while you do other things.
Trust me on this – a well-fed dog is extremely grateful! You’re not really spoiling him, exactly – you’re just improving his quality of life, and giving him a taste of the foods he’d catch if he was out hunting with a pack. Bone appetit!
Return to the guide to training a dog, or go back to the dog food advice section.