Homemade Dog Food

Canine Nutrition with Recipe

Apr 12, 2007
Joy Butler

So you're cooking for your dog. How do you decide on the best diet for your best friend?

In the wake of the recent pet food recall, many pet owners are searching for nutritional guidelines for homemade dog food.

Ideas about dog nutrition continue to change. Years ago many believed that canines were carnivores but after many dogs fell ill from eating an all-meat diet, it’s been decided that they are omnivores, meaning that they need both meat and plant-based foods. Pet food companies formulated the perfect nutritional balance and turned it into a $15 billion dollar industry. However, there is much controversy on the optimal diet for our dogs. It seems there is a minimum of research in canine nutritional requirements..

Diets ranging from raw to premium meat-based kibble with everything in between including cheap corn-based kibble, canned dog food, and homemade diets containing all meat, or vegetarian, and even vegan are claimed by various ‘experts’ to be the best. Perhaps the best gauge is the dog’s health. If your dog gets good veterinarian health reports, is full of energy, and maintains the proper weight with a shiny coat and bright eyes, then his diet is probably sufficient.

Dogs require protein containing ten amino acids. Many commercial dog foods have a corn base which, even though it is protein, contains only four of these amino acids. The most popular diet, at present, seems to be one that is meat based and supplies a good quality protein such as egg white, chicken, beef, lamb, or fish with some carbohydrate such as wheat, corn, oats, rice, barley, or soy, including vegetables for energy, and vitamins, minerals, and fats. These ingredients can be found in premium commercial foods or can be easily made at home using human quality foods. When preparing homemade dog food, it is best to vary the recipes so that your dog gets an array of nutrients. If you want to try different dog food recipes, the recipe below may be a nice treat.

There are a few foods that can create serious problems for your dog. These should be avoided and include cooked as well as uncooked bones, chocolate, onions, macadamia nuts, garlic, avocados, mushrooms, grapes, raisins, and any spicy or greasy foods.

Since dogs have different nutritional requirements due to health issues and life stages, it is best to ask your veterinarian about the best food for your dog.

Doggy Fish Dinner

1 can of salmon (bones removed)

1 egg beaten

3 Tbsp cornmeal

1 potato

1 carrot

1 stick celery

1 Tbsp peanut butter

Combine salmon, egg, and cornmeal and mix well, form into patties, and coat them with a little more cornmeal. Fry in a tiny amount of canola oil until brown on both sides. Chop patties into small bites and stir together with chopped and boiled vegetables. A spoonful of cottage cheese may be stirred in for moisture if desired. Finish off dinner with peanut butter as dessert.

Related Reading:

Onion Toxicity in Dogs

Pet Food Recall Questions

Homemade Dog Food Dangers

Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Homemade Dog Food Treats

Homemade Dog Biscuits

The Canine Good Citizen Test

Joy Butler - Writer, retired lab tech, mom, and animal lover with over 20 years' experience rescuing, kenneling, training and showing dogs.

Comments

Apr 16, 2007 8:11 PM

Joanne Southworth :

Has anyone started to make their own dog food after the scare with the commercial food? I was wondering what ingredients you are using, and is your dog happy with the food?

May 2, 2007 9:43 AM

alma roden :

How much do I feed my overweight Beagle from the homemade recipe to continue his weight loss?

May 3, 2007 7:19 PM

Jason Michaelson :

John Miller's book has hundreds of dog food recipes and information on how to cook for different sizes of dogs. I talk about it at my blog at http://www.homemadehealthypetfood.com

May 26, 2007 12:08 PM

Linda Benson :

Hello,
I see you wrote this letter over a month ago but I have just started to cook for my dog. The recipe I am using was formulated by someone who is quite familiar with pet nutrition. So the recipe is customized for the weight of my dog and his activity level etc. My dog is eating many meats, including organ meats and vegetables. He is not eating any grains at all. He is also getting the supplements he needs such as calcium, probiotics, etc. Yes, he loves his food but he is a lab so he will eat mostly anything. But right now , I am so much happier with this, for when the contamination of the dog food came out, I was terrified to buy or feed him anything. Hope you made out ok in whatever you decided to do

Aug 23, 2008 11:44 AM

Guest :

My dog is a huge golden retriever and he should weigh at the least 105 the vet said. He had allergies we got him from a bad breeder we suspect. But anyway we got him top of the line food this was the 6th we tried and he wouldnt eat it he weighed 80 pounds and was dieing we didnt know what to do. A 2 year old puppy dieing so we switched him to a home made diet. His diet consists of 2 boiled chicken breats or 1/2 cups of raw meat, 1 cup of minced veggies (carrots, cabbage.green and red peppers and cucumber) and 1/4 cup of yogurt twice a day. Hes a really big dog so smaller dogs wouldnt need as much. It saved my dogs life. He has absolutely no grain in his diet because thats what we think hes allergic too. Sometimes we will give him fruit apples and berries and a little peanut butter. Hope this helps.
Molly

Oct 12, 2008 12:50 PM

Guest :

alma!!
try cooking healthy but the key to dog weight loss is excercice
just try to make your dog move more , or something acivee, i read a lil bit on a book i picked up at pets mart but didnt buy it

Dec 2, 2008 12:12 PM

Guest :

Hello all,
I started to make my own dog food after my 12 year old dog was in agonizing pain and unable to defecate. Three trips to the vet, and still it was unclear what the cause of my dog’s discomfort was. I noticed after about a week, he really began to bloat, his stomach was hard as a rock, and he had a lot of gas. I began making him some stews of rice and lean meat. After 2 days of eating 'mama's bland cooking', his bloat disappeared, his coat shined up, and his bowel habits returned to normal. Maybe he was going to get better anyways, but as far as I am concerned, his problem was dietary-and he seems much more happy and healthy since I started to cook for him myself. He improved so much; I have decided to make his food all the time.

Jan 19, 2009 3:32 PM

Guest :

We adopted a 6 year old golden retriever 3 years ago. He has chronic ear problems that the vet thinks is due to allergies. We have started him on a homemade diet of chicken, hamburger, salmon and veggies, mostly green beans and carrots. We will not be giving him any corn or grains. Does anyone have any suggestions for other vegetables or any doggie supplements we should also be giving our dog to ensure he has a well balanced diet. Or has any one had the same problem we have and have other suggestions that he may be allergic to or any advice to put us on the right track?

Jan 24, 2009 8:02 AM

Guest :

A year ago my golden retriever came down with a very rare deadly diease. IN my desperation to keep him with me we spent the last year
fighting everyday for his health. Cooking became a big part of this.
I avoid the big no's in a dogs diet and include everything else. Brown
rice became a big part of this because you can mix many thing with this. Cooked in V-8 juice or Tomatoe juice makes it very healthy. To
this add any meat, berry, veggie. He loves it cooked in apple juice or
it is easy to add any teas you would like to give your dog. Any flavor
he doesn't like and you want him to have cover with meat broths. One pot is all it takes. If I am in a hurry there is always some make up a
head of time and I will just add it to a high quailty dry dog food. It is also an easy way to add herbs to thier diet. He should of died,but
I believe this diet is a big part of why I still have him.

Feb 24, 2009 8:42 AM

Guest :

I have had a sick dog for a while, the vet thinks it might be a food allergy so I am now tryng to figure out the best way to provide proper nutrition. I am almost sure that i will make her own food from now on, I found out the food we were giving her had onions, and with her already being sick it made it worse.

I wondering about food storage....

Mar 8, 2009 1:07 PM

Guest :

homemade food can only be left in the fridge for 3 days total . Anymore than that divided into a days meal and freeze for the week. I am sure you can freeze longer than a week but that is my suggestion until I get clearance from the dvm. As for vegtables we use green beans carrots zucchini or yellow squash if Zuccin. isnt in stock. We also use sweet potato and white potato for starch . and vitamins if you are on home made they need vitamins. And I make up treats with unflavored geltain and broths which gives them what they are missing otherwise in cartlidge ect. Right now I am giving an infant liquid multi vitamin till I can build up enough supply of all the ones I need .

Apr 30, 2009 1:00 PM

Guest :

Terry Kash:

My Cocker was just recently tested and he has allergies to beef, pork, barley and rice.

Does anyone have a recipe that uses chicken or turkey that he might like?

He is very picky and does not like many veggies. Maybe raw tomatoes and sometimes cucumbers. No potatoes.

May 4, 2009 9:29 PM

Guest :

My dog is nearly 17, 29 lbs and in the last few months he was getting very finicky about his canned dog food and basically stopped eating so at the recommendation of my vet I switched him to beef and rice which has helped him regain the weight he lost. Recipe: 1 lb beef or turkey, 1 cup uncooked brown or white rice, 1 cup fresh veggies steamed and chopped, 2 t. canola oil. 2 t garlic (check with your vet on this and 4 cups water. Put em all in a big pot and stir occasionally as you let the water cook down. Refrigerate food for no more than 3 days and freeze rest. Microwave 30-45 minutes. Btw my dog dances around the house as I prepare it or reheat the portion. Happiness is...

May 28, 2009 5:36 PM

Guest :

I was homecooking for my dog and the only thing I forgot to add was calcium. My dog ended up tearing his cruciate ligament. I now rotate his homecooked with a high quality canned food to get the calcium he needs.

Jun 14, 2009 10:27 AM

Guest :

I have a st bernard and know what goes into regular dog food. I found a kind made by the people who make sobe, but it is a little out of my price range. Would it be cheeper to make his food myself? Or should i get the other food for him?

Jul 7, 2009 4:19 PM

Guest :

Hi, my dog had hives and was just miserable. I started cooking my own food.
twice a day she gets a mixture of 1/3c. organic cooked hamburger, 1/3 c. brown rice, and a mixture of zuchini, squash, spinach, peas and carrots,asparagus and red peppers chopped up small. 2tbsp of pro biotic yogurt and 1tbsp of flax seeds. The hamburger is cooked with some olive oil. The dog is crazy for it. Her fur is soft and shiny and she is way more happy.

Jul 28, 2009 4:17 AM

Guest :

I think that sweet potato in the place of corn meal would be better.
it is a great carb and has WAY more nutuients than CORN MEAL (yuck).

Aug 26, 2009 6:13 PM

Guest :

I would appreciate any help from anyone. I have a 100 lb Shepherd Rottie mix who is allergic to: chicken. cow's milk, egg, fish, lamb, peanut, pork, rice, soy beans, sweet potato, venison and yeast. I'm trying to finda dry dog food to buy or to make. Any suggestions?

Sep 4, 2009 10:09 AM

Guest :

GREAT RECIPE!!!
It took me 10 years to learn the value of home-cooked dog food. Zoe, my 60 lb. lab, never enjoyed the dry food the pet stores stock. I tried them all. She only ate when her stomach started making hunger noises. All other times she would hold out for the minimal scraps I'd throw her (terrible practice, I know).
Anyhow, I met a nutritionist whose (large breed) dog was diagnosed with cancer at age 10, and she was told the dog had only months to live. At that point, she started cooking for her dog, AND THE CANCER WENT INTO COMPLETE REMISSION!!! The dog died at age 16.
She shared her recipe with me, and here it is with minor tweaks.
It's a meat & vegge loaf which freezes well. Each pan is about 6 day's worth, and I make 4 pans at a time, freezing 3. Here we go:

-Calcium is very important, so I crush calcium pills. Zoe has hip issues, so I crush Glucosamine/Chondtroitin as well.
- Put 1 to 1.5 cups of washed rice in a big mixing bowl. Rice is just a filler, but that's good for satisfying doggie appetites
- Using a food processor, I pulverize the following and add to the mixing bowl
- 3 yellow and 1 green squash
- 2 handfulls of broccoli. Sometimes cauliflower
- 1 or 2 cans of peas
- 3 or 4 large carrots
- 2 apples
- eggs as needed, to aid in the pulverizing, 6 or so
- 1 potato & 1 yam
- spinach is also good, but I don't use it
- early on in the process, add your crushed pills
- flax seed oil does wonders for the coat
Once the mush and rice is all mixed up, massage in the meat. I add a total of ~5 lbs chopped meat... whatever's on sale. Usually ground turkey and/or beef. When I add chicken livers to the mix, Zoe goes bonkers. Mix it all thoroughly, so it's of uniform texture.
Now distribute into 4 baking pans, 9x13 or whatever. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 1 hour.
Cut into 12 equal pieces before freezing. Also, if you're freezing it right away (while still hot), be sure to cover with plastic wrap before tin foil... unless you like aluminum in your food and Alzheimer's :/
I STILL USE COMMERCIAL DOG FOOD, but I put the meat loaf on top.. If Zoe's still hungry, she'll eat the dry stuff. I feed twice a day.

I've been cooking for just over a year now, and the results are phenomenal. Immediately Zoe's mood improved. She's a happier dog, and I feel great knowing she's eating good stuff. Everyone who sees her comments how amazing she looks (she looked great beforehand, but now she's radiant)

Enjoy!!

Nov 10, 2009 5:56 AM

Sherwin Funa :

Hi, I am Sherwin from the Philippines, where pet especially dogs is a huge industry. I am planning to put up my own business... something untouchable here in my country. I am planning to engage to homemade dogfood, & made to order treats. Hope you can share with me your recipes that I can use for my business. Better also if you can share with me a picture of it, so I would know how it should look like.
Articles here is a great help to me. :)
Also, tips of ingredients that should not be included on dog food, would like to know more of that. since some of the ingredients indicated here is not very much available here in my country, sometimes, i search for alternatives.
My pleasure to share all great ideas and recipes to my fellow man here.
Thanks

Dec 14, 2009 3:08 PM

Guest :

we are currently making our own dog food for our puppy (Golden lab/australian sheppard cross) and a miniature dauschund. They love it, their coats are healthy, and you can tell (with the clean up duties) that they are digesting more than store bought food, which is full of fillers. We purchase liver, heart, and odd cuts of meat and fish, add to rice, veggies, and 1 egg. I freeze in 3 day portions.

Dec 15, 2009 5:20 AM

Guest :

I started to feed my dogs homemade food after one of them developed food alergies to an unknown ingrediant in her dog food. I use things like rice, chicken, cottage cheese, tilapia, ocassionally I also trow in ground beef, chicken gizards, yogert and once a month a fried egg for their coats. I vary the food often to prevent allergies from developing and to make sure they are morre likeyly to get a balanced diet. (I use rice a lot). I also put in a bit of dog food to try and cover the grains/ veggies I have missed since I've had trouble finding vegatables that don't make at least one of the dogs sick.
I've seen some improvement in their coats and actually quite a bit of improvement in the oldest dogs arthritis. I would recomend some home cooked food in every dogs diet.

Jan 13, 2010 1:19 PM

Guest :

My friends dog just got violently ill on Wellness canned food. She called them and they couldn't care less. I'm stopping my dogs on this food from now on. But recipes with canned meat won't do either.

Mar 8, 2010 5:14 PM

Guest :

It gives nice facts about what to give your dogs and what to not give them. I like it!

:-)

Mar 9, 2010 1:51 PM

Guest :

My mini dachshund was eating a home-made diet (ground beef, rice and veggies w. vitamin supplement and fish oil) and doing well, in terms of coat and health. I followed the amounts reccommended for his size and he has put on weight, too much. How do I figure out the right portion?

Mar 9, 2010 4:26 PM

Guest :

Here's my recipe for homemade dogfood. I have 2 mini doxis,

low fat meat, such as chicken, turkey or beef, well trimmed, no skin, (I watch for sales) green beans, carrots, celery, brown rice or barley, egg whites and 1 large can of pumpkin (not pie filling).

I make big batches and freeze in plastic containers.

I like the idea below about baking it in loafs.

Nov 7, 2010 7:05 AM

Guest :

Hi all. I've been reading your comments with great interest because I have two dogs with allergies, so thought my observations might be helpful. First, one of mine is not only allergic to grains but poultry and peanut butter as well. These are found in lots of foods and treats that grain free, so if I go with just grain free without checking for poultry or peanut butter, he still has problems. Second, lots of the symptoms are behaviors that I've always thought were just typical dog behaviors. Things like butt licking and ear scratching. The thing that tipped me and my vet off to his allergies was a question about why somethimes the normally really white whites of his eyes get so red that they look like they're going to start bleeding. The timing of that question (he was being seen for an ear infection) set us down the allergy path. So now I watch for any kind of head shaking that would indicate itchy ears, skin sensitivity (indicated by a kind of twitch if I touch or scratch him in a sensitive area), scratching anywhere but especially the 'armpits', red and/or runny eyes, and butt itch (indicated by licking or dragging it on the ground). Any of these symptoms let me know that he's eaten something he's allergic to, and go away if I keep whatever it was out of his diet. There are some really good websites to check out if you google 'canine allergy symptoms.' I've found, in addition to the lack of shaking, scratching, and licking they do now, how similar their reactions are to humans. Basically, if you have allergies, look for the same types of symptoms in your dog. Oh, one last observation -- dogs can also have environmental allergies like humans. Some symptoms are more indicative of somethinng outside rather than something they ate, so be sure to do some research and look around the house too. I can't let mine lift his leg to a holly bush when we're out walking.

Jan 9, 2011 10:08 AM

Guest :

I have two dogs one is a 4month old black lab puppy who is 40 pounds and the other is an 18 year old terrier who is 20 pounds. Both of them are turned off on the idea of commercial dog food. me and my mom started cooking a well balanced diet for them but i cant seem to find a guideline of how much food should be given to each of them. Has anyone found a good weight guide line or know how much food they should be given?

Jan 25, 2011 3:52 PM

Guest :

I thought dogs could eat whatever they wanted to eatthat was dog food until my sister gave my aunts dog grapes and I found out they wer'nt sapose to eat that.

Jun 22, 2011 11:05 AM

Guest :

I have been reseaching peanut butter in dogs diets and i found out that as long as it is low in sodium or if it is natural it is ok, but i have read that if it is feed from a spoon and notin a buiscut it can stick to th roof of the dogs mouth, it seems funny when they try to take it of but it is not fun for the dog and can stay there and grow harmful bacteria.

Apr 1, 2012 12:41 PM

Guest :

I started cooking meals from scratch 25 years ago, everyday, for my dogs, who all lived to
be 17 years and up...American Eskimos, Borderbernese, German Shepards and Skipperke mix. I cook a whole chicken but use only chicken broth for the sauce for their brown rice and chopped veggies...alternate peas and carrots with spinach, collard greens, kale...also give them top sirloin when it is on sale, liver once in a while, but also supplement with dry food and biscuits..they're happy, healthy, have good personalities that aren't confrontational...I think the way a human or animal eats determines their general demeanor in addition to their overall health.......

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