For the past six months I’ve been making homemade dog food. It’s incredibly easy to make and a healthy option for our our very picky beagle. Homemade dog food is also convenient to prepare in batches and freeze.
Making our own dog food came about when I discovered a few fatty lumps on my dog’s belly and back. From my own experimentation, I learned that giving our dog milk can do this. When she was a baby she used to finish off my left over cereal. After just two weeks of her drinking that milk, she developed a fatty lump on her back. After just one week of me not giving her milk, the lump went away. From that day, neither of us drink milk.
So when she developed a lump on her belly and one on her back, I decided to look into her food a little more closely. Luckily, our vet tested the lumps and said they were fatty cysts; but it still got me wondering how they developed.
I’m not going to name the brands we fed her, but I will tell you I thought we had chosen wisely. It’s a very popular brand; but when I looked online on some forums and read thru real people’s experiences, I found that many dogs that were fed this same brand of food had developed lumps or died of cancer. A few articles I read also described in detail what went into some dog foods. It was at that moment, I knew I had to make a change.
Now, I realize you cannot believe everything you read online, but since we try to eat healthy ourselves, I figured I could at least try a healthier alternative for our sweet little beagle. As it turns out, there are so many easy, healthy dog food recipes online that the hardest part about this was choosing one.
Keep in mind that vitamins and minerals are added to processed dog foods. These are actually essential to a dog’s health. Even my vet said that if I do feed our dog homemade food on a regular basis, I’ll need to add these supplements into her food.
Following is the homemade dog food recipe we make for our beagle…
INGREDIENTS
- 3 lbs. ground beef (75%)
- 3 carrots
- 1/2 zucchini or squash (peeled)
- 3 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 cups cooked white rice (equal to 1 cup uncooked)
- 6-7 scoops of Dinovite
- Likochops
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, fry the ground beef. You can make this recipe with raw ground beef, but I prefer to cook it lightly. Remove from heat, drain out any liquid fat, and set aside.
In a separate, medium saucepan, boil eggs, carrots, and zucchini or squash for 10 minutes. Mash these up (including the egg shells as I’m told these have essential calcium) and add it to the ground beef.
In a small saucepan, cook rice. Add two cups cooked rice to the ground beef mixture. Note, some recipes call for brown rice. If your dog is sensitive to gluten, use the brown rice.
Add 6 scoops of Dinovite dog food supplement to the ground beef mixture and mix. A scoop is included in the Dinovite package. You can find similar dog food supplements on Amazon, like this all-natural WizPet brand.
Using a 1-cup measuring cup, divide the dog food into 1-cup freezer-safe tubs. Freeze packages and take them out of the freezer as you need them. I usually take a package out of the freezer one day prior to using it and place it in the refrigerator to defrost.
Just before feeding your dog, mix in a liquid Omega 3 and Omega 6. I use Lickochops but you can also find similar products on Amazon.
Let your dog enjoy!
Note: This post contains affiliate links to products I love and would use myself.
My little dog loves me so and is so faithful.
She may have saved my life when a man came in my house and went to sleep on the living room floor. No the front door was not locked. I just forgot to check that night. She barked until I had to pay attention to her and follow her. When I saw him I sent her in on him and she latched onto his ankle and chewed him up pretty good. I ordered him to get out and he did. Yes, I was very lucky and when the police came they think that she startled him so that he just wanted to get away from her. She is 7 years old and only 16 pounds.
I guess that I said all that to say that I too make my own dog food. I did not know about the additives though so I thought that I would say thank you for that information. I usually pressure cook a whole chicken until the bones dissolve and use the whole bird. I add rice and green beans. I thought that there would be a lot of calcium and nutrients in the bones. I freeze her dinners in plastic zip lock bags and lay them flat in the freezer so they take less room. When I need one, I can microwave it on defrost and serve the little sweetie. Thanks for this info.
Wow! Scary situation Carol, but our pets are amazing. Thank you for mentioning the chicken – yes, dog food can be made with whatever meat and veggies your pet likes (but I stay away from pork). Be sure you don’t microwave the plastic bag though – the microwave melts it and the dangerous plastics can get into the food. It’s better to just defrost it the day before in the refrigerator.