Homemade Dog Food

Name: Homemade Dog Food
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken, cooked through and chopped small; 12 large eggs, hard boiled and shelled; 6 cups of brown rice, cooked; 1 1/2 pounds of organic carrots, finely chopped; 15 ounces of pure pumpkin puree; 4 cups of old fashioned or steel cut oats, cooked; 1 cup of ground flax seeds; 2 cups of organic bone broth; a small bunch of parsley, finely chopped

October 11, 2022

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My two dogs are complete opposites. Twinkie is a little maltipoo with a stomach of steel. He can eat virtually anything with no ill effects, which is convenient because he has been known to “acquire” food from a wide variety of locations.

Now Kuro on the other hand is far more delicate. Although he is a huge, imposing looking giant schnauzer, he should be the poster chid for not judging a book by its cover. His stomach (and soul) are very sensitive. He is good with plain meat and rice, but will be uncomfortable all afternoon if he is given a teeny slice of cucumber and lately, his stomach has not been digesting his store bought food very well.

He gets a high end, very popular dry kibble, but his system is just not happy with it, so I decided to start making his food.

Yes, it is more work on my end, but making my own dog food allows me to control the ingredients, customize it to his bodies preferences and it is actually far cheaper than the high end dog food sold in pet stores. Plus, he is obsessed with it, which is nice because he has always been a picky eater.

After a lot of research… a lot, I decided on a list of healthy, organic ingredients that have a low risk of upsetting my dogs sensitive stomach, but packed enough benefits to keep his system running optimally.

Next, I calculated the amounts I would need to include in order to balance the protein, carbs, fiber, vitamins, nutrients and antioxidants in each meal and this is what I came up with.

Note: I am not a professional, this is simply a meal plan that I have developed off of my own personal research for my dogs. They are thriving on this diet, but I would absolutely suggest that you do your own research and consulting your vet to help decide whether a diet like this would be beneficial to your dogs.

To make 8 quarts of dog food, you will need to gather these ingredients:

5lbs of organic boneless chicken (breasts or thighs)
6 cups of brown rice
1 1/2 lbs of organic carrots
15 ounces of pure pumpkin puree
12 large organic eggs
4 cups of old fashioned or steel cut oats
1 cup of ground flax seeds
2 cups of organic bone broth
a small bunch of parsley

Step #1: Begin by preheating your oven to 450 degrees. Place your chicken on a baking sheet and once the oven is preheated, roast the chicken dry for 25-30 minutes or until it is cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Step #2: While the chicken is roasting, place a large pot with several inches of water inside over high heat. Add the eggs and boil for 10 minutes and then rinse under cold water and set aside.

Step #3: In the same pot you cooked the eggs in, cook the oats according to manufacturers directions.

Step #4: In a separate pot, cook the rice according to manufacturers directions.

Step #5: Peel the hard boil eggs and place the shells onto a baking sheet.

Step #6: When the chicken is fully roasted, transfer it onto a cutting board to cool and reduce the ovens temperature to 400 degrees. Add the baking sheet with the egg shells into the 400 degree oven and bake them for 10 minutes to dry them out.

Step #7: Transfer the dried out egg shells into a food processor and pulse until powdered.

Step #8: Chop chicken, carrots and hard boiled eggs into tiny pieces. Finely chop a bunch of parsley.

Once everything is cooked and chopped, it is time to combine. This is a lot of food and I combine it all in a 12 quart stock pot with a huge, stiff wooden spoon. It is easier to combine the ingredients in two halves in large bowls, if you prefer.

Combine the 5lbs of roasted chopped chicken with 6 cups of fluffed brown rice, 1 1/2 lbs of finely diced carrots, 15 ounces of pure pumpkin puree, 12 finely chopped hard boiled eggs and the powdered shells, 4 cups of old fashioned oats, 1 cup of ground flax seeds, 2 cups of bone broth and a small finely chopped bunch of parsley.

Mix until fully combined and then divide into meals. My 100 pound giant schnauzer eats 2 cups twice a day and my 10 pound maltipoo eats 1/3 cup twice per day. This batch lasts about 8 days.

If you prefer to supplement your dogs kibble with some homemade food then you can freeze half of this batch in zip lock bags and keep the rest in the refrigerator.

My dogs absolutely love their homemade dog food! They both get super excited when they see me scooping it out into their bowls. I also love knowing that they are getting only healthy, organic ingredients without the chemicals and additives that are often put into store bought dog food.

This blend of food offers lots of protein from the chicken and eggs, calcium from the powdered egg whites, fiber from the oats, omega-3 and digestive benefits from the flax seed, carbohydrates and B vitamins from the brown rice, additional digestive help and vitamins A, C and E from the pumpkin and vitamins A and K from the parsley, which is great for our dogs vision and liver health.

Whether you are just starting or have been making your dogs food for years, I hope you enjoy this well balanced, healthy recipe for your furry best friends. My dogs are obsessed with and I bet yours will be too!

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