Top 10 Homemade Dog Food Recipes Vet Approved

Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Homemade Dog Food Recipes Vet Approved is the ideal recipes that every dog owner should equip himself with. A good pet is healthy, and healthy dogs make the best pets. According to vets, one of the best ways to keep your dog healthy is to feed them well. Give them a proper diet that will ensure that they do not come down with any sickness and complications. Unlike most canned food, homemade recipes are always healthy for your dogs provided that you prepare them in the right way. Experts will tell you that in order to protect your dog from common ailments, prepare their food by hand, at home with healthy ingredients. This will make up a balanced meal for them. In this article, you will find ten dog food recipes that have been tried, tested and proven to be not only healthy but also beneficial for your dogs.

What are Homemade Dog Food Recipes?

Before going into detailed information on the ten food recipes for your dog, a brief description of what make these recipes special is important. As the name suggests, ‘Homemade food for dogs’, are food stuff prepared at home from scratch to finish. It is just like cooking a meal for yourself or your family; only this time, it is your dog that is going to eat it. It is important to observe the following points for any well prepared homemade dog food;

•     You must use high-quality food ingredients. That means no spoiled food or improper ingredients
•     The prepared food must not contain any off- the- shelf canned food ingredients. You need to prepare everything from scratch
•     Observe cleanliness. Dog food should be handled just like human food should
•     Use only healthy food stuff, do not use junk
•     Use only vet approved food ingredients and recipes. Do not ‘mix it up’ to save cost. Remember, ours are vet recommended recipes and therefore this is a good place to get started
•     The requirements for proper nutrition in dogs are slightly different from that of humans. Therefore, you need to be mindful of how you combine ingredients when you are preparing dog food at home. For example, well-made homemade dog food should contain a great deal of top quality protein (e.g. meat, or eggs).It should also be rich in fat, carbs, and minerals (especially Calcium).

If you have successfully checked off this list, then you are now ready to get started with preparing a healthy meal for your dog today.

10 Homemade Dog Food Recipes Vet Approved

Below are ten of the most widely recommended dog food recipes that are locally available. All recipes provided below are DIY dog made food that are safe and which can easily be prepared at home. However, please ensure to consider the health status of your dog (that is food allergies if any, reaction to certain food ingredients and so on) before trying out homemade recipes.

    1- Turkey Veggie meal

This meal is formulated to balance vegetable and protein in a healthy way for your dog. Most dogs like the food they can chew on and this recipe is often a delight to most dogs.

Ingredients

•     Brown rice (one and a half measuring cups)
•     Ground turkey (one and a half kilos)
•     Olive oil (One tablespoon)
•     Chopped spinach (Three cups)
•     Shredded Carrots (about two medium-sized sticks)
•     Evenly shredded Zucchini
•     Canned Peas (half a cup)

Directions:

1.     First, boil the rice in a saucepan till ready and then place aside
2.     Then heat up the olive oil in a separate pot. Let it heat up to medium heat
3.     Add ground turkey to the olive oil and leave it to cook for some minutes (about 3 to 5 minutes) or till the turkey is brown. Also, crumble the cooking turkey with a spoon while cooking
4.     Next add the brown rice, spinach, carrots, zucchini and peas to the turkey, stir a little till it is evenly mixed and evenly heated.
5.     Let it simmer for about 3-5 minutes till the spinach looks wilted and then turn off the heat.
6.     Make sure the food is cooled completely before feeding to your dog.

    2- Beef Veggie Balls

Here is another meat – vegetable blend for your dogs. This one is quite easy to make and costs far below your average organic dog food sold off the shelf.

Ingredients

•     Minced beef (3 ounces)
•     Baby Food (Vegetable brand, 2 ounces)
•     Whole-wheat flour (half a cup)
•     Dry Milk (one cup)
•     Water (half a cup)

Directions

1.     Start up your oven and preheat it to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.     Add the minced beef, baby food, flour, milk, and water together in a large bowl and mix until it forms a uniform paste.
3.     Pick and drop past onto the baking sheet forming medium to large-sized balls (like buns)
4.     Put the sheet back into the oven and allow the mixture to bake for about 15 minutes.
5.     Make sure the food is cooled completely before feeding  your dog.

    3- Chicken Jerky Delight

This is a good recipe for dog food that can save on costs. It is a treat although one should avoid making it a daily menu for your dog’s diet to balance out other nutrients.

Ingredients

Chicken breasts (four parts)

Directions

1.     Start up your oven and preheat it to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.     Cut off fatty portions from the chicken
3.     Use a paring knife to cut the chicken into thick strips and place them on a baking sheet.
4.     Put the sheet back into the oven and allow them to bake for about 2 hours.
5.     Check the strips periodically. Well cooked chicken jerky should feel hard and dry without softness.

    4- Potato Jerky Delight

Potato Jerky Delight is a healthy alternative to the chicken jerky recipe and gives your dog a good vegetarian diet they will enjoy.

Ingredient

Sweet Potato (3-5 tubers)

Directions

1.     Start up your oven and preheat it to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.     Peel the sweet potatoes and rinse thoroughly
3.     Cut potatoes into long thick strips and place on baking sheet
4.     Put the sheet into the oven and allow to bake for about 45minues to an hour
5.     Check the strips periodically, well-done potato jerky should look slightly brown, feel hard and dry and should not contain any moisture.

    5- Full Veggie Diet

This is another good vegetarian diet for dogs. All the ingredients in this recipe are either fruit or vegetable.

Ingredients

•     Sweet Potato (one small tuber)
•     Banana (one, medium sized)
•     Minced carrots (one cup)
•     Peas (1/2 cup)
•     Organic Applesauce (half a cup, unsweetened)
•     Whole Wheat Flour (Two cups)
•     Rolled Oats (One cup)
•     Water (one- third of a cup)

Directions

1.     Put the sweet potato in a microwave and cook for about 10 minutes or until the insides soften. Then remove it and allow cooling completely
2.     Start your oven and set the heat to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3.     Peel the banana and mash together with the cooked potatoes till it becomes a smooth, even paste.
4.     Add your wheat flour, carrots, peas and oats to the paste in a large bowl. Then add the applesauce slowly along with the water and mix until it is all even
5.     The result is a thick dough paste. Roll the dough on a surface using a little flour.
6.     Take the rolled dough and cut it into thick strips of about one- eighth of an inch
7.     Now place the dough strips on your baking sheet and cook for about 20 – 25 minutes.

Important tip: if your dog is allergic to wheat, use white flour instead of whole wheat flour

    6- Beef Stew

Beef stew is especially recommended for dog owners who prefer mixing wet dog food to their pets’ diet. It is a good homemade recipe that provides you with a healthy wet food option.

Ingredients

•     Beef (half a kilo)
•     Sweet Potato (one small tuber)
•     Diced carrots (half a cup)
•     Diced green beans (half a cup)
•     Flour (half a cup)
•     1/2 cup of water (half a cup)
•     Vegetable oil (one table spoon)

Directions

1.     Put the sweet potato in a microwave and cook for about 8 minutes or until the insides are softened. Do not overcook though potatoes should remain firm
2.     Slice beef into small flat chunk
3.     Cook the sliced meat in a saucepan using the tablespoon of vegetable oil on medium heat. Cook for about 1o minutes or until the meat is well-done.
4.     Remove cooked meat chunks from the saucepan and leave the oil dripping within the pan
5.     Dice up the cooked potato and add to the oil dripping in the pan. Set the heat at medium-low.
6.     Gently add water to the cooking potatoes simultaneously with flour. Whisk the potion to make thick gravy.
7.     Add the meat and green beans into the gravy then add the carrot and stir. Leave it to cook for about 10 minutes or until the carrot becomes tender
8.     When cooked, leave the stew to cool completely before serving it.

   7- Chicken Casserole

Chicken Casserole is another meat- vegetable recipe that is particularly good for body and organ development in dogs. This recipe is not as easy to cook like some of the others on this list, but it still makes a great meal.

Ingredients

•     Chicken Breasts (four parts)
•     Chopped green beans (half a cup)
•     Chopped carrots, chopped (half a cup)
•     Chopped broccoli, chopped (half a cup)
•     Rolled oats (half a cup)
•     Chicken broth (low-salt, four cups)
•     Corn (optional)

Directions

1.     Cut off fatty portions from the chicken breasts
2.     Then cut the chicken breast into small nickel-sized portions
3.     Now put chunks of cut chicken in a skillet and over low to medium heat till chicken begins to brown or all the pinkish colors disappear
4.     Add the chopped carrots, green beans rolled oats or corn, chopped broccoli along with the chicken and its broth together in a large cooking pot and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or till when the carrots get tender
5.     When cooked, leave to cool completely before serving.

8. Chili

 For the eighth recipe, you can always prepare chili sauce for your dog. Chili is a good diet ration that contains all the protein your dog needs.

Ingredients

•     Chicken Breasts (four parts)
•     Well drained kidney beans (one cup)
•     Well drained black beans (one cup)
•     Diced carrots (one cup)
•     Tomato Paste (half a cup)
•     Chicken Broth (four cups)

Directions

1.     Cut off fatty portions from the chicken breasts
2.     Then cut the chicken breast into small nickel-sized portions
3.     Now put chunks of cut chicken in a skillet and over low to medium heat till chicken begins to brown or all the pinkish colors disappear
4.     Add the diced carrots, tomato paste, chicken portions, kidney and black beans into the broth and stir in a large pot.
5.     Place the mixed broth over medium heat and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
6.     When cooked, leave the broth to cool completely before serving it.

9- Homemade Fish Dinner for Dogs

Fish is an ideal and healthy meat choice for your pet and falls in the category of Homemade Dog Food Recipes Vet Approved. The omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are good for your dog’s coat or skin. Even then, there are dogs that are allergic to fish and so if the dog starts itching after eating fish, it is advisable to see a veterinary.

Ingredients

•     2 Frozen pounds of fish fillets; Swai and Tilapia are both ideal options and are very affordable, hence will save you money. You may also consider fresh fish too.
•     Pink salmon, 1 or 2 cans
•     Raw or cooked-3 whole eggs
•     Diced vegetables-3 cups-Cooked squash, cabbage, peas, pumpkin, kale and green beans-You may use 2 or more
•     Brown or white rice-1 cup. This is if your dog likes it. If not, try quinoa, oatmeal or lentils

Directions:

1.     Dice or grind the fish before cooking it.
2.     Mix your choice of vegetables into a water pot, boil then simmer for five minutes before the other ingredients are added.
3.     Mix all ingredients and allow them to cool before serving.

This meal can be kept refrigerated or frozen for up to three days.

10. Homemade Dog Dessert Dinner

Just like in humans, fruit is also good for dogs. Even though dogs do not enjoy citrus fruits and should not be fed on grapes, there are several other palatable fruit choices for them. As a simple treat, your dog may also like fresh frozen fruits. Blueberries are a good example. The entire fruit meals should be fed sparingly because too much of it may cause diarrhea in dogs.

Ingredients:

•     2 pounds of cooked chopped up chicken
•     3 cups mixed fruit
•     3 cups brown or white rice, quinoa or cooked lentils

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together before serving.

You may also keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. This yields just a small batch as you do not have to overdo it on the fruit intake.

Conclusion

Remember while homemade dog food is a healthier and less expensive option for your pet, you should be well aware that the recipe you are using is not in any way harmful to your dog’s health. Also, try to ensure that you mix the rations or diets you are feeding your dogs on carefully. That is to say, do not feed them solely on one kind of diet and ignore others. Ensure to change their diet from time to time. Also, when changing the diet of your dogs from canned or off- the- shelf- food to the homemade recipe, you may want to try introducing new homemade meals in small doses so as to avoid over feeding. Furthermore, do not switch your dogs’ diet abruptly; do it in stages. Start by mixing the old diet with new and replace the old one gradually.

Finally, if you are adopting homemade dog food recipes, make sure you get recipes that have been recommended and approved by a vet. They are safer and healthier than other recipes.