Homemade dog food recipes are easy.

Yes they will be spoiled. And we want to make it even easier with our DIY printable guide.

So you’re really saying make people food for the dogs right?!?!?  

YES. YES, I AM.  Homemade dog food recipes can be extremely easy and healthy for your dog if you do it right.

Here’s how it all began…

I came home from a long trip across the country to the aroma of chicken, veggies, and rice on the stove.  First of all, I noticed that our oldest dog was excited.  Not excited to see me.  And she was the “run around like a bunny in circles” kind of excited.  So I asked my husband “what’s up with her?”

As he started plating their bowls with the sweet-smelling chicken and veggie rice mix.  I just looked at him like “really? SERIOUSLY?”  Great now they are going to expect this all the time!  But at that moment, I glanced over at my oldest dog Coco—beaming with newfound energy and as a result, I thought hmmm maybe he’s onto something.

It turns out that it was a total accident to feed the dogs our homemade dog food recipes. It was the result of one dad’s desperation in a hectic week alone with the kids. He was able to check it off the list in the middle of the crazy and not have to go to the store for dog food. He just made their food while he was cooking for the kids…problem solved!

And it turned out to be a really great thing for our pups.  As a result, Coco became a much happier dog. Not just in the “I’m getting people food” kind of happiness but in the “I’m feeling healthier” kind of puppyhood joy.

Our homemade dog food recipe experience:

Here are a few things we noticed:

• her joint problems seemed to disappear

• her energy came back big time

• the fur looked brighter and less dull

• eyes and teeth were brighter

• seems like overall we could see the improvement in her health

• also our other dog Emma had the same sort of improvements (although she did not need an energy boost!)

As a bonus, these homemade dog food recipes helped our budget by saving us money too. Since we switch up the proteins according to what is on sale at our grocery store. It is way more budget-friendly than most of the high-quality dog food brands.

Here is a list of things to avoid when making homemade dog food recipes (these can hurt your dog!):

1. Avocados

2. Anything with a pit (peaches, apple cores, plums)

3. Chocolate and anything with caffeine

4. Fish (large amounts of fish are bad…treat it like a supplement or small amount once a week)

5. Grapes, raisins, and currants

6. Walnuts

7. Macadamia nuts

8. Milk and dairy

9. Mushrooms

10. Onions and garlic

11. Raw eggs or meat

12. Xylitol or artificial sweeteners…this one can be really bad! (Found in many sugar-free foods)

13. Unbaked dough

14. Corn cobs

15. Tomatoes

Here is a list of foods that can be included in your homemade dog food:

Add a Protein (also watch for bones in any meats)

1. Chicken

2. Ground Beef

3. Ground Turkey

4. Red Meat (cut into bits)

5. Fish (only smaller amounts per day or a larger amount once a week)

6. Liver (I don’t know if I can do this one lol)

7. Eggs (dogs 20lbs and up can have one egg per day but small dogs not as much)

8. Pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, lima beans (never raw beans only cooked)

9. Plain yogurt, cottage, ricotta cheese or kefir (I almost left these off the list…watch these can cause issues though so try small amounts at first)

Add Fruits & Veggies

1. Bananas

2. Apples (no core or seeds they are harmful)

3. Berries such as blueberries, strawberries and blackberries (remember the sugar so limit amounts and don’t feed berries with seeds or pits)

4. Melon (remove seeds and melon rind, and again watch the sugar)

5. Green Beans

6. Carrots

7. Kale

8. Broccoli

9. Potatoes…sweet potato or regular potato

10. Squash

11. Zucchini

12. Pumpkin (small amounts are great for them)

13. Parsley (bring on the fresh breathe…add just a sprinkle)

Add Your Grain

1. Brown rice

2. Oatmeal

3. Quinoa

4. Barley

5. Pasta

Another thing, as far as proportions think balance!  

Here is a great article on the dangers of too much protein in your dog’s diet. Puppies need more protein than adult dogs but we just generally try to add protein in a ratio of a third so that 2/3rds of the meal is grains and veggies.

We created a Homemade Dog Food Cheat Sheet for you to mix and match ingredients to create your own homemade dog food recipes…

DOWNLOAD THE FREE HOMEMADE DOG FOOD CHEAT SHEET 

So mix and match the ingredients to create your gourmet dog food bowls.

We found it was super simple to make a big batch of food for the dogs at the beginning of the week. Then portion it out as the week went along.

Depending on the ingredients used our GO TO recipe is to cook some chicken, saute our veggies and add those to a big pot of cooked rice.

The result, healthy very happy dogs, and easy clean up for the dog parents.