How to Make Delicious & Healthy Homemade Dog Food

I have over ten years experience learning how to cook homemade dog food for our furry friend, and have witnessed how it added vitality and health to her life. There are things you need to know before you begin cooking for your dog, and you should talk to your pet’s vet. But if you think it would be a good fit for your dog and your lifestyle, cooking homemade dog food can be very rewarding!

We have been very blessed to have one of the healthiest dogs I have ever seen. She is 14 years old now (updating this in 2023) and still jumps, runs and has amazing energy and quality of life compared to most other senior dogs her age.

Generally, making your own healthy food can only add nutrition and vitality to your dog’s life. When we dog owners put our best into our health and our pet’s health, we won’t ever regret it!

A dog is one of the few things in life, that is exactly what it seems. – Unknown

Zelda Mae is getting close to 14 years old and her energy level has not dropped off.

She is as fast a runner as she ever was, and has a glossy coat. Zelda obviously has great genes, but I like to credit much of her vibrancy to being fed wholesome, clean food with great health benefits for most of her life. She was a rescue who had been severely abused and neglected, extremely underweight and nursing pups before she came to us. I’m so pleased to have been able to give her an excellent life for 11 years now. In exchange our animals gift us with such love and comfort, don’t they?

I am not a vet or any kind of expert, so check with your vet on what is healthy to feed your own dog. Each dog, just like people, need to have some considerations if they have any special health concerns or food allergies, so check into your dog’s specific nutritional needs.

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Commercial Dog Food is a Fairly New Concept

Traditional dog food for all of time has been raw meats and table scraps. This was just the normal way until the late 1800s, when someone came up with the idea to make a snack biscuit specifically for dogs. From there dry foods and canned foods slowly began to appear for sale.

Just like people food, it was not processed and mass produced until pretty recently. Eating real food is just what people and animals have always done.

Wild dogs hunted and scavenged, and domesticated dogs mostly lived outside and were fed leftover meat parts and table scraps from the household.

Of course, now we have more information on what is good for dogs to eat and what could potentially be harmful, so we are better equipped to feed our dogs well!

Is Homemade Food Better for Dogs?

I would say, that depends, but generally yes!

Are whole foods that have less processing the best things for people to eat? Yes, yes, for sure!

Than overall, yes, homemade dog food is going to be healthier than highly processed store bought dog food.

Many commercial dog foods contain soy, grains, gmos, bad oils, and questionable meat sources.

The main thing to be aware of is making sure that your pet gets the vitamins and nutrients it needs. While store-bought dog foods do contain the typical spectrum of vitamins and minerals, the other ingredients usually leave a lot to be desired.

Read the whole post for ways to get all the nutrients they need.

Is it Safe to Feed Dogs Homemade Food?

This is a topic to consult with your vet on.

Speaking from personal experience, our family vet has always highly encouraged me to prepare our dog’s food for her.

He is always amazed at her health and skin. He congratulates me on feeding her so well and putting the effort into her care.

When feeding your pet homemade food, make sure you run down the diet with a veterinary professional or do a lot of your own due diligence in research so you know what nutrients to not miss. Some dogs may have very specific health issues to watch out for that may not comply with homemade food.

Introducing Homemade Dog Food into Your Dog’s Diet

As with any diet change, it is recommended that you introduce a new food slowly overtime, not all at once.

Just to reiterate again, I am not an expert, I am only speaking from personal experience. It’s a good idea to research for yourself and ask your own questions.

Consider adding a small amount of the new homemade food one spoonful a day into the dog’s regular food.

What You Need to Know Before Cooking Your Own Dog Food

I would be aware that dogs do have dietary needs and health concerns, so always check with your personal vet that knows your dog first!

Feeding your dog something like only chicken and rice (for example) for an extended period of time, is devoid of essential nutrients they need. Make sure you are adding in a spectrum of different cooked veggies and fruit here and there. Ask your vet and research what are good produce options. I like to add sardines into my dog’s diet (with bones) for calcium and a dog multivitamin powder just to make sure all the bases are covered.

Always research what foods are dangerous for dogs. There are some foods that are healthy for people, but can harm dogs, such as chocolate, onions and grapes.
Know that you will have to experiment with portions. Finding the right amounts and times to feed your dog so they have enough but not too much!

How to Make Homemade Dog Food

The recipe I use has varied some over the years but over all has many of the same components.

This recipe creates a large batch of healthy dog food that is very moist and meaty, soft and lumpy… All the things a pup loves! Our girl gobbles up these homemade meals like it’s the best thing since sliced bread.

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Large Portion Homemade Dog Food Recipe

Smaller portion cooked in slow cooker is listed lower in this post.

This recipe is not an exact science. Lots of meat, a good amount of grains and then some fresh vegetables and fruit is the combo. I don’t stress too much over the proportions, as long as meat is the main ingredient.

Ingredients:

5 lbs. organic ground chicken with organ meat OR Ground Turkey or other ground meat from grocery store

(I get our dog meat from a great local lady who owns a natural dog food business. She procures large quantities of the scraps and organ meats from organic meat processors and sells it in bulk and cooks it into her ready to use dog food. By obtaining the meat this way, we are saving money per pound, and using a much higher quality meat than we would be able to obtain at the grocery store. All the organ meats included in the ground mix is so healthy for pups, too!)

3 cups rolled or quick oats OR 2 cups Brown/White Rice

(I used brown rice for many years and have switched over to oats, as Zelda seems to digest them better. Rice is okay to try though, many dogs do fine with it! Or go back and forth!)

3-4 cups water or chicken broth (make sure chicken broth is homemade or no sodium, you would be surprised how much salt is added to store-bought.)

(Add more water if it seems too dry. Cooking rice and old fashioned oats also require more water than quick oats. Even the type of meat can vary on moisture. Eyeball it and add more water anytime it starts sticking to bottom of pot or you think it seems dry. Wet is better than dry. All that meat makes some nice broth and gelatin so you can’t go wrong with lots of water.)

2 cups fruit and veggies of your choice, chopped

(carrots, apples, green beans, broccoli, greens, sweet potatoes, etc… Frozen or fresh. I would stay away from corn, dogs don’t seem to digest it.)

Directions:

Combine all in a pot with the water, cover and bring up to a gentle boil. Turn heat down and simmer for around 45 minutes until meat is cooked and produce is soft. Let cool thoroughly and then divide into portions.

Smaller Portion Slow Cooker Homemade Dog Food Recipe

Same as above recipe, I don’t worry about precise measurements, just the general proportions… Meat as the main ingredient.

2 lb. package of ground turkey meat or other ground meat (Aldi carries a 2 lb. package of ground turkey for around $6-7 that I like.)
2 cups oats or rice (quick or old fashioned, white rice or brown)
2-3 cups water or chicken broth (homemade or no sodium)
2 cups veggies and/or fruit

Directions:

Place all ingredients into slow cooker, adding water and stirring until well combined. Add more water if too dry.

Set slow cooker, cover with lid and forget it!

Slow Cooker Cook Times:

Experiment with your own slow cooker, but this is a general idea.

Cook on Low for 4-5 hours

Cook on High for 2-3 hours

You can stir once or twice during cooking to see level of done-ness, but you don’t have to.

Food is done when meat is cooked through and grains are very tender.

STORAGE:

Freezes well in an airtight container, I use a set of plastic containers. I usually keep 1/2 in the fridge and when that is gone, I bring the second half out of the freezer and thaw. You can also save smaller amounts, one or two days worth in zip bags to keep in the freezer as you go.

AMOUNT:

You have to decide how much food your own dog needs based on the dog’s age, dog’s weight activity level, breed etc… If you already feed them wet food, give them a similar amount.

WHAT Foods NOT TO USE in Dog Food:

***I am certainly no expert on dogs diets so please do your own research and talk to your dog’s vet before changing their diet or offering new foods! There are a few things that I know of that are NOT good for pups to eat, including chocolate, onions, grapes, xylitol (sweetener and VERY dangerous to dogs) and cooked meat bones.

Extra Homemade Dog Food Add-Ins:

For many years, our pup Zelda also got a small serving of dry food in the morning. I tried to only feed her homemade a few times when she was younger, and she got very hungry and frenzied and ended up eating so much (while still losing weight).

I couldn’t afford to keep it up! It just seemed that Zelda needed that bit of kibble. It’s not ideal, but it’s what we have had to do for her.

The large majority of her food is freshly prepared and I felt good about that.

Now that she is a senior citizen doggie, she is off the kibble and eats fresh food exclusively. Maybe it was a faster metabolism in her younger days. Just do what works for your dog!

A Note on Nutrients

As I’ve mentioned a couple times already, commercial dog food does have a mix of vitamins and minerals dogs need. (How well they are utilized and absorbed I have no idea.)

Don’t neglect to add a booster supplement/multivitamin to your dog’s homemade diet to round things out. Better safe than sorry! I’m sure there are many options, check your local pet store, or online.

You can ask your vet also if they have a good vitamin recommendation for you. If they recommend a super expensive one from their office, ask the vet if they have a cheaper suggestion that you could better afford, like something from the store.

Here is the nutrients booster powder I have gotten for Zelda Mae. It’s a great option.

You can also add sardines (with skin and and bones in water) to their food a couple times a week for calcium.

Eggshells are good for calcium also. Just save the shells, wash them out and bake in the oven a bit until dry and crumble easily. Grind them up and top the dog food with them.

Healthy Dog Snack Ideas

Sardines (canned, in water not oil) I don’t put these in the cooked food because then everything stinks like sardines for days, but I’ll just top her food with them.

Chunks of fruit like apple, banana, melon

Hard boiled eggs and raw eggs (We raise our own eggs and I am comfortable with them raw. Make your own informed decision about that.)

Coconut oil

Chunks of raw carrots and cucumbers

Bone broth with added gelatin

A bit of natural cheese, cottage cheese
Spoonful of plain yogurt
Organ meat! Any leftover organs from a roasting chicken your dog will love! I just steam or boil them for a couple minutes.
A little natural peanut butter in a hollow rubber bone toy is a great way to keep a dog busy for a bit!

Shopping Links:

Non Slip Dog Bowls

I like to have a sturdy stainless steel bowl that I can throw in the dishwasher. These are nice because they have a non slip bottom so they will stay put. I need to get these for my dog, she’s always pushing her bowl around the kitchen.

Dog Food Booster Supplement

This is one option for giving your homemade dog food a nutrition boost to make sure you are hitting all the necessary nutrients. I have used this one with my dog. I sprinkle some on the top of her food and she loves it!