Picking the right food for dogs is among the most important responsibilities of dog parents. While there are various readymade options, one needs to ensure that they are choosing foods that contain good, clean ingredients. A much better alternative is to prepare dog food at home, relying on tried and tested recipes that vets also approve. This way, one is assured that the food contains fresh, clean ingredients and the right nutritional value.
1. Lamb and rice
One of the easiest homemade dog food recipes is lamb with brown rice. Lamb is a great source of protein—one of the key nutrients in good dog foods. The recipe uses ground lamb meat as well as lamb liver meat. Additionally, one would need brown rice (for carbs) and a few vegetables—cauliflowers, carrots, and spinach—for fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Start by cooking the lamb and vegetables in a skillet until the meat turns brown and the vegetables are soft.
- Cook some brown rice in a separate pot.
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl once the meat, vegetables, and rice cool down. Add safflower oil to the mixture, and the meal is ready to serve.
2. Chicken and rice
This recipe also uses brown rice as the carb source. For protein, it has chicken meat, including chicken thighs, gizzards, and liver. The recipe also uses carrots, peas, and some vegetable oil.
- Start by cooking the chicken meat, take it off the heat, and then allow it to cool.
- Thoroughly cook all the vegetables in the same pot.
- Then, cook the brown rice.
- Once all the cooked ingredients have cooled down, add them to a bowl with some vegetable oil and mix.
- Finally, add some calcium citrate in amounts recommended by the vet. Mix all the ingredients, and the meal will be ready to serve.
3. Fish and sweet potato
For this recipe, one would need Pacific cod as the protein source for dogs. The second key ingredient here is sweet potatoes—a great source of carbohydrates and fiber. The recipe also needs green beans, broccoli, and safflower oil.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the cod on a baking sheet and slide it into the oven.
- Let the cod cook for 15–20 minutes, then remove it from the oven and let it cool.
- Boil the green beans and broccoli until they turn soft.
- Cut the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces and add them to boiling water. Let them cook until they are soft.
- Once all the ingredients cool down, mix them in a bowl with some safflower oil. Now, the meal is ready to serve.
4. Ground beef and russet potato
This recipe uses russet potatoes for carbs and ground beef for protein. It also has carrots, green beans, peas, apples, and safflower oil.
- Cook the beef and vegetables in a skillet until the beef is brown and the vegetables turn soft.
- Cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces, add them to boiling water, and cook them until soft.
- After everything is cooked, mix all the ingredients in a bowl along with the safflower oil. Then, it is ready to serve.
5. Turkey stew
Vet-approved homemade dog food recipes often contain turkey, as it is a lean source of protein. Along with ground turkey, this homemade recipe uses unsweetened pumpkin puree, peas, carrots, and flaxseed oil.
- Start by cooking the turkey in a skillet until it turns brown.
- Boil the vegetables in a separate pot until they are soft.
- Add the cooked turkey, vegetables, pumpkin puree, and oil to a saucepan. Cook this mixture and let it simmer.
- Let the stew cool before serving it.
6. Ground turkey and macaroni
This recipe requires whole-wheat macaroni, ground turkey, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, and safflower oil. One can also add some cranberries to the mix.
- Start by cooking the turkey and vegetables in a skillet until the meat is brown and the vegetables are soft.
- Cook the macaroni in a separate pot.
- Once everything is cooled, mix the ingredients in a bowl along with the oil.
7. Chicken and sweet potato
For this dog food recipe, one would need boneless chicken breasts, whole sweet potatoes, peas, carrots, and olive oil.
- Start by cooking the chicken breasts. Once the chicken is cooked and cold enough, shred it into bite-sized pieces.
- Boil the sweet potatoes, peas, and carrots. Once the veggies have cooled down, mash and mix them with the shredded chicken.
- Add olive oil to the mix, and the meal is ready to serve.
8. Fish and quinoa
This dog food recipe primarily needs tuna and cooked quinoa. Other ingredients are green beans, carrots, and coconut oil.
- Grab and drain some canned tuna and break it into small, thin flakes.
- Boil the vegetables. Once the vegetables cool down, mash them.
- Mix the vegetables, tuna, and quinoa with coconut oil and serve the mixture.
9. Frozen meat treats
Besides full meals, certain vet-approved homemade dog foods can be great treats. Here, the simplest option is frozen meat treats. To make this, one would need skinless and boneless grilled chicken, yogurt, olive oil, and carrots.
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Pour the mixture into bite-sized molds, such as ice trays.
- Refrigerate until frozen, and the dog treats are ready to serve.
10. Yogurt popsicles
Another frozen treat for dogs is yogurt popsicles. For this, one would need fresh strawberries (chopped), fresh blueberries, and some yogurt.
- Mix the berries and the yogurt well.
- Transfer the mixture to an ice tray or another small mold.
- Refrigerate the treats until frozen.