Homemade Dog Food
As I get more into the homesteading lifestyle I find more and more things to make instead of buy. We have 2 little chihuahuas, Gus and Felicity, whom I adore so much!
I want my little pups to live a happy and healthy life. So I'm opting to start making their dog food.
I'm sure the ingredients will vary depending on what is available to me at the time. For this batch of dog food I've used the following:
- 2 whole chickens (they were in my freezer. These chickens were small and older. They were laying hens at one point. If I were to use a bigger breed then I would have only used 1)
- 4 hard boiled eggs (shells included because of the calcium they'll provide)
- Carrots
- Peas
- Celery
- White Rice
- 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
I boiled 4 eggs.
I cut up carrots (I was going to grind everything afterwards so I left them bigger. I decided later not to grind so I had to cut the carrots a lot smaller after I cooked them). I added the carrots, peas and water to a stock pot.
I realized I had celery in my fridge that needed used up. So I cut that up and added it to the carrots and peas. I cooked the vegetables.
Again, I had to cut the carrots smaller after they were cooked. In future I'll do that first.
By this point the chickens were done. I took them out of the oven. Let them cool down a little and then removed them from the bone and cute them into small pieces.
I cooked the rice (I cooked 2 cups of rice in 4 cups of water) and added that to the vegetables.
I added the chicken into the mixture.
Next I crushed the eggs. Again, I kept the shell too because of the calcium it contains.
I added the eggs to the mixture.
Next I added the broth from the chicken I cooked.
Finally I added 2 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar for the dog's joints.
Here's the final product.
Finally I bagged up the dog food into quart freezer bags and placed them in the freezer until I'm ready to use them. I divided it into 2 cups per bag. Since I have small dogs I'm going to first go with 1/2 cup per dog per day and may change it depending on if I feel they're gaining too much weight or not enough. The only thing I don't have that I would have liked to have added is Salmon Oil. I usually do have that around because my dogs have dry skin and salmon oil is good for their skin and coat. Plus it contains Omega 3. I'll just get it and add it to their daily meals. I also will occasionally mix in a little bit of plain yogurt to put some good bacteria into their digestive system.
Thanks for the recipe. Looks like those little guys enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a GREAT idea! Have you continued to make/use it?
ReplyDeleteThank you Alisha. Your recipe is now being used in Chiapas Mexico and our 4 Chihuahuas send yours regards.
ReplyDeleteNice! Thanks and going to try this!
ReplyDeleteThank you Alisha. I'm going to make it today. I have 3 large dogs and dog food is so very expensive. I'm hoping this with be healthier and less expensive!
ReplyDeleteThat's great, but raw chicken is better for them.
Deletemy vet said no raw chicken
DeleteDo you let it thaw before you feed it to them?
ReplyDeleteI cook chicken breasts in my instant pot and then grind in food processor. You can then add vegetables and I use the chicken broth to cook quinoa . Glad to know about the addled cider vinegar and hard boiled eggs.
ReplyDeletei would seriously do some research to confirm one poster's comment that raw chicken is better. I've read a lot of articles that say otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSuggest you tube posts by: MercolaHealthyPets.
DeleteCan I add mixed vegetables that I bought?I want to use up some of the foods in my deepfreezer
ReplyDeleteMy Husband does this for our Doxie, no rice, and crushes a couple of doggie vitamins from our vet. She loves it!!
ReplyDeleteHi I have one of my small dogs is diabetic. How much do your little guys Weigh? I make Ruby Stewbie for him. I need to change your recipe a bit for him but I am not sure how much to feed them by weight. Looks great. They have no grain allergies.
ReplyDeleteDiabetics should only have boiled skinless chicken breasts..not baked
DeleteAdding coconut oil is good for the coat.
ReplyDeleteYou say 1/2c. per day per dog, so that's 1/4c. per serving? I have a Chihuahua, she's small, and a bigger Chihuahua mix, and he's over weight. Very overweight for a small dog. And I was making their food, but got tired of it, and a week ago went back to store bought, high end brand. But it's so expensive $100 per 2 weeks, I can make it cheaper. So back I go, I was making doggie meatloaves. But I'm not sure if I'm overfeeding. If you say 1/4c. for your dogs, and one of mine is as small as yours...then I'm over feeding mine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe.i will definitely
ReplyDeletecook my chicken boil or bake.all those beautiful veggies and throw in raw chicken.
Come on i cant see that i dont think my little one would either.
ReplyDeleteHow much do I measure (i.e. oz, cups) per ingredient for this recipe?
ReplyDeletenext time try adding Green Beans and Blueberries. I make our dogfood and change it up in many ways. I also add dried coconut flakes. Good Job@@!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo, I have 2 larger dogs. One about 30lbs and the other 50lbs. Would 1 cup a piece, 2x a day be enough?
ReplyDelete