Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Homemade Dog Food

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
 First I took the chickens out of the freezer and put them directly into my roaster. I only added water. I cooked them in the oven at 300 degrees for about 4 hours (I'm estimating. I really didn't keep track. I just kept checking them until they were done).

 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.

30 comments:

  1. Thanks for the recipe. Looks like those little guys enjoy it!

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  2. Thank you Alisha. Your recipe is now being used in Chiapas Mexico and our 4 Chihuahuas send yours regards.

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  3. Nice! Thanks and going to try this!

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  4. Thank 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!

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    1. That's great, but raw chicken is better for them.

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    2. I feed my dogs raw chicken all the time and have vet approval..

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  5. Do you let it thaw before you feed it to them?

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    1. I take it out of the freezer the night before.

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  6. I 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.

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  7. i 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.

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    Replies
    1. Suggest you tube posts by: MercolaHealthyPets.

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  8. Can I add mixed vegetables that I bought?I want to use up some of the foods in my deepfreezer

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  9. My Husband does this for our Doxie, no rice, and crushes a couple of doggie vitamins from our vet. She loves it!!

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  10. Hi 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.

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    Replies
    1. Diabetics should only have boiled skinless chicken breasts..not baked

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  11. Adding coconut oil is good for the coat.

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  12. You 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!

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  13. Thanks for the recipe.i will definitely
    cook my chicken boil or bake.all those beautiful veggies and throw in raw chicken.

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  14. Come on i cant see that i dont think my little one would either.

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  15. How much do I measure (i.e. oz, cups) per ingredient for this recipe?

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  16. next 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@@!!!!

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  17. I make dog food for my dogs too but I use brown rice instead of white rice. Brown is healthier.

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  18. I am always searching online for storys that can accommodate me. There is obviously a multiple to understand about this. I feel you made few salubrious points in Attributes moreover. Detain busy, awesome career! How long does it take for CBD oil to work for pets?

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  19. This is a very good recipe. I no longer have a dog as I lost my Dane due to old age (she was almost 11). I do have a 13 year old cat who has mega colon and must be on a prescription cat food...very expensive. Due to covid and supply chain breakdown his RX food was no longer available anywhere. I looked at the ingredients on the can and duplicated it. It is almost the same as your recipe! I did not know about the apple cider vinegar being good for joints so I will be adding that in my next batch. Thanks for sharing.

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  20. I've a large dog. I've been feeding him & previous dogs raw chicken frames. In an article I had read that it's not safe to feed chicken bones to dogs.I don't feed them cooked. Any advice please.Thanks.

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