Homemade Dog Food

If you follow me on Instagram, you have most likely seen me making homemade food for my dogs. And a lot of you have asked me a lot of questions about me doing this! So, I decided I would write a post about it.

First and foremost, I am not a vet so I highly recommend consulting your vet before changing their food, especially if your dog takes any meds, has allergies, etc, etc. That being said, I am a huge dog lover and I truly do treat them like family. We have all seen countless recalls of dog food over the years and it really does make you wonder what is in some of it. There are several new dog food companies that make more human grade type food but if you have checked them out they are really expensive. I have been doing the homemade dog food for several months now. I am still feeding my dogs actual dog food but they are getting about half as much of that as they did prior and then the other half is homemade food.

The most important part in all of this (in my opinion) is knowing what you absolutely do not need to feed your dog. Knowing this list is so important. I have made this list as inclusive as I can but dogs can have additional allergies separate from this list of no-no's. Again, consult with your vet, especially if you have concerns over anything they have eaten.

THE MUST AVOID LIST:

• Avocado

• Grapes

• Cherries

• Tomatoes

• Citrus (i.e. oranges, lemons, limes, etc)

• Mushrooms

• Onions

• Rhubarb

• Asparagus

• Bacon and Ham

• Fatty meats

• Macadamia nuts

• Nutmeg

• Cocoa and cocoa powder

• Garlic

• Black Pepper

• Xylitol (this is in some peanut butters now so be sure to check ingredients)

THE GOOD LIST:

• Chicken

• Salmon

• Turkey

• Apples

• Berries: Blueberries, Strawberries, Cranberries

• Peaches

• Pears

• Watermelon

• Cantaloupe

• Bananas

• Broccoli

• Brussel Sprouts

• Peas

• Green Beans

• Pumpkin

• Sweet Potatoes

• Rice

• Beets

• Carrots

• Cucumbers

• Kale

• Coriander

• Oregano

• Peppermint

• Turmeric

• Cinnamon

• Thyme

• Basil

• Rosemary

• Parsley

• Ginseng

We don't have a Costco or Trader Joe's in our county so I buy the bulk frozen bags of chicken breasts and salmon filets from the grocery store. If you have the ability to buy more in bulk, you will be able to save some money. I change up the recipes all the time but I aim to have a good blend of meat, a starch, a fruit/ vegetable, and some herbs. The fragrance of the herbs cooking smells great and just adds more flavor. I do generally add 2-3 tablespoons of an oil such as olive, vegetable, or fish. Don't use avocado or canola. Do not use broth because of the salt content, just use water. Each of my recipes makes about 10-12 servings with each serving being 1/2-1 cup. Since I change it up all the time, the following are just some ideas to get you started:

1. Chicken Based Dinner: In a slow cooker, cover the bottom with about 1 cup of water and 2-3 tablespoons oil. Lay 3 chicken breasts on the bottom (you can put them in frozen). Then top with one large sweet potato sliced, 1 16 ounce bag baby carrots, 1 tbsp rosemary and 1 tbsp basil. Cook on the low setting for 6 hours. After 5 hours of cooking, add a 12 ounce bag of frozen green beans or peas. Once the 6 hours are complete, use tongs and shred the chicken. Let the food cool for close to an hour before serving. Note: if you wanted to use rice instead of sweet potatoes, you could add 1-2 cups rice and 2-4 cups water.

2. Salmon Based Dinner: In a slow cooker, cover the bottom with about 1 cup of water and 2-3 tablespoons oil. Lay 3-4 salmon filets on the bottom (you can put them in frozen). (If they are skin on, be sure to pull the skin out before serving. )Top with one large sweet potato sliced. Add one 12 ounce can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling). Add 3-4 apples (cored and sliced up). (Don't use Granny Smith apples unless you want to be up all night walking the dogs LOL) Add 1 tbsp cinnamon. Cook on low setting for 3-4 hours. Let cool then top with fresh blueberries.

3. Thanksgiving: In a slow cooker, cover the bottom with about 1 cup of water and 2-3 tablespoons oil. Lay 2 turkey breast tenderloins in the bottom. Top with one large sweet potato, sliced. Add one 12 ounce can pumpkin. Add 3-4 apples cored and sliced. Add one tbsp rosemary. Cook on low setting 5-6 hours. Add one 12 ounce bag green beans for the last hour of cooking. Let cool and top with cranberries.

I make a few days worth at a time in an XL Slow Cooker.

And for dessert, check out my Better than a Pup Cup recipes!