The moment you adopt a dog, it becomes a part of your family. You call them with a loving name and play with them. But, as a family member, you also need to take care of their daily diet. Do you know you can use superfoods in your kitchen to spice up your dog's regular meal? Adding a variety to a pet's eating regime will never go wrong. Moreover, you can provide them with a balanced diet. Thus, homemade food for dogs will keep them happy and healthy alike.
Daily Nutrient Requirements of Dogs
Dogs are active animals, so giving them food packed with vitamins and nutrients will fulfil their daily energy requirements. Thus, it is crucial that you pick a well-balanced recipe for your furry friend. The everyday homemade food for dogs should comprise of:
- Protein - minimum 10%
- Carbohydrates - maximum 50%
- Fat - minimum 5.5% (from meat or vegetable oil)
- Fibre - about 2.5 to 4.5%
Which Ingredients to Choose to Prepare Well-balanced Homemade Food for Dogs?
There is a plethora of vegetables, fruits, grains, and a variety of meat available in the market. But not every food is the right choice for the health of your pup or dog! Here's the list of ingredients you can consider using to cook homemade food for dogs.
Proteins
- Chicken
- Lamb
- Turkey
- Duck
- Salmon
- Cod
- Rabbit
- Poultry livers, gizzards, hearts, etc.
Carbs
- Corn
- Peas
- Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Brown rice
- Oatmeal
- Whole-grain Pasta
Other Veggies
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Peas
- Spinach
- Zucchini
- Pumpkin
- Green beans
- Asparagus
- Tomatoes
- Mustard greens
- Turnip greens
Fruits
- Apples
- Pears
- Strawberries
- Cantaloupe
- Blueberries
- Cranberries
- Blackberries
Fats
- Olive oil
- Sunflower oil
- Safflower oil
- Salmon/fish oil
- Butter
- Peanut butter
- Vegetable oil
- Meat fat
9 Best Recipes to Prepare Homemade Food for Dogs
Now let's dig into some delicious and nutrient-rich dog recipes that your pet will relish.
Crockpot Chicken Meal
Is it your doggie's birthday or a party at home? This homemade food for dogs is ideal to cook as a special treat for your pet.
Ingredients
- One kg lean ground chicken
- 1 cup chicken livers
- 1 1/2 cup uncooked rice
- 500 g kidney beans soaked and drained
- 1 cup chopped pumpkin
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 4 cups of water
Method to prepare:
- Add all the ingredients with 4 cups of water in a crockpot.
- Cook on high flame for around 4 hrs while stirring occasionally.
- That's it! Your healthy crockpot meal is ready to eat by your pet.
Salmon Fish Bowl
A bowl filled with nutritious salmon is one more great idea when feeding your canine. Here's a simple recipe.
Ingredients:
- 2 chopped potatoes with peel
- 2 diced carrots
- 1 chopped zucchini
- 1 chopped broccoli (with stem)
- 2 salmon portions (with skin)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Method to prepare
- Add potato, zucchini, carrot, and broccoli stem in a pressure cooker. Cook for two whistles.
- Meanwhile, warm oil on medium heat in a pan. Pan-fry the salmon pieces.
- Remove the skin when crisp and keep aside.
- Dice fish into small pieces when cooked.
- Lastly, mix cooked veggies and salmon with crispy skin in a bowl.
- Once cooled, transfer the meal to your pet's bowl.
Brown Rice Turkey Food
Let's switch regular rice with brown rice and chicken with turkey for a twist in the dog's daily meal. Your furry family member also needs a change in taste once in a while.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups brown rice
- 1 kg ground turkey
- 3 cups chopped baby spinach
- 1/2 cup peas
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 shredded carrots
- 1 shredded zucchini
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Method to prepare:
- Cook rice as you do regularly.
- On medium heat, heat olive in a cooking pot and add rosemary.
- Add ground turkey to cook for around about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally until browned and broken.
- Further, mix all the vegetables with brown rice. Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until the spinach shrinks and everything cooks well.
- Serve to your pet once the rice cools.
Pumpkin Biscuits
If you love baking, you can also make some homebaked biscuits to feed your pet as an evening snack.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups rice flour
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup pumpkin (pureed)
- 1/3 cup cold water
- Olive oil
Method to prepare
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, whisk the egg and pumpkin puree together to make a smooth batter.
- In another mixing bowl, add rice flour and oil. Mix well.
- Now combine the pumpkin with rice flour mixture while gradually adding water and stirring. (Tip: Make sure to hand mix all the ingredients for preparing smooth cookie dough.)
- Further, grease the baking tray and spread the biscuit dough to desired thickness.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes till you see dough crackled over the top.
- Break the baked dough into the desired shape. Let the biscuits cool down.
- Stock pumpkin biscuits in an airtight container. Watch your pet enjoying its evening snack.
Eggie Delight
Nothing can be as high in proteins as eggs. So you can't miss adding this tasty and wholesome meal to your dog's food plan.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp sunflower oil
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup spinach (thawed)
- 1/2 can salmon (skinless)
Method to prepare
- First, heat oil in the pan over high heat.
- Further, add both salmon and spinach to the pan. Allow it to cook well.
- Break in eggs and stir quickly like you make scrambled eggs.
- Serve cooled to your dog.
Dog Fruit Dessert
You can also add fruits to the dog's eating regimen. Fruits are readily available at home. It means you don't need to search through a supermarket to prepare this juicy delight.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup non-fat, plain yoghurt
- 3 tbsp cup of applesauce
- 1/2 cup diced strawberries
- 1/2 cup diced blueberries
Method to prepare
In a mixing bowl, whisk the yoghurt until smooth.
Then add all the fruit to the yoghurt and blend well.
That's it! You can serve the delicious fruit dessert to the dog instantly. Otherwise, you can store the dessert in the fridge to feed cold in the scorching summer heat.
(Note: To avoid overeating for your dog, ensure to reduce the portion of other regular food that day from its meal plan.)
Baked Fruit Strips
Don't overlook this another fruit recipe if you want to try some unique homemade food for dogs.
Ingredients
- 1 medium banana
- 1 small sweet potato
- Half cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup water
Method to prepare
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In the meantime, boil the sweet potato until the insides are soft. Let it cool.
- In a mixing bowl, mash sweet potato and banana together until smooth.
- Next, mix the carrots, oats, and wheat flour with the fruits mixture. Further, add the applesauce and water. Mix everything well and make a soft dough.
- Lightly roll the dough onto the flour. Make sure the dough is 1/8 inch thick before cutting it into strips.
- Place the dough strips on a greased baking sheet. Allow them to bake for about 25 minutes.
- Once done, call your pet to feed this fruity treat.
(Note: The shelf life for these fruit strips is up to two weeks when stored in the refrigerator.)
Meat Cutlets
Raw meat is dogs' favourite that they will jump at any time of the day. So here's one raw meat recipe for dog parents to make. Also, it's quick and easy!
Ingredients:
- 2 kg of ground meat (any variety as per your dog's preference)
- 1 cup mixed vegetables (as per your dog's nutritional requirement)
- 4 eggs with shells
Method to prepare:
- Mix ground meat and veggies together in a mixing bowl.
- Now make meal-sized meatballs. Freeze
- Thaw when it's time to serve.
Healthy Pasta Bowl
Get the pasta out of your kitchen shelf, this time to prepare a meal for your dog.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked pasta (any shape)
- A chicken drumstick
- 1/2 cup pureed veggies like peas, carrots, broccoli, pumpkin
Method to prepare
- Pour water in a large pan to boil over high flame.
- Once the water starts boiling, put the drumsticks in it to simmer.
- After 10 minutes, add the pasta to the same pan to cook for 10 to 12 minutes more. This way, the pasta will become more flavorful for dogs.
- When pasta and chicken are done, drain the water. (Note: Make sure to switch off the gas burner as soon as the pasta is al dente.)
- Discard the bone and shred the chicken.
- Now, add the chicken meat to the vegetable puree and blend everything.
- Add chicken and veggie mix over the pasta. Give a good stir.
- Let the paste cool down.
- Feed your dog tasty pasta.
Wrapping Up....
A pet needs as much care and love as you do. So choosing healthy and delicious homemade food for dogs is a good move. Dogs are not even fussy about eating home-cooked food. So prepare a delicious meal for your new family member by picking any of the above-given recipes.
One piece of advice if your dog has health issues, consult a vet to understand what ingredients to skip from their homemade meals.