You Are What You Eat, and So Is Your Dog
I wouldn’t call myself a health nut, but I do believe in eating whole foods that retain their nutritional value and are not processed. I am definitely not militant about this, but I try not to eat foods with preservatives or pre-made/pre-packaged foods. I really believe that what we eat affects not just our outward appearance, but also our inner health and well being. I have extended these beliefs to my dog’s nutrition as well, and have been preparing his food from scratch since he was about 12 weeks old. I’d like to share my recipe with you. If you are interested in cooking for your dog, give it a try!
Many people tease me about cooking for my dog and say that Snickers is spoiled, but providing my pup with proper nutrition free of preservatives and byproducts is my main priority. I did quite a bit of research online and by talking to several veterinarians prior to settling on the “right” recipe for Snickers’ food.
Here is the little angel.
Although your dog may be the most gentle and sweet pup, he is still a descendant of the wolf and retains his carnivorous physiology. The best source of amino acids for dogs is animal protein from meat, though dogs can consume and metabolize proteins from vegetables and grains. A general rule is that a dog requires about 1 ounce of high quality protein per two pounds of body weight per day. Component amino acids from protein are used for bones, muscles and tissues, and since puppies are still growing, they require a higher percentage of these amino acids than adult dogs. A puppy’s diet should contain about 28% protein while an adult dog’s diet only needs to contain about 18% protein.
Based on these numbers and the research I had conducted, I decided to create a stew for Snickers that incorporated meat proteins, some whole grains and some vegetables. I usually use ground turkey for the meat, but sometimes I switch it out to beef or chicken or a combination of the three.
Ingredients:
3 lbs ground turkey (I use the 15% fat / 85% lean turkey)
3 large yams
¾ to 1 cup of steel cut oats (I usually eyeball this)
1 lb spinach (fresh or frozen)
1 lb green peas (fresh or frozen)
The ingredients.
Step 1:
Wash the yams well and chop them into medium sized chunks (the smaller the chunks the faster the stew will be ready).
Step 2:
Using a large non-stick pot, place the yams in the pot and cover with enough water to have about two inches of water over the yams.
Steps 1,2 & 3.
Step 3:
Bring water and yams to a boil (uncovered) and continue to let yams boil until they start to become soft.
Step 4:
Once the yams start to become soft, add the steel cut oats. Let yams and oats cook for about 20 more minutes.
Step 4
Step 5:
Once the yams and oats are practically cooked, add in the turkey. Mix in the turkey with the yams and oats until all of the turkey is covered and starts to cook. Let the turkey cook for about five minutes.
Step 5.
Step 6:
Add in the peas and spinach and mix well. The spinach and peas should cook very quickly and you do not want to overcook them because then they start to lose their nutritional value.
Step 6.
Step 7:
Cool and serve! I like to portion out the stew into several containers and freeze all but one so that the stew is fresh each time I serve it to Snickers.
Finished! Once it’s cooled, it’s ready to serve!
I usually give Snickers about a cup of stew in the morning and a cup of stew in the evening. Snickers weighs about 15 pounds, so he doesn’t need much food. I usually make this batch of stew every two weeks. Snickers has only been fed homemade food since he was about 12 weeks old and has been very healthy. He never smells (even after a month of not bathing), does not have any itching or allergies and appears to truly enjoy meal time, everytime! For treats he usually gets little pieces of broccoli, peas or cheese. The only time I ever give him actual dog treats is when I’m training him to do new tricks. His teeth get continuous compliments as does his fur coat. I really believe that having a whole foods diet is contributing to his well-being, both inside and out.
Yum!
I’d love to hear any recommendations for additional dog food recipes. Please comment below with any recipes!
Thank you for sharing! I currently feed my dog a alkaline based holistic dog food and occasionally i feed her chicken and brown rice. i’m excited to try this new recipe! it’s not that our dogs are spoiled, it’s that we care for their health and hopefully will have less vet bills down the road!
Thanks for sharing Miriam! My little girl (puppie) Snow just recently turned one, since she was 8 weeks old I’ve been feeding her the best of Blue Buffalo’s dry, wet, and raw food… Lately she has grown tiresome of her food and sometimes even skips meals. I came upon your recipe while searching the web for natural cooking dog recipe. Since I started cooking for her she loves meal time now! Thanks!
Hi that is a great recipe to add for my home cooked dog food. However just curious what you use for calcium which is so important. I usually add 1/2tsp per lb of meat of powdered egg shells (I buy organic eggs, rinse out the shells and let them dry and then powder them in my Braun coffee/nut mill).
Hi Brit,
Spinach is high in calcium and she also adds broccoli occasionally. I have never heard of powdered egg shells before, sounds like a good idea!
Thanks Toan! Everybody loves a home cooked meal, especially our dogs!
Thanks Melissa! I think that home cooking can even be comparable in price to what you would pay for nice commercial food. I agree though, I can’t think of anything I’d rather spend my money on than my dog.
I started my dog on a whole(real) foods diet when she was a few months old due to allergies and recently started my senior cat on it. I commend the article as well as anyone starting the journey and hope one day that the politics in food (ours and our pets) fade. I feel the need to express that what we might consider a balanced diet for our animals might not be and it’s very important to discuss your planned nutrition with a holistic vet.(a regular vet will look at you funny). I noticed the topic of calcium come up in the comments and wanted to add that it’s imperative especially for a young dog to have the proper calcium to phosphorus ratio. An excellent reference is Dr. Pitcairn’s New Complete guide to natural health.
Thanks for sharing your tips Lisa! We are always on the hunt for recommended pet care books too. I agree that seeing a holistic vet to get started is so important, it is amazing what a difference a raw diet can make!
Great recipe. I havent started cooking for my dog yet, but have very interested in doing so. I have been told that I should wait till my puppy is a year old before I start making homemade meals. I’ve seen some comment stating they have been feeding their dog home cooked meals since they were puppies. Is there a risk with starting my dog on this diet before he is a year? Also I have read that supplements should be added to their meals. does anyone use a certain supplement?
Hi Alisa, Here is a good website that has more information about puppies and Raw Diets: http://www.rawdogranch.com/rawfeeding.html. It’s also a good idea to check in with a holistic vet about specifics too, depending on the dog’s age, breed and what you feed, you may or may not need a supplement. Thanks for stopping by!
I used to buy canned food but now I cook for my german shepherd myself. Thank you for your recipe. It took some time to make but it was worth it!
This is one of the best articles on ingredients, dogs size, and feeding guidelines! Thank you for sharing, I have been cooking my dogs food for about a week now and this is helpful. I have a 4yr old cane corso who has been on grain free canadae kibble his whole life until we recently came into a second cane corso as a foster. Combined, they consumed a 30lb bag each week and I have since cut that food bill in half(literally, I spend $28 a week now for 230lbs of dog)! I vary their recipe and one I like is this:
4 cups brown rice
4 sweet potatoes
2 cups frozen snap peas and petite peas
1 cup broccoli cuts
1 cup carrot juice
3 eggs scrambled
2 lbs chicken breast
this lasts me about 2 days for my dogs and i add fish oil and every other day nonfat greek yogurt for calcium. Since I cook so frequently for them I will exchange half of the brown rice for oats and barley or entirely with quinoa.
Thanks for sharing your recipe Tocca. You have 2 Cane Corso’s in the house?! So glad to hear the homemade route is saving you some money!