How to Make Home-Made Dog Food

If you have four-legged kids, you're going to love this!

And, if you don't have furry kids, I'm sure you KNOW someone who has a dog they adore who could benefit from learning how to best care for them, yes?

If so, please share this info with them. It's made a BIG difference for all of us!

Our unconditionally loving doggies depend on us for everything. We are their world, and they give us SO MUCH back.

So, if you want to do something extra special for the love of your life - of the four-legged kind - read on, and watch the video below.

Making home-made dog food is SO EASY!

I had been putting this off because I thought it would be complicated. And, I didn't know what ingredients I should use.

Turns out, it's a lot easier than I thought! And the best part is, you'll feel like the best parent in the world. Especially, if your doggie has been experiencing allergies or other conditions that are less than optimal.

I've done a lot of research about dog food, since a lot of the commercial dry dog foods have fillers and bizarre ingredients like "chicken meal" (what IS that, chicken lips?)

Some folks really love the raw dog food diet. We've tried it (not us, literally) and found it too challenging, and kinda gross. And our dogs all threw up.

This time, I had to find a solution out of necessity, because our sweet youngest of three, Luna, recently started scratching like crazy!

She had no flees, or other bugs or bacteria. We tried various shampoos and harsh medicines (cortisone) that made her mopey and sad, and only masked the real issue.

After three months of watching her suffer (and all of us getting bad sleep because she scratched all night long!) I had an intuitive sense that she had developed an allergy to her food (imagine eating the same thing every single day!)

So, I did some research online, and combined a couple of recipes I liked to come up with this very easy to make one. It's so good, we could eat it! (Except we don't eat chicken... or eggshells. Blah!)

Within two weeks, Luna's allergy has almost resolved. She is still itching a little, but the vet said it could take up to three months to really clear her system of the old stuff.

How to make it?

I use a slow-cooker, Crock Pot, and you can literally make this in 10 minutes. Then it cooks about 5-6 hours, and it's all done! If you don't have a Crock Pot, you can use a large pot on the stove. Just keep it on low, and keep an eye on it.

(UPDATE: I made this in a large soup pot AFTER I made the video below, and was able to make MORE food and faster. See details below. )

Rather than explaining everything here, it's much easier to watch the brief video below.

These are the ingredients:

1 c. brown rice

2 c. water

2-3 yams (depending on size)

7-10 carrots

2 c. green beans

1 bunch of spinach

2 de-boned chicken breasts (can use thighs or other meats if you want to experiment)

1 can or package of cooked beans (I use pinto so far)

2 raw eggs, including shells

And one thing I don't mention in the video, I started adding about one tablespoon of olive oil once a day in one of her meals to add a good fat so she doesn't lose too much weight, and to help her coat stay nice and shiny.

I feed her a little more than one cup, twice per day (she weighs about 50 pounds.) The vet says this is an excellent recipe and right amount. We'll see in a few weeks how she's doing, though she's almost back to normal!

Enjoy the video below, with all the instructions.

UPDATE 1 (after making the video):

I found that by using the crock pot I had to make Luna's food twice per week, because of its smaller capacity. I made her food in a large soup pot, and it was faster and just as easy, and it yielded quite a bit more!

This way, I only make her food once per week, instead of twice. Woo-hoo!

DO THIS: Increase to 2 c. brown rice & 4 c. water. Add a few more yams, carrots and green beans. And a little extra chicken. The rest of the recipe remains the same.

Place all ingredients in soup pot, bring to boil and cover and simmer on low. It took about 1.5 -2 hours. (Just need to keep an eye on it so the bottom doesn't burn.

UPDATE 2 - I'm fine-tuning the recipe based on Luna's needs. She loves the food, yet seems hungry. So, I added 1/2 lb. ground beef to the recipe. Just a bit more protein, and added variety!

ALSO...

I sometimes add a tbsp. of olive oil in the morning for increased calories. AND... based on a subscriber's suggestion, rather than adding the smashed egg shells, I now dry them, and pulverize them in my Nutribullet, and add the powder. It's supposed to make the calcium more absorbable.

LASTLY...

Some folks expressed concern over the raw eggs. Though we have not had issues with Luna, you can easily add the eggs when the mixture is warm to let them cook. Or scramble them ahead of time, and add them in the end.

No more worries!

PHEW! Hopefully that will be all the updates!

GETTING GREAT REVIEWS!

Lots of folks tried this recipe (for their dogs!) and have said they LOVE it! So, thank you for taking such great care of your pups!

Remember, this recipe is great for ANY dog, not just an itchy one! Our vet happily approved it.

And, giving this to those fur-balls of love will make you even more of a Super Hero mom or dad! Try it, you'll see.

PLEASE SHARE this with friends with dogs. We know they'll appreciate it. And, so will their furry kids!

Oh, and PLEASE COMMENT BELOW if you have any other suggestions for good, healthy, easy-to-make dog food ideas so we can all learn more! This is a whole new adventure for us.

Thanks for reading (and watching!)

Really hope this is helpful to dog lovers out there!

With love, as always,

Eli and Joseph