This Grain-Free Homemade Dog Food will be love at first bite for your pooch! Simple and way more cost-effective than store-bought or mail-order fresh human-grade dog food, making grain-free homemade dog food couldn't be any easier! Try it today and I am sure your BFF will thank you!
Have you guys noticed all the new companies selling fresh or raw dog food?
If you have taken the time to look into it for your dog, I am sure you were shocked at the cost. Companies like The Farmer's Dog, Nom Nom Now and Spot and Tango are just a few of the more popular companies that offer delivery of fresh dog food.
Cost of Fresh Dog Food
If you sign up for one of these companies' home delivery dog food services, the cost of dog food for a 40lb dog varies between $45 - $60 a week!
Don't get me wrong, I love my dog but since he weighs about 80 lbs, i would be looking at over $100 a week to feed him.
That ends up being over $5200 a year (and that doesn't include his nightly desserts of bone marrow and beef tracheas!)
Wanting to feed my dog the best food, but not wanting to sacrifice ever being able to retire, I set out to do some intense research to see if I could come up with my own DIY Homemade Dog Food for a fraction of the cost.
What are the nutrients for a balanced meal for your dog?
Just like humans, dogs require protein, fats and carbs. Back in the day, before dogs became domesticated, the dog/wolf diet consisted of primarily fats and protein.
So, to keep your dog's nutritional profile as close to the ancestral way of eating, a dog's macronutrient profile should be as follows:
- PROTEIN - 56%
- FAT - 30%
- CARBOHYDRATES - 14%
If you compare that to what you can find in most dry kibble which is:
- PROTEIN - 18-32%
- FAT - 8-22%
- CARBOHYDRATES - 46-74%
Higher in carbs (because they are the cheapest of the 3 macronutrients), dry kibble does not even come close to replicating what a dog's true optimal nutrition should be.
By making Homemade dog food, you can completely hit the requirements of the optimal ancestral diet with only a handful of ingredients.
What are the Best Protein Sources for Dogs?
- fish
- chicken
- beef
- eggs
- organ meet
What are the Best Fats for Dogs?
- olive oil
- coconut oil
- avocado oil
- fish oil
- cod liver oil
What are the Best Sources of Carbs for Dogs?
*This is according to the AKC website
Best Vegetables:
- Carrots
- Brussel Sprouts (although can cause gas)
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Green Beans
- Peas
- potato
Best Fruit:
- Apples
- Bananas (in moderation due to their high sugar content)
- Blueberries, Raspberries and Strawberries
- Cantaloupe and Watermelon
- Peaches, Pears and Oranges (in moderation due to their high sugar content)
Best Legumes:
- Chickpeas
- Garbanzo beans
- Kidney beans
- Black beans
Here is the equation to calculate your dog's caloric need:
30 x weight in kg +70 = daily calorie requirement for an adult dog
To convert your dog's weight from pounds to kilograms, simply take your dogs' weight and divide it by 2.2.
For example, my dog weighs 80 lbs. Therefore, his weight in kilograms is about 36.4 lbs.
So, for my 80 lb dog:
30 x 36.4 + 70 = 1162 calories a day
Here a cheat sheet for a couple of different weights:
- 10 lbs - 30 x 4.5 + 70 = 205 calories a day
- 20 lbs - 30 x 9.1 + 70 = 343 calories a day
- 30 lbs - 30 x 14 + 70 = 490 calories a day
- 40 lbs - 30 x 18 + 70 = 610 calories a day
- 60 lbs - 30 x 27 + 70 = 880 calories a day
Homemade Dog Food Ingredients
- 1 lb chopped carrots
- 2 lbs chopped potatoes
- 4 lbs chopped chicken breast
- 2.5 lbs chopped pork loin
- 12 eggs
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
Making Homemade Fresh Dog Food
There are 3 different ways to make homemade dog food. You can decide based on time and equipment which way you choose to cook the food. I guarantee any of these methods is sure to please your BFF!
In an Insta Pot or pressure cooker:
*I have a Ninja Foodi All-In-One 6.5 Qt. If you make this in a smaller pressure cooker, you will need to halve the ingredients as they will not all fit*
- roughly chop the carrots, potatoes, chicken and pork
- place the ingredients in the pressure cooker
- add 1-2 cups of water
- seal the vent and set the timer for 15 minutes
- allow to naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes and then manually release the remaining steam
- stir in the eggs and the coconut oil
In a Slow cooker:
- roughly chop the carrots, potatoes, chicken and pork
- place the ingredients in the slow cooker
- add 1-2 cups of water
- set the timer for 3 hours on "HI" or 6 hours on "LOW"
- once cooked, stir in the eggs and the coconut oil
In the oven:
*This is much more time consuming as you have to puree all the ingredients*
- in a food processor, puree the chopped carrots and once pureed, place them in a large bowl.
- Repeat the same procedure for the chopped potatoes (this may have to be done in batches and you may need to add a little water. You can also quickly heat the potatoes in the microwave to soften them before adding them to the food processor)
- Place the potatoes in the same bowl as the carrots
- Repeat the same procedure for the chicken and the pork
- Once all the ingredients have been pureed, add the eggs and coconut oil to the mixing bowl
- Stir to incorporate all the ingredients
- Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes
Raw Homemade Dog Food
If you want to feed your dog raw, you can easily do so.
Simply leave the meat raw but I would suggest cooking the carrots and the potatoes. Dogs' intestinal tracts are SIGNIFICANTLY shorter than humans (hence why they don't get food poisoning and can eat raw meat!) so it helps if you cook and puree the vegetables to help them absorb all the nutrients.
If you are going to leave the meat raw, make sure that you divide the food into daily portions and freeze what you are not using. Pull out the frozen dog food the night before you need it to ensure the freshest food possible for your pooch!
Supplements for Fresh Homemade Dog Food
To make this a complete nutritional profile, dogs need some bone minerals. So you can add 1 teaspoon of eggshell powder (I show you how to make your own in my Homemade Dog Treat post).
To make eggshell powder, simply let your eggshells dry outside for anywhere from 2-4 hours. Place the dried eggshells in a high-speed blender and blend until they become powder.
I also give my dog a supplement just to make sure that he is getting a complete nutritional profile. Most dried dog food companies add additional vitamins and minerals to their food. Since we are not doing that with this DIY dog food, you will need to give your dog a supplement to cover all the building blocks necessary for a perfect nutritional profile.
My favourite brands are:
- Pet Honesty - this company has a TON of different products depending on your pup's needs
- Zesty Paws - this is the one I have been using
- Pro Sense - this one is the cheapest and gets really good reviews
I get most of my meat at Costco or Sam's club so my prices are lower than those at a regular grocery store.
Both the chicken and pork were $1.99 / lb. The carrots and potatoes were $0.99 lb and I already had the coconut oil. As for the eggs, I scored Organic eggs from Happy Eggs at $3.99 for a dozen.
Total Cost to feed an 80lb dog for 4.5 days of homemade fresh dog food - < $20!!
Total Cost for an 80 lb dog for 7 days of homemade fresh dog food - $31!!
- Total cost for a 20 lb dog - <$8 per week
- Total cost for a 40 lb dog - <$15 per week
- Total cost for a 60 lb dog - <$24 per week
That's a savings of over $70 a week or $3640 a year for my 80lb dog!!!
If you decide to start making your own Homemade Grain-Free Dog Food, here is a recap to get you started:
- feel free to change some ingredients but try to make your food as close to the ancestral diet with regards to protein, carbs and fats
- use a free calorie counter like My Fitness Pal to figure out the amount of any ingredient you change to keep the ratio of fats, proteins and carbs.
- make sure you calculate your dog's nutritional caloric needs based on size
- initially, weigh your dog weekly (if they are under 40 lbs) and every other week (if they are over 40lbs) to ensure that they are maintaining their weight. My vet had no problem letting me bring my dog in to use their scale and they did not charge me. Add or subtract the amount of food as each dogs' nutritional requirements will vary
- make sure that you give your dog a supplement to ensure that they are getting a complete nutritional profile when it comes to vitamins and minerals
- you need to give your dog 800-1000 mg of calcium (I used ground eggshells) per pound of dog food. ½ teaspoon of eggshell powder is equal to about 1000mg of calcium. This recipe makes about 11 lbs of dog food.
- this dog food recipe is for adult dogs and not for puppies or lactating dogs
- make sure you check with your vet before starting to feed your dog homemade food
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