Healthy Dog Food Recipes by Heather Kalinowski

Healthy Dog Food Recipes

Heather Kalinowski is a pet lover who spends her days helping pets at Trupanion, North America’s fastest growing pet insurance company. Trupanion offers 90% coverage for diagnostic tests, surgeries, and medications if a pet becomes sick or injured.

photo credit: ericmcgregor

I am the proud mom of two dogs – a Spaniel mix named Jackson and an Italian Greyhound named Ava. Last year, Ava was diagnosed with an auto immune disorder and is now restricted to a very limited diet. While we were able to find a limited-ingredient kibble that met her needs, the whole ordeal did prompt me to look into homemade dog food as an alternative. I liked the idea of knowing exactly what was going into her diet and providing a chemical free, preservative free, and healthier food. As a bonus, if I could avoid additional illnesses, ailments and diseases that are known to be caused by long-term feeding of over processed, mass-produced food, all the better!

However, there are a lot of dissenting opinions about homemade dog food, so I urge you to talk to a veterinarian before starting any new major food routine and always make sure you know exactly what your dog needs to be consuming to remain healthy.

I thought I would share some of the healthy dog food recipes I found in my research to start you thinking about what goes into your current dog food and compare that to what ingredients you would prefer your dog to consume.

From Recipes 4 Gourmet Dogs:

Ingredients:

• 7 cups lean turkey
• 5 cups brown rice (cooked extra long for mushiness)
• 4 cups cooked pureed veggies
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• ½ tsp salt
• Vitamin supplement

Directions:

1. Cut the meat into small cubes and mix in the veggie puree.
2. Add rice.
3. Before serving, add salt and drizzle with oil.

From All Recipes:

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 cups brown rice
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• ½ package frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower combination

Directions:

1. Place water, turkey, rice, and rosemary into a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add frozen vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and let cool.
5. Refrigerate until use.

From Simply Pets:

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, cut up
• 1 lb frozen mixed vegetables
• 1-1/2 cup oatmeal

Directions:

1. Boil chicken until meat is easily separated from bone.
2. While chicken is boiling, cook oatmeal.
3. Remove chicken from water (save broth) and allow to cool.
4. Separate meat from skin and bone.
5. Put frozen vegetables in a blender, add chicken broth and blend.
6. Add chicken and vegetable puree to the oatmeal.
7. Allow to cool before serving.

These recipes provide your dog with muscle-building protein, real vegetables, and essential nutrients he or she needs to stay healthy and happy. When cooked in large batches and frozen in single-serving packages, these diets are almost as easy as scooping out kibble every day. What do you think? Could you see yourself cooking meals for your pets?

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