Homemade Dog Food (cheap and easy)
When we first got
Dusty (a collie and golden retriever mix) from the shelter we fed her dry dog
food. She wouldn’t eat it. So we switched to canned. She kind of ate at it. So
we mixed the two and she ate a little better. I thought cats were supposed to be
finicky. Once in a while I would break a raw egg on top and she would eat well,
and sometimes not. I considered going to a pet store or the vet and buy some of
that expensive high quality dog food but then I thought, “Hey, I’m on a budget
and after all, it’s a dog!”
She’s got to eat.
I didn’t adopt her to let her starve and I didn’t adopt her to break the bank
either. That’s when I decided to make my own homemade dog food. So I put Google
to use. The beauty of it is that this (if you play your cards right) is cheaper
than the cheapest canned food (not counting your time).
Here’s my basic recipe:
40% meat/protein
30% fruits and vegetables
30% starches
Meat and protein:
chicken, beef, turkey, pork, eggs, and so on. I’m always on the lookout for
meat on sale. It’s easy to freeze it until I need it. I usually buy a 10 pound bag
of chicken quarters at the local box store, cheap. I bake them in a roasting
pan and then de-bone them. I also add a dozen or so boiled eggs just chop them
up. Eggs too expensive, no sale this week? I grab a pound or so of liver or any
organ meat, cheap.
Fruits and vegetables:
carrots, peas, green beans, celery, apples, broccoli, cauliflower, and so on.
The trick is to use what you have. This is a great time to clean out the refrigerator.
The bottom of the celery that no one eats, the white parts and the base of the
lettuce, the left over bit of tomato, the base of the carrot, are all great to
throw in the pot. Go to your local farmers market and get a deal on some stuff
that’s on the edge (avoid mold, though). Or talk to the produce people at your
grocery store, they are always throwing out stuff that’s still good but not
good enough to sell. I also buy canned or frozen vegetables when on sale. Look
for the “no salt added” varieties, easy to keep until needed. I chop up enough to fit into a large pot and
just boil until soft. It’s very important to run this through a blender or
chopper as dogs cannot process vegetables whole.
Starches: This is
the grain category but it also includes potatoes. Brown rice, oatmeal, sweet
potatoes. I usually just use quick oats because it’s easiest to cook although
rice would be cheaper.
Add on: After I
peal the eggs I put the shells in a 200 degree oven for about 10 minutes or so
to dry them out. I grind them up and add to the mix for a little additional
calcium.
I stir this whole
mess together and freeze it. I use Ziploc containers (bags or whatever you have
is fine) and take them out of the freezer as needed. This recipe usually lasts
Dusty (a medium sized dog) about 2 weeks. If you have large dog(s) I wouldn’t
even attempt this unless I had a very large kitchen, lots of time, and just
love to cook. I don’t, but it works for those of us who have just a medium dog
or one or two little ones. After all, money is time.
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