Homemade Dog Food

I used to make food for my Beagle back when she first came to live with us about 3 years ago, but then I got away from that. After spending so much money on store bought kibble for my Beagle, Jade, and our Bloodhound Mix pup, Sammy, I have decided to revisit homemade cooked dog food because it is inexpensive and so healthy!

Sammy has been with us since May 2012, and she was just 12 weeks old and a timid, bone-thin 16-lbs riddled with fleas and hookworms :( However, with a lot of love she is now nearing 11-months old and about 75-lbs! She is actually still thin looking because that is the way God made her, but she is so much more healthy :) She eats so much! Homemade food is a good way to spend less on food for the dogs, while giving them even better nutrition.

A good, quick recipe is ground beef, rice, and hard boiled eggs. Cook all ingredients separately, then mash all together in a bowl, and store in the fridge. I got about 5 days (2 meals a day for both dogs) with a 3-lb roll of ground beef, 3 cups rice (cooked it yields a larger volume), and 6 eggs hardboiled. You can use any cut of meat on sale at the grocery though, as well as, canned tuna in oil (about once per week), sweet potatoes, and easy-to-digest veggies like green beans and carrots cooked of course. White rice is best to use because it is easier for them to digest. Dogs have a very different digestive tract than we do. There are certain foods that can be toxic to dogs, including but not limited to, grapes, raisins, chocolate, garlic, cooked bones, etc.

Here is a picture of Sammy and Jade when we first "acquired" our sweet and feisty Sammy Pants. After that is a more current pic. . .big difference! Today they are eating fish, white rice, hard boiled eggs, and oatmeal.

Sammy & Jade April 29, 2012

Sammy, Boo, & Jade October 2012