Actual everyday recipes

[Doc]

ground beef (20% fat)
ground chicken (ground with skin on 20% fat)
cabbage
carrots
brocolli
a little squash
bread crumbs

All cooked together. Let cool, add bread crumbs.

[Anie]

When we do this stew we always make an extra portion for our dog! We remove his portion before salting, he loves it - beef, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, topped with a raw egg. :)

[jlsds]

I started Feeding my Chesapeake Bay Retriever home cooked food in June this year, he almost died last year from and immune issue and was on prednisone which has caused him to be a diabetic. We had trouble stabilizing his sugar so that is when I started home cooking. Within a month he lost weight his coat was much improved and best of all his sugar stabilized. He has been seeing and internal medicine doctor and she was so pleased with his blood work. She was also very happy I was making his food and told me to keep it up. I did research on the web and for him came up with 40% protein, 30% complex carbs and 30% vegetables. I use turkey or ground beef (drain bad fat) whole grain pasta, rice or barley cooked. I sometimes add sardines to his meal and occasionally give him organ meat. The vegetables are raw and I use a variety I put 2-3 tablespoons of cottage cheese in the mix. His snacks are just fresh vegetables and he loves them. Since I work and travel a lot on business I cook lots and vacuum seal and freeze. When I am on travel my husband has no problem feeding him. We always have 2 to 3 days of food in fridge never longer and at least a months worth in the freezer. He gets 2.5 cups twice a day.
He also gets a vitamin supplement everyday

[CorgiPaws]

The Complete Holistic Dog Book has some pretty good information on home cooking, as well as guidelines to follow, but also tips and suggestions to personalize and tailor the recipes to your dog's own special needs.
As both a raw advocate, and an owner of a small business that sells commercial foods, THIS is the source I refer my customers interested in home cooking.

Amazon.com: Complete Holistic Dog Book: Sports & Outdoors

[Paws&Tails]

1 1/2 cups meat, cubed
1/2 cup steamed vegetables (carrots, peas, broccoli etc.), chopped
4 TBSP. broth

Combine all ingredients.


How much to feed every meal varies as to how much the dog weighs, how active they are etc.
Always add a supplement to the mix when cooking the food. Cooking destroys nutrients.

[kvoccola]

I have recently started cooking my own food kind of last minute, so my recipe is very simple until I find out what supliments I might need. I buy chicken thighs (5 or 6 dollars for 10lbs at walmart). I boil the whole bag, then I cook brown rice in the broth from the chicken and I buy a bag of frozen veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) and boil that also. I think the ratio is 1/3 of each lighter on the rice and heavier on the meat. I add a little garlic powder also to help fight fleas. Hope this helps. Also there is a website Dog, Dogs, Dog Breeds, Dog Training =Canine Wonderland= I-Love-Dogs. There is a whole recipe book that you can download.

[stef7654]

I cook for my dog using the guidelines outlined on Dogaware.com. Mary Straus is extremely knowledgeable about canine nutrition.

DogAware.com: Homemade Diets for Dogs

The key is variety, balance over time, and calcium. I use Animal Essentials Calcium, at the rate of 1 tsp per lb of cooked food. I rotate meats, vegetables, and grains daily. I use 70% meat, and 30% vegetable/grains. My dog gets fresh fruit a few times per week. Just to make sure my little pooch is getting everything she needs, she gets a chewable vitamin every other day. She looks great, and I know exactly what I am feeding her!

[thegoddessjen]

Isn't it great to find a place where people don't think you are crazy for making your own dog food? I think I'm finally getting used to the "crazy dog lady" looks I receive when others ask what I feed my dogs. Most people seem to think this is a really complicated or time-consuming thing to make your own food mixes and it just really is not and my dogs are so appreciative.

Thanks for the great links on this thread from everyone who posted. I'm definitely going to use dogaware.com.

Whoops, sorry forgot to add that I do what the majority of people above do - vary protein and veggies/fruits based on availability, variety and price with a 40/30/30 formula (40% proteins). I live in an area with many ethnic groceries and am able to easily obtain all kinds of organ meats very cheaply so these are included in my dogs' diets every day. I have been looking toward any necessary supplements so it is good to hear what people are using for supplementation. I have three large dogs (two below plus one 1 year old PB Sib Husky) so I make one very large container every 3-5 days. I don't freeze any food - with my dogs that would take up half of my storage freezer! My dogs also receive raw marrow bones about once or twice per month. I also add 1 Tbsp of a cultured dairy (cottage cheese, yogurt ) to their meals in the morning and 1 Tbsp extra vegetable or meat fat (usually veggie) in the evening. I feed twice per day.