A balanced diet is essential for a healthy, long life, not only for us but also for our pets. When it comes to choosing the food for your puppy, the decision is not easy as an enormous variety of pet food can be found on the market: from kibble to canned food, to raw, to organic food. Despite all the choices, home-cooked food is gaining popularity. Making fresh home-cooked food for your puppy surely gives transparency of what ingredients go into the diet and gives us the freedom to avoid additives and preservatives.
In addition to providing transparency of ingredients, home-cooked food can also help in maintaining a healthy weight for your puppy. Commercial pet foods often contain fillers and artificial preservatives that can lead to weight gain in pets. By preparing meals at home, you can control the portion sizes and ensure that your puppy is getting the appropriate amount of nutrients without excess calories.
This article will give you a few recipes that are suitable for adult dogs and puppies. Although these diets are well balanced if you wish to feed a home-cooked diet, please consult with a veterinary nutritionist, as an appropriate diet should be chosen according to your dog’s life stage (adult, puppy, senior, pregnancy, health conditions). A nutritionist can also help you in choosing appropriate ingredients based on your puppy’s health conditions, age, and breed. Additionally, regular checkups with a veterinarian can help you monitor your puppy’s health and ensure that any dietary changes are made gradually and safely.
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Recipes
The following recipes are taken from the book “Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets” by Patricia Schenk.
Diet: Ground Beef and Pasta
The following diet is suitable for puppies and adults. It is also a suitable recipe for an elimination diet if your dog is suffering from skin conditions.
Elimination diets are often recommended by veterinarians to diagnose food allergies or intolerances in dogs. This recipe can be used as an elimination diet as it contains a limited number of ingredients such as ground beef, pasta, and bone meal powder. However, it is important to note that elimination diets should only be done under the guidance of a veterinarian to ensure that your puppy is receiving all the necessary nutrients. Additionally, if your puppy has a diagnosed food allergy, it is best to avoid that specific ingredient in all meals
| Ingredient: | Quantity in imperial system | Quantity in metric system |
| Ground beef, 10% fat | 12 ounces | 340 grams |
| Pasta | 2 cups | 200 grams |
| Canola Oil | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| Bone Meal Powder | 4 tsp | 4 tsp |
| Salt, iodized (sodium chloride) | 2 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Multivitamin & Mineral tablet, kids complete | 1 tablet | 1 tablet |
| Zinc, 100 mg tablet | 0.5 tablet | 0.5 tablet |
Preparation:
- Dry the raw meat on paper towels and let it come up to room temperature.
- Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package. Once ready, drain the pasta and put it on the side.
- In the meantime, preheat a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Brown the beef on the skillet until no more raw meat is visible.
- Put the meat on the side and let it cool down.
- Crush multivitamin and zinc tablets with a spice grinder.
- Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend them to ensure that all ingredients are mixed well.
This recipe yields about 660 grams of food and a total of 2 kcal/g. If you are unsure how many calories your dog should eat per day, read more here.
Diet: Chicken and Rice
The following diet is suitable for puppies and adults. Chicken and rice are easily digestible ingredients and are often recommended by veterinarians for dogs with gastrointestinal issues. However, it is important to ensure that the chicken is cooked thoroughly to avoid the risk of bacterial infections. Additionally, brown rice can be used instead of white rice to provide more fiber and nutrients.
| Ingredient: | Quantity in imperial system | Quantity in metric system |
| Chicken breast, without skin | 8 ounces | 227 grams |
| Rice, white, long-grain | 2 cups | 200 grams |
| Broccoli | 1 cup | 100 grams |
| Canola Oil | 3 tbsp | 3 tbsp |
| Bone Meal Powder | 4 tsp | 4 tsp |
| Salt substitute (potassium chloride) | 0.5 tsp | 0.5 tsp |
| Salt, iodized (sodium chloride) | 1.5 tsp | 1.5 tsp |
| Multivitamin & Mineral tablet, kids complete | 1 tablet | 1 tablet |
| Zinc, 100 mg tablet | 0.5 tablet | 0.5 tablet |
Preparation:
- Cook rice according to the information on the package.
- Dry chicken breast on paper towels and let it come up to room temperature.
- Cut the meat into cubes so it cooks quicker.
- Put about ¼ inch (0.5 cm) of water in a deep skillet and bring it to a boil.
- Turn the heat to medium and add the chicken to the skillet.
- Cook the chicken until it is done. The meat should be white when you cut it. It will take about 2 minutes. If the water evaporates quicker, add a little bit more to avoid burning the chicken.
- Set the chicken aside to cool down.
- Cut broccoli into small pieces and cook it. Set aside.
- Crush multivitamin and zinc tablets with a spice grinder.
- Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend them to ensure that all ingredients are mixed well.
This recipe yields about 770 grams of food and a total of 1.6 kcal/g. If you are unsure how many calories your dog should eat per day, read more here.
Food Time
Your dog was probably impatiently waiting while you were cooking. However, even though those pressing puppy eyes in anticipation cannot wait any more, make sure you serve the food at room temperature. If ingredients are cold, the palatability decreases. The diets can be warmed up but should not be heated, as the heat can destroy the vitamins present.
You can store the food in the refrigerator but for no longer than 1 day. Remember, these diets do not have any preservatives and are prone to bacterial growth if left at room temperature. If your dog does not consume the food in 1 day, you can freeze the meal.