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Chicken and Rice Dog Food Recipe

Cooked chicken and rice dog food recipe

Chicken and Rice Dog Food Recipe SPECIAL NOTE: In an effort to simplify the dog food recipe I have incorporated the use of supplements. Without the supplements the dog food recipe would need an additional 10 to 20 ingredients. Unfortunately, our current agricultural practices yield foods with a fraction of the nutrient content of wild counterparts.

That said; this dog food recipe is deficient without the two supplements that are essential to the recipe: Dinovite supplement and Supromega  fish oil with natural vitamin E.  Feeding this recipe without the supplements will result in multiple nutritional deficiency diseases. These supplements can also help support your dog’s immune system.

Purchase the  dog supplements needed for this dog food recipe.

  • Click here to view Dinovite dog supplement. Feed 1 tablespoon of Dinovite with each cup of dog food.
  • Click here to view Supromega  fish oil with natural vitamin E. This is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids.
  • It is important to add these supplements to this dog food recipe. Adding the supplements will prevent it from being nutrient deficient.
  • Click here to view Fidocal calcium supplement. Use fidocal if you don’t want to use the egg shells.

Cooked Chicken and Rice Dog Food Recipe Ingredients:

  • 10 lbs. of chicken leg and thigh quarters
  • 18 eggs including the shells (the egg shells supply digestible calcium to your dog. Yes, studies have proved that the calcium in egg shell is highly absorbable.)
  • 5 cups uncooked white rice (The rice will need to be thoroughly cooked before making this recipe. I believe the five cups will yield approximately 10-15 cups cooked rice. Use white rice not brown because it is more easily digested by your dog.)
  • 1 tube of Supromega  fish oil with natural vitamin E. (This supplies important omega 3 fatty acids , this is good! It also contains natural source vitamin E.) Click here for this supplement.
  • Dinovite dog supplement (This supplies a host of vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes, zinc and live direct fed microbials. Dinovite also has a nutritious plant component in the “Alfalfa Nutrient Concentrate” that replicates the partially digested plant matter of herbivores.  All great stuff!) Click here for this supplement.

 Cooked Chicken and Rice Dog Food Recipe Yield: Approximately 32-35 cups of dog food.

This  dog food recipe can be halved or doubled to accommodate the size of your dog or for multi-dog households. Do not feed this dog food recipe without the Dinovite and Supromega dog supplements as it will cause this dog food recipe to be deficient.

Directions for cooked chicken and rice dog food recipe:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 F
  2.  In multiple pans or a large roaster bake 10 pounds of chicken leg and thigh quarters at 400 F for 1 hour.
  3. Allow chicken to cool.
  4. Debone the chicken. Try to save the cartilage off the bones plus all juices. (You can save the bones and make a bone stock)
  5. Pour meat, cartilage and juice in a large mixing pan.
  6. Add the cooled cooked white rice. Approximately 10 cups.
  7. Add 18 crushed hardboiled eggs with shells. If you are concerned about the size and sharpness of the egg shell then blend them in a blender or food processor.
  8. Add one tube of Supromega fish oil and 2-4 cups of Dinovite. Mix well and completely with your hands until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  9. Place the finished dog food recipe in resealable storage containers and store in freezer
 
raw chicken ready to cook
 

Place 10 pounds of chicken  legs and thighs in multiple pans.

Cover the chicken with foil to keep it moist while in the oven.
 

Cover chicken and cook in preheated oven for 1 hour at 400 F.

Cooked chicken set out to cool.
 

Allow chicken to cool for deboning. Make sure and give it enough time so you don’t burn yourself.

Deboning the chicken
 

Debone chicken. Save all meat, cartilage and juice.

mixing ingredients for chicken and rice dog food recipe
 

Pour chicken meat, cartilage and juices into a large pan. Add 10-15 cups cooked white rice. Crush 18 harbored eggs with shells. The shell are important to supply calcium. The hardboiled eggs can also be blended in a blender or food processor to crush the the egg shells into a finer particle. Add one tube Supromega fish oil and 2-4 cups Dinovite dog supplement. Mix well until thoroughly blended.

Storing the chicken and rice dog food recipe
 

Portion out the chicken and rice dog food recipe into serving sizes that make sense for your household.

Your dog food recipe in the freezer

Storing your Cooked Chicken and Rice Dog Food Recipe:

Place 2-3 days worth of the dog food recipe in zip lock bags or plastic freezer containers. Store them in your freezer.

I personally prefer the freezer containers because they are easy to fill, thaw and serve. There is never any mess. I take one out and let it thaw on my counter. Feed my dogs and store the unused portion in my refrigerator. When it’s empty I wash it and it is ready for the next batch. Mix up some more of the easy cooked dog food recipe and I’m ready to go. It works well.

NOTE: Remember you are handling raw meat so use common sense when making this dog food recipe. Use the same precautions you would use when handling raw meat for your family.

Serving Size for your “Cooked Chicken and Rice Dog Food Recipe”:

*Special note: These are general guidelines, we are not trying to land a man on Mars. If your dog is losing a little weight and this is not desired, increase the amount you are feeding. If your dog is gaining weight on the serving size then cut back a little. In short, adjust the serving size depending on your dog’s age, weight and activity level.

  • 10 lb. dog – 1/2 cup cooked dog food daily + 1/2 tsp Supromega + 1/2 tbs Dinovite
  • 20 lb. dog – 1 cup cooked dog food daily + 1 tsp Supromega + 1 tbs Dinovite
  • 40 lb. dog – 2 cups cooked dog food daily + 2 tsp Supromega + 2 tbs Dinovite
  • 60 lb. dog – 3 cups cooked dog food daily + 3 tsp Supromega + 3 tbs Dinovite
  • 80 lb. dog – 3 1/2–4 cups cooked dog food daily +3 1/2 tsp Supromega + 3 1/2 tbs Dinovite

*Special Note: If you add the supplements to the whole batch when making the dog food recipe it is not necessary to add them with each serving. Use whichever method you find easier.

Introducing this new”Cooked Chicken and Rice Dog Food”:

  • Fast your dog for 24 hours before starting this diet. Water should be available to your dog during the fast. This will give time for the old dog food to pass through your dog’s digestive tract. It is important to follow this procedure to limit digestive upset. This is an important step, ignoring this step greatly increases your dog’s chance of having digestive upset.
  • Day one and two: Feed a portion 1/2 the size of a normal meal.
  • Day three and four: Feed a portion 3/4 the size of a normal meal.
  • Day five: Feed a full portion.
  • Special Note: The whole process takes 6 days when you include the 24 hour fast. This method will allow your dog’s digestive tract time to adapt to the new food.

Please follow this introductory method, your dog will be fine. Your dog will not starve or hate you. Rapid diet changes can cause vomiting and diarrhea. A horrendous mess all over your house!

***Important Note: Do not mix kibble and the “Cooked Chicken and Rice Dog Food” together! Doing so will GREATLY increase the chances of digestive upset for your dog!

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lisa Jeffers says

    Hi-thank you for these recipes! My American Eskimo Miniature started to lose hair early last spring–to where I could easily see her skin. She was losing more hair than just shedding, and after doing some research, I figured it was her diet that was starving her of nutrients. So, I set out to make my own food. I have been doing something very similar to you, except I was using brown rice, not any eggs and not adding the supplements. I wasn’t sure if I needed them or not. Now I will use the white rice, eggs and get the supplements. I haven’t made the ground beef recipe yet, but that will be next. By the way, our dog looks beautiful now!

  2. Bonny says

    Thank you for the recipes. I have a 2 yr old Havanese showing food sensitivities so I’m interested in making her food myself. She’s currently having a bout of diarrhea so I just made a version of your Easy Cooked Recipe but I used ground turkey ince she seems to do best on fowl.
    My question is if I preferred whole foods what foods would be added in place of the vitamin supplements? (not the oils). In the wild, would not a majority of them be in the form of carbohydrates?
    Thank you.

  3. Cyd says

    Hi, Ed. Hubby & I adopted a little mini-poodle/chihuahua mix this past March from a rescue agency. She is a fussy eater. I have been giving her mixed Taste of the Wild dry food w/Trader Joe’s wet food. She seems to have allergies; licks her inner thigh area, rib area, legs, feet almost obsessively, scatches a fair amount. Her hair is thinned, & I think it’s from her licking; she often sounds as if she’s trying to cough up a fur ball. I want to try one of your recipes for her to see if it eases some of her obvious physical distress & helps her fur to fill out a bit. I’ve heard chicken can sometimes cause dogs to itch; is that correct? If so, do you think I should avoid the cooked chicken recipe? Also, I just purchased through the Foster&Smith catalog there Premium Plus SKin & Coat Liquid that is “…super-potent, bacon-flavored liquid brimming w/premium safflower oil, biotin & antioxidant nutrients. More Omega-6s than any other skin/coat product we sell.” It should be arriving in the mail any day. Can I use it as a substitute for Supromega fish oil (if you say chicken recipe should be okay for her) or other Omega-3 product you recommend in cooked beef recipe … just til I finish this product & then order the one you recommend, or do you think I should simply send it back immediately & purchase the product you recommend (for whichever recipe of yours I end up giving to her based on your recommendation)? Thanks so much for this terrific website & all the great info, Ed. I’m really hoping I can find a diet for her that will make her want to eat better & also ease whatever symptom it is that makes her lick so obsessively. CYD

      • Cyd says

        Would it be a yeast starvation diet if I made it with cooked chicken, rather than raw ground beef? I’d follow the rest of the recipe to a “t”, with no rice.

      • Cyd says

        Well, I goofed on several levels. First, I switched Roxie to the cooked chicken, rice, egg diet. She loves it. However, before I read your “what NOT to feed …” article, I added a small amount of diced, cooked carrots to the mix. I also, for the first time, made the full recipe, and added the Superomega to the full mix, freezing it all in two-day amounts. (Please note: She came to us in desperate need of adding weight. I have been feeding her twice the daily amt. you recommend & she’s still only put on a few necessary, but appropriate, ounces; vet encouraged by this weight gain). Since switching to the full amount of Superomega & carrots, she at first had about 4 days or so of diahrrea and since (for about 2+ weeks) has been having very mushy, light brown w/lots of “yellow” stools. She is also scooting more than usual (anal glands checked; not considered to be the problem), and licking & chewing on herself more than she had been before this switch. Today, I decided to try to “cut” the recipe in her daily feed by adding more cooked rice, thinking rice is often a good binder. Any suggestions, Ed? Do you think I should switch back to the Yeast Starvation recipe? If so, can I cook the beef first? (For upcoming travel reasons/convenience.) Thanks for your support! Cyd

  4. Diana says

    Hi!
    I adopted a puppy, he was small and under weight. It was hard for me to feed him dry food, he wouldn’t eat it. I tried canned food and altho some of the brangs have outstanding ratings, I can’t help but think that they are not the BEST for my Scobby because of all the preservatives, etc. So I started cooking for him, and now he is a healthy little bundle of joy. Thank you for the recipe!!!

  5. Rachel says

    Are your dog food recipes ok for puppies? We recently got 2 Newfoundland puppies. They are almost 4 months old and weigh about 40 lbs each. I know the amount of caloires required for puppies is different than adult dogs. If your recipes are ok for my puppies, how much should I be feeding them? Also, does Dinovit and Lick o Chops make supplements for puppies. I really want to give them the best food I can and would love to use your recipes!

    • Ed says

      Rachel,

      Yes, you can feed any of these recipes to puppies. Feed them about the same portion you currently feed. All these dog food recipes are highly nutritious without worthless fillers. The supplements are all fine for puppies.

  6. Tim Jenkins says

    Hi Ed, we have two golden retrievers. One was starting to obsessively lick her paws causing sores. An astute friend suggested that diet might play a role as we were feeding commercial kibble. We switched to your recipe and the dogs became more active, happy and no obsessive licking. We have modified the recipe a bit as we prefer not to add artificial vitamins. We include beef, chicken and salmon in our mixture. A vet friend suggested that salmon would be a good inclusion for omegas. The dogs seem to like the flavor component and dance around begging on hind legs during feeding time. They also seem to like the taste of veggies and beg for them when other animals are being fed. What do you think about including some basic veggies in occasional meals as a taste alternative?

    • Ed says

      Tim,

      I like to stay away from artificial vitamin too and this is why all the supplements I recommend are whole food supplements. I shot a spot on preparing veggies and will post it next week.

  7. Karie says

    Hi Ed–I prepared the cooked chicken & rice recipe this evening. I ordered the Dinovite and Lickochops and should receive any day now. I just read Supromega was one of the ingredients for this recipe. Therefore, I will substitute the Lickochops for it instead. How much should I add per cup of food? Thank you.

  8. LJ says

    Hello Ed-
    I’m glad to see the chicken recipe on your site. For whatever reason, my dogs have preferred chicken to beef and, over many years, I have grown comfortable with that protein source.
    About 8 years ago, my previous dog, an 80 lb. lab-mix, had failing health and multiple joint issues. The dog was then 10 and I was reconciled to losing her shortly. Around that time she developed an intestinal bug and, in trying to relieve those symptoms, I removed her from her various prescription foods, pills, and supplements, and, “temporarily”, prepared a homemade concoction simply to settle her stomach. I fully intended to return her to her old diet as soon as her stomach quieted. After several days on a bland chicken and rice diet, her stomach had, in fact, settled but I thought I noticed a subtle improvement in her gait…….and I hesitated in returning her to her prescription kibble. The hesitation lasted the remainder of her life which was 17 years. Gradually, I elaborated the homemade food recipe and eliminated components of her prescribed diet and her pharmacy. I watched her regain her wag, her eagerness to walk, her ability to climb stairs, and her stamina. Her incontinence ended. I became a hommade-food true believer.
    I found your site last year and was very happy to have a good resource for thoughtful dog diets. In fact, I made several modifications to my recipe to adapt to your protein/carb/supplement proportions. My finished product is much like yours, although I prepare everything in a pressure cooker. This allows me to cook the chicken from frozen in about 30 minutes…ending with a very tender pulled-chicken texture. By knowing the liquid that I’ll be needing for my white rice, I start with that amount of water in the cooker, even throw in the eggs if there’s space, then re-use that water and its retained chicken oils to cook my rice. I like the notion that nothing is lost in the process.
    Thank you, very much, for providing such a thoughtful resource and forum on this important subject.

  9. Sharon says

    Ed,

    We are excited about trying the new food, however what do you reccomend for keeping our dogs teeth from getting tartar buildup? They have been on dry kibble and am just concerned about no abrasives in their diet. Thanks for all the info,

  10. Linda Clark says

    Ed, My 80 pound boxer/lab mix likes this recipe, except for the egg shells. What do you recommend in their place? I’ve tried using both the blender and food processor to grind them up, but they don’t dissolve and she passes them through in their “original” state. I think they’re a little rough for her sensitive stomach because she’s now developed diarrhea, again. I don’t want to use bone meal. Any suggestions?

    Also, your guidelines for Dinovite listed above are not the same as the directions on the dinovite package – for an 80# dog, you say to give 3 1/2 Tbsp. daily; the dinovite directions say one Tbsp/every 10 pounds of dog which in Sadie’s case would be 8 Tbsp per day. Which is correct?

    Linda

    • Ed says

      Linda,

      For supplementing calcium try feeding Dinovite’s calcium supplement called Fidocal. It is a very fine powder of calcium and magnesium.

      The serving size on the jar is the upper limit. I use a lower amount when making homemade dog food because it is more nutritious.

  11. Bonnie says

    When reading the recipe and preparations for the cooked chicken/rice/egg it states, “Add one tube Supromega fish oil and 1-2 cups Dinovite dog supplement. Mix well until thoroughly blended.” Under the Service Size for Chicken/Rice diet it states, “10 lb. dog – 1/2 cup cooked dog food daily + 1/2 tsp Supromega + 1/2 tbs Dinovite”… so I’m a little confused.
    Am I adding an additional 1/2 tsp Supromega and 1/2 tbs Dinovite to the cooked mixture prior to serving?

  12. Evelyn says

    I just found your website today. Our dog, a mostly yellow Lab with some greyhound we are told, has been eating Hills Z/D dry food for some time now. He would get bouts of colitis with vomiting and diarrhea with stools that looked like he was shedding intestinal lining. The diet helped for a while but now he is getting the colitis bouts again more and more frequently. We were told that it is a food allergy caused by protein. The Z/D food uses “hydrolyzed protein” whatever that is. This special food is very expensive also, which I can live with, if it would stop the colitis.

    I would like to try a more natural diet, especially since the Z/D diet isn’t really working any longer. Do you think he would be okay with the chicken/rice diet? Do I need to find a more unusual protein than chicken? Any help would be so much appreciated.

  13. Shane Kelley says

    Hi Ed, I’ve been cooking for my soon to be 16 year old silver male Siberian Husky, Sky, for many years – as I did Freska, our female Samoyed who passed over the rainbow bridge about four years ago just 2 months short of her 19th birthday – we went for a lovely long walk the night before she died, naturally. This started with a recipe from a great vet – Dr. Yves Gosselin in the Montreal area – when I took in a wonderful 5 year old unwanted-by-her-previous-owner female Collie – an awesome dog that had kidney disease and 4 previous owners. Dr. Gosselin, a specialist on internal animal medicine and head instructor at the Veterinary college said her kidney troubles were likely due to bad diet/cheap dog food in her previous homes. I had to my shock been given a bag of her food from the previous owner who was anxious to get rid of her due to a baby on the way. Their loss, my and my children’s gain! Sadly we only had her 3 1/2 years before kidney disease took her away – but, Dr. G said that cooking her food definitely gave her an extra 2+ good years.

    My experience with our wonderful collie, Lady, caused a lightbulb to go off in my head – could we live long and healthy on human kibble? No way – and I’m sure no one wants to test that theory! It’s mostly filler and low quality ‘dead’ ingredients – nothing fresh or natural – a poor substitute for FOOD. It doesn’t surprise me that most people’s beloved dogs are living far shorter lives than they should.

    Wherever I go with my Siberian Husky, Sky, people are attracted to his beauty and friendliness and usually guess his age around 4 or 5. When I say 15 going on 16 I always tell them I cook his food instead of giving him kibble – and add his buddy Freska lived to nearly 19 – and immediately tell them how easy it is to make dog food while you are in the kitchen making your own food anyhow (how easy it is to cook rice, boil or bake chicken for all of us – microwave sweet potatoes etc – Sky loves sweet potatoes). I cook a turkey and Sky and my two sons eat it. I’ve not tried a raw diet only because raw meat grosses me out – I only occasionally eat chicken or turkey but my sons refuse to be vegetarians – and because the raw meat did not agree with my dad’s dog at all. If a dog does well on it, and it’s safe, I don’t have a problem with others wanting to feed their dogs a raw diet.

    All of this is to add another voice encouraging others – as I constantly do – to cook for all of their family members both four and two-legged! So many say it would be too much work or it’s too expensive – but no on both points. It’s easy – much better – less expensive than the ‘better’ dog kibble.

    One last thing since you have done so much research on this topic – I’ve mostly used brown rice in Sky’s food but recently read that because dogs have a much shorter digestive track than humans they should eat white rice not brown – and that ‘they’ have now decided brown and white rice are equally healthy. What’s your knowledge on white vs brown rice?

    In my experience I find a gradual change from one food to another works (kibble to cooked food) – not mixing kibble and home cooked dog food but each day a little more of the real food and a little less of the kibble until the kibble is eliminated entirely or at least from the main meals (some people feed the home cooked meals and leave some best-possible kibble in a separate brown – sometimes to encourage weight gain).

    Thank you and keep spreading the word on real food for dogs.

    Shane (aka Sky’s mom)

    • Ed says

      Shane,

      This is good news. Dogs fed nutritious homemade dog food thrive and look much younger than dogs fed kibble. I like using white rice for dogs because they don’t get much nutrition out of the brown rice due to their short digestive system.

      I like to do the 24 hour fast and small meal method to switch dogs to the homemade dog food. I’ve had the best result doing so.

      Thanks!

  14. Shane Kelley says

    meant to mention that my shock in receiving the dog food from Lady, our Collie’s previous owner was because it was that Top Choice spongy/rubbery food they used to sell. I don’t even want to know what that was made out of.

  15. Shane Kelley says

    Are you finding most dogs will eat the egg shells? all of mine would not eat if egg shells were in the food no matter how finely ground. Thanks – hope you don’t mind me writing this much.

      • MiShell says

        I think this is all an overworking the process. I have a 55# dog who’s digestestive tract was shortened by about 9″. She has pretty severe skin, ear and rear issues. We have tried the basic diet offered using Dinovite and Lickochops since 8/8/2012. We have seen very little, but a little, positive result. We are, however, using chicken (I was not aware, nor made aware, that there is a different recipe for chicken). Not happy about that, since I told the person on the phone that I will not handle red meat.

        I feel we are starting over, after all my labor(hours) chopping, mixing and cooking. I have learned I should have been using the entire chicken, pulverized with rice. However I have ended up with enough chicken broth for myself and 3 neighbors to get through the winter. Now I find I should understand from the new recipe, I should have used most of this in her food.

        I am trying this again, but only one more time, before I look for another remedy for my poor Katy’s misery.

        • Ed says

          Mishell,

          It sounds like your dog has had some serious health problems. Having 9″ of intestine removed. You have only been feeding a homemade dog food since August and it is October and you are just about ready to throw in the towel?

          It takes time. If you are feeding the chicken and rice dog food recipe, read it over again so you’ve got it right. Give it six months before you chuck it and say it doesn’t work.

        • marie deveso says

          Hi Shane: I just read your article and am inspired to make my own food for my two wonderful healthy collies. I was heatbroken to read that “Lady” was not taken care of until you aquired her. God bless you and your family. I am going to start to make homemade food for my dogs, although I do feed them high qualtiy dog food. I agree when you stated anything homemade is going to be better than processed for human consumption so why not for our pets.

  16. Fred says

    Our 8 year old shih tzu just had his second bladder stone surgery. After his first surgery 4 years ago, the vet said that due to the type stone that it was he would need to eat nothing but Hills UD food. That’s what I did… Only to find out he had another stone. So what do I have to lose? I’ve just began making his dog food from chicken and white rice. Any suggestions?

  17. Kris says

    I have a 100 lb yellow lab with A LOT of allergies. Her food allergies are with corn, pork, venison, oats, yeast, potatoes, and carrots. I like the idea of making her food since I can only find one kind of dog food she can eat. However, because she is so big, it would be costly. Can I add vegetables to this recipe? And if so, what kind would be good? Also, if I start her on a homemade food diet, can I still give her store bought treats? My toddlers love to reward her with the dried chicken treats (ingredients are chicken and vegetable oil).

    Thanks!

    • Ed says

      Kris,

      It looks like your lab is allergic to many items. Sounds like his immune system is not functioning properly. Often feeding a dog a healthy homemade dog food recipe will settle his system down but it can take some time.
      Since he is so large I suggest chicken legs and thighs, they cost me about 68 cents per pound. You can try the chicken and rice dog food recipe. The dinovite does have yeast in it but most dogs that are allergic to yeast are actually allergic to brewers yeast. Dinovite does not contain brewers yeast.

      Be careful with the chicken treats if they come from China many dogs have gotten sick eating them. Also dog treats can be a source of many artificial colors and additives. These can cause all sorts of problems. I feed Nubonubs dog treats they are just freeze dried beef.

      • Kristyn says

        Thank you for this! I have read comments and comments trying to find out if we were supposed to add the skin. Thank you SO much for this. I have been in the grooming industry for over 20 years and have tried crap over and over to recommend to my clients. Full proof, and completely thoughtful. Thank you, Sir!

  19. Cyd says

    If my dog is finishing up the 3-month yeast starvation diet and I want to switch her over to the cooked chicken diet, do I have to do the 24-hour fasting and gradual introduction of food amounts again? Thank you!

  20. Dal says

    Hi There
    I have been feeding my boston terrier home made food (chicken, rice potatoes and carrots), but the problem I have been noticing is that if I give him freeze dried chicken treats or turkey. He ends up with diarrhea. I give him turkey in between and sometimes ends up with diarrhea with that too. I started to make him the boiled eggs with the chicken and rice and he does eat his meal and his stools are good, could I give him turkey in between with the boiled eggs with rice or should I stay away from it? Thanks so much

  21. Pat says

    Hi Ed,
    I have 2 great pyrenees puppies. They are 6 months old now. One, Luke, has been diagnosed with food allergies. I am not so sure. Both dogs wee both the same at 3 months. We went to have them nuetered and to finish up puppy shots and worming. He started scratching and licking his back legs, tummy and armpits until he pulled all that beautiful fur out. His brother has thick gorgeous fur and Luke, well, you can see his skin through his. They will be about 125 pounds in another 6 months. They weight 80 pounds currently. I plan on raw feeding. I actually started, but apparently how I combine it all is not all that appealing to them. I will be trying your recipe, switching out the meat now and again. I had a very expensive allergy test done, and it came back with poultry, soybean,flax,duck,green peas and potatoes as allergens. I still think it is outside allergens but he is too young to test right yet. They found yeast on his skin and fur. Have you ever had this experience with your dogs or know of it? How long will the raw diet fix all this, if at all? Also the vet claims he has to have a hydrolyzed diet by Hills, and nothing else, because he will eventually become allergic to everything. I think that crazy, what do you think? Any info on severely itchy dogs and your recipes will be so helpful. Thanks pat

  22. Lisa Sumner says

    Hi Ed,
    I have an 11 year old Chihuahua. He has always been finicky, and has had a diet of chicken and rice with a vitamin supplement for years. The vet says he needs more fiber in his diet, because his stools have become soft. Is your Cooked Chicken and Rice Recipe sufficient for his fiber needs? I don’t want to make a radical diet change at his age, because he is otherwise healthy.
    Thanks,
    Lisa

  23. VanessaB says

    I am wondering if these recipes provide enough fiber because my dog gets easily constipated. I’ve started cooking for her and have been doing this for about 1 week. I’m wondering if I should add cooked carrots to her food for the fiber, or oats instead of rice?

  24. Jane Cline says

    We have recently read that arsenic has been found in rice. If I remember correctly it is from soil contamination where cotton had previously been grown. Maybe you have more information on this and could shed some light on how and where to find rice that would be safe for people and animals. We have always bought rice off the grocery shelves, but now I don’t know whether to trust what is being sold. I would love to try both your raw and cooked diets on my three dogs. Thanks for any information.
    Jane

      • snair says

        Wonderful site, Ed! We adopted a 5 year old Norfolk or Norwich Terrier Mix 2 weeks ago who is barely 5 lbs and refuses to eat the Science Diet the shelter gave or any of the prescription i/d, a/d diets the vet suggested. Since I started giving her home cooked chicken, she completely stopped eating whatever little kibble or canned food she was having prior to that. She liked green beans and peas cooked but did not show much interest in rice. I also read that this breed should not be given rice but potatoes and sweet potatoes are ok. Then again, we are not sure of her exact breed and the secondary breed. I came across your site in my quest for balanced homemade food for her as the vets that we saw so far (except the wonderful VIP Clinic Vet) advised against going completely home-cooked due to lack of nutrition. She loves to eat the chicken and is very active, her eyes light up while eating and afterwards. I’m planning to order the supplements asap. How should I adjust the quantity for a dog this small? She is quite skinny and can easily gain upto 8-9 lbs as per the vets.

        Btw, to avoid arsenic in rice, either buy imported rice from Indian/Asian stores or buy California grown or grown anywhere where cotton fields did not exist. And rinse the rice few times before cooking to rinse off any traces of arsenic and you see clear, uncloudy water. There are mild traces of arsenic in all rice due to the crop standing in ground water. Thorough rinsing solves that issue. Do not buy enriched rice.

        thanks,
        smita

  25. Kari says

    Ed,

    My dog is allergic to flaxseed and brewer’s yeast (not sure if this is the type of yeast used in dinovite). Can you recommend another suppliment besides dinovite that does not include these ingredients?

    Thank you.

      • Kari says

        Ed,

        Thank you for responding. I appreciate your chicken recipe to use as a guide. A dog food I have used for years has recently changed their formula and my dog is now allergic. I will try to find a suppliment with that does not include flaxseed oil.

        Kari

  26. Gail says

    Recently our Poodle mix has had crystals and stones in his bladder. Do any of your recipes deal with this condition? He has had surgery to remove all the stones, but we are told it may reoccur if he is not on a special diet but no homemade one was available. If you could help I would appreciate any suggestions.

      • Gail says

        That was my feeling as well, the first ingredient listed on the kibble is rice, then corn, then chicken fat, checken meal and a list of chemicals as long as my arm. We have been making our own food for several years already. Unfortunately my little dog used to love our cats kibble and I think that may have been the source of his problems. Thanks Gail

  27. Kathy says

    I would like to understand the amount to feed for fat dogs: “multiply your dogs weight by 2%” was suggested. My dog weighs 26=.52? Am I doing it wrong, how much is .52? Thanks

  28. Gretchen says

    I have adopted a dog who was extremely emaciated (9 pounds underweight, according to the vet) and malnourished. She’s about 1 and a half years old. I’ve been feeding her chicken and sweet potatoes because they are cheaper here, and satin balls for treats to help her gain weight. She always seems hungry, no matter how much I give her! She weighs 61 pounds now, and should weigh about 65-70 according to the vet. How much should I feed her, and do you have any ideas for helping her to put on pounds? Also, my other dog, is a lab mix and overweight. All this feeding of the new dog is not helping her, since I try not to make her jealous. Suggestions? Is there a ‘won’t make you fatter’ treat I can give her? Thank you so much!

    • Ed says

      Gretchen,
      If she is gaining weight it may just be a matter of time. You can increase her daily dog food serving by 20% and see if that helps. Add some Dinovite and Supromega fish oil they are both good supplements. The Dinovite contains live Direct Fed Microbials and digestive enzymes that can benefit her digestion.

  29. Janice says

    Hi Gail and Ed, my shitzu recently had surgery to remove calicum oxalate bladder stones. He is on a dog food of Royal Cainin SO by his vet. I do not give him any processed foods anymore, especially cheese which promotes these stones. I received a food list and he can have chicken and rice and eggs which are all on the “approved list”. which I mixed with his SO food. I recently came across this website and are thinking of switching. He constantly licks his feet and I have to put socks on them so they don’t get red. I have noticed more licking since I started him on the SO dog food. The only thing that clears up the licking and redness is Predisone but I do not want to have to give this to him regularly. What are your thoughts.

    Janice

  30. Kyle says

    Ed,

    Do you find that these home-made recipes end up being significantly more expensive than bags of dog food from the store? The food I’m currently feeding my dog is $40 for a 35 pound bag. I’m interested in trying the home-made approach but I’m not sure if it would end up being too expensive.

  31. Amanda says

    Hello,
    I just made the homemade cooked beef recipe for the first time, and my English bulldog really enjoyed it. However, I was told that beef fat was really bad for you compared to other fats. So now I’m thinking about doing the chicken recipe next time. Would I need to have my dog fast again before starting the homemade chicken recipe?

  32. Stephanie says

    My boxer always has weight loss issues in the winter & he always acts like he is starving. He has been wormed & checked by his vet. I’m considering supplimenting his kibble with the cooked chicken & rice food. Are there any recommendations on how to about this? I know you say don’t mix them together, so a seperate meal of cooked food (i.e.- kibble for breakfast as usual, cooked chicken & rice mid-day, kibble for evening meal?)

  33. Connie Zuidema says

    I’m going to start my two standard poodles on the cooked chicken & rice recipe. The recipe calls for the two supplements to mixed into the food. Then, where you show recommended serving sizes, it indicates the amount of the serving plus the two supplements. Does this mean the supplements that are already mixed into the food or in addition to that?

  34. linda says

    hi there! my 8 year old pointer has consistently had skin issues. I have been on grain free lamb food and it still persists. i was on the dinovite site and from what i understand, the yeast is forming from the carbohydrates? i made the chicken/egg food and added yogurt- and waiting on the dinovite. i talked to the vet today and she has conflicting thoughts. She says the yeast is actually from the antigens produced from the “allergy” in most likely the protein source. Dogs are not like humans where they get yeast from carbohydrates/sugars. That normally dogs with issues are caused by beef, chicken, dairy and grains. My worry is that now he is on chicken. egg and yogurt! She recommended another protein- perhaps bison or venison (or fish) and sweet potatoes. What is your take?

    • Ed says

      Linda,

      Unfortunately your vet is wrong about the cause of yeast infections. I would feed the chicken or beef in the yeast starvation diet and do this for 6 months and see if your dog improves. I believe you will be pleased.

  36. Nancy says

    Hello!

    I haven’t read all the questions and comments so I apologize if I’m repeating a question. I looks like the Supromega and Dinovite are included in the dog food recipes as well as added to each portion when feeding; am I reading this correctly?

    Thank you!

  38. Sara says

    I started my dog on a raw chicken/egg diet including steamed broccoli. I also ground up the bones and used raw liver. I am wondering why you cook the chicken and eggs and don’t use the bones?

    I’ve also given her beef bones and she always gets horrible diarrhea. Will the same thing happen if I try your raw beef recipe? I’ve been trying to get her to gain weight and the chicken diet doesn’t seem to be helping so I’m wondering if the beef recipe would be better?

    Thanks!

  39. Mary says

    Hi Ed,

    Thank you for these wonderful recipes. Our dog has an egg allergy. Aside from the additional supplements suggested above can I replace the eggs with something else with similar nutritional value? Thank you for your help.

    Best,
    Mary & Nate

  40. Carla says

    Hi Ed, Love your website and all the information. I fix a smoothie for myself everyday and I put in two raw eggs and what do you know, it’s never hurt me. Is there a reason dogs can’t have raw eggs? Also, I have 4 dogs ranging from a 150 lb. Great Dane, an 80lb Great Pyrenees,
    an 80lb lab and a small blue heeler about 25lbs. All are rescues except for my Dane. On top of that, I have two rescued horses. I love them all! This last summer we had terrible fleas (we’re in Tennessee) and Frontline and Advantage didn’t work and they all had flea bites and are STILL itchy and scratching. I have started making homemade meals as I know the commercial stuff is crap, but, it can really get expensive. My Dane is 7 years old and she just recently got 2 fatty tumors. I’m sure it’s because I haven’t given supplements and now I really need to do so. Problem is, I’m already stretched budget wise and don’t think I can afford the food AND the vitamins. Any suggestions? My Dane means everything to me and I refuse to believe that just because she is a Great Dane, her life expectancy is 9 years old. Any suggestions?

    • Ed says

      Carla,

      I have found the best thing for fleas is program and capstar. It can take a couple months but it will knock the fleas out. I too have lots of animals I feed and it’s always a stretch.

  41. Jennifer M says

    What ingredients can I use instead of dinovite and supromega? I have a 50lb 9month old Old English bulldog and a 90lb 2 yr old America staffordshire terrier. Both have skin allergies and sensitive digestive systems. I’m trying to find something to improve their being without having to spend a fortune.

  44. Sarah says

    Hi Ed!
    I have a 5 yr old GSP named Sofie D. My Husband and I adopted her as a pup. As far back as I can remember our poor girl has suffered from severe Allergies. We have even paid for an extensive, expensive, blood panel to tell us what exactly she is allergic to. Results: beef, potatoes, oats, lamb, milk products, the list goes on. Our vet recommended a very low dose steroid pill plus antihistamines daily. We have had her on the medication for about 3 years. We’ve also switched her food at least 20 times. Recently, we switched her to a grain free food and it seems as though she is worse! I am not sure if it is seasonal, as her allergies are worse in the winter. Anyway, stumbling upon your blog today feels like I may have some hope for my sweet sweet girl! I read on the supplements web site that skin allergies are commonly misdiagnosed and could very well be something lacking in her diet! I am currently cooking chicken and rice as we speak and will be ordering the supplements shortly! Do you ever add vegetables to your homemade dog food recipes? Could I supplement venison or fish? Thank you! I will keep you posted on my sweet Sofie D’s progress!

    • Ed says

      Sarah,

      I think your dog will do well on the chicken and rice dog food recipe. The dinovite has “alfalfa nutrient concentrate” in it and it is like a super vegetable. So I don’t add veggies. Yes, you can substitute venison.

  45. dsummers says

    Hi, I have two senior Yorkshire Terriers, a 1 year old Maltese, and a 3 mo old Yorkie baby. Can I start all on the cooked chicken diet? Is this a diet I can feed indefinately? Do they need to fast prior… Thank you,

  46. Bart says

    Ed – I lov your site and thank you so much for this! Feeding my dogs and my cat has been an evolutionary process for me. I am someone who uedto think Iam and Science Diet were good foods. About 2 years ago I switched to a raw diet -Naure’s Variety which I continue to feed today.

    I now want to start making my won. About a month ago, I started adding cooked chickn livers as well as sardines to their diet.

    My question for you is – since I am giving sardnies (packed in water), how would I incorporate that in in place of supromega or can I use in addition to? Also – I see that the Dinovite is in powder form and appears to be cheaper than the tube. Is it okay to use the powder?

    • Ed says

      Bart,

      I would just continue using the Suppromega fish oil as outlined in the recipes and just add the sardines. Yes, it is ok to use the powdered Dinovite instead of the Dinovite liquid.

  47. kathryr says

    Hi Ed,
    I will be making your raw meat recipe, I have two small Chilhuahua and they love raw hamburger,
    so this they will probably eat. This sounds like a well balanced diet that is healthy and has nutritious products in it. At least when you make it you know what goes in it.

  49. Vicki says

    Good Morning,

    I have a 13 year old Standard Schnauzer. We have tried many of the “premium” brand dog foods and thought he was eating a good one (Nutro Sensitive Stomach, then Innova). On the other hand, I’ve always wondered why he’d sniff it and look at me and not want to eat it. In the last couple of months, he has been drinking so much water I was concerned he was diabetic. He had terrible gas on Innova and when he ran out, I just started feeding him whatever meat I was cooking (before seasoning/salt) and oatmeal and an egg. He loves it and after about 5 days I realized he appeared to be back to drinking normal amounts of water. I started wondering if the high carb commercial food was either causing him to drink all this water or if this type of food caused diabetes.

    And, I have used oatmeal as my starch when I mix temporary food and he likes it and doesn’t have gas. Is there a reason to use rice instead of oatmeal?

    Thank you for your information, recipes and answers. This is so helpful and interesting.

    Vicki

  50. Cynthia says

    I have been making this chicken/rice recipe for my dogs for over 3 months. Both have slimmed down and are more active. One had significant hair loss due to allergies and now has a beautiful coat. Best decision I have ever made!

  51. Sherrie Giggers says

    Hi Ed,
    I have a 9 year old Cocker Spaniel who has been plagued with skin allergies all her life. I had her on an expensive white chicken meat and oatmeal kibble diet, but she was getting so tired of eating only that and it hasn’t been 100% foolproof on preventing the breakouts. Earlier this week I came across your website on the Homemade dog food, and was excited to see how easy the meals would be to fix. Last night while I was at Costco, I purchased two of their whole roasted chickens to begin my venture in the homemade foods.
    I can’t tell you how excited my cocker was when I got home and began deboning the chicken, she danced and danced all around as if she knew she was getting something special. Poor thing, had to wait until today before she could try it.
    I know that using just the hindquarters is cheaper, but I think the amount of bones you end up with using a whole chicken is a good tradeoff, also when looking at the amount of meat you gain as well as the vitamin/protein value from the inner vessels and kidneys within the whole chicken. (Livers too if I had roasted the whole chicken myself). You had mentioned to ensure to include the cartilage, I pulled the cartilage caps off the end of the bones and blended those with the chicken in my food processor. Do you think this was ok for the cartilage? Should I have left the meat in bitesize pieces? I also placed the eggs in the food processor and then at the very end, pulverized the egg shells alone in the processor. Does chopping everything down this small make it too broken-down for their digestive system? (The rice was left in its original cooked form). Is it ok to add additional chicken liver to my future batches?
    Also, she enjoys fresh apples, carrots, bananas and raw almonds. Can I make a breakfast concoction for her with oatmeal, chicken and some grated fruit?
    Thank you for your insight and recipes!

    I have ordered the Supromega fish oil and Dinovite, can’t wait to receive it!

  53. Lee says

    We are doing the chicken and rice recipe posted herein and plan to start feeding it tomorrow morning. The feeding directions for a 10lb dog it indicate an amount of dog food to feed on a daily basis plus a requirement for the fish oil and the supplement. Are these amounts for fish oil and supplement required on a daily basis in ADDITION to those already in the prepared recipe?

    Thanks.

  54. Vicki says

    I have been making the raw and cooked recipes for my schnauzer and he really likes them. He has no trouble with either chicken or ground beef. I buy my chicken at the grocery that doesn’t add salt solution to it. (I noticed their ground turkey has “flavorings” that include sodium). If I just use chicken or beef, eggs and plain rice, it is sodium free. But, do dogs have a need for some sodium? I don’t want him to have to much. As I mentioned in my deleted post, he was drinking an excessive amount of water, but has quit since I changed his diet to homemade. I ordered your supplements. Do they have any sodium?

    • Ed says

      Sodium is present in many food items so it’s usually not usually a deficiency item. There is some sodium in the kelp meal in Dinovite along with 60+ trace minerals.

      Dogs will typically drink less water when fed any of these homemade dog food recipes (a good thing) because they have a high moisture content.

      • Vicki says

        Thanks! I just received the Dinovite and Lickochops and put them in his food last night and this morning and he liked it just fine. I feel better making his food knowing he’s getting the trace minerals, etc. I also got a couple of bags of the treats and he liked those, too. I’d been giving him a small baby carrot every morning when I leave and I knew they didn’t digest well, but never understood why, until I read your info about the canine digestive tract. Now, I will give him the beef treat. He used to let me know when it was time for a meal, but now that he’s getting homemade, he does a dance (at 13!) and jumps for joy at his meal!

          • Vicki says

            Ed, I have one more question. A friend sent me a link to an article in dog-food-advisor.com and the author/vet said they wouldn’t make their own food for fear of not including some of the important nutrients that the commercial dog foods provide, but failed to list any. What could be missing that is necessary and can only be provided by commercial food? Does your Din-o-vite provide the possibile omissions? I am feeding him chicken thighs, ground turkey (raw), eggs with shells, white rice, Dinovite, LickOchops and a few additions (salmon bones from our canned and some trace veggies and plain potatoes). He has had no digestive issues with eh added supplements.

            Thanks.

            Vicki

            • Ed says

              Vicki,

              It all looks good with what you are feeding. I’ve never had a dog develop any signs of deficiency on any of the dog food recipes.

              In contrasts, dogs fed kibble develop many symptoms of nutritional deficiency diseases. The veterinary community just tend to misdiagnose them.

  55. Kathy Mackay says

    Thank you for posting your recipe, the step-by-step directions and answering questions. We have a 100lb Lab, 80lb Golden Retriever and a 65lb Australian cattle dog mix who over the years have eaten dry kibble w/jerky bits. I noticed this past year our Lab started having horrible skin/coat problems and our Golden’s energy had all but disappeared, when I started doing research for a better dog food I realized how pretty much all the store brands available had thousands of complaints lodged against them and decided it was time to provide better nutrition which meant cooking it ourselves. We started cooking homemade dog food of cooked chicken, cooked eggs and brown rice as well as homemade dog biscuits (peanut butter, pumpkin, egg, honey and flour) for the three of them. They absolutely LOVE it!! I can tell a huge difference in their coats and energy levels already and it’s only been two weeks!!

    My husband has concerns regarding the proper amounts to feed them, whether kibble is necessary for their teeth and if barley or pasta would be a decent substitution for the rice?

    • Ed says

      Kathy,

      All good news! Kibble is not necessary for their teeth. The PH of the meat will help keep them clean. As far as portion, start with the same portion you did when feeding kibble. Adjust it up or down depending on your dog’s weight gain or loss.

      I would stay away from pasta but I think barley would be fine.

    • Bart says

      That is a myth that kibble helps clean dog’s teeth. Nothing could be further from the truth. Kibble actually creates the tartar build up. It’s kind of like saying that eating cheetos and pretzels daily will clean your teeth.

      The best thing I hae found to maintain teeth health is feeding raw meaty bones with marrow at least once a week.

  56. Ginger says

    Hi! I have two 11 year old black labs! They have always been healthy and visited the vet regulary! Just 4 months ago, one of our boys,Bear was diagnosed with diabeties. I have started cooking his food for him, but using a different recipie than yours, He has to eat twice a day, and gets insulin twice a day, his sugar levels still are not where they should be, and i am willing to try anything to help him. And now with this extra eating, my other boy,Max, has put on more weight than he needs! Help!

    • Ed says

      Ginger,

      It sounds like you are going to have to feed them in separate rooms to keep Max from gaining weight. This way you can cut back on Max’s portions until he hit his desired weight.

      Diabetes is a complex problem, click here to read an article that may help.

  57. Shannon says

    Hi Ed- I already feed my dog the cooked beef/rice/egg with Dinovite and Lickochops.
    I am curious if I could alternate between the chicken and beef recipe (for variety) or is that not a good idea?

    Thanks for always sharing and always answering!

  58. Vicki says

    I just want to comment about the Nubonubs snack – the first day after I opened the bag, we found Riley standing in the pantry waiting for another one. Then, a day or two later, he snagged the bag from the shelf and took off. He usually ignores the pantry, even though he could probably reach a box of crackers if he really wanted to. He just loves them.

  59. Lorna says

    I started my little pomeranian (11 years old) on the chicken and rice recipe (I only made enough for a few days) a few days ago, and have been feeding her that without the Dynovite and fishoil, as I had to order it, and I didn’t get it till yesterday. But I thought that even without the supplements, it was better than the kibble that I had been giving her (Iams). She did fine for a couple of days, and then she got diarrhea and wouldn’t eat. Now, this morning she is throwing up (still not eating). She just keeps throwing up yellowish foam. Yesterday, I bought all the stuff to make the burger recipe (baked) and I now have the supplements, but I wonder what I should give her (if she will eat) to help settle her stomach. I’m afraid to give her something that might make her worse. I am just beside myself. Please HELP!!!! Thanks.

      • Lorna says

        Hi Ed,
        I made my little pomeranian a cooked recipe of 1 lb ground beef, 1 lb ground turkey, 1 lb of ground pork and 5 eggs, which I threw in a few chicken livers while blending them in the blender with shells. I added this to the meat mixture with about 1 and 1/2 cups of well cooked white rice, and mixed it up very well, and put it into a baking pan, and baked it at 400 degrees for 1 hour. I started her off very slowly, as you said, just a few bites Friday evening with a pinch of Dinovite and a couple of drops of SuprOmega. She loved it and did fine. The next morning, Saturday, I gave her a few more small bites the same way, and then again Saturday evening. She did fine. Then yesterday, Sunday, I fed her a little more, which she ate eagerly. Then about an hour after she ate, she became lethargic and was holding her ears down, and you could tell she did not feel well at all. Now, this morning, she is still the same. She has not vomited or had diarrhea, but she is still lethargic and just lays around holding her ears down most of the time. What did I do wrong? Is the recipe I used bad? Could it be the chicken livers? I hate to keep being a pest, but your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, again.

          • Lorna says

            Thanks for your reply, Ed,
            No, she could not have gotten into anything, as she has not been out of my sight at all. She is not eating kibble, as I read where you said that does not work, and causes upsets in their system. Like I said, she has not vomited or had diarrhea. Fasting her will not be a problem, as she is certainly not interested in eating at all. She is very lethargic, and she is never like that. It has been over 20 hours now, since she last ate. She has not drank any water, either. When she does eat again, would it be ok to give her the recipe that I outlined above, or should I try something else? I look at her and I just want to cry. Maybe what I made was too rich for her? 🙁

            • Ed says

              Lorna,

              I’m trying to follow this so forgive me if get it wrong. Your original post said she’s 11 years old and eaten science diet before the homemade dog food. She had diarrhea and vomited yellow foam. Now she’s acting lethargic like she has an upset stomach.

              If all this happened in a short time frame then I think her system is accustomed to a high carbohydrate diet and having difficulty switching to a meat based diet. The food you presented with the livers and all is pretty rich and could of upset her system. Provide her water free choice and don’t feed her till she perks up. Then offer her a small portion of food with triple the rice. My guess is her system will have an easier time with a diet that has more carbohydrates.

              After she has settled down and back to herself slowly reduce the amount of rice.

              Some older dogs take a little longer to adapt to the new food.

          • Lorna says

            Hi Ed,
            Yes, she is 11 years old, and was on Iams before I started her on a very small batch of chicken and rice recipe, which she did fine with for a couple of days, and then got diarrhea and was vomiting yellow foam. I did like you said, and waited till the next day, and she was hungry and feeling much better. So I fed her just a couple of bites of the recipe that I outlined above, and then the next day just a few bites twice a day, and she seemed to be doing fine, till yesterday, a short while after she ate, so yes, this has all taken place in about a week’s time. I guess her age was the problem with the very rich food that she wasn’t used to getting. I feel better knowing that now, and when she starts to feel better (hopefully, tomorrow) I will triple the rice, and give her plenty of time to adapt to the new food. Thanks for your patience and your replies. She seems to be feeling a tiny bit better, and she did drink a little water a while ago, so maybe everything will be ok. Thanks again… 🙂

  60. jennifer says

    I am seriously considering using your yeast starvation recipe for my 12 year old shih tzu. He has an extremely bad yeast infection from head to tail. I have tried cortisone shots and antibiotics, they help only temporary. I’ve done a lot of research and am finding out now that the cortisone shots ruin the immune system. At the end of my rope I want to try making his food and vinegar rinses. I have a few questions about the recipe. I am concerned about raw ground beef in the yeast starvation recipe.

    Could I use the cooked chicken instead of ground beef?
    Can my other shih tzu (who has NO health issues) thrive fine on the no rice recipe?
    If I use the ground beef in the yeast starvation recipe, can I cook it?
    What fat content should the ground beef be, 90/10 or 80/20 or does it matter?

    Thank you for your time and I greatly appreciate your opinion.

    Jennifer

  61. Belinda says

    Ed,
    I would like to have some homemade dog treat recipes. I was hoping you were going to post some. I have found lots of recipes online, but most of them have ingredients that you don’t recommend for dogs; like vegetables and fruit and whole wheat flour. I have ordered some of your nubonubs, but really would like to make the treats myself. I have ordered the supplements and I am going to start with the homemade raw dog food this week. Just hoping that you might be able to help out with treat recipes, too.

    Thanks,
    Belinda

  62. bond4509@aol.com says

    I have an 8 year female Shih Tzu that has had a sensitive stomach most of her life. Throw up and diarrhea. As well as allergies. The allergies are mostly different grass. She started on allergy shots last year, too. Steroids taken too much was causing a whole other problem.
    Since October she has not been able to tolerate anything but chicken and rice. Her vet and I have changed from ID Science Diet to Royal Canin Rabbit/Pot, and just last weekend, ZD Science Diet. Diarrhea just as soon as I get up to about a 1/4 cup added to the chicken and rice. I am back to just chicken and rice. I have been boiling boneless chicken breasts, thinking the fat from dark meat would upset her stomach. Guess I was wrong there, too.
    The vet is telling me she needs supplements with the chicken and rice. Which makes sense. I found your site yesterday and plan to use your chicken receipe. I added the egg to her mix yesterday and will order the supplements today. Her weight has gone from 14.4 in October to 12.9 yesterday. She always seems to be hungry, as well. She is getting about a cup or so of the chicken and rice, a day. I also add in steamed broccoli, bits of apple and carrots, now.
    Hopefully with the supplements you have suggested she will get better.
    Thank you!
    Sincerely, Marilyn

    • Marilyn Highsmith says

      Hello Ed,
      Do you think more than a cup a day would help with her hunger? I have added the egg and shells to the boiled chicken. She seems to be tolerating them well. I hope to get the supplements in the next couple of days. I weighed her today and is down to 12.6 lbs.
      Thanks,
      Marilyn

        • Marilyn says

          Thanks Ed. I have and will continue to increase. She’s getting more than a cup of the mixture a day, now. I just don’t want the diarrhea to come back. I need to switch from brown rice to white rice on the next batch. Thank you for the information, too!
          Marilyn

        • Marilyn says

          Thanks Ed! I got the Dinovite & Fish Oil Friday, and started Zoie on it, slowly as the insert advised. Day two she’s got some diarrhea. More rice? Less supplement and or Fish Oil, to start with? I gave her a 1/2 a tab of Imodium to ease her symtems, this morning. I also figured out to switch from brown to white rice. I am going to do that with this evening meal.
          Thanks for all your help!
          Regards, Marilyn

  63. Tammy says

    Hi Ed,
    My Bichon Frise is 2 years old and stopped eating his Science Diet dry and can food about two weeks ago. I found your recipes and started feeding him your chicken and rice without the egg. He did well the first week and liked his food!! I baked some more chicken and rice then I added the egg with ground up shells. He was at a friends house last weekfor 5 days while I was out of town. He threw up a few times and has had diarrhea. Should I take the eggs out or keep feeding him. He laid yesterday but has perked up some. I really want to keep him on this diet. He is 16 lbs, so I gave him a cup a day. I also need to order the vitamins you add to the food. Just not sure about the egg. He’s had a sensitive stomach in the past And had to put him on special food with prescription medicine for a month. I’m thinking of baking the chicken and just putting the rice in. He is not getting any snacks or dry food. I’m thinking he ate something while he was at my friends house but she said not and she said it must be the eggs. What should I do? Thanks! Tammy

    • Ed says

      Tammy,

      I would not stop feeding the eggs. You can blend the eggs and shells in a blender. Blending them in this manner will pulverize the shells. Dogs are easy vomiters. The little incident could have more to do with your absence and a new surrounding.

  64. Gaby says

    I started out two 1-year old huskies on the cooked chicken and they seem to be doing very well on it. Talking to our butcher, it turns out he actually prepares ground whole chickens for dog food (includes the ground bones). The question now is, do I have to reduce the eggs quantity if I start using the ground whole chicken?

  65. chanelle clark says

    I have a 5 year old Shih Tzu boy and a 7 year old girl. MY girl has no specific allergies she does fine but my boy has these chronic ear infections (YEAST). I am constantly spending money at the vet because of the yeast in his ears. I don’t want to keep putting him on these antibiotics. Perhaps it’s caused by the food treats and Science Diet he has been on for years. I am scared to give them raw meat only because I don’t eat it. Those are my babies and to be frank I’m scared to do it. If I can make it on my own without any issues of them getting sick I will. I just want the ears to be healthy as well as their digestive track. PLEASE ADVISE /HELP

  66. hello says

    I have a 8 month old German shepherd who’s a very picky eater. She would sometimes vomit and have diarrhea for 1 day or 2 and will be fine after. She will then refuse to eat her dog food until she starves and finally do eat it. Can I mix this home made dog food half and half with regular dry food when i feed her, or will that cause some issues?

    • Ed says

      I don not recommend mixing kibble and the homemade dog food recipes because doing so often leads to digestive upset. Vomiting, diarrhea a terrible mess. I personally prefer a hungry dog to cleaning up excrement. Dogs are gorgers and fasters by design. So fasting is no sweat for them.

    • Chip B says

      Hello Hello!
      Welcome to the ownership of a GSD. Some can tolerate small day to day changes well; some, not so much. They bond very well to their “person.” Anything outside of the ordinary, can set off their digestive system. Food obviosly included. I have owned them for most of my life.

      Many years ago, (>20) I had a veterinarian tell me, during the bouts of diarrhea and vomiting, to fast my dog for 24 hours, then slowly start him up on Chicken and Rice. He didn’t try to sell me the prescription dog food he had. He just said to stick with the Chicken and Rice for a week, and gradually introduce his normal food back into his diet. I am not sure if Dinovite was around at that time. It wasn’t mentioned.

      Sadly, he got bitten by a snake while I was at work on day, and had passed by the time I got home from work. He was 8.

      My next GSD, really didn’t have too many problems regarding food. If his stomach did get upset, I resorted to Chicken and Rice, but that was rare. He unfortunately passed before his time (they always seem to do,) due to cancer.

      The next one, Beau, was a fantastic dog. I got him from German Shepherd Rescue. He was about 3 hears old, very tall, and weighed 73 lbs. He had been in the program for 6 months. I started feeding him a steady Nutro Lamb and Rice diet. He picked up weight and got to a “healthy” 110 lbs. You could still feel the outline of his ribs when you petted him. If my son was headed out to play, I would tell him to take the “babysitter.” He would open the hatch on the car, Beau would hop in, and keep an eye on him. If he wandered too far, Beau would go to him and lean on him, nudge him, or bump him, until he came back into the yard. If a stranger walked up, Beau would just go and stand between my son and the stranger, showing no aggression; just letting them know he was there. But, honestly, who is going to question a 110# GSD?

      Even though I thought I was feeding him well, he was constantly licking at his paws and chewing on himself. My neighbor would watch him when I went out of town. He wouldn’t eat. When I would get home, I made him Chicken and Rice untill his appetite came back. I also had tumbleweeds of hair blowing through the house.

      Sometime during this, I heard an advertisement on XM Radio for Din-O-Vite, and thought I would give it a try. Wow. What a difference. He stopped licking his paws and chewing his coat. I am not going to say the tumbleweeds disappeared, after all, he was a Shepherd. But they were much less. My family came up for Christmas, and I guess he’d been on it for about 4 months. He was a good looking dog before, but know his coat REALLY shined. Both my mom and my sister ordered it and still use it today.

      As I mentioned before, they never live long enough. It was devastating to me, but it was more devastating to my 12 y/o son b/c really, Beau was the only dog he had known. I had promised him a couple of years earlier, when the time came, I would get him a puppy of his very own.

      So, now we have Bella. My first female GSD. She has justed turned 2. Completely bonded to my son. She is on Din-O-Vite as well, and her coat is gorgeous. I have 50% custody of my son; week on, week off. We have been feeding her Blue Buffalo Wilderness, mixing can with dry, 2x/day. She’s hasn’t been eating well at all. Two to three days after he leaves for his mom’s, she realizes he’s not here, and she stops eating. So she’ll go 4 days without eating, and partially eat the day he comes back. Sometimes, I can get the stew beef, sit on the floor, and hand feed her, but I have to be careful with that b/c if her stomach has been empty, and I give her more than a handful, back up it comes. If you can’t her to eat, you can try this, but keep her hungry until you get back on your normal regime.

      So, for the past 4 weeks, I have been giving her Chicken and Rice, with only a 2 day hunger strike thrown in last week when I was gone, and my son was gone. She’s up to a healthy weight now. I was curious if I was giving her everything she needed nutritionally, and happened on this site. Looks like I only have one more item to purchase!

      Enjoy your GSD! They’re awesome dogs, but I may be a bit partial.

      Sorry so long winded!

  67. Cyd says

    Hi. I am embarrassed to be asking this really stupid question, but … I have made the cooked chicken/rice/eggs twice now for Roxie; she loves it. However, I’ve never made more than a cup of rice at a time, & the 5 cups I’m making keeps coming out really sticky each time. I rinse the rice quite a few times before cooking, to remove some of the starch, so you’d think that would make it less sticky. I’m using long grain rice. The directions are 2 cups liquid to 1 c. rice; I’m using 5 c. rice, so I use 10 cups water. I follow the cooking instructions: bring to boil, put lid on tightly, lower to simmer for 15 mins., let sit for five mins., fluff w/fork. There’s not much fluffing to do with the rice, it’s so sticky. Also, I was boiling the chicken & added a little bit of cut up carrots to it (she likes it), and I was not using the skin. Boiled chicken skin & roasted skin have different textures; should I cut up the boiled skin & add to her food? I’m using the full size recipe; Roxie is only about 11 lbs., so I’m planning on only putting in 1 C. of the powdered Dinovite. How much Superomega should I put in? Thanks for any help you can give me on cooking the darned rice properly! Cyd

    • Ed says

      Cyd,

      I cook the rice like you have described and it is stick but this is fine. You can add one teaspoon of Supromega fish oil per cup of food or mix a whole tube per batch as outlined. I would add the skin.

      • Cyd says

        I did as you suggested in the second batch of cooked chicken w/rice recipe, but this time made the full recipe & added one tube of SuperOmega. But she started having diarrhea weeks ago. Took her to vet who gave me some probiotic stuff for her & it eased it somewhat; but, she is now having really super-soft stools; very difficult to pick up & she freaks out when she has to go, cuz she’s afraid I might not get her outside in time. She did fine w/the first batch of chicken recipe, when I added SuperOmega daily,as opposed to all in a full batch. Is it possible the SuperOmega is too strong for her? The only thing different from the first batch & 2nd (besides the size; 1st batch was 1/2 size; second, full recipe) is that I put all of the SuperOmega in the 2nd batch before I froze it all. She’s also licking more again, which she had eased up on with the yeast starvation diet. I’m considering getting her back on that, only w/the cooked meat; just cuz the cooked is easier to deal with when traveling, which we frequently do. Thanks, Ed. Cyd

  68. Rachel says

    Hi,
    I have a 4 month old English Cream Retriever who always seems to have stomach upset and diarrhea. He has had countless stool samples and luckily nothing seems to be wrong in the stool. The vet wants to continue with more tests but I was thinking about trying your cooked chicken and rice diet before we do…I have a feeling it may be the food he is on (Blue Buffalo Freedom Puppy). I was wondering since he seems to have such a sensitive stomach could I leave out the eggs and if so what would you recommend as a replacement? I have hear also that sweet potato is great for dogs and very easy on the digestive system (as long as it is cooked and then smashed?

    • Ed says

      Rachel,

      I would feed the diet as presented. You can blend the eggs and shell in a blender to pulverize the shells. Eggs tend to help firm up a dog’s stool so I would not eliminate them.

      • rachel says

        Thanks! I had no idea that eggs were meant to harden stool in dogs, I guess I always figured since they can present problems to some people who have stomach issues I just assumed the same with dogs. I will try it as presented and see how he does. Thanks for having your site…it has been beyond helpful!

        Rachel

          • Rachel says

            Okay, so I have another question. Ive been feeding the chicken and rice diet to both my dogs and it has cleared up the diarrhea the english cream had but it seems that my lab mix is not very constipated. Do you have any suggestions on what else I can add to the diet to reduce some of the rice consumption? My vet thinks its because of the quantity of rice in it. Any suggestions are appreciated since changing his diet back to kibble is a no go for me.
            Thanks!
            Rachel

  69. Cassandra Croy says

    Dear Ed,
    I really want to switch my 2 year old Corgi Mix one of your homemade dog foods. The only question I have is about the suppliments that you have recomended. Could I use a Salmon Oil from my local feed store. And I called and asked if they carried Dinovite and they had never heard of it. what should i look for on the package to find a different brand with the same nutrients? Thanks for your help!

  70. helene berg says

    I’m looking for recipes for home made dry dog food so I can take it with me when we go travel and refrigeration is not available. Recipes that say dog treat or dog cookies – are they suitable dry dog FOOD as well?

  72. Trish Braun says

    After reading other posts I want to give you more information. Bernie is an approximately 7-year old Japanese Chin rescue. He is about 17 lbs, about 5 lbs overweight. He just had surgery to remove bladder stones which have been sent off to see what kind they are. He is currently eating Royal Canine SO food which he tolerates well, but my budget does not. He was on CD for about a year but because of his weight they suggested switching him to SO. I also have a completely healthy mutt (chihuaua, pomeranian, schnoodle mix). Her weight is perfect and she will be 7 the end of March. Is there a homemade diet I can feed the both of them? Bailey (the mutt) does have a sensitive stomach and vomits bile if I switch her to a new food too quickly.

  73. Lady Penny says

    Hi Ed, Your website is very helpful for us dog lovers. We are considering switching to a homemade diet for both of our dogs. We are not unwise to the billions that can be made in the dog food industry. I am researching how long this dynamite and the supplements have been around. I am not negative but honest. You seem to be pushing these supplements. Are you a true believer? Do you use them on your dogs? Before we switch we want to make sure that this is safe and with your experience that you are confident in them.

    • Ed says

      Lady Penny,

      I developed Dinovite over the course of 5 years on my own kennel with no intension of selling it. I would give it out to folks when they bought one of my puppies. It grew from there. You can say I a true believer. The products work well try them and you will see.

      • Lady Penny says

        Dear Ed,

        Thank you so much for your reply and accepting our minor skepticism. We have been using the chicken & rice cooked recipe and it is working well and the girls love it. I have told 2 dog lovers about homemade dog food & dinovite so far and intend to tell more 🙂

        We were adding the dinovite & lickochop to each bowl for our girls, this has become a little extra work and we want to try adding it to the whole batch this time. We are following the cooked chicken recipe to a T but when it comes to the dinovite we don’t know how much to add for two dogs. A black lab (44 pds) and a Jap Chin (10pds). How much do you suggest? We followed the instructions for everything almost explicitly and our girls are doing well. What do you think now?

  74. Tricia Lieber says

    I have a couple of questions. I see that in some recipes you call for Lickochops and in others Supromega. Is the use of these either/or, or can they be used together? I see on the Dinovite Products site when looking at the Dinovite they ask Finicky dog? add Lickochops, Itchy dog? add Supromega. I have a somewhat finicky dog who itches some, but not to the point of possibly injuring herself. Next-Is the difference between the Dinovite for small/medium dogs only in the amount given? She is a beagle/chihuahua mix about 15 pounds. If the difference is only in the amount given I prefer to purchase the bigger package, give her the right amount for her weight, and have the package last longer.
    I was very happy to find your site. I am always looking for ways to improve and protect my dog’s health. She refuses to eat store bought dog food and I have worrried that even my best intentions in cooking healthy for her would not meet her nutritional needs. I appreciate your recipes and feedback, and look forward to trying the Dinovite supplements. FYI-I found your website through a link on petplace.com. My fiance is in advertizing and I know advertizers like to know where their ads are reaching people.

    • Ed says

      Tricia,

      Lickochops has chicken fat (great omega 6 source) and Fish oil (great source for omega 3), I like using Lickochops for dogs like you describe. When dogs have excessive itching I like to use the Supromega fish oil because the additional quantity of omega 3 can further help the itching.

      The dinovite powder is all the same product just different quantities in the package and different size scoops.

    • Ed says

      Cindy,

      Eggs are full of many nutrients it is best to keep them in the recipe. If your dog’s allergies are super bad then omit them but add the Fidocal (calcium supplement) otherwise your dog will end up with a calcium deficiency.

  76. Heidi says

    I have a 4 lb. toy poodle who is super finicky. She is also allergic to chicken. Earlier this week i ordered dinovite and lickochops as i will be making her your home cooked recipe. Can i use ground turkey or ground lamb or ground veal. Can I combine these proteins or shld. they be used individually? Should I have ordered the other omega supplement that is fished based. I did not realize that lickochops was a chicken product. I would greatly appreciate your advice.

    Thanks,
    Heidi

    • Ed says

      Heidi,

      You can combine meats that is fine. Usually, allergies are associated with the protein source not the fat. The lickochops should be ok but if not then used the Supromega fish oil.

  77. Charlotte says

    Hi,
    Your recipes for dog food are interesting and well worth trying, but I thought that white rice was not nutritious for neither man nor beast. Is there something wrong with using nutritious brown rice instead?

    W/kindest regards,
    Charlotte

  78. Vickie Sneed says

    Is it o.k. to use whole chickens rather than just leg/thigh quarters and is it o.k. to boil the chicken rather than bake in the oven? You mentioned saving the bones for bone stock. What is bone stock and what is it used for?

  79. heidi says

    Hi, After making every meat protein possible I have finally lucked into a formula that my little one will eat without getting diarhea. I’m making a whole rabbit and a turkey breast with the required cup of rice that I cook in the broth and adding 5 hardboiled eggs crushed in the blender with shell. She is unbeliebably picky and will still only eat every 2nd or sometimes 3rd day. Any ideas how to get her to eat more often. I’m worried she’s not getting enough food. She weighs just under 4 lbs. Your help is greatly appreciated,
    Thanks,
    Heidi

  80. Jennifer says

    Would it be ok to use the lickochops instead of the superomaga fish oil or would that cause the food to not have the proper nutrients?
    I’m new to the homemade dog food and don’t want to make something that isn’t good for my babies!

  81. mona says

    Hello Ed!
    I am in the process of changing our “kids” over to home cooked food. What I was wondering was what portions do you suggest for one that is over weight? Our oldest should be around 20 lbs and he weights 30. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
    Thank you!
    Mona

  82. Calvin says

    Hai Ed,
    Wish to ask izzit the same portion as u shown above to feed puppy under 3month coz I’ve heard that puppy need more protein as they’re in the proses of growing.. Thanks

  83. Sommer says

    Im so excited to find this site…Ive been debating on homemade dog food but then read how its dangerous so i dont do it. I have a whole chicken that I need to use up and found this site when googling how to make dog food. I figured I would at least supplement their kibble with a little cooked chicken if nothing else. We have a 10 year old lab and a 1 year old chihuahua pomeranian mix. Im looking at the Dinovite and wondering if I absolutely need to buy two different boxes dinovite and therefore also serve two different batches of food because of size difference…or is there something I can do to create a homemade dog food that is still appropriate for both dogs together?

  84. Michelle G says

    Hi,

    Just wondering if I could sub in white fish as the protein and possible quinoa for the grain in this recipe? Any tips would be great! Thanks.

    Michelle

  86. leanne irving says

    Hi,
    Just found your website..i am so over itchy dogs (i have 8 shih tzu’s ) . i have been feeding wellness for 10 years and im always combating itchy skin, and runny eyes. i have a few questions …. i live on a farm so i have chicken eggs as well as duck and turkey egss. i want to know if it would be ok to use the latter two kinds of eggs in place of the chicken. also , will i have to continue the angel eyes? i would appreciate the input . thanks so much for such a simple food.
    cant wait to start feeding it.
    leanne

  88. Jeanne says

    I have an almost 14 year old Golden with a known health issue – she’s terminal, but has been since Sept so not sure how much longer. She’s going downhill and doesn’t like most of the food I’ve tried. She’ll eat stuff we’re eating, but no dog food. Since she’s not eating, I can’t do the gradual shift. Can I just try the chicken/rice recipe? what kind of issue will it cause to just jump into the recipe?

  89. Char and Pablo says

    we have a 3 month old beagle and would like to start feeding him ur chicken an rice food receipe… could you kindly tell us how much i should give him per day?

    thanks a lot
    Char and Pablo

  90. Nancy says

    I’m getting ready to pick my puppies who are currently being fed a commercial puppy food, do you recommend fasting even for eight week old puppies?

  91. Jaime Langan says

    My 9 year old lab was diagnosed with diabetes recently. It was suggested I try making her chicken and white rice with carrots and peas. Question for you- the recipe you provided- would you make any alterations for a diabetic dog? Thank you

  92. paula daddio says

    I would like to try your recipes for my dog but need to know the ingredients of the supplements. He is allergic to many things and I have not found a supplement that does not contain the allergens. How can I obtain the list of ingredients? Thanks.

      • Ken says

        When I do the eggshells in a blender there are still some pieces of eggshell that seem a little sharp when I squeeze the chicken and rice mix in my hands. They seemed like they could get stuck in their gums or something…should I not worry about those pieces? What I end up doing is using a grain grinder to make it fine enough to sprinkle it like powder but it is a lot of shells and a bit more work.
        Thank you for this awesome recipe and informative site! I’ve noticed a positive effect in every aspect of my dog after feeding him strictly homemade food.

        • Ed says

          Ken,

          I never worry about the egg shells. You could soak them over night in some apple cider vinegar, then blend the mix. The vinegar will dissolve the shells.

  95. Ron Anderson says

    Hi Ed,
    I like your recipes here, and am planning on trying each of them. My family bought a white German Shepherd pup 2 months ago, and she is now 5 months old. She is probably close to 50 lbs now, if not more. I have had her on a commercial (kibble) diet of Puppy Chow, but have been reading more and more on the raw diet plan. I have recently been giving her pieces of raw meat (i.e. chicken leg/quarter, chicken gizzards/hearts, etc.) along with her kibbles, and she has done well with it. I keep her kibbles in the house, and give her the raw meat outside. People have been questioning the bones in it, but I tell them that as long as they are not cooked, it’s ok. I still haven’t fully converted over yet, but pushing more toward it. My question is, in your recipes, you reflect the yield of each recipe, and then after you are finished preparing it and have it separated in containers, you state to put 2-3 days worth in the freezer. If you have a yield of 48 cups of raw ground beef, a 50 lb dog can have 2.5 cups a day. 48 cups would be enough for a little over 19 days. What do you do with the rest? Why only put 2-3 days worth in the freezer? Is it bad to freeze all of it in the freezer for that long of a time? It may sound like a simple question, but it just leaves me a little confused.

    • Ed says

      Ron,

      I divide the mix into 2-3 day portions and put it all in the freezer. Then thaw one container at a time and keep that one in the refrigerator until it is gone.

  97. Janet says

    I have a 10 yr old chihuahua who is diabetic and also has Cushings disease. He currents “eats” canine r/d dry food. By “eats” I mean he will eat a small amount of dry food and all of the chicken or beef I mix with it. I have to make sure he eats so he can have his shot and his pill. I also feed 3 other small dogs at the same time with the same food. Is this recipe healthy for a dog with his medical problems? The r/d is expensive and none of the dogs seem to like it much. Thanks for your help.

  98. Tisha says

    I switched my dog to the chicken and rice recipe but since the switch he has had more explosive and urgent bowel movements. His movements have been soft but not necessarily runny but there has been a bit of mucus in them. Prior to the switch, his movements were like clockwork about 2-3 times a day but since the switch he only goes about once a day and its always urgent and mushy. It’s been about 3 days since the switch. Is this normal?

    • Ed says

      Tisha,

      This does not sound like you followed the introductory method outlined on the recipe page. Did you fast your dog for 24 hours? Have you included the supplements, they aid in digestion?

  99. CLARA says

    I have a 5 year-old yorkie with a bladder stone and kidney stones.she will not eat the so dog food .she also has gastritis issues .she well not eat for days .I have been giving her chicken with noodles, she will not eat the rice or eggs .she is not a good eater. And there are day’s when she will not eat the chicken and noodles. HELP.

  100. Jennifer says

    Hi Ed,

    I was just wondering how many cups this whole recipe makes? Also, can supromega and lickochops be used innerchangably? Why is it supromega called for in this recipe but lickochops in the other raw recipe? Thanks!!!

    • Ed says

      Jennifer,

      This recipe makes about 30 cups. Some of the recipes have enough omega 6 fatty acids, like this one, and don’t need additional. So, in these cases I recommend Supromega.

  101. Sean says

    Hello Ed,

    My Shar Pei has been itching very badly for about 6 weeks. I wasn’t sure if this was becasue of the change in weather, pollen etc.

    I feed him on tinned sardines in tomato sauce and rice twice a day. He has had this for about 7 years, with odd times on tinned food which he never liked and was bad for his stomach. He has quite alot of rice and now I’m wondering if this is the cause of his itching. What do you think of this fish and rice diet?

    Thanks for the help website.

    Sean

  102. Nikki says

    I wrote to you recently regarding my schnauzer and my concern about her skin condition not improving since putting her on the yeast starvation diet. Still haven’t seen an improvement in her skin, the itching or her ears and now she is having indigestion issues on a daily basis. Almost as if she is burping but some liquid always follows. Should I try a cooked diet? Not sure where to go from here but I am trying and not feeling like I am doing her any good. Please advise. Thanks

  103. Karen Loeffler says

    Ed, we have a 2 dog household. A 15yo 40lb fe black lab and a 10yo ma Jack Russell/chihuahua mix. They have been eating AvoDerm for the last 10 years that I have been in their life.
    Recently the lab has really been showing her age. Her gastric distress was killing us both in gas and occasional diarrhea. Her vet said that changing her food would be too hard on her.
    I read what you had written and began feeding them your cooked chicken diet. I did not have the supplements that you called for the first batch and had to use store bought vits and Omega 3s. I also added in Condrotin. After the first 3 days it was like a miracle. Her belly was quiet and her gas subsided. It has been almost a month and not a single bout of diarrhea. I am happy to report that her coat is still beautiful and shinny.
    I just finished cooking up the second batch adding the Dinovite and Supraomega. I can also report that the cost is less than the premium, natural dog food at the pet box stores.

    My dogs thank you from the tips of their tails and we thank you very much also!

    Karen

  104. Martha says

    Ed, my dog Zola was recently diagnosed with pancreatitis. I have tried to feed her the chicken and rice as well as the Hill’s prescription I/D and She just wont eat it. Do you have any recommendations for Low Fat Dog Food Recipe??? Im so out of options……

    • Ed says

      Martha,

      Try using low fat meats, fish oil and coconut oil in any recipe. You will need to add some Dinovite and Fidocal (calcium). The fish oil and coconut oil do not aggravate the pancreas.

  105. tina says

    I have an 81/2 month old Australian Shepherd/Golden Retriever mix. I am going to start making your cooked chicken recipe but I do have a couple of questions. I heard that white rice is not good for either of the breeds so I would like to use mashed potatoes instead. Will this be okay? Why dark meat chicken? I thought there was too much fat in the dark meat for the dogs.

    • Ed says

      Tina,

      Yes, you can swap out the rice with potato. As far as dark meat goes, dogs metabolize fates well. You can actually cook the whole chicken, this is also good.

  107. Swale2010 says

    My comment is still waiting moderation since August 9th…..I did freeze the eggs after I removed them from the shell and saved the shells. I will cook them when I am ready to make the next batch.

    Now I have another question. My dogs did very well, I fasted them and started out slow. They were up to the full serving for over a week and doing well, no loose stools. We went out of town and my daughter over fed them now they both have diarrhea. Should I start all over again with the fast and slowly build back up to a normal feeding. My older schnauzer will not touch the food now and she was loving it before we left. PLEASE HELP…my older Schnauzer seems so thin to me. She is a miniature schnauzer and weighs about 15 pounds. She was 17 pounds before we switched. Not sure what to do and I hate keeping them outside because of the diarrhea.

    • Ed says

      I’m sorry but I tried to take a little vacation. Answering all the questions has turned into about a 2 hour a day process.

      You are right the diarrhea is from over feeding. I would fast them a day or two then slowly resume as you said. The older pooch probably has a belly ache and will come around when she feels better.

      It is possible they could of caught a little bug as well. If it continues you may want to see your vet.

  108. mysticaldroplet says

    Hey Ed, I fed this to my 4 months old pomapoo. He absolutely loves the recipe but I have noticed loose stool. Is there something I can change in the recipe to fix that?

  109. Stacie says

    HELP! My 12 yr old Chesapeake Bay Retriever has been suffering from a skin issue off and on for over a year. She has been prescribed several steroids and antibiotics that have shown little to no relief. Her belly and under her arms and upper back by her tail are covered with thick crustlike scabs. Going to try to make her homemade food this weekend. Would love other ideas. She’s been so good to us…

  110. Deb says

    I just made your Chicken and Rice Dog Food Recipe, I have to say my dog absolutely loves it, we just started day 2 with 1/2 serving this morning and she is begging for more! She was having a lot of digestive issues lately and would not eat her high end expensive dry kibble anymore without adding something to it. She is a 70lb Black Lab and has had some issues with her joints so I am currently giving her a joint supplement. Was worried about her eating the Dinovite as we got ours from a friend who’s dog would not eat it, so I purchased from him to save him from having to send back. I am also going to give him some of my homemade food as his dog is the same weight as ours, I think he will be surprised to find his dog will love it even with the Dinovite added. I have to say he did not purchase the Lickochops which probably would have helped. My question to you is Will I need to continue giving her a separate joint supplement? Thanks again for the great recipe!

  111. bridge says

    Not sure if anyone is reading these anymore as I have posted a few times with no response. Figure I’ll give it one more shot. My dogs have been on the raw food diet with dynovite and lickochops since last year, they get absolutely nothing else, and have no access to anything outside, but, they continually get upset stomach and diarrhea, and one is starting to exhibit her old symptoms, so I emailed Dynovite and they said take the rice out of the diet. (I tried pumpkin but thats just another carb) I do have one dog that has a lot of yeast in her saliva, so I have 2 questions. Is it ok to feed my dogs long term without carbs? I am also going to move them to chicken instead of beef right now because it is costing me 450$ in dog food a month, and I’m unemployed right now…
    Hopefully someone is reading this and can give me advice.
    Thanks

    • Ed says

      I’m sorry for the lack of response, I had turned off the reply feature to take a break from all the questions but it turned itself back on. I feed raw chicken regally with great results. I use chicken legs and thighs (cost $ .69/ pound) and this helps the budget. If you switch to chicken then also substitute the Supromega fish oil for the Lickochops because you are already getting the omega 6 through chicken fat. Also, just eliminate the carbs altogether.

  112. Beaglescout says

    As the Supromega fish oil is no longer available, what would you recommend? This is completely new to me so it would be of great help if you could be specific with any suggestions. Thank you for your site as my senior beagle is now facing several dietary issues and we (me and my vet) are finding our best option may be that I should cook her diet consisting of chicken and rice. By far, your site has been the most helpful!

  113. TDRP says

    Hi Ed

    Interested to read your advice as over the last couple of months I’ve been building my own homemade dog food recipe based on the info I have found.

    I’ve basically landed on a cooked turkey/veggie/rice meatloaf. The binding element of the meatloaf is blended eggs (including the shell) and to this mixture I also add (and blitz) chicken livers.

    Rough guide of ingredients

    10lbs ground turkey
    4 cups cooked rice
    6 eggs (inc shells)
    6 chicken livers
    2 sweet potatoes
    1 cup green beans
    1 apple
    half cup of crushed blueberries

    Dinovite is also added to each meal, as well as fish oil.

    I was just hoping you could give that recipe a quick once over and see if you think it lacks anything? Our dog Charlie loves his new food, but I would hate to be missing anything obvious in terms of nutritional content.

    I’m never sure how many eggs should be included, and wonder if this should be increased? Especially considering the 18 used in the above recipe. Also I appreciate the above recipe is devoid of veggies, yet I have opted to include them in my recipe.

    Thanks so much

  114. dalypooh says

    Would it be ok to debone the chicken before cooking ? if I’m not going to use the bones for anything else ? or is the bones cooked first a nutritional factor ?

  115. zurimahal says

    HELP!!! I have four dogs…all are thriving on the diet EXCEPT my 6 yr old 120lb female Great Dane..she has always been lean but since leaving kibble for initially the raw diet but now the cooked chicken & rice, I cannot keep weight on her (I can see her RIBS & BACK BONE):/ She is fairly sedentary and eats SIX cups of food/day (3c a.m./3c p.m.). I have even added homemade plain pinto beans to the recipe:/ Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.

  117. Shugars1 says

    Hello,
    Getting a new puppy on April 4th. And with all that is happening with the dog food and treats in the stores I scared to feed store bought food. So I want to make food at home. What is the best home made puppy food to make at home?

  118. Stephanie says

    I have two dogs that I want to switch over to this meal plan. I have a 4yr old tea cup chihuahua that’s 2.5lbs and a 5yr old catahoula mix that’s about 40lbs. How much per day should I feed them each and is it safe to only feed this meal everyday? I never want to buy store bought dog food ever again.

    • Stephanie says

      Should I make different batches given the difference in their weight? Or can I just make one huge batch for both size dogs? I’m on a very low income so saving money but feeding my babies healthy is very important to me, my dogs are my children.

    • Ed says

      Stephanie,

      I would start with 1/2 cup for your tiny dog and 2 cups per day for your large dog. Watch and see if they are gaining or losing weight and then adjust the recipe up or down a little until their weight stabilizes.

  120. mommadow3 says

    I have a question regarding the eggshells and the bone stock. I crushed the hard boiled eggs w/ shells, and my dog’s intestines and/or stomach was making some unbelievably loud gurgling noised this morning. Have you seen dogs have adverse reactions with digesting these? I’ve scrambled the eggs before (no shells) and haven’t had an issue. Also, how much bone stock should be added to a recipe or portion? Thank you!! 🙂

    • Ed says

      If you are concerned about the egg shells then blend the eggs in the blender shell and all. This method works well or you can add a calcium supplest like Fidocal which works well. Fidocal is made from coral calcium and also has magnesium and is absorbed well.

      As far as the bone stock goes at it all to the recipe.

  121. beevie says

    Hello, can you help me? I have a 4 years old goldie. We love him very much, and we know that’s the problem. We give him everything he want to eat, what we eat, the snack, the chocolate, many kinds of fruit, all of them, because he love to eat and we love him. For the past month, his stomach become bloating. He looks dizzy and difficult to move. We decide to bring him to vet and the vet said there’s a lot of liquid in the stomach. Vet did little surgery to eject the liquid and the stomach looks normal now but he still dizzy. He not eat like usual. The vet said we feed him all wrong, we regret all what we did to him. Vet said we must give him DF like Ro**l Can**, Euk****a, or Scie*** D**t. We know all of that product still use bad filler and not grain free. Please give me enlightenment, what dog food suitable for him right now? I want to make the raw one and I look this recipe. It is safe for him? He love chicken meat. Thank you in advance. **Sorry for my bad english.

      • Ed says

        Wow, it sounds like your dog is messed up and not long for this world if he has kidney failure and liver disease. I am sorry to hear this. If you are feeding him everything you eat you could be poisoning him. An example would be feeding chocolate because chocolate is toxic to dogs. Also, grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure along with other problems.

        So, t this point I don’t know what to tell you. Animals can heal themselves with a species appropriate diet but sometimes it is too late. That said you could try one of the raw diets. Raw meats based diets have high water content and this will help flush out the kidneys but I’m not sure if it would aggravate your dog’s dire condition.

      • kitty_cat75 says

        First I have 5 dogs one was diagnosed with live failure a had a second opinion glad I did! Mind you her liver was not functioning correctly and she has HE ( a canine nero) disorder because of lack of liver function. I almost put my dog down for the wrong reasons. My dogs name is Amy she is a 10 year old cocker spaniel that has a seizure disorder and was on a lot of meds that compromised her liver. New vet has taken her off those meds and we have taken a holistic approach. First thing I did was take her off commercial dog food and put her on a cleansing diet of whole foods and probiotics along with enzymes. The name of the sight you can get the info from is http://www.doglivershunt.com Rick and Cindy help me save my dogs life her liver is almost back to normal and she is almost back to normal It was a long haul but I’m glad I didn’t give up. Also when a dog has liver disease the protein needs to be controlled to only 1 gram per body weight cant do that with commercial dog food and with homemade food only 1/4 should be protein.

  122. JackieP says

    I only see one raw food recipe, is there more or just one? Also, which do you recommend? The cooked chicken recipe? Or the raw (beef) meat recipe?, and if I was to go to the butcher for a combination of ground meat what would you recommend, including the ratio of bones- meat- organs would you recommend? Or could I grind meat/ bones/etc myself in my food processor? Thank you for your time 🙂

  123. lex.har92 says

    I have a 5 year old and 3 month old American Bully. My oldest has many skin allergies and also has allergies to fillers in bagged dog foods so I am having to seal out other options. I really like this recipe and I think it will do great for her. My question though is, would this be a suitable diet for a puppy of only 3 months? I just want to be sure I meet her dietary needs. I am done with store bought dog foods and want to make my dogs their own food in my kitchen! Thank you.

  124. Holly says

    My 8 year old Boston Terrier just got through a very serious bout with pancreatitis. He had been eating grass and dirt in an effort to make himself better. I now know that when a dog eats grass there is a REASON and one needs to take action. He got very, very sick and we almost lost him. He has dramatically improved this week. I do not want him to ever suffer like that again! It is recommended that the Fat in his diet be less than 10%. I just made your chicken recipe but removed the skin after the chicken was cooked and strained the fat from the top of the pan juices before adding to the mixture. I was afraid to use the eggs due to the fat content but I did grind up the egg shells. (we will eat the hard cooked eggs!) I added 2 large mashed sweet potatoes. When I serve the chicken, rice and sweet potato mixture I intend to add a tablespoon of low fat cottage cheese. Do you think the cottage cheese will be a good enough substitute for the eggs? Or do you thin I should put the eggs back in next time. I intend to order you supplements for the next batch! I also will cook down the bones for the next batch!

    • Ed says

      Holly,

      eggs have a lot of good nutrients, so I like to keep them in the diet. In your dog’s case you will want to proceed slowly. The supplements and the bone stock are a good idea.

  127. ladoglover says

    Hi Ed. My dog was just recently diagnose with several food allergies and as a result I find myself search for meal alternatives that he can have. Your recipes sound great but my dog is allergic to eggs, rice and salmon (and many others…). Are there any other ingredients that I could substitute with? Thanks.

    • Ed says

      I guess the first thing I would ask is “how allergic” is he to eggs and rice? If its mld it could be a compromised immune system that should fix itself once he’s on a good diet. If it’s severe you could take them out and substitute white potato or sweet potato for the rice.

  129. zuko says

    Hello!

    I am looking forward to giving the recipe a try 🙂 I have a 1.5 yr old Bull Terrier, Zuko, and he is allergic to all meat but chicken and all fish products. Is there an alternative to Supromega?

    Thank you,
    Hallie

  130. ashley2015 says

    I accidentally made a week’s worth of the chicken and rice recipe with Lickochops instead of Supromega. Will this be okay? Should I also add a small amount of Supromega to their meals as well?

  131. smillers says

    Thanks for this wonderful website! I’m excited to be now feeding our 10-month old terrier home made food (cooked chicken, rice, eggs). Transitioned over a 1-2 week period with zero problems. He LOVES it and it’s worth the extra work and some extra expense to feed him what I know and can pronounce.

    I’m a bit confused about calcium supplementation: I cook chicken thighs with bones and skin and hard boiled eggs with shells pulverized in the blender. Given this, do I still need to supplement calcium since I don’t give the dog the bones or do the bone-stock thing?

    If not, I did just add about half the recommended amount of CA++ to a new batch of food (of course…why did I not ask you first? That would be too simple). If I don’t need to supplement, is it still OK to go ahead and feed this one batch without any ill effects? I’m thinking probably yes, but just asking for your input.

    Also, our dog did just have ortho surgery to remove a piece of his ulna (temporarily pinned) secondary to elbow dysplasia. I was thinking it’s probably better to go a bit over on the calcium than be deficient, given this.

    Thanks in advance for your time, Ed!!

    • Ed says

      I have found dogs do well with calcium even in excess. They are by design bone eaters. You can add some additional calcium but if you are adding the egg shells you should be fine. Try and add the cartilage of the chicken bone because this is great for your dog.

  132. AmyF says

    Hello, I am going to start with the Chicken and Rice food, what is the difference between the lichochops versus supromega? Which one should I use for the chicken? Also should I use the liquid or the powder Dinovite?

    Thanks

    • Ed says

      If you are going to feed the chicken and rice recipe then use the Supromega fish oil because the Lickochops is chicken fat, fish oil and vitamin E. And you have plenty of chicken fat already in the recipe. I prefer to use the Dinovite powder. The Dinovite liquid is fine too but it has a funky smell many people find distasteful.

  133. MyMagicdoggy says

    Hi
    I have made homemade food for different dogs, as needed over the years always with good results. I resent the commercial dog food companies because they like to push the “don’t feed your dog people food” Granted there are so many people on crappy diets themselves and if they fed their dog the same…oh well that’s another story.

    Anyway I am so glad I found your site. My 9 yr old border collie, Magic has recently become diabetic. She is now taking a shot of vetsulin once a day. She has lost 10 lbs prior to the diabetes diagnosis and that’s when I had started making homemade dog food for her. The vet was very pleased to hear that I was planning to continue this practice. I hope to incorporate some high quality dry food with the homemade but have not yet. The food you have here is just about the same as what I’ve recently started making. We aren’t adding the shells though. I’ve also used 2 sweet potatoes, oatmeal and some ground turkey. I also give her plain nonfat yogurt once a day. She has a good appetite through it all even as she was losing the weight. We have been making a batch every 4 days which is a chore so today we are attempting to make a much larger batch.
    My question is this: How much meat, rice etc would a month batch require for a border collie? I want to make sure that she is getting enough protein etc. I’ve got a cat on my keyboard and 2 dogs at my feet as I type this. So hopefully this all makes sense. Thank you and welcome any and all comments ~ Lauren

    • Ed says

      Lauren,

      I am currently feeding 1 border collie and a toy rat terrier. My border collie “Jet” is very active, she herds my horses all day. Anyhow, I am feeding a chicken recipe right now. 1 batch is: one 10 pound bag of chicken leg/thighs, 18 eggs, 3-4 cups Dinovite and 1 bottle of Supromega fish oil. I use the meat grinder that you can see on the site, this grinds up the bones and all. My wife and I make 4 batches at a time and this lasts us about a month. With a little prep ahead of time (hard boiling the eggs and letting them cool) we can do it in about 30-45 minutes.

  134. kcall says

    I just want to thank you for this website and your recipes. I have owned small chihuahuas for years. I lost one to pancreatic issues, that could not be determined. He had a “sensitive stomach” his whole life and threw up a lot. Since his passing I have been extra vigilant about giving my chi’s proper food, no junk treats, scraps, etc… Well my 2 year old chi started exhibiting the same symptoms as the one we lost, throwing up, eating grass non stop, gurgling belly sounds, low weight, and generally not feeling well. This is when I found your website. It’s been over a month on the chicken and rice recipe and I am thrilled to say he is doing fantastic. It was easy switching him over because he fasted himself with the vomiting. He gobbles down his food which I split into AM and PM feedings. His coat is super shiny and he has not had any of the old symptoms. I am hoping to see that he gains at least a lb or two. He is currently at 6 lbs. Thank you so much for this forum…..

  136. buddy1234 says

    Ed,
    I have a 5 1/2 month labradoodle that I recently switched from puppy taste of the wild to your chicken and rice. I feed him 3 times a day. He is currently 21lbs and suppose to max out at 30-35. I am afraid with him still being a growing puppy that 1 cup of food a day just isn’t enough. I read on one comment you told someone to feed what he was getting on kibble but that was close to 2 cups. Please advise.

  137. stjacquesjm says

    I adopted my lab/flat coat mix just over a year ago. She is approximately 5 years old. She has had many health issues, and while those we have cleared up for the most part, we are still having trouble managing her diet. Halle has major food allergies. About 9 months ago we did allergy tests and found she was allergic to many things. We picked a food for her based on those ingredients she was not allergic to, we are currently using Acana duck and bartlet pear. We liked this food because there are very few ingredients listed and thought this was the answer to our problems. While she has now stopped itching, no longer gets ear infections, and no longer has diarrhea, her stool is never consistent and water in the amount of a drippy faucet still comes out at the end. We thought that because she has had such stomach issues and that she was still acclimating to her food, however now after 8 months of this food and nothing else (we also use this food for her treats) I am now beginning to worry. After talking to our vet we feel like we need to have more control over her food and want to change to a homemade diet. She is luckily not allergic to chicken or rice, however she is allergic to eggs, daily, cheese, beef, lamb, beans, carrots, and a few other that I am missing. What do you suggest to give her in place of the eggs? Any help?

  138. avatkin says

    Hi- I am considering changing my dogs to home made food. I have a few questions. I normally buy boneless skinless thighs on bulk- would those work?
    Also, how many cups of food does this recipe yield (I have multiple dogs, want to know about how much it would last)
    The vitamins and supplements, they won’t get affected by freezing?
    How long can this be frozen for without losing it’s nutritional value?
    Any additional concerns for senior dogs? Mine live a long life- I currently have amongst mine one over 15 yr old (no health problems) and a large one (over 80 pounds) 12+ yr old, also no health problems.
    thank you so much

    • Ed says

      Try to include the bones and cartilage, both are great for dogs. Freezing is fine. I think the recipe make about 30 cups. I think your dogs will love and thrive on the change.

  139. casi says

    Hi Ed,

    I just made the chicken rice receipe for my two shorkies. They love it but I do have a question. I tried to feed them 1/2 a cup per day but my oldest one asks for more later in the day by scratching next to her bowl. I am currently feeding them each 1 cup per day. Am I overfeeding them? One is 9 pounds and the other 12.

  140. martha lubke says

    Couple of questions…. Can you feed the chicken recipe on some days and then the beef on some days? Can you ever mix in a commercial dog food such as Blue Buffalo on a day you may have run out of the homemade?

  141. swightma says

    Good morning Ed,
    I just started feeding my 100 lb. great dane/lab this chicken recipe and he loves it! But I’ve noticed he has started eating grass. I saw in one of your 2002 comments that you would be posting information about feeding vegetables to dogs. I see the “Do’s and Don’ts” page, but do you have any additional information on this?

  142. Rosilein says

    How often shall I feed my dog? I inquire for a friend of mine to help her feed her dog. What kind of snacks would be helpful to keep her occupied while she is at work. The dog weighs 60 lbs. shall she leave dry food around the house for her dog to snack when ever she wants?

  143. cokeca says

    Hi Ed, I have switched my 1 year old Staff. Terrier crossed Great Pyrenees the cooked diet for a month now (thanks for your awesome recipe!!). I see that he’s more energetic and he doesn’t scratch / bite his tail anymore (his tail is finally back to normal with hair..=0)..Anyway, since then, i notice that he doesn’t drink any water. I did the “lift the skin” test and seems he’s ok. I understand that homemade food might probably give him enough water but his mouth is really stinky because he doesn’t drink any water…any suggestions? (I give him snacks-usually veg/fruits)….

  144. amyatkinson says

    Hi Ed!
    We are considering switching our dogs to a homemade diet and I ran across your blog – which is exactly what I was looking for! We have a 9 year old Lab (85 lbs), and a 7 year old Shih-Tzu (14 lbs). I was looking at the Dinovite website and I believe it is sold in size specific boxes. Which size would you suggest we buy to accommodate both sizes? (It looks like that only difference between the boxes is the size of the scoop, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something). Thank you!!

  146. ralphie312 says

    Hi Ed, I have a couple questions about the recipe. first when serving i see the we put in the dinovite and superomega when mixing my question is do we add additional servings of dinovite and superomega into the dog food when serve our dogs? I.E. “60 lb. dog – 3 cups cooked dog food daily + 3 tsp Supromega + 3 tbs Dinovite” next i went to get the Supperomega fish oil and they no longer had the tube you referance only a bottle or pills i plan on getting the bottle. however they do offer LickOChops this has Omega 6 and 3 with Vit. E should i use this rather then the SuperOMega fish oil? Thank you

  147. iLoveTobie says

    Hi Ed,

    I received the products yesterday and today I put in 1/4 scoop dinovite and 1/4tspn lickochops in his regular cooked food I made (50% chicken, rice, broccoli, with light garlic salt parsley seasoning). My dog is on a few medications (enalapril, lasix and vetmedin). After his meal, he’s been coughing all night. I am freaking out! Is this expected? Please advise.

  148. sarahw221 says

    Hi Ed! I’ve had my dog on the raw beef diet for about 2 months now and he loves it. Maybe a little too much, lol. He’s starting to pack on the pounds a bit. I’ve tried to go with some leaner ground beef, but price is starting to be an issue. Also, I’ve tried cutting back his portions, but he still acts pretty hungry. I’d like to try the chicken recipe out instead, but had some questions. Would I be able to switch to chicken breast instead of the leg and thigh quarters? Or should I be careful about cutting out TOO much fat from my dog’s diet? Just trying to find the right balance. I’m going to be working on decreasing my dog’s portion sizes a bit too, hopefully to make it less noticeable. He’s an 11 year old pit bull that used to weigh around 63 pounds (although I’m sure it’s more now). I’ve been feeding him 3 cups a day but I may need to try scaling it back to 2 and half. Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated!

    • Ed says

      I would try cutting back to 2 cups per day and see what happens. I would stick with the legs and thighs with bones mostly because of cost. The easiest thing to do here is cut back portion size.

    • Ed says

      I’ve fed dogs a raw meat and bone based diet for almost 20 years now with great results. So far, most of my dogs have lived to 15 years but they live on a farm and it can be rough, raccoon and stray dog fights etc.

  150. Chippy6868 says

    Amazing site, extremely informative. We are in the process of switching both of our dogs to a raw diet. We eat clean and healthy, why would we feed our dog any differently? Trying to educate ourselves. Your recipes are great. Does the chicken have to be cooked? A few local raw suppliers do everything raw and uncooked. what chicken bones can we add in, if any?

    I read quite a bit of this thread and it appears in the recipe you don’t add bones, yet one of the comments you made say that you do feed them the bones. Just want to make sure we aren’t putting them in harms way.

    Can we substitute beef with lamb, pork, etc for variety or is that necessary. A raw provider here does a different meat everyday, but i feel like its done because some of the meats are more expensive = more $$$ for the supplier.

    Thank you for providing this great reference point for us all.

    Cheers

    • Ed says

      I currently feed a raw chicken and bone based dog food, I’ve just not got around to posing the recipe. I take 10 pounds of chicken, 18 eggs, Dinovite and Supromega fish oil. I grind the chicken leg thigh quarters with bones in the meat grinder on this site. It works well.

  152. dojoreese4 says

    I have a question for you. I am doing this recipe for a Maltese that had the dog flu about a year ago that resulted in IBS. Its not terrible to control & seems to do well on your recipe. However I notice that he cannot tolerate any egg products( I’m not surprised since they bother me also). I introduced them 2, then 4, etc. & noticed hes was not eating cause the IBS was flaring up. Is there any protein that I can substitute for the eggs? Vet says blood work is pretty good, protein level could stand to increase. Thanks & your recipe may have saved his life! Its amazing how many vets do not know how to treat this! (3 of poor Ronny’s)

  153. staujx1 says

    Been making my own dog food for years, but some of your suggestions will make it much better. How do you feel about a bit of fresh grown garlic?

  154. dixitkedar says

    Hi,
    We recently got our selves a yellow lab (male) and he is now 4 months. I would liketo start feeding him this recipe; however need some help on the following:
    1. Can I start feeding him this recipe as early as this?
    2. Can I add carrots and green peas to your recipe? If yes, roughly what would be ratio or quantity?
    3. Can I replace the fish oil with another brand that I can find easily (Beaphar Salmon Oil)?

    Thanks a lot! Your recipe is indeed a boon for people who would like to go away from packaged dog food!

  155. Z06 Tony says

    Just received my Dinovite products and want to make this chicken and rice recipe but I noticed above the pics you say 2-4 cups of Dinovite and above the 2nd to last pic you state 1-2 cups.
    Which is it?

  156. jmh says

    I followed your recipe for cooked chicken except I used 5 cups of sweet potatoes and 5 cups of rice…I placed the hard boiled eggs in a blender… I put the sweet potatoes in a blender …I put the deboned chicken in a blender…my yield was only 20 cups of food…what did I do wrong?

  157. Rome_VA says

    Hi. I’ve been feeding my dog the chicken and rice recipe for almost 2 years now. I was thinking of switching to another type of meat. Could I change to ground beef? if so, what kind and should I gradually change or can change right away?

  159. HuginnMuninn0301 says

    Hi Ed
    I am so happy to have found your post. I have 2 Blue Heeler puppies, they have very itchy skin and I have been advised that it is possibly due to the food they are eating. I am curious if you have ever done a cost comparison?

  160. Buchols says

    I would like to use the chicken and rice recipe raw. Would you do anything different regarding the supplements if I was using the raw chicken with the bones, rice, and eggs, or use the same amount of the supplements? Thank you for a very well written site with the various options to feed our pets healthier! ~Stacie

  161. Fuzzy Dog Mom says

    Hi, ED–Can I ask why you use the Supromega fish oil supplement instead of Lickochops in the cooked chicken recipe? My dog HATES fish or anything remotely tasting like fish, so I’m wondering if I could use the Lickochops in the chicken recipe instead of the Supromega supplement.

  162. kangulo17 says

    Hello Ed! Im dying to start my 3 month old German Shepherd on the cooked and raw dog food recipes on your website. I have even ordered all the DinOvite supplements. I just wanted to know if these recipes were good for my puppys development? We saw the vet a few days ago and she advised to keep feeding my puppy commercial dog food. Incase I miss something in his diet with the homemade stuff. Do you think this is true? I trust your years of experience and hope to hear from you soon 🙂

    • Ed says

      Yes, I think they are fine and I’ve fed this way for about 20 years now. My dog “Ace” a 100 pound German Shepherd has eaten my raw homemade dog food since he was 6 weeks old and he is about 3 now and doing great!

  163. CindyW says

    Hi, Ed –
    I’ve ordered the supplements and they’ll be here next week. In the meantime, I’d like your opinion on the raw or cooked dog food for one of our dogs. Coco is a 10 year old Jack Russell/Dachshund mix with epilepsy. She has to take phenobarbital and potassium bromide on a daily regimen. The medicines make her extremely hungry. I’m looking for a food with better protein and carbohydrates and your recipe sounds good. Any thoughts?

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