Homemade Dog Food

Healthy Dog Food Recipes

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Don't Feed Your Dog

Remember your dog is primarily a carnivore so don’t build the foundation of his dog food around carbohydrates and vegetables. Many commercial dog foods are full of cheap grain fillers, artificial dies and flavors.

Food items to avoid feeding your dog

  • Fake Dog Treats (Dog treats that look like bones, bacon or any number of tasty morsel but are made with grains and fillers are terrible)
  • Pasta and bread (Both are high carbohydrate dense food sources)
  • Hotdogs (These are highly processed and full of fillers and chemicals that are not good for your dog.
  • Sweets (Candies, chocolates, doughnuts  and other assort sweet snacks. All these will help feed yeast in your dog’s system and could lead to a yeast infection.)

Hot dogs a chuck full of cancer causing nitrite. Heres a list of some of the additives in an average hotdog “sodium lactate, corn syrup, dextrose, sodium phosphates, sodium diacetate, sodium ascorbate, sodium nitrite”, yum! And this is people food that is held to a higher standard.

The best thing to do for your dog and yourself is to become a label reader. If the label is full of chemicals, dies and other assorted ingredients you can’t pronounce, don’t feed it to your dog.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Ed says

      When feeding vegetables to dogs keep in mind dogs are not designed to digest raw vegetables. Any vegetables that a dog eats must be finely ground and also cooked or fermented to simulate the digestion process of a herbivore. If not they pretty much just pass through your dog’s digestive track as bulk and fiber.
      Stay away from high sugar content vegetables like carrots these tend to encourage yeast overgrowth in dogs. Kale and broccoli are a couple good choices. It is far more important to feed your dog the raw meat and bones. If you are feeding raw meat and bones already, this is good. If you are not feeding raw meat and bones make that the focus before concentrating on vegetables.

        • Ed says

          Jerry,

          Actually dogs fed raw meat and bones do very well. Dogs are designed to eat and digest raw meat and bones. Feeding an animal what it is designed to eat is never a problem.

          • Jaden says

            Hello, Ed
            I have a 5 y/o Australian shepherd mix Labrador Retriever. I feed him bread and pasta sometimes and he seems to reflect positively upon bread when he is sick. We give him rice with bread when he is sick. I would like to know why the bread is an issue.

            • Ed says

              Jaden,

              Bread is basically carbohydrates and many dogs have issues with consuming high levels of carbohydrates, often leading to yeast infections. That said, they are scavengers and able to eat many items.

        • Trish Walker says

          My dog Sassy was recently diagnosed with diabetis and was told by vet to give brown rice not white? Also need a game plan as food has become very expensive on our part and looking for ways to accomadate what is affordable but healthy for my lil gir.

          • Ed says

            Trish,,

            I’m assuming your vet is trying to regulate your dogs blood sugar with the brown rice over white. This can also be done when regulating the quantity of white rice.

      • Doug Noyce says

        Hi- I have been making my own dog food for over 40 years, much of it is the same as your recipes, but much is different and some I cannot agree with at all. I have always cooked my meats, but I am going to try the raw version you suggest. I only cooked worrying about the bacteria, but your carnivore logic is quite irrefutable! I have ordered the required supplements for the suggested website. Regarding ‘veggies’, they have always been part of my dogs’ diets, spinach, broccoli, peas and carrots mostly, and I find no traces of undigested veggies in their stool (unless they get corn!). My dogs crave some vegetation, as the eat selected desert plants and love mesquite beans, actually standing on hind legs to pull them off the trees! Maybe its a breed thing (I have Siberian Huskies) I recently heard on a TV News ‘Pet warnings’ , “never feed your dog broccoli, or garlic” which I have found is bogus info. At the suggestion of an old ‘ornery’ vet some 40 years ago, when I was a breeder, I have added garlic to my dogs food always, and have never had a worm, a flea or a tick, invade their bodies! An occasional 1/4 tsp of cayenne, and cloves, works wonders for clearing out any possible worm growth. Although I had had no ill effects using the raw veggies, I am going to try emulsifying them as you suggest, but not cooking, which destroys the nutrients. I also find that buying large pork and beef roasts, as well as boneless turkey and chicken breasts, and grinding it at home, saves a lot of money! Actually cheaper than commercial dog foods! I also feed them fish about once a week. I buy my white rice in 50lb bags at Asian grocers, for about 1/2 the price of even the largest bag (20lb?) of supermarket rices. Using my diets my dogs have not needed to see a vet in years, (unless one of them gets bitten between the eyes by a rattler!! Nasty!!) They are all healthy, with shiny coats, clear eyes and proper weights. I do keep some high-end dry food in stock for between meal snacks, if they need it. I am guilty of using hot dogs as treats, but I agree with your summation of the content, as I won’t eat them myself! So that will stop! Thanks for that reminder. All in all, a great website with great info! Never too old to learn new stuff! Thanks.

        • Lisa says

          Good for you Doug! I too feed my animals veggies as part of their diet and I never see anything in their stool. Their favorite snack is frozen green beans in the summer. They think it’s a real treat! Thanks for the Asian grocer idea for the white rice.

    • Scott says

      Dogs should not be fed veggies, they cannot process them. I have been feeding the RAW prey model diet for just over 3 months and they are looking and feeling great! NO veggies ever.

      • Sabrina says

        My dog, a rat-terrier, is a vegi-lover! he has been eating carrots, brocohli, cabbage, and spinach, and numerous other veggies. He is a healthy dog of 10 years of age and stills runs around like a puppy. is veggies really bad for dogs? cause i hope they arnt. im would be depriving my dog of his favorite snacks!

    • Aimee says

      Glad to find this site. Thank you for helping people and their pets!

      I’m wondering if it is ok to give dogs the leftover bones and scraps from making human food. I try to recycle and/or compost anything I can so am hoping I can give leftovers to dogs. My specific questions are:
      1. Do I need to soften all cooked bones or just small ones. If so, how long might it take to soften thick bones like beef/ham, etc. ?
      2. Is it ok if there are ingredients from my human food, especially from making broth/soups, such as pepper corns, onions, herbs.

      • Ed says

        I would soften the bones in a bone stock, it can take days to soften large bones. As far as the “other” ingredients it depend on what they are. So, I would look up ingredients online and avoid ones that are toxic to dogs.

  2. Lillian says

    I started feeding my 4 month old Weimaraner raw meats and bones, he is eating 3 times a day 1lb each feeding. Will this be enough for him, we aren’t adding vitamins to the meal as of yet. Can you give me some pointers so he doesn’t get sick on us. Thanks

    • Ed says

      Lillian,

      No the meat and bones will not be enough, you will need to supplement. When I feed raw chicken and bones I take some of the fat and put it in with the white rice as I cook it. It smells like chicken and rice soup. I let the rice cool and then mix the supplements with the rice on a daily basis. I feed the meat and bones one meal and the rice/supplement portion at another meal. Hope this helps.

  4. patricia says

    hello! my husband and I juice at least once a day. we have been giving the dogs the DRY PULP mixed with their dry dog chow EVERY OTHER DAY in one of their two daily feedings. Our guys seem to really like it, we are not wasting (on off days the pulp goes to the chickens) and we have not seen any adverse reactions. we dont juice “toxic to dog” things like grapes, raisins, macadameia nuts or pot 😉 Our 8 dogs are various ages, breeds and sizes and all seem to be doing OK. They get their raw fix when its butchering time with some offal, meat and bones. Maybe everything in moderation? We enjoy your web site very much.

  5. Janet says

    Hi,
    My husband and I have a ten month old longhaired dachsund and we’ve been feeding her one scrambled egg each morning and night. We put a little kibble out for her to graze on during the day, but only because we’re concerned that the eggs are not enough. Is it ok? If not what would be better for her as we don’t want to feed her processed foods. Thank you!

  6. Leah says

    Ed, we have a 3 lb Yorkshire Terrier . She is 9 and came to us with chronic gastrointestional problems. She currently eats home made food and I would like to try your raw food recipe, but she can’t eat bones or eggshells. She also has no teeth so I blend or mince everything. The vets have encouraged us to keep her on lowfat. I am finding that is not such a problem now that she does not eat commercial food. She needs to gain weight, I’m hoping the Dinovite and Lickochops will increase her weight. Any ideas for us, particularly about Calcium replacements?
    Thank you .

  8. Mrs. Olive says

    Hello,
    I just adopted a shihtzu, and she comes home Friday. I want the best food for her but my schedule can be very busy so I’m not sure if i will have the time to prepare homemade food for her. What brand will you recommend for me to purchase for my new addition?

      • Sam Lochinger says

        Just a note for those who are hesitant to try cooking for lack of time. I make homemade dog food and I have found a slow cooker to be my best ally. I slow cook chicken thighs and legs overnight in a large slow cooker filled nearly to the top with water utilizing a strainer insert so I can just lift the meat out for deboning. This makes a wonderful broth in which I cook white rice in the morning. Cooking the rice the slow cooker on low may take a couple of hours but it comes out nice and soft and absorbs all the flavor of the broth. The added bonus is there is only one cooking pot. I add the raw eggs, which have been fully pureed in my Vitamix with their yokes, at the end and allow them to cook with the rice for about 10 minutes. Then I blend everything in a couple of very large bowls and put into containers to freeze.

  9. Christine says

    I had a time when my dogs weren’t drinking enough water. I came up with a trick and I sprinkled just a tiny bit of parmesean cheese into some tepid water. It mixed in nicely and the dogs drank it up. Ive only done it on that occasion but if I feel they aren’t drinking enough in the future is this a bad idea? I used a very small amount. Maybe a teaspoonful at the most in about 6 cups of water which was then divided between my 2 boxers.

    • Ed says

      Christine,

      I would not recommend this practice. A dog will drink when he is thirsty. Dogs fed raw meat diets do drink a fraction of the water. Dogs fed commercial dry dog food seem to be more thirsty.

      • katiecarr says

        You are so right, Ed. My 6 month old pointers used to drink water by the gallon. Since they are pointers, they are none too bright so potty training has been a challenge and all the water-drinking led to predictable results. Since they have been on the raw meat diet, they rarely drink water – only after long runs and roughhousing. Also, their stool is small and fairly hard so when they have accidents in the house, they are less frequent and easier to clean up. I find the raw meat diet much more expensive and time consuming but my girls love it so much that I will never go back.

      • Carole says

        Hi Ed,

        My dog had diarrhea after eating a bit of pork and my vet said “all dogs are Jewish” lol Do not feed them pork. My dogs are golden retrievers. I don’t know if their digestion is different but he said that dogs don’t digest pork. Just a thought.

          • Jennifer says

            Be careful with pig ears! Our 6 year old (at the time) Chichuahua got very very sick for some bacteria in the pig ear. The only thing that saved his life was a cool bath, he was running such a high fever. If you are going to do pig ears I would suggest getting them from a butcher and cooking them yourself.

  11. Paris says

    You say that that you are an incurable animal lover that has spent his life studying animals. My question is what kind of education do you possess? Are you a vetrenarian or have education in animal nutrition? The suppliments you suggest “lickochops” is a product you designed? Is there a natural food to replace these suppliments ie fruits and vegtables?

    • Ed says

      Paris,

      Yes, I am an animal lover. My education is biology and chemistry. Twenty years in commercial animal feed production industry developing pet feeds and supplements. I started in the feed industry by developing one of the first iguana diets. I maintained hundreds of iguanas and developed the formula through a careful testing and formulation process. It is important to note this had never been done before. I went on to develop a full line of reptile feeds and supplements with many great successes. Maintaining and breeding many different reptile species throughout the formulation process.

      I employed these same methods and study to develop the dog supplements I recommend. Frankly, I was tired of the gimmicky products that just didn’t work.

      It is important to point out that veterinarians are not trained in nutrition in vet school. Many only receive 1 semester at best on the subject. Unfortunately, the public, like yourself look to them as the authority on pet nutrition.

      Is there natural foods to replace the supplements? The supplements I recommend are whole food supplements not synthetic vitamins. Basically they are a blend of nutrient dense ingredients to provide the omega fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and direct fed microbials a dog needs to thrive. I developed these supplements over a five year process on my breeding kennel. You can source these separately but I don’t think there would be any cost savings.

      Remember dogs are carnivores with a short digestive tract. The short digestive tract prevents a dog from efficiently digesting fruits and vegetables. When we as people think healthy we think fruits and vegetables but people are omnivores. Dogs are carnivores. So if you are opposed to using the supplements you will need to include nutrient rich sources of vitamin groups, minerals, fatty acids, enzymes and beneficial bacteria. I’ve not personally seen fruits and vegetables be a viable alternative for dogs.

      On a completely different note, I’ve personally experienced difficulty supplying adequate nutrition to herbivores and frugivores by feeding fruits and vegetables. This seems odd but true. This, I believe, is because the commercial variety of produce lacks the nutrient density of their wild counterpart. The wild counterparts are nutrient dense by nature and often unsavory.

      Iguanas and parrots are notorious for developing nutritional deficiency diseases even when fed fruits and vegetable. In my opinion this makes supplementation a necessity. I hope this helps.

      • Audrey says

        Hi Ed,
        I just found your website and have found your breadth and depth of knowledge and experience about dog nutrition to be very impressive and extremely helpful and truly interesting. I like to learn and just reading through the blogs give me so much information!

        Thank you for a little background on your “credentials.” It explains a lot! My brother and son are both vets, and what you say about veterinarian education is true. Not much on nutrition is taught in vet school…. and so to use them as a source for dog nutrition info hasn’t been really helpful. They have a cursory knowledge about it and give sound, albeit, unimaginative suggestions as to what commercial dog food to feed, or else just say to feed them a cooked chicken and rice diet when they have a “tummy” upset.

        I have a 2-year-0ld Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is a very picky eater. I used to feed her chicken jerky for training treats, but since the “China scare,” I have been dehydrating my own raw chicken breast for her and she loves it! In fact, that’s all she wants to eat now. I limit it, of course, but she only picks at her dry high-end kibble. My question for you is, since using the dehydrator on the raw chicken breast is so easy and makes such a good, safe treat I would like to know if I can dehydrate any of your raw or cooked recipes? If I can, could I feed it in it’s dehydrated state or rehydrate it? Could I add your 2 nutrition suppliments and then dehydrate the food or add them to the rehydrated form?

        I realize that my problem might certainly be that I have a “spoiled” dog, who is holding out for the treats…. but I can deal with that. The “holding out” isn’t really my main issue.. I can hold out. But I really like the idea of giving my dog homemade food that she might really like and would be good for her, and I would like to find a way to be able to have the convenience of feeding dry food with the nutrition and safety of homemade. I was wondering if the process of dehydration might “leach out” or “denature” some of the nutrients/benefits of the homemade food. It may be more than water that is removed in the process of dehydration. Since there is some heat involved in the dehydration process perhaps the heat will render the food less nutricious. I don’t know. I want to believe that dehydration would work and if it did, that would make me (and my dog) very happy! 🙂

        Please let me know what you think.

        Thanks,
        Audrey

  12. Sue says

    Is there any way I can incorporate the cooked recipe with a holistic kibble?
    The reason being, when I go on vacation and take the dogs I prefer not to worry about raw food.
    I’d like to feed some raw too but it’s been said that it isn’t recommended with the kibble.
    ~Sue
    aka Lucy-the aussie

    • Ed says

      Sue,

      My experience is that dogs will experience digestive upset whenever you combine a homemade dog food and a kibble. I think it it because of the very different nature of the the two dog food. Home dog foods have a high moisture content so after eating they shrink in your dogs stomach. Kibble has a low moisture content and it swells in your dogs stomach after eating.

      The best thing to do is bring it frozen. The “easy cooked dog food recipe” transports well frozen.

  13. linda shelton says

    I was devastated when my shetland sheepdog of nine years was diagnosed with kidney failure last year. He wemt through the fluid treatments at the vet, but he was still weak, throwing up, shaky on his feet and incontinent. I stumbled across a food nutritionist for dogs who recommended the raw food diet. At that point I was willing to try anything. I whipped it up fresh in the blender. Amazingly my dog was transformed. All symptoms disappeared and he had a good quality of life until he died. He lived an additional six months. I still gave him the fluid treatments at home. I was very thankful for this extra time.

  14. zoemom says

    My 10 year old yellow lab/gloden retriever mix has just been diagnosed with severe liver desease. I am having a hard time getting him to eat things other than table food. what are your suggestions on things to make for him that he may eat and wont agrivate his liver condition?

      • zoemom says

        They do not know at this time. They believe that it was an infection due to a cracked and absest tooth. When we took him in to have the tooth removed, they found the severe liver disease and canceled the tooth extraction. They have him taking an antibiotic for the tooth and infection and Milk thistle to get his enzymes down to relatively normal ranges but it has been 4 weeks now where he is only eating 1/2 cup of food every 2-3 days. He has gone from 80 pounds down to 52 pounds and we cannot get him to eat any kind of dog food.

  15. Sylva says

    OK, here is a challenge for you. We are a rescue and have over 20 dogs. Sizes range from 35lbs to 105lbs. I really want to stay away from commercial food and fed raw until we reached 10-12 dogs. It has now become cost prohibitive. Adoptions are very low because of the breed I rescue…what I would like to know is there a recipe which can be made in bulk in a pressure cooker or something along that line which would:
    1. Satisfy their dietary needs.
    2. Keep them healthy and sound
    3. Cost efficient
    4. Time efficient

    And if there is please provide detailed information or a link for me.

    Thank you very much,
    Sylva

    • Ed says

      Sylva,

      I fed a kennel of 40 dogs on a raw meat based dog food for years. I would feed 30 pounds of raw chicken leg thigh quarters per day plus two large pots of cooked white rice. While cooking the rice I would add some chicken fat to the rice for flavor. I would then add the dog supplements to the cooled cooked rice. The dogs all did very well. I will try and post this method in two or three weeks.

  18. Dany says

    Hi there!!
    I have a few dogs, one in particular is incredibly picky. I have started her on your cooked dog food with the suggested supplements and she seems to like it!! Really, this is nothing short of a miracle (I have tried EVERYTHING)!!! My question is, can this help her gain weight? She is a miniature poodle, needs to gain about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. Can you please suggest a measurement per serving that I can work up to to help her achieve some weight gain?
    I have taken her to the vet to rule out any illness or disease. Her CBC came back clean. No obstructions that would cause her to not eat. On her last visit the vet gave her a flex test to rule out any muscle or joint pain. She’s just completely uninterested in food.
    Keeping my fingers crossed for continued eating!!!
    Thank you,
    Dany~

    • Ed says

      Dany,

      To help a dog gain weight just keep increasing her portion till she leaves some in the bowl. Some dogs are big eaters and others are not. I’ve found all dogs love these homemade dog food recipes. They seem to like their food more and more as time goes on.

  19. Peg says

    My lab (14 yrs old) – had developed kidney problems – feeding her Hills k/d RX dog food dry mixed with k/d canned – also vet gave me 4 recipes that I prepare for her part of the time. Very little protein in these recipes. Is it OK that I am feeding her in this manner? Also giving her Dasuquin MSM twice/day.

    • Ed says

      Peg,

      The low protein dog food approach is falling out of favor. It appears to be more important to have high moisture content. The raw diet is near 70 % moisture.

      • Peg says

        Thanks for replying – I use deerburger & rice in one of the recipes – I might try raw – have noticed in the past she doesn’t really like raw meat. our deerburger is fat free. How else can I add moisture to her food?

  20. Dany says

    Thank you for your reply! One more question if I may? She’s not super crazy about the taste of the Dinvovite, is it an option to give it to her via dropper after she eats?
    Thank you,
    Dany~

    • Ed says

      Dany,

      Yes, you can feed the Dinovite that way. Try putting the Dinovite on the bottom of the bowl and the dog food on top. Let your dog eat down to it. This method works well.

  21. Carol says

    We are going to be welcoming a 9 week old female German shepard . . I am trying to get everything ready for her . Your recipe doesn’t mention anything about puppies , can they tolerate this type of diet at this age ? Thanks in advance ……

  22. Kayla says

    Hi Ed,
    I have an 8 week old husky/german shepherd and she’s been on Ol’ Roy puppy complete for about 16 days now and her poop is very runny. At first, I thought it was the transition from milk to food that was the problem but it’s been a while now. Is there something better i should be feeding her?

  26. Jen says

    I have a 14 year old boxer/german sheppard, and a 10 year old schnauzer. the boxer loves cooked meats but is it ok to give bones to the little one and her? Also the boxer has problems with losing her muscle mass is there any suggestions to slow the process? We know she is deff very old for a boxer but any help would be appreciated thanks.

    • Ed says

      Jen,

      Raw meaty bone are good for dogs. Older dogs that have been fed kibble for years need time to let their digestive system conform to the new food. You may want to grind the bone initially. Quality raw meats should help your boxers muscle tone, sure beats kibble.

  27. Tiffany says

    Hi
    I was looking to switch my dog to homemade dog food. I have an 85 lb dog and a puppy that is about 50 lbs. Right now my bog dog is eating 6 cups of the bagged dog food, and my puppy is eating 5 cups. Would it be the same anounf for the easy cooked recipe?

  28. Sue Stanford says

    I have made food (chix, veggies, rice, sometimes apples) for my dog(s) 3 now – since I got the 1st one 13 years ago (she is 14 now) #2 is 8 and #3 was 1 yesterday – I have never let them have beef because of fears of the junk we hear of everyday. Also – beef is very expensive! Could I use ground chix in place of the beef? Would I need to add anything like extra fat because of the more lean chix? I will be using the cooked version. Thanks

  29. Holly says

    Hi Ed!

    Great site! We just got a new puppy on the weekend and am very interested in trying to make his dog food! I am very health conscious for what my family eats, so it only makes since for me to be the same for my pup!

    What do you recommend for a healthy training treat?

    Thanks!

    • Ed says

      Holly,

      I use freeze dried beef treats they are healthy and my dogs love them. Click here to view these dog treats. I also boil liver then cut it into bite size cubes. I portion them into small plastic bags and store them in the freezer. Dogs love these and they are pretty easy to make.

  30. kris cheung says

    hi Ed: I watched your cook dog food video, very interesting. I am just not sure if I shall start my dog the raw or cook?? My dog has allergies problems and has been on medicine for months she is about 2 1/2 year old pull dog mixed with pit. She is on your dinovite and lickchop as well. Can I feed her cook and raw not the same time but a few days raw and a few days cook??

  31. Therese says

    Hello Ed,

    Just watched your first video on making the loaves of dogfood. What is you opinion on using
    brown rice instead of white? I thought the increased fiber might be a good thing. Thanks for your time and concerns for our four legged family members.

    • Ed says

      Therese,

      Dogs have a short digestive tract that is not suited to digest brown rice. So most just passes right through. White rice is a better option for dogs.

  33. Scott says

    I see that you use a lot of veggies in your food. I have done a pile of reading and what I see in almost everything I have read about feeding dogs better food is, since dogs are carnivores, they cannot digest veggies very well and so, they are not much use in dog food. How do you feel about that and how do you make your veggies usable in the K-9 digestive system? I have been feeding my 3 dogs RAW Prey model diet for about 6 months and they are thriving. I am a bit concerned about the bacteria, particularly salmonella, so at the begging of my Vet, I am going to cook food for my dogs from now on. I am reading as much as I can about what is best to feed and I think I have come up with a couple very healthy recipes of my own. I would like very much to read how you are able to process your veggies so the dogs can use them. Something else as just a comment, and not about your foods at all. I am referring to the vegetarian diets that some of the day time TV celebrities are making. My understanding from everyone I know, including my Vet is, the vegetarian diet is a good way to slowly kill one’s dog. How do you feel about that statement? Thanks for your time and effort.

    • Ed says

      Scott,

      Honestly I think you have my site confused with another. I don’t recommend veggies in my recipe because dogs have a difficult time digesting them. People do persistently want to include them. I think this is due to veggies being good for humans. If I were to include them I would thoroughly cook and blend them up into a slurry.

      • Kara says

        I most definately think Scott has confused your site with another, as you have mentioned several times on here that dogs are carnivores and therefore veggies are at the low end of the totem pole in their diet….Side note, I am just getting ready to switch my dog off of store dog food- to this homemade variety. Your site has by far been the most helpful in this topic! Thanks so much for sharing all your knowledge!! One question I have, is that I have heard that the kibble helps to keep dogs teeth clean, and if they are eating soft food only it doesn’t “scrape” their teeth, and therefore allows plaque to build up quicker. Do you know if there is any truth to this? I recently had my 7 year old heeler/border collie mix teeth cleaned at my vet. Also, because he is 7 and has been eating kibble his whole life, should I slowly mix in the homemade and kibble so the transition is easier on him ( I did see you mentioned earlier you don’t reccomend the combination because of the high moisture of the homemade food mixed with low moisture kibble can upset their stomach) Once again, great site, and thanks so much.

        • Ed says

          Kara,

          The gelatinized starches in kibble seem to cause build up on a dog’s teeth. I have found the raw dog food to keep them clean. The bones also help. my dog Charlie has been on raw his whole life and his teeth are beautifully clean.

  34. ruby says

    I am new to the whole homemade dog food world. I have been extensively researching what to feed her and what not to feed fer. I am a mom to a very active 7 year old, I have a husband thats on a strict no carb/grain diet so needless to say I am consumed with what everyone eats in my house hold. I would like to continue cooking for her but I am so confused about the white rice and brown rice. One research says brown rice is better than white however your saying white is better and easily digested. One says white rice turns to sugar and therefore not good for dogs. One research says they need vegetables and your recipe does not have vegetables. I looked into the supplements you reccomended but I’m not sure if I am comfortable on giving her that knowing that they use preservatives. The main reason I’m cooking for my dog is to get away from preservatives. Help…..

    • Ed says

      Ruby,

      I use white rice in the recipes because dogs have a difficult time digesting brown rice. Brown rice is good for humans who are omnivores with a long digestive tract that is designed to unlock the nutrients in the bran and germ of brown rice. Dogs are carnivores with a short digestive tract that is unable to efficiently unlock the nutrients in the germ and bran of brown rice. So much of the benefit just passes right through.

      You can eliminate the rice if your dog has yeast issues, it is not essential. However, this does raise the price considerably. The supplements I recommend are all preserved naturally with vitamin E so I’m not sure what your objection to them would be.

  35. deb says

    don’t have time to read all this information right now. just discovered your site about homemade dog food. the little i did see showed using white rice. just curious, why would you choose white over brown??? that was the first thing i learned over 40 years ago when i started eating healthy, NEVER eat white rice. i will finish watching your video soon as i can get back to this. thanks for helping out our wonderful pets.

    • Ed says

      Deb,

      Basically you are comparing omnivores to a carnivores. People and dogs. Dogs are carnivores with a short digestive tract that is not designed to digest the bran and germ of brown rice so most of the nutritional benefit passes right through. White rice is easier for them to digest.

  36. Minda says

    Hello Ed,
    Love your website. Thankful to see your Homemade Easy Cooked Dog Food recipe. I’ve cooked for my dogs for many years. At times I have seen wonderful sales on ground turkey, what do you think of ground turkey instead of chicken/beef on your recipe? I have used a 50/50 mix of ground beef with ground turkey, the dogs enjoyed it & had no issues.
    Looking forward to seeing your next video!

    • Ed says

      Minda,

      I think it is fine to mix in some ground turkey. Sometime the ground turkey seems a little watery to me So I don’t think I would feed it exclusively. Grinding up the meat, bones and skin is a good option.

  37. Danyelle says

    I am going to try your homeade cooked recipe on my dogs, they have begun itching alot lately and having stomach upset. I am done with commercial dog foods, this last recall did it in for me. So just wanted to thank you for having the information available to us that really care about our dogs.

    • Ed says

      Danyelle,

      Thank you. If your dogs have severe itching switch Supromega fish oil for the Lickochops in the dog food recipe. The increase in fish oil often helps with itching. Click here to view the fish oil.

  38. Stacy says

    My dog is 9 years old and is very healthy I have been feeding her fried( chicken no bones) and an occasional T-Bone Steak I feed her chicken breast everyday fried or cooked since she was a pup is this healthy for her or do I need to change her diet since she is getting older?

  41. Jade says

    Hi Ed, I just got a Havanese pup. She is about 3lbs. now and will only be about 6lbs. at full growth. I have been giving her expensive kibble and then I supplement w/cottage cheese, ground beef and egg. Will that be alright until she’s a year old? She’s so tiny,and I’m use to German Shepherds!!I don’t want to do ANYTHING to hurt her, Also the vet said that they never really need soft food, as it contributes to plaque build-up on their teeth, she recommends just the dry food…but how boring for our babies! What do you think? Jade

  42. Megan says

    Hi,
    My 1 year old Jack Russle/Chihuahua mix is so picky we have been having a hard time finding foods for her. Our standby use to be white rice with chicken and broccoli but she just ends up picking the chicken out and leaving the rice and broccoli behind. What could we do about this? And are there any other veggies that would be good for her. My grandma made her an egg with cheese this morning and I did not like that at all. My family keeps feeding her foods that I’m sure are NOT good for her. I want to find a couple different recipes to give her because if she eats one for a while she will stop eating it.
    She will not go anywhere near dog food, she looks at it with disgust.

    • Ed says

      Megan,

      First, tell your family to quit feeding her food that’s no good for her. Second, try the easy cooked dog food recipe. Most dogs love this dog food recipe and it’s easy to make and nutritious. Honestly, if your family is giving her treats during the day this is contributing to her being finicky.

  43. LeeAnn says

    Have you thought about blending the food together in a blender or food processor? This will mix everything together so that she cannot “pick out” the chicken and leave the rest. One of my vets taught me this little trick and it might just work for your dog. Also, I have been told that green beans and carrots are okay for dogs to eat, so maybe you could substitute one of those for the broccoli

    • Ed says

      LeeAnn,

      Yes you can blend it in the blender. I never have any picky dogs because there is so much eating competition with 4 dogs. The gobble it down in seconds!

  44. Diane says

    Hi Ed,
    Our 3 yr. old long haired slightly over weight doxie was put on a “Prescription Diet” by our vet. After about 4 months of this hi carb diet, and the return of Spring, and by the way, NO weight loss, we noticed Angel beginning to bite at her toes, feet, thighs, roll and rub her back, and generally go crazy with trying to scratch all the itchy places. Through much research we were able to determine that this was not mites, but rather a yeast infestation! We have taken her completely off the dry grain kibble and have switched her to your yeast starvation raw meat plan. She loves the food! Over the past three weeks, since beginning the raw meat yeast starvation plan, the itching has decreased, but she still goes after her toes and thighs, although not nearly as vigorously as before. As I’ve been reading others comments here, questions have come up. We’ve been using raw turkey and raw hamburger alternatively, or mixing both. Also mixed ground up raw venison with raw hamburger. Should we only be using the ground beef? We have been trying to get her to eat the food with the Dinovite, but so far, that’s been a sticking point with her! Anyway, my other question concerns her stool. Since being on the raw meat plan, her stool has become much smaller in deposit and darker and “shiney”, and at times, looks like there is mucus surrounding it. It is impossible to “pick up” as it squishes and sticks onto the grass!! Is this normal, or are we missing something with her diet, or is she still adjusting to the change in food and supplements? Thanks in advance for your response.

    • Ed says

      Diane,

      I’m not a huge fan of ground turkey because it always seems watery to me. Try putting the Dinovite on the bottom of the bowl with the food on top. Let her eat down to it and she will grow accustomed to the taste. It is usually the kelp in Dinovite that throws dogs off. The dropping sound fine and typically get smaller on this diet. The small stool size is due to the lack of worthless fillers in this recipe. So your dog is digesting more of his food. A good thing.

  45. Becky Clearwater says

    I have a nine year old Rottie, my best friend, he has been diagnosed with irritable bowel, when he was a puppy.

    This year, the loose stools are constant and explosive. I have taken him to two different vet specialists, they keep putting him on combinations of pills, that work for awhile then don’t.

    I have tried many different types of food, one charb, one protein, no grain, can’t find the right combo,
    Anyone have any suggestions?

    Thanks,

    Becky

  46. Frank says

    Ok…
    We understand dogs are primarily a carnivore ………..
    But also like in the wild Bears in Alaska thrive on salmon and other fish…….
    and look how big they get !
    I’m sure Fish also is a great carnivore food you can mix also…..

    • Ed says

      Jacqueline,

      Chocolate has an alkaloid in it that dogs don’t metabolize quickly. So if a dog eats enough chocolate the alkaloid can build up to toxic levels and make him sick or die.

  48. Barbara Schlottach says

    My little small poodle/terrier blend dog just LOVED popped corn. We tend to give her some each evening. Is this harmful for her?

    • Ed says

      Steve,

      For yourself yes, if your immune system is compromised. Dogs actually have salmonella naturally living in their system kind of like reptiles. Salmonella does not pose a problem for dogs because of the way their digestive system is designed. If it is a concern you can feed the easy cooked dog food recipe and still be feeding a superior food than kibble.

  50. Tarin says

    Ed, I love everything I have read so far I just have a few questions… How often do you feed the dogs? Is it the same at reccomended for processed food 2 times a day? Also what amounts for dif aged dogs? Is there smething different that puppies should be eating? I have a 8 week old cockerspaniel Shellie mix. She was a rescue dog… Also what are your thoughts on the garlic and cayenne helping with worms?
    One last question. She dogs don’t crave veggies why do they eat greens from outside like grass and flowers?

    • Ed says

      Tarin,

      you can feed your dogs once or twice per day. I feed both ways but lean to once per day. Dogs are fasters and gorgers by nature. I’ve not found that either absolutely work on worms. All puppies will have worms so you will need to worm your puppy.

      Dogs typically eat grass to induce vomiting.

  51. Laycee says

    I have a two year old Chihuahua mix. I just recently got more interested in making her food at home. But the more i read, the more i think I’m doing it wrong. I picked up a few cans of canned chicken from the grocery store, thinking it was ok. But i guess not? I’m not sure. But fresh meats and chicken can be expensive, so i thought i would pick up a canned version. Any who, i combined the canned chicken with some pasta, carrots and frozen pees. Is this not ok? I don’t want to continue feeding my baby this food if it’s not good for her. Suggestions?
    thank you:)

  52. Reese says

    Hi Ed, I just tumbled across your Web site and I am interested in feeding my two dogs a homemade diet, however, one of my two Bichons Frises, Mignon, had crystals (way above acceptable) in her bladder about two years ago. I changed her food, and the other Bichon’s (Brie’s) diet, to our Vet recommended Royal Canin Urinary SO14. Mignon’s crystals went away and she improved remarkably fast and has not had a recurrence. Brie has not had an occurrence. Would either of your diet’s be safe in this instance? Or, would you recommend changes? Thank you.

    • Ed says

      Reese,

      I’ve not personally had a dog with bladder crystals. It is my understanding that there are two types. I have read that raw diets can be beneficial but I don’t have any personal experience to support what I’ve read.

  53. Gretel says

    A [looks like] pomino dog has adopted us. We found her on our porch last night. I don’t know how old she is, but she is not a puppy (as in younger than say 2 years). She looks well fed although she does have plaque on her teeth. The mobile vet doesn’t come around for another two weeks. Last night before we found her, she ate the cats’ biscuits. This morning we gave her some ‘wet’ cat food. What should we feed her? We have put signs up looking for her owner.

  54. Keith says

    I have a dog the vet said has alligeries but with the pills the dog was taken it got worse because I had found out that the pills were killing off the good bacteria in her system & the condition got worse than B 4 so I started giving her plain yougert & put Apple Cider Vinger in her water. She is drinking more water & the scratching seems 2 B geting better after 1 week. Is this OK 2 give her 4 her instead of all the pills.

    • Ed says

      Keith,

      You may want to consider feeding the yeast starvation dog food recipe if the antibiotics have killed off the good bacteria and the symptoms have gotten worse. You could now be dealing with a yeast infection. Yeast are opportunistic and will over populate when there are no good bacteria to keep them in check.

  55. Carolyn says

    Our German Shep, 7 years old looks young and beautiful, but has a sensitive stomach. We had an alergy test done on her and she allergic to rice, eggs, milk, lamb. We are wanting to prepare homemade meals for her. Can we give her a variation of the ground beef (can we do sirloin) and chicken (breast only), or will this change between the two meats disturb her. What else can we mix into her food that would be good for her? Cooked veggies (carrots)? She seems to love nectarines, apples, peaches, and plums? Are they okay?

  56. hailey says

    I have a Dorkie puppy thats 8 weeks old but im worried about all the dog foods out there i saw you had a natural dog food but it still has the add stuff in a tube. Is there a way to not give food any tubes or something

  57. Rebekah says

    I have a dog that is a beagle/chihuahua/Dachshund mix. She has severe allergies and recently was hospitalized with gastroenteritis. Ever since she has been released from the vet last weekend she doesn’t want to eat her food. She will eat her snack and white rice but refuses to eat her food. Do you have any recommendations on what I should feed her?

  58. Pamala says

    Hi..I am new to all this and so I was just wondering…what do you use to grind up the bones to add to the dogs diet? And where can one get this item? Which bones are the best for the dogs? Thanks for your time.

  59. Yvonne says

    I have been feeding my 3 year old goldendoodle raw food since she was 8 weeks old..The breeder gave me some yucky kibble to take home with me and it went directly in the garbage..:)..Willow has had no health issues at all. Being a retriever/poodle, I was told she may have skin issues(the vet told me that). I have not had one issue with that. I found your site and find it very informative. I get very excited when someone switches to raw, it has so many benefits…the poo, the skin, the softness, the list goes on!!! I have nothing to compare it to, as she has always been fed raw, but my sister has 4 dogs, all different breeds and she put them on raw when her small poodle developed skin problems at a year old. She was told about raw 8 years ago and has never looked back. All healthy, with no health issues..:) Anyway, I thought I would mention that..lol..actually, I was looking to make the raw myself and came across your recipes..oh ya, my question..lol..I noticed you put rice in it, I have never bought raw food with rice in it..just wondering..(sorry for the long raw speech)

    • Ed says

      Yvonne,

      I feed my dogs with rice and without. The rice does add some calories which all my dogs need because they are very active. That said, some dog can’t handle any carbohydrates due to yeast infection issues. If that is the case I would remove the rice. This flexibility is one of the great things about making your own dog food.

      It is great to hear your positive experience!

  60. Christina says

    Dear Ed, Thank you for your site. It is quite informative. I recently agreed to keep an 8 year old dog that is smilier in size and build to a border collie. Her owner had to leave the country. Her owner has been feeding her a vegetarian kibble with a bit of canned organic chicken dog food. She says that the dog has food allergies, but I have not been able to ascertain exactly what these are. She says that these foods she has provided are the only foods the dog can eat. She says he is allergic to beef and said the dog got very sick when the vet fed him beef. The dog’s stools are quite yellow although well formed. I am quite skeptical about this vegetarian kibble. The ingredients listed as they appear on the package are (all preceded by “organic”) quinoa, barley, peas, brown rice, oats, pea protein, sunflower oil, flax, dried eggs, spinach, potatoes, carrots, calcium ascorbate, cranberries, amaranth, kelp, apple fiber, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, choline chloride, vitamin A, D-Alpha Tocopherol Ergocalciterol, Thiamine Mononitrate, B-12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, inositol, niacin, calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, zinc, amino acid chelate, calcium amino acid chelate, iron amino acid chelate, folic acid, manganese amino acid chelate, copper amino acid chelate, cobalt amino acid chelate, sodium selenite.
    She became quite emotional when I mentioned I would like to cook the dogs food myself which surprised me because I thought that sounded much healthier. She was worried experimentation with food would have adverse consequences for her dog. The dog appears to be healthy now and if anything could lose a couple of pounds.
    I definitely need advice about how to proceed with this dog. I don’t know how much is food allergies or is based on the owners own vegetarianism. Neither she nor anyone in her family eats meat because of their religion and culture.

    • Ed says

      Christina,

      Vegetarian diets are simply not good for dogs. Vegetarian diets are not good for people either. It is very difficult for a carnivore to receive the proper nutrition from a vegetarian dog food. If she is allergic to beef try chicken. I plan on posting a chicken recipe if I can set aside the time to shoot it.

  61. faith says

    Ed,
    I found your site after a horrible scare with my yorkie…he got out of bed fell to the floor trying to retch and brought up some foam, then went limp, could not stand. Ran to emergency vet who diagnosed heart worm…probably…although there was no vomiting or loose stools. He told me to take to my vet the next morning for the treatment. I came home found you and started the next morning on the garlic, wormwood, blackwalnut, and coQ10 and the raw food. He is like a different dog…but last night started having very light colored, very loose stools…other than that he seems perfectly fine. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
    Thanks!

  62. Bobbie says

    I have a 11 wk old Leonberger puppy and feed him a mixed cook and raw diet, that I was given from the breeder. I had a few questions and I am very new to this but am convinced that it is a better way to feed my pets, especially with all of the pet food recalls. My question pertains to the rice, I have been using brown rice because that is what I buy for my family. Should I be using white rice or is brown rice fine? Also I do use pasta but it is a rice pasta as I will not feed my family anything with white flour is the rice pasta acceptable? I’m using vegetables but they are cooked and purred. The mix is 1/3 meat, 1/3 rice or pasta, and 1/3 veggies and I am supplementing with Brewers yeast, Kelp, flaxseed oil, calcium mag and ester-c. The meat has the bones ground into it, and then 3 times a week he gets liver, and he also has his raw bones.

    I’ve been trying to switch our cats over but they want no part of a raw diet, and I am aware that cats will starve themselves before they will eat something they don’t want, I have had to resort back to high quality no grain commercial food.

    If you have any suggestions I would be very grateful.

  63. PAM HALL says

    I WAS WONDERING I AM ON A FIXED BUDGET I HAVE 4 LARGE DOGS BETWEEN 40 TO 60 POUNDS 2 OF THEM ARE OVER 10 AND THE OTHER 2 ARE 3 AND 5 MONTHS HOW MUCH DO I FEED THEM A DAY AND CAN I GET MY GROUND BEEF AT DISCOUNT STORES LIKE ALDIS THANK U SO MUCH

    • Ed says

      Pam,
      Yes, you can buy the ground meat at a discount store. Any human grade meat will be better than what goes into kibble. You can also try incorporating chicken legs and thighs they tend to be cheaper and are great for dogs.

  64. Anna says

    hi
    My family and i feed our dogs our leftover steaks. is that ok? the also get two scoops of dry food at night and two scoops of dry food in the morning is this ok? What recipe do you recomend we use?

  65. Dee says

    Hi Ed,

    I have a 11 year old cockapoo who is 15 lbs. I give her freeze dried holistic veggies that I add water to and add it to chicken. I also give her Omega 3 oil in her food and just bought a holistic supplement to put in her food because I thought it would help. I give her chicken because when she was a puppy she had crystals in her urine and the vet said she shouldn’t have meat. I occasionally give her steak and ground beef anyway. From your site I guess I shouldn’t be giving her these veggies? She isn’t the kind of dog that runs to her food and eats sometimes I have to put treats for her to start eating. Not sure if I spoiled her or what. She doesn’t eat grains at all. I’m confused now what to give her. Please suggest.
    Thank you so much!
    D

  66. Lisa Jeffers says

    Ed-I looked at both the cooked chicken/rice recipe and the cooked ground beef/rice recipe. In the ground beef recipe, you use 18 raw eggs. In the chicken recipe, you use hard boiled eggs. I’m a little confused as to the difference between the two recipes. Not sure what to do.
    Thank you, Lisa

  67. Alfredo says

    I have a 5 y.o., 7 lb. Pom. I do feed him beef (cooked rare) on a daily basis with his kibble and a touch of soft food. His breath smells like a corpse so I’m thinking of starting him on your easy cooked starter diet.
    Definitely the fault of the kibble and soft food I’m sure.
    May I still feed him twice a day 1/4 cup of food?
    What other suggestions might you have for me?

  69. Tonja says

    First, let me say that I have gained so much knowledge from your website. I have an 8 yr old Chihuahua and 3 of her 11 month old “Chorkie” babies and have always been a free feeder, using the continuous water and feeder, but want to really try the raw meat homemade food for them. With the meat being raw, I know I can’t leave it out for them all day, so how long can I leave it out? My work schedule is all over the place so schedule feeding has never been an option for me. There are some days that I leave at 6:00 am and don’t return home until 8-9:00 pm. I don’t want to have to worry about hungry babies waiting on me and I don’t have anyone I can call to cover for me. So please, if you have any suggustions that may work in my situation, I am wide open.

  70. Judy P says

    Ed, First of all, I want to thank you for having this site! And thank you for your updated comments! Here is how I found your site.

    I have two Cocker Spaniels who both contracted e-coli infection back in March. In January, I started trying to find a “premium brand” dry dog food, as I was concerned about all the recalls. (By the way, they were both healthy and having no problems eating their food, which they had been on for 8 years!) It took several attempts to find something they would eat, and each had their own favorite brand. Unfortunately, I was unable to get them to eat the same brand!

    At the end of January, one dog started having a lot of diarrhea. After lots of blood work and an ultra sound, nothing was found. About halfway through their bags of dog food (two different brands) they both refused to eat their food. It was stored in the bags inside the house and was not contaminated by anything in the house. By this time they both had diarrhea, so the vet did cultures and they both were positive for e-coli. One dog was badly infected with it. The vet told me to start feeding them a “prescription” wet food, which they refused to eat. I threw away all of their dry food and found a “premium” wet canned food that they seemed to really like. After feeding this to them for about 3 months the company stopped making the particular product New Zealand Lamb which they liked. I tried switching them to other products by this same company. The e-coli was gone, but they still had bouts of diarrhea. Again, the vet told me to NOT feed them anything but the “prescription” food. They both went 3 days without eating anything! And the same dog that had the worst case of e-coli was now having muscular problems in his back legs and was becoming dehydrated. I took him to a neurological specialist and they tested him for parasites and infection of the muscles. These tests were negative. He is now 5 weeks on Prednisonne, and has improved about 85%.

    This is where you come in. In my desperation to find something healthy they would eat, I started looking for home-made recipes. Someone on the Dog Food Adviser site recommended your site. I have never cooked for dogs before and was very intimidated by the undertaking! I don’t even cook for my husband! LOL! But I was looking for something that was simple and that I didn’t have to cook every day. I now have been cooking “Doggie Meatloaf” for 5 weeks, along with Turkey Burgers and Boiled Chicken Thighs. I finally have a couple of recipes that they will eat and are not overly time consuming. Although, it is not what I want to do long-term, until they are healthy again, I will cook for them. Actually, I may never go back to commercial food.

    I do have a question about the Supplements that you said are needed. I see that both of these products state that Omega 3 and Omega 6 are “Not Recognized as an Essential Nutrient by the AFFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles”. If my dogs are not having skin problems, and it is not required, why do they need these fatty acids added to your recipe? I am still having the diarrhea problem in the male and don’t want to add anything to his diet that is not absolutely necessary. On the other hand, I don’t want to leave out a critical supplement.

    Also, if you have other “cooked” recipes, and for treats, I would love to have them. My dogs are not fond of raw fruits or vegetables. I am having to hide them in their meatloaf. And the peas get spit out a lot by the female most of the time. 🙂 Frozen peas are a great game and treat for the male, but not Ms Mabi the Diva!

    Thank you again. Looking forward to your reply.

    • Ed says

      Judy,

      The AAFCO statement is just a required legal statement. You will see similar statements on human vitamins. Your dogs will benefit from omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids. Both have many benefits besides skin. The Dinovite is great stuff too and supplies a host of vitamins and minerals.

  72. E. Darlene Lundy-Veo says

    Ed, I found your website today by Googling “how to make your own dog food.”

    I have three dogs. The oldest is the male Dachshund named Oscar. He is a neutered 5 1/2 year old and weighs 15lbs. He has no health issues, but is a very picky eater. We have tried all brands of dog food, both dry and canned and he will hardly eat them. As snacks, we have tried Milk Bones and Snausages and he hardly eats those, but loves the Waggon brand chicken jerky we give them as a bedtime snack. Right now, when he does choose to eat dog food, it is Beneful. He loves yogurt, fruit, eggs, meat and some veggies; people food in general. When I fix homemade soup, chile, or most any other people food, he loves to share with us.

    The female Doxie is Ophelia “Ophie.” She is 4 years old, spayed and weighs 22lbs. She loves everything! We have to watch her closely while they are eating, as she will finish her own and then go for the other dogs’ food.

    We acquired our third dog last month. Her name is Dollie, but she is a Chihuahua/Yorkie mix. She will be 4mos old on the 10th of Sept, is spayed (got her from Humane Society of Tulsa), but I’m not sure what her exact weight is. I would guesstimate at between 1 1/2 to 2lbs. Her coloring and hair are that of a Yorkie, but her body shape is that of the Chihuahua. I call her my Chorkie. The HST had her on Science Diet for puppies, but I changed her over to Beneful for puppies right away because, even though they are small, the pieces of the Science Diet were too big for her. At first she was eating the Beneful okay, but when my husband disobeyed me and started giving her people food, she now has gotten a little picky, but not as bad as Oscar.

    My husband loves to give our dogs people snacks as well as people food, which I keep telling him isn’t good for them. These consist of popcorn, cheese, cheese crackers, Cheetos, dry roasted peanuts, potato chips, human cookies, ice cream, and anything else he happens to be eating. None of the three are on or have ever been on any medications.

    Because of Oscar’s finickiness (which he has been almost ever since we got him as a pup), Ophie’s weight problem (since she was about a year old after being spayed), and now with the new puppy who is becoming finicky, I started considering making my own food. That’s what brought me to the Homemade Dog Food website.

    I have always heard that chicken bones should not be fed to dogs, because they splinter and can puncture the esophagus and/or intestines. What is your opinion regarding these?

  73. Laurie says

    Ed, I have a cocker who is about 10 yrs old. I rescued him about 7 yrs ago. He has all of those “regular cocker issues” (eyes, ears, skin) but has has focal seizures for about 5 yrs. Not often, maybe 2-3/yr, each lasting about 1-2 min. Last night he had a more extreme one and I ended up at the vet ER. His blood sugar was only 41, and they are using words like “isulinoma” & “pancreatic cancer”. Obviously I’m still reeling, and he has not yet been seen by his regular vet (hopefully in the next few days). In the meantime, the goal is to stabilize his blood sugar with many small meals and prednisone. If the insulinoma may be causing too much insulin to be released, will your recipes help or hurt? I’m all for putting him on a homemade diet, and am not in a financial position to consider surgery. But I don’t want to make him worse. What are your thoughts?

    • Ed says

      Laurie,

      I’m sorry to hear about your dog. It is impossible for me to say if a homemade diet will help. My belief is wholesome nutritious food is always a good idea but your dog sounds very ill.

      • Laurie says

        Ed, Bentley had his appt with the vet last week and his sugar level was only 43 after 4 days of predisone, and after eating 45 min before they drew the sample. We just got his lab results back this Wednesday. His insulin level is 5X what it should be, so his sugar level will always be low. He seems to be tolerating it well though, and is LOVING eating 4 times a day! Am I better off going with a prescription high-fiber food, or making food for him at home? And how would I need to adjust your recipes to add more fiber?

        • Ed says

          Laurie,

          The Dinovite has some fiber in it but you can increase the fiber content of any of these recipes by adding a little psyllium powder. Psyllium is a natural fiber for people. Just sprinkle a little on his daily meals. A pinch at each meal is enough.

  74. Cecilia says

    Hi Ed, I have a question about chicken bones; You, and the rest of the world, is saying that cooked chicken bones are bad for dogs but OK when raw. What puzzles me is that one can easily cut the cooked bones with regular kitchen scissors but to cut raw bones you need a jig saw, any idea why is it so?

    • Ed says

      Cecillia,

      My understanding has been cooked bones can splinter. I’ve personally never had one problem in all the years Ive fed raw bones to dogs. My dog Charlie swallowed a whole beef rib without chewing it. He’s fine.

      He has eaten raw dog food his whole life. A dog fed kibble his whole life will have a thinner weaker stomach lining. So gradual introductions to raw bones is best when feeding a kibble fed dog.

  75. kim says

    Hi Ed, My 6 yr old Boston has 2 skin tags. What causes them? They are getting bigger and I will have them removed, but I don’t want him to get anymore, or have the ones removed come back. Any suggestions.

  76. Jayne says

    Hi Ed,
    What would you recommend feeding a 6 week old lab puppy who is weaning off of breast milk? Someone told us that baby formula can help but I’m a little skeptical. Please help, thanks!

  77. Kimberly says

    I have a 12.5yr old female Chihuahua that weighs 4.6lbs. In last last year she has had acute pancreatitis episodes apparently brought on by stress and seperation anxiety when we have travelled with or without her. She currently eats a perscription dry/wet dog food. Some days she’s her normal self, then others, she acts like she doesn’t feel well and only wants to sleep. Which recipe/supplements do you recommend for her in what portions? Do you know of an effective natural calming supplement?

  79. DIrk Siem says

    Hi ed, love your site, I started my pup on a cooked beef, rice, vegetable and egg diet mixed with a high end chicken and rice hard dog food. He is 3 months old and started getting a loose stool about 2 weeks ago off and on. the vet said in his experience the mixing of home made dog food and premade dog food can affset the balance of nutrients. How do you feel about this. I got the idea of mixing from a breeder in the hopes of making sure all of the nutrients were there from the blue buffalo food.

  80. Christina says

    Hello,
    Thanks for your great site. I read and understand why raw vegetables cannot be digested by dogs, and why carrots are particularly bad. I have an aging Labrador retriever who loves to eat, but I’ve had to drastically cut back on the amount of food he can have as he has grown less active. I’ve been giving him carrots as between-meal snacks because they don’t seem to make him fat. (It’s true – they pass right through him.) Is there some other kind of vegetable or other low calorie snack that I can give him during the day?

    Thanks so much for your advice, and happy Thanksgiving!

    • Ed says

      Christina,

      I feed my dogs once per day and don’t sweat it. They are fine, good weight and healthy. My little dog Stinky would eat till she bursts, always hungry. It’s just how she is, again I don’t worry about it.

  81. Cloudbuster says

    I have a dog that gains weight very easily — I have to feed him substantially less of the same commercial feed as my other dog (only slightly bigger) to keep him from gaining weight. I’ve been considering moving to one of your diets (haven’t decided on raw or cooked) because it looks that there will be a lot more bulk per cup of food (your recommendations of about 2-2.5 cups per day for his size (he’s 45-50 pounds at healthy weight), is about what I’m having to feed him on a commercial feed.

    He’s also a bit of a paw-licker and I’m hoping a change in diet might help with that.

    I note that your recipe includes a grain product (rice). Another friend has recommended including rolled oats as part of the recipe (basically oatmeal). Do you have any opinion on the oats vs. or in combination with the rice?

    • Ed says

      I suggest feeding the yeast starvation dog food recipe. Paw licking is usually a sign of a yeast infection. This dog food recipe will help with yeast issues and also can help dogs shed unwanted fat.

  82. Dianne J says

    Dear Ed,
    Our beloved 12 y/o terrier has developed high liver enzymes. The vet has proscribed Royal Canin Renal MP modified diet for him with Denosyl. She said he needs a low protein diet because his liver isn’t filtering correctly. Do you have any dietary suggestions for me? The cost of this food may be unsustainable for our budget.

  83. Patricia says

    Ed, our dog is a mixed breed dog, the vet can’t tell us what he is. He weighs about 35 lbs. and has yeast. We have been buying high end dry dog food, but I’d like to make his food because I think it would be cheaper. However, I see you use rice and because of his yeast his diet should have very little carbohydrates. Any ideas?

  84. Janis says

    Can dogs digest quinoa? I know that dogs digest white rice better than brown rice, however quinoa is very high in nutrients and protein. Just wonder if dogs can digest quinoa?

  85. Joan Conrad says

    I have a 4lb 8 oz three-year old toy poodle. He likes baked chicken. On occasion he’ll eat cooked ground beef. I would like to make his dog food in advance, using chopped up baked chicken, white rice and eggs that have been blended in a blender along with the shells. I plan to give a squirt of Lic O Chops on top. He does not think he has any interest in Dinovite. Up until now he has had only the chicken alone, and the vet commented that he is not getting a complete meal. He is never sick. Eyes and nose are good. But his bowel movements are in no way regular. They are never messy, which is good because he is in no way completely housbroken so far as defacating. Urinating no problem. He prefers the outside bushes, trees, hydrants, fences, etc. for that. Any suggestions will be extremely appreciated. I worry a lot. Up until now I have not made his food in advance, but it needs to be done in case I should ever have to leave him, such as if I travel or if I die. Thank you.

  86. Dawn says

    Hi, I started the homemade dog food about a week ago an followed your instructions. I am making my dogs the ground beef recipe. They did fine for a couple of days now they are sick with vomiting and lose stools. I began this food program due to allergies two of my dogs have skin issues and lick their feet a lot. I have a 8 year old miniature schnauzer, 7 year old Shizu/Pekingese mix, and a 4 year old English bulldog. I was hoping to feed them aal the same food. Any suggestions?

  87. Bailey's Human says

    Hi Ed, just found your site and am glad I did. Ever heard of a “protein allergy” in dogs? My 3-yr old Wheaten was diagnosed with this allergy 1.5 yrs ago, after consistent ear infections and licking her paws raw. Since then, I’ve fed her an Rx food of processed duck/potato. When I’ve tried mass-market duck/potato kibble the ear infection/paw licking returns…so I’ve stuck with the Rx. I’m not squimish about a raw diet, but am a little nervous introducing protein given her previous reaction. Any thoughts/suggestions are appreciated!

    • Ed says

      I think your information has gotten a little mixed up. Typically, food allergies are associated with certain proteins. But dogs need protein to survive and the duck/potato dog food you are feeding has protein. The paw licking and constant ear infections are both signs of a yeast infection. You may want to try the yeast starvation dog food recipe. Keep in mind there is a 2-3 week detox period with this diet and your dog’s symptoms can get worse in this time.

  88. Blissgirl says

    Hi, I just came across your website and I’m very interested in this type of feeding. I have a husky with a low percentage of wolf in him. He’s pretty healthy except he is very very skinny, I’m tired of people saying he has worms ( he doesn’t ! We have had him tested ) I know we aren’t feeding him very good food due to our limited income , I’m not sure if I can afford the raw diet so I was wondering if I could up grade him to a better dry dog food and add the dinovite and lickochops to help give him more fat in his diet- would this help him at all ?

  89. Nikki says

    I have a Shih Tzu who had to have her bladder scraped at one year to get rid of the crystals in there. She has been on a special food from Medi-Cal now for 5 years Urinary SO for small daos. Is there any way to feed her home made food? I was told not to give her too much protein. She gets very few dog treats and mostly veggies and fruits for treats. Any suggestions?

  90. carolyn says

    Have had issues with my two dogs regards foods. One has severe itching issues, the other just picky!!. I started searching sites for home made dog foods and found yours. I have been reviewing your site for two days. I have ordered the supplements and have a grocery list made up. Can’t wait to see if these recipes are liked and help my itchy pooch. Found the site to be very informative and helpful. I plan on making cooked and raw meat recipes to give them variety. Is this ok?

  91. Luisa says

    Hi Ed,
    I just found your website, we adopted a puppy on Saturday: an
    Australian Shepard/St. Bernard mix. We have been dog owners for over 40 yrs and all of our dogs have lived long, healthy lives. Currently I own a 10 yr old Lab/Chow mix that lost his playmate last year. His playmate was a 15 yr old Bernese Mountain Dog we rescued from a breeder because he had Parvo. Anyway, we are interested in making Dog food for both my adult dog and new puppy. Since the puppy’s nutritional requirement is different from my adult dog’s, do you have a different guide to nutritional additives for her? She is about 7 to 8 weeks old and is on commercial dog food, since that is what we have always used. As our older dog has allergies to chicken (we tested him when he as a pup) we strive to buy foods without chicken. We have found some brands, but we are interested in feeding him a more natural diet and we want to raise our new puppy on a non-commercial food diet. What would you recommend? We consume mostly organic foods in our home, and realize the benefits for us and want to provide the same benefits to our dogs.

  92. D Urish says

    Thanks so much for your website. After reading here, we began our shih tzu, Sushi, on the yeast starvation diet. Her yeast problems have subsided and we have noticed a marked improvement in her energy levels and comfort- no more itching or ear issues. What a relief to have found the answer. When we began this new diet, she weighed in at 10.6 pounds so we give her 1/2 cup of the raw dog food each morning and that is all she eats for the day. She has been on the diet for about four months. My concern now is that she has gained a bunch of weight- over two pounds! She is a chunk! We feel that a little of this may be due to the lack of extensive walking in the cold winter months, but obviously some of it is due to the dog food. Is this normal? Should we cut back on the 1/2 cup of food we are giving her? She does have one small bowel movement each evening. Please advise on how we can help her regulate her weight. She is 9 years old. Thanks so much.

  93. Autumn says

    Hi! , I have a hines 57 mixed breed dog who is kind of skinny, but I feed her regular dog food ( it doesn’t really work ) . Do you have a recipe to make her a little healthier ? I also admit that I feed her random scraps from the table, and she has gotten ahold of chocolate a few times — is there also a recipe to clear her system?

    • Ed says

      Autumn,

      Actually, any of the recipes on this site will work for your dog, they are all highly nutritious. Pick one that you think you can make and start with that one.

  94. Betty says

    Thanks for the recipes, I plan on switching my dogs to the cooked diet as soon as the supplements arrive. I have 1 question though, many years ago we only fed our dog cooked chicken or turkey breast with veggies and rice, (she lived to be 19) but she had problems with constipation and we needed to add fiber. Our vet suggested mucinex. Can or should I add more fiber to the easy cooked chicken and rice recipe and what would you suggest?

  95. Sande says

    Hi Ed,
    I’m finding all your articles very informative. The trainer which I hired to train our shepherd (train me); always told me to feed the dog raw ground beef. Of course I didn’t; but he’s now
    13 years old and we’re paying for an expensive all natural – non commercial brand right now.
    (However, I understand it will be going into stores soon.)

    With all of our pets, dogs and cats alike we have been talked into all these specialized diets for
    this and that. Actually, I’m un-impressed with most vets and in all my years (sorry, not telling), I’ve only been impressed with one who never tried to sell me supplements and special foods for
    medical conditions.

    We lost our 3 year old shepherd to cancer last year. He was a rescue dog. He had just spent a week boarding at the vets boarding facility. I realize that stray animals probably feed on alot of anything they can find; but we were in shock. He came home very lethargic and wouldn’t eat. A week later the vet told us; he was full of cancer. We were crushed. He was a fantastic boy who had to grow up too fast.

    I do know that larger breeds don’t seem to have the longest life expectancy. However; I’ve heard that some shepherds have lived much longer and don’t have any statistics on what those
    individuals gave their animals as a diet. Our experience has been about 13 years. And; the hip dysplasia seems to be a big problem now with this breed.

    I believe that I read you feed the dogs fish once a week. The food we are purchasing is made up with the first ingredient as salmon. As dogs need meat; what are your feelings on this as a mainstay in a healthy diet? They have (our new rescue) and the 13 year old have been on this dry food for about 5 months now. If you’d like; I can write down the total list of ingredients. The food was recommended by a dog trainer we’ve yet to use.

    Appreciate any input.

    • Ed says

      Sande,

      I think dogs fed these dog food recipes will live longer than kibble fed dogs. On a different note, hip dysplasia has some nutritional aspect to it. There was a study done where a veterinarian took dysplastic shepherds, bred them then fed the mother and puppies vitamin C for two years. None of the puppies were dysplastic.

  96. Janice says

    Hi,
    I am new to this site. So glad I found it! I have a 6 yr. old shih-tzu/Lhasa who suffers from constant paw licking, scratching, and in the last year has started growing several skin nodules on his body. We have had one benign nodule (large) already surgically removed from the top of his head. He seems to be getting more edgy and irritable and after much research, I have decided to try the raw food diet with the supplements. I presently feed him a “high end”, gluten-free dry kibble (NOW brand). He likes it but after reading about the premixes that are added back in, etc I really want to give the raw diet a try. I am wondering about his teeth though – with the soft, wet texture of the raw food, I would like to be able to give him some kind of hard, crunchy snacks as well. Any suggestions? I live in Canada, so as long as I can get products shipped here, it will work. Thank you for any help or suggestions you can offer.

  97. Deborah Johnson says

    Hello,
    My 5 year old dachshound/austrialian mini shephard will vomit stomach acid if not fed every 6 hours or so. She is currently eating blue buffalo basics food. I would like to start her on the raw food diet. Do you have a suggestion for the 24 hour fast? I would hate for her to have stomach upset for so long.

    Thanks

  98. Mary Lee Agee says

    Hi Ed –
    I would like to start with the transition using the easy raw recipe. I see raw chicken. . .but not a recipe and instructions for preparing it raw. Can I do this ? if so how do I go about feeding leg and thigh portions to the dogs and what would the ingredient proportions be? Would the guidelines for daily amounts be about the same?
    thanks,
    ml

    • Ed says

      Mary Lee,

      I’ve not posted the raw chicken recipe yet because I can’t seem to carve out the time. Large dogs can crunch the bones without a problem. Just toss a leg thigh quarter out in the yard and let them eat it, usually takes under a minute. This is messy. To feed small dogs and limit mess and germs all over the house, grind the legs and thighs in a meat grinder. The other proportions of ingredients will not change.

  99. Tanita says

    Hi Ed,

    Fantastic site and information! I especially love how receipes and information is so uncomplicated and common sense,…love it! I have a new baby (puppy), he is a white lab and 9 weeks old. I am sure he will be fine on cooked or raw receipe,…do you have a preference, because of his age? Also, the only thing I am not clear on is the raw bones, have heard all my life “do not give dogs whole chicken bones”, hope I am not misundersanding. If it is safe to give whole chicken bones, for a pup what is your recommended part (bone)? The wing, or is he too young and I should stick to beef or pork bones? Thanks again, love the site!

    • Ed says

      Tanita,

      Any of the recipes are fine for puppies. When I feed puppies raw chicken bones I grind them through my meat grinder, it works great. Years ago I used a hand cranked grinder, very hard but possible. The puppies all do well on these diets.

  100. Jessica says

    Hi! We want to adopt an Aussie at the beginning of May, I want my dog to be healthy and this raw food diet sounds like the way to go! When we get the Aussie he will probably be 8-10 weeks old and will have been eating Diamond dog food. Is it safe for me to not feed the puppy for 24 hours?

  101. Mindy says

    Hello Ed,

    I have a 13 plus year old chihuahua who weighs around 2.7 lbs. She loves mashed potatoes, goulosh and spagetti. I know this isn’t good for her and for years she ate science diet for little dogs and now she will not eat dog food at all! She had to have some teeth pulled which actually just fell out and I’m having to fix her soft blended food. My question is how many raw eggs to 1 lb of ground meat and how much rice for 1 lb meat? Where do I get the nutrients you suggested and how much do I give her she’s so small?

    Thank you sincerely,

    Mindy

  102. Joshua says

    Hello Ed,
    I have a 11 week old Pit Bull. I’ve been feeding her Wellness puppy food. And using the wet Wellness puppy treats, and also pig ears. I’m really thinking about trying your recipe’s, but I’m not sure on how much and what to feed her. And I can order those supplements off of this site??
    I look forward to hearing from you.

  103. dee dee says

    my baby ate some par-steamed brussel sprouts…. unbelievable…. he has just gone bonkers over them… love love loves them…. he should be okay right?

  104. Jiovanni N says

    Hello, I have a 5 year old Bull Terrier and she has skin problems, i have been feeding her Blue Buffalo for the past 3 years and i’ve seen her skin getting worse. Do you think it would be a good idea to switch her over to these dog recipes ? I want to help her get better please let me know what is best for her.

  105. Mike says

    While making tuna salad my wife dropped a chunk of tuna on the floor. Our very old picky-eater toy poodle ate it immediately. We gave him a little more which he devoured. Is tuna ok as an occasional substitute for the chicken we cook for him?

  106. Gloria says

    I recently found your website and am hoping you can help. We have a 7 year old Sheltie who is
    very thin. We feed him white rice and either hamburg or chicken with veggies. H e only weighs
    about 20 pounds but is fed three times a day. Is there anything to help put some weight on him.
    We are hoping for some suggestions. He is active and loves to play and does not look sick.

  107. Nicole says

    Hi!

    I have a dog who has struggled with ear infections, yeasty smells, itchy, rashy, sweaty skin etc. I am wanting to do this as a 90 day cleanse and then introduce a very basic dog food back, I think. He has struggled with stomach issues since rescuing him. Should I start with cooking the ground hamburger/turkey/or chicken first then move to raw? Or just go straight to the raw. I am so nervous about all the stomach issues this diet is going to bring out in my dog. ;/ I have ordered the dinovite and am really hoping that this diet will help.

    Please point me in the right direction. Thank you! Nicole

  108. Keshia says

    Hi Ed,
    First of all, I am very happy and thankful for your site. I have turned to 90% raw foot diet myself b/c of the health benefits and way of life and I wanted to do with my two Lab/Pitt mixes. I made you Raw Recipe last night but I haven’t gotten the Lick O Chops or Dinovite yet…I know they need more supplements in their diet since I’m switching but before I made up my mind about purchasing your products, I wanted to get some more information…I juice everyday and I gave them the left of pulp from the vegetables yesterday with their new Raw food BUT then today I came across an article of yours stating that dogs do not digest raw plant foods…if it’s finely ground after going through the juicer, does this help at all? I like to know what is in my food and I want to know whats in my dogs food which is why I haven’t bought your products yet…can you help me make my descision? I greatly appreicate your time.

    Keshia

  109. Kalvina says

    Hi Ed,

    I have a very picky 9yr old shih tzu. Three days ago I started feeding him boiled chicken breast and brown rice. He previous ate (barely) a mix of Iams kibble and grounded chicken & rice from the can. Since he wasn’t eating that much and had moments of vomiting, I took him to the vet. Since he ddidn’t see anything wrong with him, he told me to try the boiled chicken and rice to see how it goes. Charlie loved it. The only concern is that yesterday I noticed his stool looked weird. It had a white substance on it… like it was powdered. Then I came across your site while searching for a more nutritious homemade recipe. So I added an egg to the small batch of rice and chicken that I had. And today I noticed that his stool still had a small amount of yellowish something and mucus. I’m already concerned, but should I be? I honestly don’t think I’m doing a great job of transitioning. I’m still adding some of his kibble to the mixture.

  110. Tamara says

    Hello! What a great website. I’ve started feeding my dogs (Tibetan Spaniel and Shih Tzu) your cooked beef recipe for dogs, with one addition: sweet potato. I put the beef and sweet potato in a slow cooker with a tiny bit of water until it turns soft. Then I add the eggs and eggshells, then the cooked white rice. I puree a little bit of it for more of a mushy consistency, yet I do leave in chunks of beef.

    Do you see any disadvantage to feeding cooked sweet potato? The dogs love them.

    Thanks!

  111. kats56 says

    Hi
    My 8 year old lab Buster has colitis and I have been trying to find a diet that will help his condition (and also benefit him). I started him on the raw food diet 2 weeks ago, slowly at first with just chicken in the morning feed and chicken with bone in the evening feed, I have also been adding natural yoghurt once a day. He absolutely loves the food however his energy levels have slumped dramatically. My husband has taken some persuasion to change him over to the diet and now wants him to come off it. He fed him some pasta yesterday and he did have more energy…I want to try and steer clear of grains and cereals if I can. Any advice or thoughts on this would be welcome.
    Thanks.

  113. tfarries says

    Hi Ed,
    Thank you for this wonderful site I have been looking for a long time to find real answers. Please could you answer a couple of questions for me?
    1. We were advised to treat our dog with raw carrot (not cooked) by our vet to train her. She is now 7 yrs old and loves her carrots, but we do notice she doesn’t always digest them properly. You said to stay away from carrots, do you mean just cooked ones? I looked on a chart and they said carrots were low GI if not cooked. The problem is she has ear problems, rubbing of the anus and her paws are noticeably more smelly than before and I don’t know if it is the raw carrot or the Beta dog food (once again recommended by our vet)?
    2. Most diets I have read say to stay away from red meat as this is not good for their stomachs, to only use turkey or chicken. May I ask your thoughts on this please?
    3. Once you have given your dog the yeast starvation diet, do you then continue with the same diet always if they have had yeast problems?
    Many thanks for your time and help Ed, I look forward to hearing from you.
    Kind regards
    Tania (UK)

    • Ed says

      Sometimes we mix up what is good for humans with what is good for dogs. Try boiling some liver, then cut it into cubes, put it into small bags, freeze it and use these as treats. Red meat is fine, dogs digest it fine. If your dog has yeast issue you will need to feed it for a while before switching to another diet. Once the yeast is under control you can try changing it but you will need to monitor things and make sure it doesn’t come back. Add and change ingredients one at a time so you know what is causing the problem.

  114. jehenry89 says

    Hey Ed,

    I have to say, I am so thrilled I came across your website!!! My dog has been suffering from food allergies since we got him 4 months ago. I have tried 4 different brands of food, tried feeding him all dry, tried all wet, tried different varieties of the foods from fish to meet to all vegetarian… I was literally out of ideas. My vet wanted to keep him on an allergy prescription which I really did not want to do since he is only a year and half. Condemning a dog to life of medication, especially one that they do not know the long term effects of was not ok with me. Plus it was going to cost $70 a month. When I told my vet no, she then suggested a prescription diet. This was $150 for a 2 month supply! I love my dog but that is way far out of my budget. I told her politely I will take my chances, do some research and try other methods first before I agree to medication.

    I came across your site yesterday. After reading all the comments on your site about other users dog allergies, I immediately went out and bought all the ingredients to try the cooked chicken and rice recipe. I made up a batch that day. I know you suggest doing a fast before starting this diet, but I didn’t. After changing his diet so much in the past 4 months, I knew he wouldn’t have a problem (and he didn’t so you don’t think I am a bad puppy mom 🙂 ). He started on this diet yesterday morning and today…HE IS NEARLY ITCH FREE!!! No lie! I cannot believe it. As of today, I think I have saw him itch a hand full of times as oppose to the non-stop itching (literally) he use to do. And, he also went all night last night nearly itch free as well.

    I am never ever going back to kibble and I am so so glad I do not have to keep him on medication for the rest of his life. I cannot wait to see how much better he gets from where he is now in a few days when all the old food is out of his system. I think eventually I might switch him to the raw diet since it will take less time to prep.

    I do have one question, do you have any suggestions for things I could use other than rice and potatoes? I would like to give him some variety. I know you say don’t use raw veggies, but would he get anything out of them if I cook them and blend them into smaller pieces?

    Also, you should think about doing a homemade treat section!!
    Thank you so much for starting this site and to all of those people who comment on here!

  115. floydo says

    We are new to making our own dog food for our 18 month old Doberman. I understand that we should not feed him cooked bones, but what if we grind the raw bones, (chicken), then cook? We are not ready for “raw”. My thoughts are that grinding the meat/bones eliminates the chance of splintering.

  116. vtgirl01 says

    Hi I’m wondering about snacks or training treats? do you have recipe’s or suggestions? We are getting our border/heeler mix puppy in a few weeks and i would like to make his food and treats prior to him coming home. Thanks in advance!

    • Ed says

      A great homemade treat is beef liver or chicken breast. Boil either and then cut them into cubed about the size of a crouton. Put them into little ziplock bags and put them in the freezer. Then when you are looking for a good training treat thaw out a bag and start training.

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