Mom's Dog Food Recipe

After trying all the premium dogfoods in the petstores and spending yet another dinner hour hand feeding premium kibble to two of my miniature dachshunds because they just didn't like it, I decided to investigate alternatives to commercial dogfood.

A quick tour on the Internet proved to be very enlightening. I found some horrific articles regarding the production of commercial dogfood and I decided that, whether the articles were true or not, I was not taking any chances. I decided to make my dogs' food so that I would know what they were eating.

The Jordemm's Kennel site provided me with the best information. The site has links to articles about how dog food is produced, first hand experiences with homemade food, and a recipe for dog food. The owner of this site, Mr. Krakower, was extremely helpful in getting me started with this process and I'm very grateful to him for his invaluable advice. You will find links to his website on "Mom's Links Page" in this site.

I first started cooking their food, but subsequent reading convinced me that feeding raw meat, bones, and vegetables was better for them. Cooking meat destroys amino acids and certain enzymes that are essential to a dog's digestive process. Raw bones are the best way to keep your dog's teeth shiny, white, and free of plaque.

While it's possible that a dog could contract parasites, salmonella, and other bacteria from raw meat, that risk is very small. Dogs' systems, with their highly acidic stomachs and very short intestines, are designed to process raw meat quite effectively. To minimize the risk even further, I buy my meat from reputable butchers and freeze it for at least 24 hours before I feed it to them.

I urge you to try this recipe. The results will astound you! Their coats will become soft and so shiny, they'll have so much energy, their teeth will whiten. I truly believe it's the best thing you can do for your dog.

I've provided notes to answer questions you might have. Please feel free to e-mail me. I'd be happy to help you!

Mom's Dog Food Recipe

3 pounds meat (Note 1)
3 Cups oatmeal (1 1/2 cups oatmeal, 3 cups water) (Note 2)
2 carrots
2 tomatoes
1 egg (Note 3)
2 cloves of garlic
16 oz. bag frozen vegetables, thawed (Note 4)

Prepare the grains (if used) and cool.
Puree the carrots, tomatoes, garlic and vegetables to a fine pulp.
Blend the vegetable mixture, meat, and grains.
Measure into portions and freeze at least 24 hours before using.

When I started feeding this recipe to my dogs, I fed them the same amount as I did commercial food. I soon found that they required much less food. Currently, I feed my 11 pound dogs about 1/2 cup mixture per day. My 15 pound dog gets 2/3 cup per day. I adjust the amount according to how much exercise they get or how many snacks they've had!!

Note 1: Use ground meat or chunks of meat as a base and add liver, tripe, kidney, and/or beef heart, as available (no more than 10% per batch). Chicken, beef, duck, rabbit, lamb, and fish can be used. Do not use pork.

Note 2: Use oatmeal, barley, brown rice or any combination of those. White rice can be used but it is not very nutritious. Note that grains can cause allergies for some dogs.

Note 3: I include the shell, as well, but I make sure it's pureed finely. It provides valuable calcium.

Note 4: Most vegetables can be used. Don't forget squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes. Stay away from a high percentage of cabbage and spinach because they can be irritating to their stomachs. Corn passes right through their intestines and provides little benefit. Kidney beans, lima beans, and any others of that type can cause some rather unpleasant side effects!!. Limit the use of white potatoes and do NOT include any green parts of the potatoe. Do NOT use onions!!!!

I've always given my dogs supplements - even before I made their food. I give them 500 MG of Ester-C, one tsp of flaxseed oil, and 1 tsp of a product called Missing Link (you can find a link to their site on my "Mom's Link Page".) An all-purpose vitamin that can be found at the petstores will work well, too.