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This is a balanced dog food recipe that my veterinarian recommended to me a few years ago. I want my dogs to live long & healthy lives, so I make their food myself! I like knowing exactly what is in their food. It can get pricey, but hospital bills are even pricier. Healthy food = good health!
This recipe is completely balanced and my dogs LOVE it. They have super shiny coats, healthy teeth, and good breath!
Why you’ll love this recipe
For health reasons obviously! But it’s also perfect for making in bulk, which makes it much more convenient.
You can make a large batch of this once or twice a month, keep it in the freezer, and thaw overnight as needed until you run out. I make about 11 pounds of food (uncooked) and it will last almost 3 weeks for my two small adult dogs (about 10 lbs each).
This recipe can also kinda count as 3 recipes! You can switch out the ground beef for ground turkey or chicken, and just add a little extra beef liver to make up for the iron, zinc, and protein. That way your dog has a little variety in their meals.
How much should I feed my dog?
Check with your veterinarian for how much food your dog needs per serving. My two dogs are about 10 lbs each, and we feed them 2/3 of a cup (each), twice a day.
Nutritional info
This recipe has 40 calories per ounce. To see the original recipe posted on Youtube by Dr. Karen Becker and Rodney Habib, click here. This video can provide more information on the nutritional value of all the ingredients in this recipe.
Cooked or Raw?
I gently cook the food for my dogs, but this is still a great recipe if your dog is on a raw diet.
If you choose to cook the food, do so without any oil on a nonstick pan on low heat. Be careful not to sear the meat- you want to gently cook it until it is just done. You can make patties, large chunks, or break it down into mince if you prefer.
Ingredients:
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Very lean ground beef or poultry- This is the main source of protein and has to be lean since dogs have a high amino acid requirement. Compared to ground beef, ground chicken and turkey are lower in protein, iron, and zinc, so you’ll need to make up for it with extra beef liver.
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Hempseed– excellent source of essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6. This balances the fats. I buy mine from Sprouts or Costco but it is also available an Amazon here. You can use hempseed oil but be very careful with the heat if you are going to cook it. Hempseed oil becomes very unpleasant to dogs if exposed to high heat.
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Sardines – meets vitamin E & D requirements. You can also use cod liver oil. Use canned sardines in water, not oil.
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Ground ginger- packed with manganese, which supports connective tissue health. This benefits ligaments, tendons, joints, and muscles.
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Kelp powder- packed with iodine and is AMAZING for teeth and coat health! You can purchase the one I use here. I highly recommend this stuff- my dogs have great hair & teeth, and their breath NEVER stinks!
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Eggs & eggshells- eggs are a great source of folic acid and vitamin b12. The eggshells are totally edible and provide the calcium needed for adult dogs, but not puppies.
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Beef liver- provides copper, zinc, and iron. Sprouts sells them in frozen packages that are convenient to use- 4 individually wrapped 4 oz portions.
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Broccoli, red bell pepper, & spinach- veggies add antioxidants, phytonutrients, enzymes, and fiber.
- Leave out the spinach if you have a senior dog with kidney issues. Spinach is not good for dogs with kidney failure because of its oxalates and high sodium content, but this small amount is perfectly fine for healthy dogs.
How to make it
(measurements and instructions provided in recipe card at the end of this post)
Begin by mixing together the ground beef (or chicken or turkey), eggs, kelp, ground ginger, hempseed, sardines, and pumpkin puree (if using). Sometimes I add pumpkin puree for digestive health, but it is not part of the original recipe.
Save half of the eggshells and set them aside.
Drain most of the water from the sardines before you add them in. Try to break them up as much as you can before mixing so that it is evenly distributed throughout the recipe. When it is well combined, set it aside.
Next, add the veggies, eggshells, and beef liver to a food processor and blend until everything is evenly chopped. You may need to do this in batches if your food processor is small.
I use a Hamilton Beach food processor! I love this one because it’s affordable and has a built in side scraper that can be used while the food processor is on.
Add the blended ingredients to the beef and mix until well combined.
How to store it
Portion out the food according to your dog’s daily food intake requirements. Remember that the uncooked food will be ok in the freezer for weeks, but only for a few days in the fridge. Portion accordingly. I do not like to keep cooked dog food in the fridge for more than 4 days.
If you’re going to consistently make this recipe, consider buying reusable freezer bags! I’ve had these for almost a year now and they’re still holding up great. Let’s try to reduce our plastic waste 🙂
The food is ready to serve raw, or you can gently cook it. Cook without any oil on a nonstick pan on low heat. Be careful not to sear the meat- you want to gently cook it until it is just done. You can make patties, large chunks, or break it down into mince if you prefer.
Meet Remy & Leeloo!
Here is a recent picture of our pups! Remy (left) and Leeloo (right) are mother and daughter. We adopted them in 2021 and we love them so much!
I fed this recipe to my previous dog Lucy, who passed away last year from kidney failure and arthritis. She was very old when she passed, but I am not sure exactly how old. I miss her so much.
It is so important to me to make sure I am feeding my dogs the best food possible. I have received SO many messages from readers saying that this recipe saved or improved their dog’s life, and that sincerely brings me so much joy!
Healthy homemade dog treats
If you’re interested in making this recipe for you dog(s), consider making them some healthy treats too! I am working on adding more to the blog, but for now here is an easy one my dogs love:
Green-lipped mussels are packed with nutrients! They are particularly effective in relieving joint pain in dogs. My dogs are dachshund mixes, so I am constantly worried about their impending back and joint pain. They love these little fishy snacks and it gives me peace of mind to know it is helping to reduce inflammation! You can read more about the benefits of green-lipped mussels here.
Balanced Dog Food Recipe
Ingredients
- 7 lbs 90% lean ground beef , or lean ground turkey or chicken
- 1.5 cup hempseeds, or 1/3 cup hempseed oil
- 16 oz canned sardines in water, or 4 tsp cod liver oil
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 4 tsp kelp powder
- 8 eggs, pasture raised
- 4 egg shells
- 15 oz pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie mix!
- 8 oz beef liver, 12 oz if using ground turkey or chicken instead of ground beef
- 8 oz broccoli
- 8 oz spinach, omit if your dog has kidney issues
- 8 oz red bell pepper
Instructions
- Begin by mixing together the ground beef, eggs, kelp powder, ground ginger, hempseed, (or hempseed oil), sardines, and pumpkin puree (if using). Drain the water from the sardines before you add them in. Save half (4) of the eggshells and set them aside.
- Break up the sardines as much as you can so that it is evenly distributed when mixed.
- Next, process the veggies, eggshells, and beef liver. You may need to do this separately if your food processor can't fit everything. I process everything separately, except for the bell pepper and eggshells- I process those together. I use a Hamilton Beach food processor. I love this one because it has the side scrapers that can be used while the processor is on!
- Add the blended ingredients to the beef and mix until well combined.
- Portion out the food according to your dog's daily food intake requirements. The dog food will be good in the freezer for weeks, but only for a few days in the fridge. Portion accordingly. I do not like to keep cooked dog food in the fridge for more than 4 days.Reusable freezer bags are the way to go! Let's try to reduce plastic waste 🙂
- The food is ready to serve raw, or you can gently cook it. Cook without any oil on a nonstick pan on low heat. Do not try to sear the meat over high heat- you want to gently cook it until it is just done. *Note- If using hempseed oil, cooking the food on high heat for a long period of time will make the hempseed oil taste really bad to the dogs, so be really careful about "gently" cooking it!
- Drain the fat and let it cool completely before storing in the fridge, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My little Yorkie loves this recipe. If I was to switch the meat protein to chicken or turkey how much more beef liver would I have to add. If using chicken or turkey can you still use hempseed’s or should you switch it with flaxseeds. I’m am new to making homemade food and I would love your input. Thank you
Has this been Vet approved? My Vet is always warning me against making my own dog food unless I use like BalanceIt supplement powder (the one my vet recommended) to avoid the dogs missing out on necessary nutrients they wouldn’t otherwise get from a homemade recipe diet. I’m just trying to find best options here because Unkibble is $120 a month for her and it has caused her some gut health issues, Farmers Dog or Ollie are out of my price range. She hates kibble, even the high end brands like Orijen, unless i’ve doctored it up with things she does like. I worry if I make her recipes like this she will be missing key nutrients and I wouldn’t know.
Hey Hannah – I’m not the blog owner, just another reader, but just came to say, that I actually brought this recipe into my vet and he really liked all the ingredients in it. He just said to make sure to use LEAN beef/chicken/turkey. He also liked that we give our dog a daily vitamin along with this meal (she’s 14 lbs mini poodle) so that way there is no question she is getting ALL the nutrients she needs. I also switch up the veggies in this and sometimes add carrots, peas, apples, sweet potatoe, etc. So you can even use the BalanceIt supplement sprinked on the recipe, but definitely talk to your vet first of course and see what they think. My dog sounds like yours…. SO picky, hates all kind of kibble…even the high quality brands, so after months and months of research on what to do, we stumbled on this recipe and she seems to love it!
Hi Nicole, how much of it (if you feed it cooked) do you give your dog? This is my first time cooking for my picky puppy, she has been picky her entire life (8 months ok) but I don’t know how much to feed her. She’s the same size as your dog. Thank you.
I seen same recipe on Dr. karen backers cookbook and thie is complete balance food
if you click on video link you’ll see this was developed by a veterinarian
I’m making this now, but curious if anyone else pre-cooked the liver, eggs, and ground meat? It seems to me if you cooked all of those mixed it might be easier than two mix and then cook in batches. Anyone tried that?
Never pree cooked but I have seen better fecal consistency when I feed her raw instead of cooking.
My little guy went nuts for this food and I couldn’t be more pleased. My friend is a canine nutritionist who works with professional fresh food companies as well as the FDA, and she though this recipe was fantastic. She said the only thought was that for maximum nutrient absorption, separate the egg whites and cook them before adding back in if leaving raw
hi. sort of elephant in room. is it better/healthier to feed it to the dog raw? seems like you allow for both eventualities both raw and cooked.
It depends who you ask! Some experts say raw is the best and others say it’s too risky. I choose to gently cook the food for my dogs but I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s better or healthier. Again, I am not an expert here so I can’t really give you a definitive answer. But I will say that you should be getting high quality beef especially if feeding raw.
Stella I am making this for the first time and was overwhelmed by the amount of beef to veggies! It cost me plenty with lean beef at 8.00 a pound, but I am wondering where are the carbs like rice, potatoes, oats that many other recipes call for! The few cups of veggies in your recipe shocked me, against the seven lbs. of meat! Junie and at one cup a day I only got 22 bags! Sadly surprised here as well!
Hi June, please do your own research to decide what is best for you and your dog. I am not a canine nutritionist, I’m just following the advice of my vet and some canine nutritionists who say dogs do not need carbohydrates in their diet. You’ll find that many “experts” disagree, but honestly I am just not comfortable speaking on this since I am not an expert. My dogs have been on this diet for years (with rotations in the protein source plus other healthy snacks), and their blood work always shows that their organs are functioning very well. Hope this helps!
June
..rice and potato’s are not good for your dog …only sweet potato’s are good and brown rice not white rice..Thats what the vet tells me ..just saying ..hope this helps out
I tried this recipe for my 25-lb. beagle/whippet mix and I’m shocked by how much he liked it! He is usually so fickle at mealtime and will turn his nose up at food, but he absolutely devours this. Plus I feel better feeding him homemade food. Thanks for posting this recipe and helping my picky eater!!
I would strongly emphasise using ORGANIC ingredients’, that way you eliminate unwanted chemicals, and toxins. You go through all the cost and effort of preparing your pets food, take the extra step to cook organic, it will make a big difference in protecting your pets health.
Is this recipe good for dogs of all life stages? Are there any supplements that should be added for puppy life stages or senior life stages?
This recipe as-is, is not suitable for puppies since they have a higher calcium requirement. You could either add another source of calcium to the recipe, or supplement their diet with snacks containing calcium.
I would also switch out spinach for carrots if you have a senior dog with kidney issues. Spinach is high in oxalates which is not good for kidney function (in dogs that already have kidney issues, not overall). Hope this helps!
Thank you! we will do carrots instead. they don’t have any known kidney issues but one almost 11 and the other will be 13 years old. I would rather be safe than sorry. We can also do some research to see if any powder supplements are needed for them.
Could you please tell me about the treats you give and what you sometimes add or remove from the recipe to keep them varied? One of my dogs has stopped eating them, so I’d like to make them a bit more appealing again
Hi Stella, I’ve just received results from a 5Strands test for my pup. Most of the ingredients in this recipe are on the ‘no significant intolerance’ list for her except the beef liver, which is ‘severe intolerance.’ Do you have a suggestion for a replacement? TIA
Hi Veronica, thank you for checking out my blog and leaving a comment! I’m sorry but I’m not sure I can be very helpful here. I am not a canine nutritionist and I definitely don’t want to give you bad info. I’d recommend finding out what it is about the beef liver that makes your pup intolerant to it, and looking for alternative ingredients that cover the copper, zinc, and iron requirements to replace it. Please ask your vet or consult with a canine nutritionist. I hope you can find a solution!