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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.
I have been using this recipe for a couple months now and my dog is absolutely in LOVE! She has a heart condition and epilepsy (both of which she takes medication for). After she started having a severe increase in seizure activity, I started looking for other options to take her off prescription cardiac food. The frequency of her seizures has reduced to 1/4 what they used to be and she has regained some of her pep. I wish I had found this recipe sooner.
It took some fine tuning to figure out what her serving size should be, but 45 grams twice a day is perfect for maintaining her 2.9 kg weight. 🙂
Hi Chelsea,
It always brings a smile to my face reading comments like this. Our dogs deserve the best, and I’m so happy your girl is doing better on this diet!
Hi Stella I have two questions if you could help me, I just started making this recipe for my two adult dogs and my two puppies, Is this recipe for puppies and adult dogs? and You mention pumpkin purée as optional, are you talking about regular Purée for the humans or purée For dogs?
Store bought canned pumpkin purée is totally fine, but make sure it’s not the “pumpkin pie” purée because that has a ton on sugar in it!
Hello, im wondering if I can use pork in this recipe.
I have used beef, turkey, pork, bison, venison, rabbit, lamb, and chicken in this recipe and have had no problems
Hi – Do you weigh the food after you cook (and minus any liquid in pan) or weigh raw and cook feed all?
Thx
Sorry, I answered my own question after fully reading your information!
Measure/portion out. Daily intake out raw, freeze (if needed), cook/discard the liquid/fat and cool before feeding;-)
Thx!
Hi how does one cook this on a stove top? Can we cook with some water to prevent burning?
I cook it on the stove without water or oil. I use a stainless steel pan and preheat it to make sure the food does not stick. Preheat for 3 minutes on medium high, then reduce to low and give it another 3-4 minutes for the temp to come down. Then add the food to the pan and gently cook it.
Do you have an idea on how the cost compares to if you were to go with a Farmers Dog or similar? I have a 90lb pup and curious if the cost savings are there to make it at home. Not the most important factor but still worth knowing.
I’m here for the exact reason. Saw a Farmers Dog Ad. Checked out their Website which comes out to be about $6 a Day X 30 days = $180 per dog. So I started to search for home recipe to see the cost. And I am here. I don’t think it would cost as much based on this recipe.
I just did the math on this actually. Comes to $62 for the 12lbs (not including the eggs because I have chickens).
Precisely why I was researching recipes – the one thing you can control by doing it at home is the additives and preservatives that are in anything that you would purchase pre-made. It does come out cheaper to do it at home but you do have to take into account that you are doing all of the work and the shopping so it probably comes out close-ish….but I still believe it would be less to do it yourself, plus the added benefits of not extras. Worth it in my opinion. I have a 43lb heeler mix and a Great Dane puppy so I’m concerned about over all Dane health for long term…and also our heeler mix will likely be competing in agility. We have lots of interest in nutrition with these two. I just need to figure out how to portion so they are getting enough calories.
When I compared the costs, farmers dog was only about $12 more per order. However, I made it using all organic ingredients which cost more and Farmers Dog is not organic. I bought everything at a regular supermarket but Costco sells regular ground turkey for 3.99lb so that would be much less expensive. My dog LOVES the homemade food. I still occasionally order Farmers Dog if I am running out of food and know I won’t have time to make it.
Can you slow cook dog raw mixed recipe first, then cool off and freeze? Or is it best to freeze raw?
Hi Jane, you can cook it before freezing but I do not recommend this as nutrients will be lost when frozen. Hope this helps!
I read ” Depending on the foods, Freezing foods doesn’t cause much loss of nutritional value. According to the experts, it actually may preserve nutrients when properly stored”
Also Ollie and Farmers Dog tells you to store in their food in the freezer because obviously i can’t keep all those packs in the fridge for the whole month. Thoughts and opinions?
Love this recipe and so does my furbaby! I’m wondering if I could substitute other veggies for the broccoli and/or peppers? And would it still be the same amount? Thanks for your input! 🙂
I have two senior dogs, and am definitely going to try this recipe! Both of my dogs love tomato, blackberries, blueberries, celery, cauliflower, carrot… really anything that’s safe for dogs to eat, they enjoy. Maybe try some of these suggestions- if you do, let me know if they enjoyed it 🙂
Tomatoes are toxic to dogs.
Ripe tomatoes are not poisonous for dogs as they’re non-toxic. However, green tomatoes can be poisonous if given in large quantities because they contain natural chemicals called solanine and tomatine. In line with this, make sure your dog doesn’t eat the stems or leaves of tomatoes either.
Food for thought – I’m writing this list up in response and also as i gather and research for my own dog’s needs.
I would confirm everything with a vet and or research for your Dogs particular needs, or special cooking instructions. For example – Sweet Potato is a great addition, but never give raw potatoes to you dog.
Veggies like Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage should be cooked appropriately and used sparingly as they can cause excess gas and stomach discomfort due to high fiber.
It goes without saying but i’ll say it anyways -Do not give your dog items that are cooked with seasonings and other ingredients that are unhealthy or even toxic to dogs, such as garlic or onions.
*Many dog food recipes fall short in certain nutrients, especially iron, copper, calcium, and zinc. Even ones created by Vets.
*Your pet needs protein (animal meat, seafood, dairy, or eggs), fat (from meat or oil) and carbohydrates (grains or vegetables). They also need calcium (from dairy or an ingredient such as egg shells), and essential fatty acids (from certain plant oils, egg yolks, oatmeal, and other foods).
This isn’t even taking into consideration dogs with health problems and need special diets.
*Pet Nutrition experts exist.
*Cook all animal products to kill bacteria that could make your furbaby sick. Cook grains, beans, and starchy vegetables to make them easier to digest.
*If you want to insure you are have enough nutrients look into supplements. A good recipe should include specific supplement instructions. If you are unsure – follow up with a pet nutritionist.
My vet recommended Balance.It.com ‘s supplement powder additive.
Even we as humans need to take daily supplements and or vitamins to make up for what our diet is lacking, even those of us eating “healthy”. A lot of food on the market is lacking in nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
There is also the concern of Too Much of a good thing can be bad – If an animal already eats a balanced diet and receives excess portions of some vitamins and minerals, they could be harmful, according to the FDA and veterinarians.
Too much calcium for example can cause skeletal problems, especially in large-breed puppies; too much vitamin A can harm blood vessels and cause dehydration and joint pain. Excess vitamin D can prompt a dog to stop eating, harm bones, and cause muscles to atrophy
*Coconut Oil – Immune system, brain function, healthy coat & skin
*Blueberries – Antioxidant, Immune system & brain function
*Greek Yogurt plain – Probiotics, strengthen bones, immune system
*Pumpkin – Soothe upset stomach, fibre
*Turmeric – Anti-inflammatory, relieve joint pain, overall well being,
*Spinach – Vitamins A, C, K, Iron, antioxidant & overall health -is safe for healthy dogs in small amounts. However, this leafy green contains oxalates, which can lead to kidney stones and bladder stones in susceptible dogs if eaten in large quantities. It also has isothiocyanates, which can cause severe gastric irritation in large amounts.
*Carrots – Vitamins, dental & eye health
*Sweet potato – Antioxidant, energy, vison, digestion
*Broccoli – Vitamins, minerals, antioxidant, immune health – can cause flatulence
*Celery – High water content, high fibre, Vitamins A, B, C, K, folate, potassium, manganese – if giving as a raw snack – it must be de-stringed.
*Kale – Vitamins A, C, K, calcium, antioxidant & overall health
*Green Beans – Vitamins A, B6, C, K, protein, iron, calcium and fiber, dental health
*Chia seeds – Antioxidant, joints, healthy coat, omega-3
*Quinoa – Protein, amino acidds, fibre, minerals
*Salmon – Omega-3, healthy coat & skin, anti inflammatory
*Cauliflower – Fiber, antioxidants, Vitamins C, K, B6 , folate, pantothenic acid, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, choline, sulforaphane
*Bell Peppers – filled with Vitamins A, B6, E, Lutein, antioxidants and beta-carotene. Skin, Coat, eye health
*Zucchini – Fiber, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins A, C, B6, K
*Brussels Sprouts – ber, antioxidants, and vitamins A, B1, B6, C, and K. But beware that too many can cause flatulence and other stomach issues, like an upset stomach or diarrhea
*Cabbage – full of antioxidants and fiber, which helps your dog’s digestive system. It also contains folate, protein, potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, riboflavin, and vitamins A, B6, C, and K. However, cabbage can also cause increased flatulence.
*Mushrooms – Regular white mushrooms from the grocery store—when completely plain and washed—are safe for dogs. Dogs should also never eat any mushroom that you don’t buy from the store.
*Tomatoes – Vitamins A, C, immune health, Potassium and antioxidants. When fed in moderation, dogs can eat ripe tomatoes safely. The keyword is “ripe,” because young, green tomatoes can be harmful to dogs due the amount of tomatine they contain.
this recipe has greatly improved both of my dogs health. I have made 3 batches so far and I mix one handful of their old orijen kibble with this recipe as we are still transitioning. I have noticed many positive things ever since I started feeding them this recipe. I only wish I knew it was this easy years ago. Every animal deserves to eat healthy food that is not making them sick.
Hi Christina, thank you so much for leaving a comment. I will never get tired of hearing this! Thank you for prioritizing their health- I totally agree that every animal deserves healthy food! I know it can be challenging, so I’m glad you consider this recipe an easy solution. That was my goal!
I have 2 Akita’s that both one is 165, and the other is 120. both have had salmonella from Fresh Pet Food…which I have yet to be able to balance them out on. I almost lost my yougest because of it. I have tried making their food but it has been hard they are a little picky. I was wondering about eliminating the pumpkin and spinach….I had hear that squash can be used to replace pumpkin but what can be replace for spinach…..Tank is 7 and Luna had kidney issues because of the poisoning. And oh my gosh how much for these two would I have to make lol ?
I hear you! I’ve got a 65 pound Boxer and I just can’t see making 100% homemade. I try to do 50/50 which is certainly better than 100% kibble. My future dogs will be smaller, as I’ve aged out of Boxers, so I hope to get them to 100% homemade. Good luck with your babies!
It’s highly unlikely that your dog has kidney issues due to salmonella poisoning. Dogs have a natural resistance to salmonella because of their shorter gastrointestinal tract and highly acidic stomach, making it difficult for them to contract the infection. Most cases of salmonella in dogs occur in those with compromised immune systems or after consuming large amounts of contaminated meat with a high bacterial load. Even in severe cases, kidney damage is extremely rare. In humans, liver damage occurs in only 1% of all known salmonella cases worldwide.