Homemade Dog Food: Real Food for Pets

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Homemade dog food- a real food diet for pets
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I must admit, this post on homemade dog food was written and ready to post weeks ago… but the day before I was planning to publish it our family dog Daisy (pictured in this post) jumped our fence and was hit by a car and killed.

The kids (and I) have taken it pretty hard so I wasn’t ready to publish a post about pets when the loss of our dog was so fresh on my mind.

Since many people think of their dog as part of the family, they want to give their pets the best diet possible. For us this means homemade dog food. A real food diet for pets.

Please always make sure to check with a vet or specialist before making any changes for your pet. I am by no means an animal health expert, and I’m just sharing what worked best for our family.

Homemade Dog Food

Shortly after our transition to real food, I started researching real food diets for pets to figure out what the best options were for our dog and cats. A few things seemed obvious to me:

  1. Eating the exact same thing every day probably wasn’t healthy for pets.
  2. Processed grain-based dog and cat foods were obviously not the traditional diets for pets. (Guess what dogs eat in the wild? Hint: It isn’t soy or corn.)
  3. Our pets went crazy trying to get to certain foods we ate like coconut oil, raw meat, and others.

I researched, checked out several books on the topic, and talked to a vet friend to get an idea of what dogs truly needed. There is an increasing number of good store-bought and even mail-order dog and cat food options, but one idea made a lot of sense…

Most recommended something I had not even considered: homemade dog food.

Once I thought about it, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of this before. The healthiest foods for humans are almost always the ones we prepare fresh at home, so why would it be any different for our pets?

The only difference was that dogs and cats have obviously different nutritional needs, so a strictly human diet (even homemade) was not the best option either. Dogs need enough protein and more calcium than humans. I needed some more guidance about how to make homemade dog and cat food that fit all of their unique nutritional needs.

Dog Food in the Wild

Dogs in the wild don’t eat a cooked, uniform, packaged diet, so perhaps we should consider that dogs in our homes shouldn’t either. In the wild, dogs eat raw meat, bones, organs, and even foliage at times.

Think of it this way: dogs eating pre-made fortified foods enriched with vitamins every single day would be similar to humans subsisting on breakfast cereal. Sure, it may have enough added vitamins to keep you alive, but it would be boring and not optimal for health.

Dogs’ teeth and digestive systems are designed for eating raw meat, bones, and organs. For instance, according to this source,

Dogs and cats have the internal anatomy and physiology of a carnivore (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 260.). They have a highly elastic stomach designed to hold large quantities of meat, bone, organs, and hide. Their stomachs are simple, with an undeveloped caecum (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 260.). They have a relatively short foregut and a short, smooth, unsacculated colon. This means food passes through quickly. Vegetable and plant matter, however, needs time to sit and ferment. This equates to longer, sacculated colons, larger and longer small intestines, and occasionally the presence of a caecum. Dogs have none of these, but have the shorter foregut and hindgut consistent with carnivorous animals. This explains why plant matter comes out the same way it came in; there was no time for it to be broken down and digested (among other things). People know this; this is why they tell you that vegetables and grains have to be preprocessed for your dog to get anything out of them. But even then, feeding vegetables and grains to a carnivorous animal is a questionable practice.

There are some great books and resources with recipes and instructions for healthy homemade dog foods, but the optimal diet that we settled on for our dog was:

  • Raw meats (beef, bison, chicken, etc.)
  • Raw bones (turkey necks, shoulder bones, etc.)
  • Organ meats (heart, liver, kidney, tongue, etc.)
  • Sardines (for extra calcium) – occasionally
  • Occasional cooked vegetables like carrots, broccoli, spinach, etc. (this is somewhat controversial and some sources say that dogs should not consume vegetables).
  • Occasional canned plain pumpkin (for digestion – some sources don’t recommend this either)
  • Probiotics (to replenish the natural bacteria she would have gotten from other animals and the soil if eating a wild diet)
  • Bone broth
  • Eggs

The Transition to Raw Food for Dogs

A vet friend gave me an important piece of advice about switching to any new diet with a pet… start slowly and work up. We started by adding in small amounts of raw meat each day. We also started with only one new food at a time (similar to how we would introduce foods after an elimination diet in humans).

We gave her raw chicken for a week and once she did ok with that for a week, we added beef, then organs, etc.

Again- check with a vet or holistic pet health expert for specific advice and do your own research before changing your pet’s diet.

What About the Bacteria?

When we started this, I wanted to make sure that the bacteria in raw meat wouldn’t be problematic for our dog. I figured it wouldn’t since wild dogs routinely eat freshly killed small animals and even animal carcasses that are days old. In researching and asking a vet, I found that some dogs can have digestive symptoms when switching to a raw food diet, but this is because of the change in diet and not because of the bacteria specifically.

Dogs are surprisingly well-equipped to deal with bacteria. Their saliva has antibacterial properties; it contains lysozyme, an enzyme that lyses and destroys harmful bacteria. Their short digestive tract is designed to push through food and bacteria quickly without giving bacteria time to colonize. The extremely acidic environment in the gut is also a good bacteria colonization deterrent. (source)

Of course, I was still careful to handle meat safely when giving it to our dog. We only defrosted what was needed and didn’t give her more than she would eat at one time so that it wouldn’t go bad.

A healthy day for Daisy would include raw meat, organ meats and raw bones with other foods in smaller amounts and added probiotics, which seemed to help improve digestion and which might make the transition easier.

Is it Safe to Feed Dogs Bones?

This is another question I had since I’d often heard that it wasn’t safe for dogs to eat certain kinds of bones, especially chicken bones. Again, this doesn’t make sense because whenever Daisy caught a rabbit, she would eat the entire thing, including the bones, without a problem.

Turns out, only cooked bones pose a problem:

Not on raw ones. Cooked bones splinter, and they can get lodged in a dog’s throat. Raw bones are pliable, and the calcium content is absolutely integral to a dog’s health. Plus, chewing bones keeps the teeth clean. No more astronomical dental bills! (source)

Foods to Avoid for Dogs

Foods that are beneficial and healthy for humans are not necessarily healthy for dogs. In researching, I found many foods that should not be given to dogs. Here is a partial list:

  • Onions and garlic
  • Avocado
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Caffeine
  • Milk
  • Anything with xylitol
  • Chocolate or caffeine
  • Grapes and raisins
  • Salt (dogs don’t need as much as we do)
  • Anything with yeast
  • Others, depending on the dog (check with your vet)

Dog Food Tips

A natural diet for dogs

Do some research and find a diet that you are comfortable feeding your dog. For us, this was a mostly raw diet. I found a few tips that helped save time and money feeding our pets this way:

  1. Make friends with local butchers and try to get inexpensive cuts of meat that aren’t often requested at a discount (turkey necks, organ meats, large knuckle bones, etc.
  2. Consider adding a probiotic… this greatly helped her digestion
  3. Our dog didn’t need as much raw food as she did dried dog food… probably because it was more nutrient dense
  4. I also made homemade dog treats occasionally to add variety to her diet
  5. To make things easier, I sometimes pre-mixed raw meats, organs, eggs and broth and froze in meal sized portions so that I could defrost as needed

Best Dog Food to Buy: Store-bought Options

While I haven’t made an exhaustive search on the subject, this pet food meal service is one of the only companies I could find that offers a clean dog food. I’ll definitely consider using this when we travel or during busy times when we need a convenient option.

I found the following books helpful for learning about and introducing a raw food diet:

I recently dug into the research on the best CBD treats for dogs too.

What do you feed your dog? Ever tried a raw food diet for your pet? Please share your own tips below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

137 responses to “Homemade Dog Food: Real Food for Pets”

  1. sarah Avatar

    That is Exactly what i am looking for. Thanks for sharing this great post. Keep Blogging.

  2. Lynn Avatar

    I have been a Beagle mom for almost 15 years. Two of our girls succumbed to cancer, and both times it was devastating. I offer my condolences to you on the loss of your Daisy. Our Daizy was briefly showing signs of illness, tested, diagnosed and went to the Bridge within a two week period. It was mid-November last year, but we still miss her antics.
    Brandi is our last remaining beagle, and she is a mini. I have home cooked their meals in the past, but with two, it was easier to use a high quality kibble. I use pumpkin, green beans, edamamme, and occasionally give her squash. and tomatoes. They also make good snacks, which she loves… I cook a pound of ground turkey and some sort of grain (lentils, oats, barley, or quinua. This makes about a week’s worth of food for her, and is the consistency of the commercial ‘fresh’ dog food, but a lot more cost effective. In the past I have added kelp, calcium, and brewer’s yeast to make sure she had all of the essential ingredients her canine body needs. She gets a senior mult- vitamin, and I have started using coconut oil with her food. She loves her diet, and I like knowing that it won’t be recalled. Brandi actually eats better than we do! She is eleven now, and we hope she’ll be around for many more years.

  3. Andrea Avatar

    Thank you for the article and i’m so sorry for the loss of Daisy.

    We just transitioned to raw over a month ago. i have noticed significant changes in my dogs…all for the better. My female dog doe snot produce nearly as much “gunk” in her eyes as she did previously and, not to gross you out, but we just don’t have nearly as much poop. They seem to “use” more of the raw food. I watch their weight to make sure we’re not gaining or losing weight as well. The article is great and very close to how we transitioned.

    I have to say that, although I’ve read and know that RAW bones are okay for dogs i hold my breath every time…its just a little shocking to give a dog a raw bone for consumption. But they are processing them.

    I would suggest a couple of things 1) do not give weight bearing bones for consumption as they are often very big and can get lodged in the body fo the dog. I mostly let them chew on the butcher style bones for a bit but don’t let them eat them. I do let them eat the chicken bones as long as all of the dogs are chewing them up well and not swallowing them whole…so far so good. 2) Everything I’ve read suggests changing over completely to a raw diet and not to mix kibble and raw. It sounds like the enzymes a dog developes to process a raw diet are slightly different than the kibble enzymes. Also the kibble (if memory serves) processes in the belly longer than the raw..wchich means if you’re mixing the two that the kibble will cause the raw to sit in the belly longer and increase chances of going bad. You want to allow the raw to process quickly like a dog’s body should so should not mix. If you MUST use kibble then i’ve read to do kibble seperately completely from raw…at least six hours apart..so processing time for the kibble and raw aren’t impacting the digestion of the raw. I hope that makes a little sense. I love all of your articles and went back to re-read this one today to make sure that I’m following the best diet for my dogs. Thank you for posting it!

  4. Sienna Avatar

    As someone in the veterinary profession I have witnessed the devastation of raw diets through different life stages. I have tried raw diets on my cat and dog, because I would never just poo-poo a belief for the sake of my opinion. After several trials I returned to a commercial (properly regulated, small batch, natural product, with grain (grains provide energy) diet and within a week both my cat and dog stopped with gastrointestinal upset, showed improved energy levels, and a brighter coat appearance. I switch between types of protein and carbs with canned food as well to provide diversity of diet as well (same brand though). As treats I offer fruits and veggies. What I have found with research and experience is:

    1. Dogs are not wolves, they have been domesticated for over 1,000 years. Science shows a difference in metabolism, digestion, and obviously lifestyle.
    2. Nutrition is extremely complex, humans creating their own diet have deficiencies. Do you think you can then without a degree in nutrition compose a nutritionally complete diet for your pet?
    3. Holding a dying puppy in your arms because of something as simple as nutrition is devastating. Watching a giant breed dog with deformed eyes and joints from vitamin deficiencies breaks your heart. He will never be able to run correctly, all because an owner thought higher of their intelligence than a company that does thousands of dollars of research.
    4. Different life stages require different nutrition and there are changes in the ability to digest nutrients. These need to be adjusted for.
    5. Raw diets must be handled carefully, even dry packaged ones. One wrong step and you create an overload of bacteria that could potentially harm you or your pet. Raw seems to make pets more susceptible in general to gastrointestinal upset from bacterial overgrowth.
    6. Nutritional deficiencies can look like many “every day” diseases or disorders, you may be missing something if they have chronic issues.

    In short, supplement with vitamins and a pet probiotic if you do choose raw. Not all veterinarians are qualified in nutrition, they take limited classes just like human doctors! Nutritionists are expensive, but worth the money if you decide to go raw. Wait until your pet is a year old before going on a raw diet, the growing time is the most nutritionally complex.

    *Disclaimer: this is personal opinion and information that I have gleaned from years of experience and research. I am not a doctor.

  5. Kimberly Gauthier Avatar
    Kimberly Gauthier

    I am so sorry to read about your dog. Our dogs, Blue, did the same and it destroyed us for a time. I miss him every day and that was 1-1/2 years ago.

    It’s exciting to come across someone who feeds their dogs the way I do. I feed raw and love it. In fact, I’m super excited that my boyfriend is going to make a space in the garage for me to make raw food in bulk and a friend of ours is going to sell us a professional mixer – restaurant grade. Now I just need a meat grinder.

    Thank you for writing this post and spreading the benefits of natural food for our dogs.

  6. Jon Atwood Avatar
    Jon Atwood

    I’ve been feeding raw for 8 years now! So awesome to see you found your way to it. Another great resource for raw feeding info is the getting started guide at http://PreyModelRaw.com

  7. Carolyn Kelley Avatar
    Carolyn Kelley

    I am very interested in finding an alternative to the dog food we are currently buying our dogs. My one in particular seems to have a sensitive digestive track and our vet suggested trying to reduce the amount of gluten. My husband doesn’t like the higher prices of the fancy food and we live out in the country and are very limited with the brands available as it is.

    How does the cost of homemade dog food compare to store bought?

    If I can’t convince my husband to let me go all homemade, does it help digestion at all to at least supplement their diet with some of the things you suggested above?

    I would love to find a “meal plan” to at least help me begin. Is there a place where I can find kind of a beginner’s plan to help me?

    1. Melody D. Avatar
      Melody D.

      My family fed our dog a raw diet with a bit of high-quality kibble all growing up. Though we eat organic ourselves, we couldn’t afford that for our dog. Usually the way to keep cost down is to buy cheap meat in bulk at a discount store. If you can talk to a farmer who will give you organ meat he doesn’t want, that would be good too. The price ended up being very comparable with medium grade dry dog food.

  8. Terry Avatar

    Hi Kathryn–I have a Welshie too. He is just three but we want to keep him healthy and with us for a long time. Nice to hear about your Welshies as they aren’t very common. Thanks for sharing what you feed them.

  9. Noel H. Avatar

    I am so very sorry to hear of your loss.

    Thank you to the moon for sharing this info! I love your site and really appreciate the tons of information and recipes contained herein. I can’t wait to try transitioning my pups to real food! This has inspired me today.

  10. julie Avatar

    I’m so sorry to hear of your loss of Daisy.
    We lost our dog right before Christmas. In memory of our dog for Christmas we made your Dog and Cat Treats for the animals at the vet that spent the last week with our dog, and all of the dogs that are in our extended family. It seemed to help a little for our family to do something for the other animals that are in our life.
    It was a big hit and sooo easy. I check your site weekly if not daily for new and awesome information to make the changes in our lives for the better. Thank you so much for sharing during this tough time of loss.

  11. cathy Avatar

    I am so sorry for the loss of your pet. It just breaks your heart.I have lost 4 dogs and I cry and grieve terribly. I try to cook and give my current dog as much as I can. I haven’t gone raw meat yet.I do give her supplements, brewer’s yeast,bonemeal, and kelp.I am very careful not to use flea products and cautious of vaccines. I had a german shepard die from one.I believe nature has our cures. It is more work, but worth it. Again, Katie, I am sorry for you. Blessings to you and your family.

  12. Jeanna Avatar

    So sorry to hear about your furry baby! The exact thing happened to my little man and I found out at work of all places ???? worst news of my life! The blame game went on inside our heads but nothing ever verbalized, because in reality, it didn’t matter who’s fault it was. No one wished that upon him and it was obviously unintentional. He was adventurous and could jump the fence.. He out of this world on an excited adventure and we hope it was instant and minimal suffering. Thank you for still providing this amazing information of your research! ????????

  13. Sarah B Avatar

    So sorry you lost your dog and in such a tragic manner! My family has a 1 1/2 year-old Basset hound and we already tear up thinking about when her time will come. I make your homemade dog treats recipe for her and use it to give her her daily dose of brewer’s yeast (a natural tick repellent). She LOVES them! Thanks, as always, for the thoroughly researched, well-written, and interesting content.

  14. Kate Avatar

    I’ve toyed with feeding raw for a while but haven’t yet. My question…how did you feed and clean it up? Did you wash everything after feeding? Keep her in a separate area? Wipe off her lips and paws? Or is there no need to do all of that? I’m just curious because of the bacteria and kids around. Thank you.

  15. Lynette Avatar

    I have tried feeding my dogs a home made diet, I read Dr. Pitcairn’s book on diet for dogs. Then found this site http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.ca and her site is great. Different ideas of foods to eat, using herbs, vegetables, fruits, organ meat, beef, turkey, and seafood. My dogs loved it. I did not do the raw diet. I should have but my kids were grossed out. lol I was too.
    She gives ideas to help with animals that are sick and what to give them.
    My Welsh Corgi had a fatty tumor on his side. It was about the size of a large round donut and stuck out about 2 inches. I was to feed him turmeric in his food. The tumor is almost completely gone and he has lost about 15 pounds which is great to cause he looked like a over size hamster. Turmeric in all her recipes.

    Lynette
    I plan on trying this again and will use more raw foods.

  16. Christine Avatar

    About 5 years ago I was desperate! My 2 Rottweilers had digestive problems, severe skin problems with itching and we were feeding them exactly what the vet suggested – in other words the famous kibble for dogs that is sold by the vet! (The most expensive on the market) I tried the other brands they sell as well and nothing worked. Also 2 of our previous Rottweilers died of cancer and now my male Rottweiler survived testicular cancer.Then I googled dogfood….Since then I fed them the raw meaty bone diet and within a short time the itching stopped. The hair grew back and NO more digestive problems! I also stopped all flee poisons and started giving them garlic powder on their food the one day, brewers yeast the next day and Diatomatious Earth the next day. They do not have any flees. A year ago we bought a Chihuahua puppy and I was a little worried about feeding her organic chicken bones. That little mouth looked so small! But believe me, she was 2 months old and when I put that chicken neck (I used a scissors to cut through the bone every centimeter) in front of her, she KNEW this was what she was born to eat! She devoured it and when the Rottweilers looked in her direction she told them to back off. (And they listened!)

  17. Mary Avatar

    So happy you shared this! We feed our puppy raw, and he has been fed a raw diet since he was weaned from his mother’s milk. That is the main reason we chose our breeder because this was very important to us. So far, he is happy and healthy!

  18. Emalee Avatar

    My dog loves fruit like apples, pears, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, her favorite being bananas. She also loves raw carrots. She turns her nose up at cooked meat. I have never offered her raw meat so I don’t know how she will react to it. She doesn’t like most dog treats so I have stopped buying them. The only kibble she likes is beneful so I am hesitant to try her on anything different. Do you have advice for a dog that is vegetarian by choice.?

  19. Jules Avatar

    So sorry to hear about Daisy!

    Thank you for your informative post. My dog currently takes the Daily Dog probiotic powder you mentioned here and it has solved multiple health issues for her! From gas to bad breath and itchy skin (and she has the easiest poo to clean up in town! 😉 Which is really helpful when out for a walk!!)! I am a believer and so happy you shared it with the WM family!

    We also give her boiled egg (in the shell) for added calcium and she loves it!

    Thanks again! Keep the good stuff coming!

  20. Pam Avatar

    In your post you say there are a few good store bought options, but expensive and hard to find in your area. Do you mind sharing what those options are? I want to feed my dogs the best I can, but making my own is not in my schedule right now.

    1. Megan Avatar

      I currently feed my dog Darwin’s. I used to source mine locally but it was too much work and they are a great company and cost comparable to a good dry dog food brand. They ship it directly to your house. Depending on your dog’s activity level, he/she should be eating 1.5-2% of its body weight. If your dog is getting too heavy then you can feed less, if you think they’re looking a little thin, feed more. My dog is older and very sendentery so he only eats 1.5% of his body weight. A more active younger dog should eat 2%. On the Darwin’s site they have you input your dogs weight and then they tell you how many lbs of food you would need to feed and then you can just divide up into two meals a day. I also give a can of sardines once a week for fish oil. Oh, and Darwins will send you a trial order of 10 lbs of food for $15 to see how your dog likes it. I suggest getting all the different meats because variety is important and most dogs like all of them but it’s better to find out beforehand if your dog doesn’t like one in your trial order rather than when you place your main order if you do decide you like the food. Hope this helps! Good luck!

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