Making Ground Beef and Ground Chicken for Dogs

Homemade Dog Food is a smashing style to spoil your domestic dog and experience expert almost doing it. Made in an Instant Pot, this Easy Homemade Domestic dog Food Recipe is a quick, cheap, and easy way to feed your dog a nutritious repast that they will call back is a treat.

If y'all are anything like we are, spoiling your dog is a natural part of everyday life. Fur babies are family and we want to be the all-time pet owners that we can exist. Our border collie rescue, Melly, is thirteen years young and is full of free energy and love. She is treated like a queen, and although she volition consume almost annihilation, monitoring her health and feeding her nutritious meals is really important to me.

The commercial canis familiaris food options that were available to the states didn't provide exactly what nosotros were looking for in terms of optimal nutrition and we wanted something that didn't come up with unnecessary additives, so nosotros talked to our vet and decided that homemade canis familiaris food would be a not bad option for us.

I made Melly a batch of homemade food for the first time a few years ago and have been making it for her ever since. It's cheap, easy to make, and she loves information technology. I love knowing everything going into it so I know she isn't eating mystery meat.

Our vet compliments her constantly for her weight, clean teeth, and energy level - she's most 13 but acts like she's however a puppy. (When I first published this post in 2019, she was 11!)

When I started making homemade food for her, I started making homemade treats (huckleberry treats are her favorite) and smoothie pops for her besides. She loves eating her "human food" and I am happy to make it for her.

(This mail was originally posted in 2019 - I've made some updates to information technology to add together some more information and because it randomly disappeared from Google search - I figured information technology was time for an update! This is a basic homemade dog food recipe using an Instant Pot - if you are looking for my stovetop dog nutrient directions you lot can find them here.)

Tabular array of Contents

• 🥘 Ingredient Notes
• 🥣 How to Make It
• 📖 Options
• 🥬 What kinds of vegetables can you add to Homemade Dog Food?
• 🍓 Tin y'all add together fruit to Homemade Dog Food?
• 🌾 What grains can go in DIY Dog Nutrient?
• 🐕 What else can yous add to Homemade Dog Food?
• 🍲 Serving Size
• How to Transition to Homemade Domestic dog Nutrient
• ✏️ Helpful Tips
• 🍳 Serving Suggestions & Uses
• 🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
• Domestic dog Enrichment Tips
• 📝 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredient Notes

This recipe is pretty comparable to what you would get from the grocery shop from Fresh Pet (I remember Costco sells it in large tubes), except you lot can command what goes in information technology and it'south fun to go far yourself! The prissy thing near making your ain diy dog food, is that you can call back most your canis familiaris'due south needs and any nutrient allergies that they might have. Instead of having to read a million labels, you lot are in control of what goes in the nutrient. If your dog is a picky eater, you tin too feed them what you know that they like:

• Meat - I alternating between ground beef, chicken (chicken breast, chicken thighs, or ground chicken - cull organic for ground craven), turkey or basis turkey, venison, or fifty-fifty fish. We love to share our fish when nosotros have fresh fish that we've recently caught. (Yous can also cook a whole chicken and shred information technology up if you are feeling really adventurous, but that's a lot more work. If you melt a whole chicken, be sure that all bones are removed.)
• Healthy Carbohydrates - There'due south a lot of alien data almost whether or not dogs should swallow a grain-free diet. When we fed Melly a completely grain-costless nutrition, it actually made her ill. We found that meeting her circuitous saccharide needs in the form of a whole grain - rice, oats, rinsed quinoa, or barley - works actually well for her. Do what works all-time for your dog! (See my notes below about bio-individuality.) We also add together sweet potatoes, butternut squash, existent corn (off the cob) or purple potatoes to her nutrient. (I inverse out the motion-picture show of this recipe because I was getting sick of explaining to people that corn IS safe for dogs to consume. Information technology provides the same vitamins and minerals to dogs as it does to people - the defoliation comes from people recommending confronting foods where corn is the primary ingredient in the food. Corn should be used to supplement a diet, not exist the master ingredient in the food, which is the trouble with many commercial canis familiaris foods. If a human ate merely corn, they would take nutritional deficiencies as well!)
• Frozen or Fresh Vegetables that are chopped into seize with teeth-size pieces - Our dog loves green beans, carrots, peas, broccoli, spinach, squash, corn, and potatoes.
• Craven or Beef Bone Goop - I use bootleg bone goop, but you can employ whatever kind of none broth or stock that does non have onions in it.
• Coconut Oil - Our dog LOVES the gustatory modality of coconut, so nosotros use unrefined kokosnoot oil. You tin can utilize whatever you have! You tin can besides leave this out and squirt fish oil into the food when serving instead.

Optional (Add later on cooking/when serving)

• Fruit - And so many fruits are slap-up for dogs - nosotros dear feeding blueberries, strawberries, apples, bananas, avocado, and tomatoes. (With apples, avoid the seeds, and with avocado avert the skin and pit.)
• Kefir
• Supplements - We requite our dog food-grade bone repast, kelp, Paramount Pet Wellness Fish Oil, Paramount Pet Wellness Multivitamin, and Paramount Pet Health Hip & Joint. (The Parament Pet Health Supplements provide fat-soluble vitamins that are easy to assimilate and absorb. If your pet is young, the joint supplement might not be necessary, but if they are a breed decumbent to hip and joint issues, it could be worth looking into.)
• Eggs and Egg Shells - Eggs are such an astonishing source of nutrients for dogs (and people!) and organic egg shells are an splendid source of calcium for dogs. If you have your ain chickens, be sure to launder the eggs before feeding them to your dogs and make sure that they can't go to your nesting boxes if y'all start feeding them eggs - they might start wanting to aid themselves to a tasty care for 😉
• Spirulina - Spirulina is seen every bit a "nutritional powerhouse" and is an antioxidant that tin assistance with digestion. Check with your vet if your dog takes whatever medications as it can interact with some medicines.

Dogs are merely like people in that in that location'southward no "ane size fits all" solution when it comes to diet - this is called bio-individuality . All dogs are omnivores, where they thrive eating both animals and plants - as opposed to cats who are strict carnivores - but the types of animals and plants that they thrive on will vary from dog to canis familiaris. Some dogs are allergic to craven, some are allergic to salmon. Some can only eat venison. Find what works for your dog and they will thrive! Simply like people - I can end up in the infirmary if I eat poblano peppers and I have good friends who can die from eating peanuts. Bodies are wild.

🥣 How to Brand Information technology

To make homemade dog food, I use my Instant Pot,  just yous tin can use any pressure cooker. To make homemade domestic dog nutrient on the stove, y'all can check out my recipe for homemade dog nutrient on the stove. Yous can besides brand this with a crockpot/ho-hum cooker, merely cook the meat first on the stove - then combine information technology all and allow information technology cook on low for a few hours to permit the flavors come together.

First, ready the Instant Pot to "Saute" and melt the ground meat. (Pictures one - 3) Pour off any fat and one time cooled, discard it.

Add the drained meat back to the Instant Pot. (Picture 4) Dump in the leftover rice and mix well. (Motion-picture show 5) If you are using barley, quinoa, oats, or sweet potatoes instead of rice, skip to the adjacent step. (I mix in the leftover rice early on in the procedure, because it is unremarkably in a huge clump that needs to be broken up into smaller pieces. This is difficult to practice in one case the Instant Pot is full.)

Next, add the bone broth and coconut oil. Stir to combine and let the coconut oil melt. (Moving-picture show 6)

So, add in the vegetables. I try to employ effectually 24 ounces which would be two 12-ounce numberless or one and a half 16-ounce bags. Mix well. (Picture 7)

If y'all are using barley, quinoa, oats, or sweetness potatoes instead of rice, add them now and mix to combine everything.

Finally, put the lid on and close the vent then information technology is gear up to "Sealing." Set your Instant Pot to "Pressure Melt" or "Transmission" mode at "High Pressure" for seven minutes. (Picture viii)

Allow all of the pressure to release naturally, which should take effectually v minutes. (This is called a "Natural Release.") If it takes a fiddling longer, that'southward okay. And so carefully open your Instant Pot pointing the chapeau away from you so you don't get steamed. (Movie 9)

Let the domestic dog food absurd completely before serving it or storing it.

You lot tin can divide the nutrient into portions depending on your needs -  I normally split it in one-half and freeze one of the batches, reserving the other in the refrigerator to use right abroad.

I use the "scoop when I serve" method, but you tin can portion yours into individual portions and shop information technology that way if it is easier for yous. Y'all can also grind upward the food in the food processor before serving to make it easier for smaller dogs or dogs with no teeth to eat. If your domestic dog has trouble chewing, y'all can mix in a petty extra broth when serving to make the nutrient a little easier to slop up.

📖 Options

🥬 What kinds of vegetables can y'all add to Homemade Canis familiaris Food?

I ordinarily get the bag of frozen vegetables from the store that is green beans and carrots and employ that. Sometimes I get the handbag that has corn or peas in it every bit well. (Corn is completely safe for dogs to eat as long is it is not the merely nutrient they are eating.)

I also salvage some of the broccoli stalks when cutting upwards a head of broccoli to roast broccoli and I have been adding that lately equally it is a skilful source of fiber, vitamin C and E, potassium, and folate for dogs. I as well add some spinach to go her some iron, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, and folate. Once the food is cooked in the instant pot, information technology honestly all kind of just all mushes together and tastes like meat mush, so you can try adding dissimilar things and see if they notice. If your dog is a picky eater, add things similar broccoli and spinach in pocket-sized amounts, because you know they will know.

🍓 Can you add together fruit to Homemade Dog Food?

Absolutely! Fruit has a lot of nutrients that are bang-up for dogs. Just don't become overboard with it. We often employ what is in flavour or what we have in the freezer.

Absolutely! Fruit has a lot of nutrients that are great for dogs. Just don't get overboard with information technology. Nosotros oftentimes use what is in season or what we take in the freezer. Nosotros like to use some kind of berries - strawberries or blueberries are all-time. Apples are too really good for dogs, just be certain to avert the seeds.Do Non employ grapes as they are very bad for dogs. You can add fruit before or subsequently cooking, simply beware that if you cook with blueberries, your dog nutrient volition turn imperial.

🌾 What grains can go in DIY Dog Food?

The easiest grains to use are oats, barley, quinoa, and rice. If you utilize quinoa, it has to be rinsed with cold water earlier it is cooked or your dog volition never trust y'all again. (If your dog has an allergy to grains, y'all can substitute diced sweetness potatoes.)

🐕 What else can you lot add to Homemade Dog Food?

Because nosotros take been feeding our dog homemade nutrient for a while now (and because she was a street canis familiaris before nosotros got her) she tends to practise well with eating all kinds of things.

We give her wild game, fresh fish, eggs, homemade stock (made without onions), fresh produce, kefir, pumpkin, squash, and organ meats - she loves information technology all. Nosotros also add together the supplements listed above from Paramount Pet Health because she's getting older and we desire her to live forever.

We supplement her homemade food with raw shank bones (frozen with marrow still in them) and raw pig's anxiety. She loves to gobble them up, even though they are totally gross.

Nosotros also add canned sardines in water to her food or to elevation off a lick mat if she'southward getting some kefir equally an afternoon treat. (I've included some more near that at the lesser of the postal service.) Sardines are a nutrition powerhouse for dogs and are a smashing add-on to a canis familiaris's diet. Quoting greatpetcare.com, "Sardines are a neat protein source for dogs and a adept source of omega-3 fatty acids—such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Sardines are also rich in Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, calcium, and the antioxidant selenium." Just be forewarned, sardines are awfully stinky.

🍲 Serving Size

The most important thing when feeding homemade nutrient to your dog is to be certain to talk over serving sizes and ingredients with your vet before switching your canis familiaris to a new diet.

Here's our personal feel - I give Melly one heaping loving cup of the food 2 times a day (with a small scoop of homemade yogurt or kefir on top) and she weighs somewhere between 40 and 45 pounds. She also gets some Paramount Pets Supplements (Fish Oil, Hip & Articulation Supplement, and Multivitamin) now that she is older. She absolutely loves it!

If she has had an extremely active day, running around similar the border collie she is and chasing squirrels upwardly trees or patrolling the argue, I will give her a fiddling extra at dinner time. Our vet likes that we rotate unlike meats, veggies, and fruits - information technology gives her a variety of nutrients like a domestic dog would discover if they were foraging for nutrient in the wild.

How to Transition to Homemade Dog Food

If your dog has spent their entire life eating kibble, make this transition slowly as they could end up with diarrhea. For dogs that eat a lot of table scraps, you lot could get abroad with replacing about ¼ of their food with this food for 3 - four days, and then switch to one-half and half for 3 - 4 days, so ¾ new nutrient + ¼ quondam food for 3 - 4 days, and so 100% new food!

If your dog is actually sensitive, I would do a week to two weeks at each stage. Melly has no problem with these transitions because I constantly add weird new things to her homemade food, only if your canis familiaris has eaten the aforementioned kibble their entire life, you lot should go slowly.

✏️ Helpful Tips

• Make sure that you don't abruptly alter your dog's food - mix with their regular nutrient or kibble for a few days until they are used to the new food. Your canis familiaris's belly volition thank y'all. And again, recollect to always discuss with your vet before feeding your pet something new.
• Top your dog food with a scoop of homemade or obviously greek yogurt or kefir to give them some salubrious probiotics.
• Rotate different meats, fruits, and vegetables to make sure your dog gets unlike vitamins and nutrients. Though, if your domestic dog has a sensitive tummy, you might be best sticking to i combination that you know works.
• You can divide the food into portions depending on your needs -  I commonly divide it in half and freeze one of the batches, reserving the other in the refrigerator to employ right away.
• If it is easier, you can portion your homemade dog food into individual portions and store it that style correct after you get in - get all the piece of work done at once. This helps if multiple people are in charge of feeding or if yous take a pet sitter that helps you lot out - you lot can characterization the portions every bit well to make information technology even easier to go along track of.
• If you lot have a small dog, a dog with no teeth, or a dog that knows when yous are sneaking them healthy food, you tin can grind upward the food in a food processor after information technology cools a little bit. (I haven't tried a blender, merely that should piece of work as well.) This will go far look a little more than like canned food and will be a picayune easier for smaller dogs or dogs with no teeth to eat. If your dog has trouble chewing, you can mix in a footling extra broth with the food when serving to brand the food a niggling easier to slop up.

🍳 Serving Suggestions & Uses

I serve Melly'south food both hot and common cold but she's not picky. I often top it with ¼  cup of plainly yogurt or a few tablespoons of plain kefir (with no sweeteners added) when serving. Yogurt is not necessary but provides probiotics and helps with healthy digestion. I like to make plain Greek yogurt in my Instant Pot equally well.

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

How practice you travel with Homemade Dog Nutrient?

The respond to this depends on how long the trip is and what the accommodations are going to be. If I'g going to stay with family, I will just freeze a bunch of food and proceed it on ice in a libation - then put information technology right in the freezer when I get to their house. I will practice the aforementioned thing if nosotros are going to an AirBnB or a friend's house. We usually don't travel for more than than a calendar week or 2 and then we can make it work.

If information technology is going to be longer than that or we will exist in a hotel or something complicated is happening like we volition be camping or without power, I will transition back to dehydrated raw food (just mix information technology with hot water that is usually hands available) for that trip. Open Farm and Honest Kitchen are good options for this - and they pack minor and calorie-free.

Can this recipe be doubled or tripled?

Absolutely - this recipe tin be made for every bit large of a quantity as yous tin fit in your Instant Pot. I accept an eight quart Instant Pot and I have made a HUGE batch (I think I did 4x this recipe) to freeze and stock up when I found ground beef on sale.

Is raw food better for dogs than cooked food?

There's a lot of research suggesting that the nutrients in food are improve absorbed by dogs when food is eaten raw. Their digestive tracts are much shorter than ours are and they are much less susceptible to food-borne illnesses, so if you are comfortable feeding a raw nutrition, more power to you lot. I, unfortunately, have some fun immune system bug that preclude me from existence comfy feeding raw nutrient to my canis familiaris as she loves to give face kisses.

Canis familiaris Enrichment Tips

A lot of people remember that dogs only need exercise to be enriched and tired out. That is actually not the case. Dogs too need a lot of mental stimulation, just similar children. They demand to be challenged. As dogs get older, this is especially of import as an older dog can't practice and run and play every bit much as they are used to.

For our quondam gal, nosotros use a lot of the enrichment tools beneath to feed her. Besides making her sing for her food and treats, it makes her have to work for her nutrient and gives her something to do to pause up the time between walks and stalking the birds and bunnies outside:

• Lick Mats - with these, we freeze kefir or her homemade food mashed into it. Let information technology soften just a touch and it makes breakfast take x minutes instead of thirty seconds.
• Outward Hound Slow Feeder - This is a good everyday feeder to help your domestic dog to deadening down while they are eating. They come up in lots of different sizes and colors and can go in the dishwasher when they get slimy and gross.
• Kong Wobbler Feeder or Bob-a-Lot Treat Dispenser - These are adept for afternoon treat snacks or if yous are feeding dry kibble. They make it a petty more than fun to try to get to the food.
• Black Kong - The black Kong is for dogs that tin can chew apart a red Kong. We use these to give a peanut butter treat or coat with some rehydrated Honest Kitchen nutrient. To make information technology have longer to swallow, you tin put it in the freezer. This is proficient to give if you lot have to keep your canis familiaris occupied when you have a bunch of Zoom meetings.
• Zogoflex Treat Toys - Melly loves these but my parents' dog Lily who is a Strong chewer well-nigh destroyed it, so use with caution if your domestic dog is a good chewer.
• Lickimat Wobble Bowl - Use these bowls like a Lick Mat, but it is more of a challenge because they movement, so leave space for your dog to move around and don't feed them on a rug because they might make a mess. If you blend up your homemade dog nutrient in the food processor, y'all can spread it into a Wobble Bowl, then freeze it and watch your canis familiaris entertain themself for a while trying to eat breakfast.

Have You lot Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a annotate below. I would beloved to hear what you think!

📝 Recipe

Instant Pot Easy Bootleg Dog Food

Homemade Dog Nutrient is a slap-up way to spoil your canis familiaris and experience good virtually doing it. Using an instant pot, it is a quick, inexpensive, and easy way to give your dog a nutritious repast that they volition think is a treat.

Melt Fourth dimension 15 mins

Force per unit area Release 6 mins

Total Time 21 mins

Grade Pet Food

Cuisine Dog Food

Servings 20 i cup servings

Calories 380

• ▢ 2 - 3 lbs ground beefiness or: basis chicken, turkey, or fresh fish - shredded chicken breasts work well as well.
• ▢ 24 ounce frozen vegetables peas, dark-green beans, carrot, and corn
• ▢ 1 cup frozen fruit I like to use blueberries and strawberries. (Optional)
• ▢ 1 - two cups leftover cooked rice or oats
• ▢ 2 cups bone broth
• ▢ 2 - iii tbsp coconut oil refined or unrefined - whatever you accept

Topping

• ▢ ¼ cup plainly yogurt optional for serving

• Melt 2 ½ to 3 pounds of your choice of ground meat in your Instant Pot on the saute setting or in a frying pan on the stove.

  2 - three lbs ground beef

• Drain off the cooking grease and return the meat to the Instant Pot.

• First, add together the leftover rice. If using oats, quinoa, barley, or potatoes skip this step.

  1 - 2 cups leftover cooked rice or oats

• Side by side, add bone broth and coconut oil and be certain to scrape the little bits off the bottom of the pan - this is how to "deglaze" the Instant Pot.

  ii cups bone broth, two - 3 tbsp coconut oil

• At present, add oats and frozen vegetables. Mix well to combine everything.

  24 ounce frozen vegetables

• Put the lid back on the Instant Pot and fix it to "Manual" or "Pressure level Cook" fashion. Cook for 7 minutes on "High Pressure level."

• Allow the pressure release naturally and open simply when the pin drops. Stir everything upward and add fruit if using.

  1 cup frozen fruit

• Permit the mixture cool and dissever into two portions - one for the next few days and i to freeze. (You can as well portion the food into single servings if yous feel so motivated.)

• Utilise a food processor to grind upwardly food if you take a pocket-size or elderly domestic dog with no teeth.

• Serve topped with yogurt or kefir and desired supplements.

  ¼ cup apparently yogurt

To supplement calcium in this food, I will also add food-grade bone meal or broccoli stalks as the vegetable portion. You tin save them in the freezer and use them as needed. You tin also add a tin can of sardines packed in water. Fair alert, both broccoli stalks and sardines make this food smell... kind of like a fart.

Tips

• This recipe is really flexible. You lot tin can alternate between using ground beef, ground turkey, or footing chicken. You can also utilize shredded chicken chest or fresh fish every bit well. The simply affair I would not recommend is canned (tinned) fish, every bit information technology tin be very fatty and too much fat can lead to pancreatitis in dogs.
• You know what your dog likes and their allergies - if they can't eat carrots - use a different kind of vegetable. If they can't eat grains, add diced potatoes or sweet potatoes!
• I switch between oats and rice and vary the vegetables and fruits based on what we have and what is in flavor. Melly is a former street dog and volition consume almost anything, peculiarly if you melt information technology all together, so we like to mix in all kinds of "canis familiaris-friendly" goodies.
• If yous take an 8 or x quart Instant Pot, you lot tin double the recipe to make more than at once and freeze some of the nutrient for later.

Storage Suggestions

• Let your dog nutrient cool before serving or storing. Yous can carve up the food into portions depending on your needs -  I usually dissever it in one-half and freeze one batch. It volition exist proficient for about 6 months and while yet safe to eat, the quality will brainstorm to decrease subsequently that.
• I use a measuring cup when I serve the nutrient, so I don't take the time to dissever it into private portions - you lot tin do this if you would like!
• Shop cooked dog nutrient in the refrigerator for upward to a calendar week. If yous don't think you will become through it all in a week, freeze some of it.

Serving: ane loving cup Calories: 380 kcal Carbohydrates: 12 g Protein: 22 k Fat: 27 g Saturated Fatty: 12 yard Cholesterol: 81 mg Sodium: 103 mg Potassium: 396 mg Fiber: 2 one thousand Sugar: i grand Vitamin A: 1734 IU Vitamin C: 4 mg Calcium: 36 mg Iron: 3 mg

Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should but be used every bit a guide.

Keyword beefiness dog nutrient, homemade dog food, instant pot canis familiaris food

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Source: https://southern-bytes.com/how-to-make-easy-homemade-dog-food/

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