It comes in a bag, it’s hard and dry, and it stinks…
Kinda sounds like processed breakfast cereal, right? 😉
Except it’s what your dog is probably eating for breakfast — processed dog food.
We try so hard to avoid boxed, processed food for the human members of our families… So why do we still feed our dogs the pets’ equivalent of boxed, processed food?
It’s cheaper, right?
We know that cheap, processed food wreaks havoc in our human bodies. It causes inflammation, compromises our immune systems, and leads to obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and more.
Did you know processed dog food is doing the exact. same. things. in your dog’s body?
Why We Switched To Homemade Dog Food…
I had been taking pains to feed my family the best organic, local, Real Foods we could afford for years before I switched to homemade dog food. Truthfully, the conviction was there long before I actually did it.
Our Boston terrier/chihuahua mix Betsy is a beloved member of our family. She’s like a third child to my husband and me. We want her with us as long as possible, and we want her to be the healthiest she can be for as long as she lives (she’s 8 years old already).
About 2 years ago, we noticed that Betsy was shedding more than usual. She had a loose tooth. And her breath was really stinky. Worst of all, she had fleas for the first time ever!
I took her in to see the vet… and the results weren’t good.
We had a flea-infested, overweight, balding dog with halitosis… great. 🙁
Here’s the thing — I was buying a “natural”, “healthy” dry food (specifically this one). I truly thought I was feeding Betsy a healthy dog food.
I told our vet that I wanted to make Betsy’s food from then on, and surprisingly, she was 100% supportive! She said, “We love it when pet parents want to go the extra mile for their puppy’s diet. What you make her at home is so much better for her than the junk in the bag. Let’s figure out a good recipe, okay?”
Carefully Choose Ingredients For Your Homemade Dog Food
Our vet and I discussed the science of feeding dogs — specifically an older dog with a weight issue and some obvious nutrient deficiencies.
She explained that, while dogs need lots of protein, they also need healthy carbohydrates (something that an all-raw diet often lacks), fat, and fat-soluble vitamins.
We started Betsy on a grain-free diet at first, mainly because she needed to lose weight. Our original homemade recipe included a base of sweet potatoes/butternut squash and ground turkey — with beef liver, green beans, and blueberries mixed in.
Dogs Need Healthy Carbs
Betsy’s food was not low-carb because I used butternut squash or sweet potatoes or pumpkin. I also added in frozen blueberries for the antioxidants, vitamins, and extra boost of low-glycemic carbs.
Now that we have 2 dogs (we added Willow in 2015) and Betsy lost the weight, it’s much more economical to use soaked rice, but I still mix it up with the sweet potatoes now and then.
If your dog needs to be on a grain-free diet because of weight or food allergies, diced sweet potato/butternut squash/pumpkin are much-loved by our furry friends!
Use either rice OR sweet potato/butternut squash/pumpkin. There’s no need to use rice with sweet potato/butternut squash/pumpkin.
Dogs Need Fruits & Veggies, Too
While your dog doesn’t need to choke down a big salad everyday, it’s still vital to her health to eat a few well-chosen veggies. I use a variety of frozen vegetables because it’s the easiest and most economical way for me to make sure Betsy and Willow are eating their vegetables. (Veggies for dogs = fiber for healthy poops and fat-soluble vitamins.)
I buy frozen California Medley veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli). Three 12-ounce bags is the perfect amount for this homemade dog food recipe.
If you can’t find the California Medley or you want to mix it up a bit, combine any or all of these vegetables, either fresh or frozen, to equal 5 cups:
- zucchini
- green beans
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- carrots
- cucumbers
- celery
- cabbage
Fruits contain vitamins, antioxidants, and valuable fiber for our pups. So I like to add 12 ounces (or 1-1/2 cups) to each batch of food. I choose one of the following, fresh or frozen, and stir it in after cooking:
- blueberries
- diced apple (but not the seeds)
- banana
Although I have never given these fruits to my dogs, they are also acceptable fruit add-ins for your homemade dog food:
- fresh pineapple (with all spines and skin removed)
- mango (without the pit)
- watermelon (rind and seeds removed)
- peaches (pit removed)
- strawberries
- raspberries
Dogs Need Healthy Fat & Fat-Soluble Vitamins
The veggies and fruit you add to your homemade dog food recipe provide fat-soluble vitamins. However, those vitamins require fat in order to be absorbed.
Per my vet’s recommendation (and I probably would’ve done it anyway), I add coconut oil to our homemade dog food.
Coconut oil is one of those foods that is just as beneficial for dogs as it is for humans! The saturated fat in coconut oil is awesome for your dog’s energy levels. In older dogs, this is a plus because coconut oil helps keep their metabolism going strong.
Coconut oil also gives dogs a shiny, healthy coat! We noticed that Betsy’s black coat was shinier than ever after she’d been eating her homemade food for about a month!
And I truly believe that the same anti-fungal/antibacterial qualities that coconut oil provides for humans are provided for dogs as well. Since transitioning to a homemade diet, our dogs have not needed to be wormed and have not gotten sick at all!
To provide our dogs with more fat-soluble vitamins, iron, and B vitamins, I add beef or chicken liver when I can. Dogs love their organ meats too — so if you find yourself with some extra heart or tongue or liver that you don’t want to eat, don’t throw it out! Just add it to your homemade dog food! (Check out 7 reasons why I love liver.)
I also add a few tablespoons of ground flax seed to our recipe for extra Omega 3s.
Most pet owners know that some foods should never be fed to dogs, but just in case…
Do NOT Add These Foods To Your Homemade Dog Food
- grapes
- raisins
- cherries
- avocado
- anything with chocolate or cacao
- onions or leeks
- anything with xylitol
- macadamia nuts
- garlic (unless directed by your vet) and other allums
- brewer’s yeast
- raw bread dough
We switched to homemade dog food, and we’ve never looked back! I’ve been making variations of this recipe, and just recently, I figured out how easy it is to make dog food in the Instant Pot!
Are you ready for homemade dog food in the Instant Pot?!
Homemade Dog Food In The Instant Pot
We switched to homemade dog food, and we've never looked back! I've been making variations of this recipe, and just recently, I figured out how easy it is to make dog food in the Instant Pot! Makes 16 cups of homemade dog food.
Ingredients
- 3 cups white basmati rice
- 3 cups pure water
- 3 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar or whey
- 3 pounds ground meat beef, chicken, turkey, venison, or bison
- 1 pound pastured beef livers or chicken livers (optional, but preferred)
- 36 ounces veggies various fresh, can use frozen
- 1 1/2 cups bananas or blueberries (optional)
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil
- 6 tablespoons ground flax seed
Instructions
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Several hours before you want to make the dog food, soak the rice in water with whey or apple cider vinegar.
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Strain, measuring the amount of water left after soaking.
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Set aside.
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Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot.
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Add the ground meat and break it up and the liver, if using.
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Cook the meat and liver until they are about half-way browned. You don't want them to brown completely because you still have to cook the rice and veggies in the Instant Pot, and the meat will burn if fully cooked.
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Once the meat and liver are half-way browned, add the soaked rice and water, according to the directions in this post.
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Stir the meat, rice, and cooking water together.
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Add the veggies on top, but do not mix in.
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Place the lid on the Instant Pot, making sure it is locked and the vent is sealed.
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Change the setting to Manual and adjust the time to 12 minutes.
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When the Instant Pot beeps, carefully turn the vent to release the pressure. You may want to place a towel over the steam to protect yourself and your kitchen from any sputtering steam.
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Open the Instant Pot and add the fruit (if using) and the coconut oil.
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Stir everything together, mixing completely.
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Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
When Making The Switch…
It is much better on your dog's digestion to make a switch to homemade food gradually, especially if your dog is currently eating commercial food.
Mix 1 part homemade food with 4 parts of your pet's current food. Over the course of up to 2 weeks, gradually increase the amount of homemade food, while gradually decreasing the amount of commercial food.
Your pet is more likely to accept his homemade food when introduced this way. And you're less likely to be cleaning up messes from your dog's upset stomach.
Our Results
The change in Betsy’s health was radical.
Within a month, Betsy was shedding less and her coat was shinier than ever. She lost the weight. Bit by bit, her smelly breath improved. The loose tooth eventually fell out on its own, but she hasn’t had any more loose teeth in the past 2 years, even though she’s at a time in her life when tooth decay and loss are common.
We even noticed that the slight waddle she had when she walked (likely due to stiff, aging joints) went away!
The most amazing thing? We live in an area where fleas and ticks are really common during the summer. Betsy and Willow are outside, exploring, running through our woods, and following deer trails daily from May to October. Yet, we’ve never found a flea or tick on either of them since switching to homemade dog food!
We don’t use any flea/tick treatments, collars, drops, or even essential oils on our dogs. My theory is that the girls are so healthy, they are naturally repelling pesky fleas and ticks with their body chemistry.
Reducing Food Waste With Homemade Dog Food
Do you cut cauliflower and broccoli off the stalk and throw the stalks away? Did you know you can cut up those stalks and add them to your homemade dog food in the Instant Pot?!
Yep! It’s true! Making homemade dog food can stretch your food dollars even further by making sure not even a stem goes into the garbage or compost. Not to mention, dog food in the Instant Pot is more nutritious because nutrients are exposed to heat for less time!
Other foods you can add to your dog food that might normally go to waste?
- carrot tops
- beet greens
- Brussels sprout tops
- diced cabbage cores
- over-ripe bananas
- bruised or mushy fruit (as long as it’s dog-safe)
- clabber (Strain the whey to use for your own soaking, then add the clabber to your dog food after cooking for a probiotic boost!)
What About The Cost?
I admit it: homemade dog food is more expensive than the cheap kibble from the store.
It’s not full of fillers, CAFO animal body parts, or cheap grains. Those are the ingredients that make processed dog food so cheap.
Homemade dog food is, however, less expensive than many brands of organic, grain-free, or even Paleo dog foods. As I mentioned, I was feeding our dogs a reputable brand of healthy dog food. I was spending about $30 per month on that dog food.
I spend about $40 per month on ingredients for our homemade dog food in the Instant Pot. (We don’t use grass-fed meat for the dogs yet, because it’s just not in the budget. Hey, we do the best we can, right? 😉 )
The extra cost in money and time is so worth it because we have happy, healthy dogs who will likely be with us for years to come!
When Making The Switch…
It is much better on your dog’s digestion to make a switch to homemade food gradually, especially if your dog is currently eating commercial food.
Mix 1 part homemade food with 4 parts of your pet’s current food. Over the course of up to 2 weeks, gradually increase the amount of homemade food, while gradually decreasing the amount of commercial food.
Your pet is more likely to accept his homemade food when introduced this way. And you’re less likely to be cleaning up messes from your dog’s upset stomach.
Looking for more Traditional Cooking School dog related posts?
Have you ever thought about switching to homemade dog food? What do you think about making dog food in the Instant Pot?
...without giving up the foods you love or spending all day in the kitchen!
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How much do your dogs weigh and how much do you feed them?
Thanks
Hi, Dee! Betsy is about 17 pounds, and we feed her approximately 3/4 cup in the morning and again in the evening. Willow is 10-11 pounds, and she gets slightly less than that morning and evening.
What is the recommendation amount to feed your dogwhat is the feeding amount recommendations?
I’m I have one Westie that is 27 pounds but should be about 23 lbs. and is 9 or 10 year old . She was a poor puppy mill mama…bred for too many years. So, hard to lose the weight.
I have a Westie also, with allergies. Did you ever do this natural diet with your dog? If so, how is it going?
.I have a Golden lab who is over 100 lbs,How much should I feed him?
We have an 80 lb german shepherd how much should we feed him also do you have any vegan recipes?
Hi Lindsey,
Can I utilize brown rice instead of white rice?
If so, do I cook the rice separately or just increase the instant pot cooking time from 12 minutes to 23?
Thanks in advance for your forthcoming response.
Terry
You can use brown rice, but you will need to increase the water as well. I’m not sure how the veggies will react to being cooked for double the time, however.
Thanks for answering my question.
If I cook the brown rice separately, can I still cook the rest of the ingredients in the instant pot?
I think that would work best!
Do I need to put any extra liquid in the instant pot for the meat and veggies and fruit to cook properly?
P.S. Thanks, Lindsey for your help.
I made the recipe using brown rice vs the white. Didnt need to change cooking time at all. For my veggies I did throw them in my food processor and processed until fairly fine. I put them in uncooked. My boy Kaos is 100 lb Mastiff/Boxer mix and he loves it.
I’ve been feeding my dogs a kibble supplement of chicken and rice for a few years and just recently read that brown rice is not as bioavailable due to their short digestive track.
You can also use other grains – millet, rye, barley, oats, wheat berries etc and they all have different nutritional values.
For cooking just eh meat and veggies you probably only need 1/2 to 1 cup of water, though I like to make it soupier for my pups.
Hello, I soaked the rice in the water/vinegar. Why do I straining if I’m going to add the rice and water to the instant pot anyway? Thanks
I have the same question – and the recipe says to measure the water after soaking. Why? Do you add the soaking water plus additional water to make up the 3 cups of water?
Hi Remy & Leslie,
Just like for humans soaking grains makes them more digestible for your pet. So when you soak the rice with the acid, the rice will absorb some of that water. Straining removes the soaking water with the acid. By measuring you know how much fresh water to add back to the rice. I hope that makes sense.
Here’s another post that explains why and how to soak grains: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/grain-cooking-chart/
~ Vicki, TCS Customer Success Team
I recently read brown rice doesn’t digest as easily in dogs.
Why do you say not to give brewers yeast . I give my dog brewers yeast and garlic tabs daily and I’ve read recipes that include very small amounts of garlic and brewer’s yeast. I know garlic can be toxic in large amounts but I don’t know about brewer’s yeast ! I know my dogs hair is soft and shiny and it’s like a natural flea prevention as well.
What can I use if I don’t have an instant pot
1. Cook the meat in a large dutch oven until browned and cooked through. Dump the meat into the container you are going to keep the dog food in,
2. RICE
Cook the rice in the same pot (straining the used liquid of the rice into a measuring cup, dumping that water and added the same amount of fresh water to the pot.)
Dump the rice into the container with the meat – mix up.
3. VEGGIES
A. Stir fry the veggies in the same pan and then add to meat and rice.
I made it in the InstaPot. But I think I may try this method next as it was a pain to cook that much meat in the narrow and tall instapot pot. This way, it is still just one pot.
OR – cook the meat in another pot and add to the instapot and follow the original directions????
Good to know my dog is 18 lbs and was wondering how much to feed her. This sure will be better for her and not having to lug in that heavy dogfood bag will be a plus.
I keep getting the burn notice. It hasn’t even come to pressure. I keep adding water but you said not to stir after adding the vegetables but I have to to try to clean the bottom. Any suggestions?
this happened to me as well. 🙁 would appreciate any feedback. thx in advance!
Let the Instant Pot cool down (about 10 minutes or so) after sauteeing.
I get a burn notice as well , I believe it may be due to size of instapot. I have the size 8 quart and my gf has size 6 quart . She never burns and I do! So I figured out I had to put a little more liquid in so I won’t burn . I am not sure if this will be helpful. But if anyone has feedback please help
Do you have an estimate of how many kcals per cup this recipe provides?
Thank you!
The rice measures differently cooked than raw. I’m assuming that the 3 cups your recipe calls for is measured after cooking?
Hi Marie,
The rice is 3 cups uncooked rice that is then soaked in whey or apple cider vinegar.
~Danielle, TCS Customer Success Team
My dogs loves this! They get so excited! Last time I put the meat and rice in first and the instant pot said “burn”. This time I did the opposite and it turned out perfect!
I also have this problem and was hoping you could let me know what exactly your solution was.
Thank you for the great article. I have been wanting to try making my own dog food and was felt encouraged by your suggestions. I don’t have an Instant Pot do you have any ideas of other ways of fixing it?
Hi Stacy! You can make it on the stove, like a skillet dish. First soak the rice for 8-12 hours and cook as usual. In a separate pan, brown and drain the meat. Then put everything together and stir to mix. (A stand mixer is really helpful for this!) Hope that helps!
Whst about vitamins and minerals, such as calcium etc? I’ve read the only veggies wild dogs eat is in their prey’s stomach. Seems like a lot here.
I give our dogs bones to gnaw on, so I don’t include extra calcium. You could talk with your vet about a good bone meal to add if you don’t give your dogs bones.
You can also add Egg Shells to the IP along with the eggs >!<
For Calcium and Protein.
Hey there, can you kindly advice me on what raw bones to feed? And how often?
Domestic Dogs were originally scavengers. They have evolved to eat a balance of meat and plants. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/01/diet-shaped-dog-domestication
i grind egg shells and put in their food for the extra calcium
Rinse out your eggshells, and put them in a 325* oven for 20 minutes to kill all bacteria. I then whiz them up in a coffee grinder until fine, then sprinkle on my dog’s raw homemade diet.
How much eggshells do you put in the dogfood?
I don’t add eggshells to the food. I would ask my vet to determine the calcium needs of my dogs since they can vary so much depending on age, size, etc.
what about the vegetables? Do you cook them as well?
The instructions for cooking the veggies are in the recipe.
Why do you suggest soaking the rice I cook my rice with my meat then add my veggies
I don’t have an Instant Pot. How would I cook this? I’ve making food for my cats for several years, and would like to start making food for my dog. Thanks!
Connie, see my above response to Stacy! 🙂
I love this, Lindsey. I was just talking to my husband last week about needing to research something like this. We recently lost one of our sweet goldens and I know we slowly killed her with the poison feed she ate all her life. We are so careful about what we feed ourselves (and our farm animals that feed us) but our cats and dogs are eating bagged junk.
Aw, I’m so sorry, Robin. I can’t imagine losing one of our dogs. Please don’t blame yourself. I’m sure you did the best you could at the time. ((hugs!)) I hope you’ll give this a try!
I cook 10pounds of g beef and 5 cups of rice and a big bag of veg I don’t cook veg I put it in when every think is done I put 18 eggs with shells and puree it first I have a big 24 quarts and cook it all together I put turmeric prasry and ginger power and it makes me 50 cups I have 5 dogs
By “Instant Pot” are you talking about an electric pressure cooker? It sounded like it, but wasn’t sure.
Yes! The Instant Pot is the only pressure cooker I have!
Thanks for the great recipe. If using frozen butternut squash instead of rice (watching my dog’s weight) how much squash should I use?
Thanks.
I also do not have an instant pot but would love to make this for our 11 year old maltipoo. I do have a seldom used pressure cooker. What would you suggest? Thank you!
See my above comment to Stacy! I love the ease of the Instant Pot because I can do it all in one pot, rather than using several pots and pans. I made it on the stove before I had an Instant Pot, but now, I’ll never go back!
Thank you!
I don’t have an actual ‘Instant Pot’ what I have used is a 6 qt. electric pressure cooker that I had gotten for Christmas a few years back. I had never even used it until I read this post!! Out of the box it came. I have made our dogs 2 batches so far and they love it. The directions for the ‘Instant Pot’ worked just fine for my pressure cooker. I didn’t have any flax seed to put in but hoping to have it for next time. Please post variations or other recipes you have made. I would love to give them more choices! Thanks so much 🙂
U have been feeding my dogs homemade food for years. I use chicken scraps n feet. They are use to bones and have never had a problem. I give theme rice n lentils mixed with veggie n meat n put coconut oil on top of.food when serving. Will add flax seed n fruit next week. I cook food in a regular pressure cooker. Thanks for so much details.
That’s awesome, Joy! Sounds like you’ve found a good mix!
My senior beagle loves lentils and rice. He doesn’t have a problem with part of an onion chopped up with that too. I’ll try your variations. Thanks.
Please don’t feed your dogs or cats onions. They are extremely toxic. Please refer to the following links:
https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/people-foods-avoid-feeding-your-pets
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/natural-foods/can-dogs-eat-onions/
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/toxicity/are-onions-and-garlic-bad-your-dog
http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/onion/
In the past. I was ankle to very chicken legs and thighs at a very cheap price. I pressured them for 90 min. And then the bones are edible . putting them on their kibbles as a topper worked but I think now I’ll just use the pressured chicken with bones, and add the other ingredients after and pressure it for 10 or 14 min. I’m going to plan on adding the liver too. And bonus– if you add a little Moore water when pressuring the chicken and bones, youcan pour off the broth and have the best chicken stock ever. It’s so good, it turns solid in the fridge.
What is an instant pot? And where do you buy them? Thanks..
It’s an electric pressure cooker that also has the capabilities to slow cook, saute, and keep warm. The link to buy one is in the post!
I have two Instant Pots and use them for just about everything. Making dog food in them is so easy, my dogs love it.
Great recipe. Just one question…doesn’t the cooking process kill the beneficial bacteria in the whey and apple cider vinegar?
The ACV is for soaking the rice, not to add beneficial bacteria. It breaks down the phytates in the rice so that our puppies are digesting it easier and it’s not causing mineral deficiencies. For the curds/whey, I do state to add it AFTER the cooking process so that the bacteria stays alive. Hope that answers your question!
Great thanks! My local meat farmer gave me a beef heart. I am going to try this with that.
That will be a great addition! I recommend using the beef heart WITH ground beef or turkey or venison or whatever you have. Dogs have high protein needs. Let us know how it works and if your dog enjoys it!
I am always seeing homemade dog food recipes or dog treat recipes, but what about cats? Half of Americans own cats, as well as dogs. Just wondering when someone will come up with some cat foods that are better than store bought. Thanks
We’ve never had cats, so I can’t speak to homemade cat food or cats’ nutritional needs. I am not a vet; just a loving dog mom who worked with our vet to come up with a healthy recipe for our girls. Have you searched Pinterest?
I have the same question, as I have always had cats. I understand that they have different nutritional requirements from dogs. There are a lot of homemade cat food recipes online, but unfortunately the ones I have seen do not seem very complete or balanced. When I asked my vet, all they could come up with was a very expensive base that they were selling, and said I could add some homemade ingredients to it. There has to be a better way.
My rescued French Bulldog had repeated bouts of pancreatitis – painful for my dog, and hard on the pocketbook for the vet visits. My vet suggested a really disgusting and pricey canned, prescription dog food. I sort of turned up my nose when I read the ingredients and then asked if she knew of any homemade recipes I could use. She did! I used to cook her food in a crockpot, an hours-long affair of stirring and watching and stirring some more. Then I got an Instant Pot. It’s so easy with the IP. I’m able to make a full pot of food once a week, and since the pot is stainless steel, I store her food right in the pot in the refrigerator. I bought a second liner pot for my IP so I could still use it for family meals. I watch the grocery store for sales on chicken and precook big batches of it and store it in my freezer, so I can quickly and easily make dog food with very little effort. I used to slightly dread my weekly dog food making sessions. Now, I can do it quickly and efficiently, and it’s so easy.
That is SO awesome, Bonnie! Isn’t it wonderful what Real Food can do for every member of our families?!
Bonnie- my 2 cavaliers had pancreatitis! Do you use this recipe?? Thank you! Jan Brown
I’ve been feeding my dog raw since she was about 6 months old. I recently started adding in soaked and sprouted starchy foods like rice and oats, because even on a raw diet she had seasonal allergies. She also gets kefir and sauerkraut. They appear to be helping. I think I will use your recipe to prepare the veggie,starch portion of her meals, but will stick to raw meat and organs. I understand that it is easier for dogs and cats to digest the proteins in raw meat v. Cooked, plus they get the benefit of the enzymes in the raw meat. Also, I note that there is no source of bone in your recipe. Dogs and cats need calcium and phosphorous in a specific ratio, and they get that by eating bones (raw – never cooked) or through the addition of human grade bone meal to their diet. I purchase ground up meat from a supplier who uses pastured animals and includes the whole animal in the grind – bones, organs and muscle. You can also add necks, wings and other digestible raw bones to your pet’s diet (matching the size of the bone to the size and jaw strength of your pet), or by adding bonemeal to your pet’s ground up storebought meat. Karen Becker, DVM and Richard Pitcairn, DVM are among the vets with online info and books about raw/homemade pet feeding. Bottom line – homemade is so much better for your pet’s long term health and really not that hard once you establish a rhythm (just like traditional cooking 😉 Thanks for the recipe.
We give our dogs bones separately from their food. Occasionally, I will puree chicken bones after I make bone broth and add it to their food. I hope you enjoy adapting this recipe to suit your pets’ needs!
So I can use the bones from the bone broth to dry and grind up as bone meal? Are the nutrients still there? Thanks!
That’s a really great question, Vicki! I have frequently ground up soft bones and added them to our dog food. But I honestly don’t know if there are many nutrients left in them. Even if there’s not much nutrition left, I don’t think it hurts them to have the bone meal. I don’t even worry about dehydrating it. I just add the bone “mush” in with the dog food.
Thanks sooo much!!!
Lindsey, I love this idea. What do you use to gring the bones? I’m wondering if my powerful hand blender would handle it.
I put them in my BlendTec, which turns them nearly to liquid.
We just pour bone broth on top of the food daily, along with one pump of Salmon oil. The Salmon oil helps their skin, coat, heart health, decreases shedding, and lubricates their joints. Our 9 year old pug Luna was starting to limp when she woke up from a nap. She hasn’t limped at all since we started this recipe. She is a different dog! Tons of energy, and playing with our 2 year old pug Kona. Thank you for posting this recipe
How do u purée the bones?
After bones have been cooked for several days (or more than once in the pressure cooker), they are extremely soft… soft enough to break in your hands. I put mine in my BlendTec with a bit of the broth and puree until smooth.
A few months ago I was making homemade bone broth from a leftover small supermarket carcass and cooked it for about 48 hours. When I strained it, most of the bones had disintegrated.
I’ve been considering making food for our 8 yr old Schnoodle, Cody. I think you just pushed me over the edge. Thank you! We don’t eat processed food and I’ve always felt bad that we feed it to him. We just had a big vet bill from dental cleaning with tooth extraction, antibiotics, pain meds. I could feed him grass fed meat all year for what I just paid the vet.
Oh my! We have spent $0 at the vet since switching to homemade food. No need to go! So, I’m definitely saving money in that area!
I was always told soft food was bad for there teeth is that not true.
No, soft food is fine for their teeth.
This is great! We just lost our beagle, Sadie Mae in August but we’ll be getting another within the next year and I really want to start off with homemade food.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Dani. 🙁 I don’t know what we’ll do when we lose Betsy or Willow. If we ever get another puppy, we’ll definitely start it off with homemade food!
Flax seed is of no use to dogs as they need animal based omega 3 as in salmon oil or fish oil caps. 1 cap for every 10-20 lbs. of body weight. Rice is a carb that is not digested well by dogs so skip the grains of any kind and go easy on the carbs as dogs do not digest carbs well. Pumpkin and squash and sweet potatoes are a better choice. Add a digestive enzyme to help digest fats and a daily probiotic after cooking for gut health. Don’t forget the calcium carbonate powder or feed raw bones to balance the phosferus in the meat. Raw diets don’t need added vitamins and minerals, but cooked meals will need vitamin supplements as much of the nutrition is cooked out of the meal. Calcium and vitamin d3 is very important to a dogs health soit is important to supply these elements. One should get a good reference to make sure the cooked meal is not lacking in nutrients.
Our vet recommended the added flax seed and rice. Our dogs get bones to gnaw on outside of their meals.
We asked our Vet and he said it was ok for them, plus we are on a limited pension so money is tight as it is, so this is out of our price range. It is still much better than the stuff in the store and they eat well.
At what step of the recipe do you actually add in the flax seed? I’ve read your instructions a bunch of times and can’t seem to find it…
Why soak the rice when it is going to be cooked?
Soaking rice reduces anti-nutrients in the rice that make it hard to digest (for pets and humans) and that disable the body from absorbing the minerals in the rice. You can read more about why we soak rice, plus how to do it here: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2009/07/06/grain-cooking-chart/
Hi, I buy my coconut oil from a company in Germany (where I live) that specializes in coconut products (oil, milk, water, fresh coconuts etc). They also have coconut oil for pets. According to them coconut oil serves as a repellant for fleas and ticks. I am wondering if the coconut oil you feed your dogs with might have anything to do with the fact that they haven’t had ticks and fleas since eating home-made food? Thanks
I’m sure it does! We use a reputable brand of coconut oil — the same coconut oil for our pets as we use for ourselves! That’s wonderful that you’ve found a pet version of coconut oil!
What are the directions for using the sweet potatoes instead of rice? Just skip the adding rice step and add the sweet potatoes as a veggie, with the veggies? Do I still need to add water but not as much?
I am very anxious to try this out. My 12 year old shepherd mix has arthritis in her hips so bad she has trouble getting herself up. Her days are numbered but hopefully by switching her diet I we can have her with us a while longer!
Great question! Dice the sweet potatoes and add them to the partially browned meat along with a cup or 2 of water. Cook as directed in the recipe. I hope this works for your dog and that you have her with you for several more years!
It has been three weeks since we switched to this recipe. I went too fast. My dogs all got the runs the first couple of days but I was so eager to get them on a better diet! Now they are all happy as can be. My old lady shepherd-mix used to nose her kibble, push it all around the bowl and finally, reluctantly, eat it. In the mornings I would feed them (we have three dogs, the shepherd-mix, a maltipoo and a havachon) a can of expensive, “healthy” dog food with a vitamin in it. It was mostly an attractive carrier for the vitamin but there were many mornings when my shepherd would not bother to get up and come eat. I mentioned above that getting up and down is hard for her with her arthritic hips. I would say, “Oh, you are having breakfast in bed today?” then take her bowl to where she was sprawled out on the floor and let her eat there. Now she is up and following me around the kitchen eager to eat in the mornings and she comes and gets me around 4pm for the evening feeding, a full hour before dinner time, she loves her food so much! I agree that raw is better but it is not realistic for us. THIS recipe I can do, I can keep up with, and I can afford. And my dogs love it! Thanks so much for posting it!
Darla, this is SO wonderful! I’m glad to have provided you with a practical, affordable recipe for your dog-babies! (And yes, any time you switch foods for animals, you should do so slowly… I’ve updated the post to reflect that important bit of information!)
How much sweet potato? Rice expands, so do we double the sweet potato? Or leave the same measurement?
Thank you so much for the dog food recipe, I have been thinking of switching, it just makes sense. One thing I’m confused on is the soaking water. Do you discard and replace with fresh just as for human consumption?
Yes! That’s correct! The post that’s linked in the recipe explains how to save the soaking water and measure fresh water so as not to add too much or too little water. Here it is again, in case you missed it: https://traditionalcookingschool.com/2016/03/23/perfect-soaked-rice-instantpot-or-any-pressure-cooker/
Why is Brewers Yeast on the NO add list?
Some dogs are allergic to it, and it can cause allergies, itchy or dry skin, bloating, or gas for them. It’s best to check with your vet when adding supplements to your dog’s lifestyle.
I thought I read that you were not suppose to feed dogs anything in the cabbage family? Aren’t broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts in that family?
Hmmmm, I haven’t heard that, Phyllis. Here is an article from what looks to be a reputable source for more information: http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/can-dogs-eat-cabbage/37975
Several comments: Dogs have no use for carbohydrates and they are difficult for a dog to digest.The reason grains are sprouted is that it dispenses with most of the fitates which are in grains and take away from the digestability of the grain, but again, grains are not good for dogs or cats, soaked or unsoaked. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, squash, ect. are all good in moderation for dogs, however they do need to be cooked and mushed up to break up the cell membraines for digestability. Flax is not a good choice for dogs because they cannot use the ALA in these seeds, fish oil and salmon oil are better choices for omega 3 fatty acids.When not feeding raw bones I grind up organic eggshells and add 1 teaspoon for every pound of food given to balance phosphurus in the meat. I never heard of pet coconut oil and can’t imagine how it is different from regular virgin coconut oil which I use for myself and my dog.
Jean, are you familiar with Dr. Pitcairn and his recipes for dog food? He includes carbs as in rice, oats, bulgar, quinoi potatoes etc. Dr. Pitcairn has been around a long time and is well respected. I have fed all my dogs from his book for the last 40 years and they have all thrived on the diet.
I have been making my pup’s food from this recipe for about 6 months. He has taken to it so well! Each batch is different depending on what vegi scraps I have saved. I really recommend the shredded broccoli in bags. It mixes in so well and less work. I also add salmon if any is left over from my human meals. It is so very satisfying to see him trim and healthy with an amazing glossy coat. I am giving him a joint healthy vitamin To hedge my bets on nutrition. I think our efforts are going to be FAR superior to store bought no matter how you look at these ingredient variations. My only complaint is the smell of cooking liver. Yuck!! So I take my IP outside when I make his food. I wish I could post a photo of my latest batch – so beautiful with diced carrots, sweet potatoes, blueberries, and salmon!!
What a testimony, Patty! Thank you for sharing!
I agree dogs and cats do not need much in the way of carbs. They do sometimes eat these things because like us they like them. But dogs and cats eat their meat raw. We are the ones who insist they need it cooked. They do need veggies cooked to help break down the cells so they can get some nutrients out of them. My dogs love to eat huckleberries right off the bush! I plan on trying this recipe but I am going to leave the meat raw. My dogs get raw chicken quarters on occasion just to keep their teeth cleaner and breath fresher but I would like to try this vs the kibble we do in between. We also use some Honest Kitchen dehydrated foods too for them. I will start using fresh egg shells in their food too! Thanks for the comment on that! I have a friend who would save me her egg shells from her chickens for me!
One of the reasons we prefer cooked meat is because our dogs do lick our hands and faces. I don’t want to risk any contamination from bacteria on their meat getting on to my hands or face (or my children’s), so it is safer for us to cook their meat. I hope you find a recipe that works for you!
Hi Lindsey, Thanks for your response. I do not even concern myself with the raw feeding and concerns of bacteria any more. I know so many people who feed a strictly raw diet and they have little kids around and are licked etc. No one has ever said they have had problems with that. I would think that because a dog is meant to eat raw that the chance for bacteria is lower because you dont have to worry about plaque build up on the teeth. Their bodies can deal with all the things I think you are concerned about easier with a natural diet rather than a cooked one or highly processed one like kibble. We had a dog that had cancer and we switched her over to a raw diet for her last 6 months and she had much better breath, gas was gone, and since she was a short haired large rotten boxer (best of both breeds) her hair got softer. I wish we had done that a lot sooner. Maybe we would have avoided the “C” word. I do thank you for the recipe for me to use as a jump drive to get something a bit more balanced than just raw chicken quarters, lambs necks etc. What I have shared might be too far out of your comfort zone and I totally get that! It took me some time to get the courage to feed whole chicken quarters and lambs necks to my furkids. It took me years to get to where I can use chicken feet in my bone broth! I am really looking for an affordable way of feeding raw to my 4 legged kids.
Hi Sandy! I’m so glad that you were able to nourish your dog with homemade food during her last few months of life. And I’m so sorry for your loss. 🙁 There is so much conflicting information out there regarding raw feeding for dogs. At this time, I am happy with our recipe, but I will continue to do my homework! I think the financial savings of not taking our dogs to the vet as often makes homemade dog food a much more economical option, even if I am paying more per month for the food itself. 🙂
Sandy
Check to see if there is an Azure Standard drop near you. They are now carrying good options of raw selections for our fur kids from a brand called Mary’s (including chicken livers etc.) .
http://www.azurestandard.com
Where do people find chicken necks and feet? I have tried my local stores but no luck. Thanks
Try a local rancher who raises chickens. Or an egg producer who might be butchering hens that no longer lay. I believe you can also find some online through US Wellness Meats, but I have never ordered from there. I hope you find some!
Also try meat stores or butcher stores. I get mine from Longs meat market.
My local Walmart has chicken feet!
We have a local raw dog food supplier, http://rawdogfoodandco.com/raw-dog-food-story/. Maybe there is something similar near you? I just got a big bag of chicken feet for about $20. I’d forgotten how large the bag is. I’m dehydrating them now since they don’t all fit in my freezer. Great treats!
I don’t agree with cooking the meat. Raw is best.
Hi Lindsey,
This is a great article. Thank you for writing it. If I wanted to substitute sweet potatoes for the rice, what would the amount of sweet potatoes be. The recipe calls for 3 cups of rice but when cooked that would be about 6 cups of rice. Should I add 3 cups of sweet potatoes or 6?
Is it ok to use a lean roast, carrots, sweet potatoes and frozen peas in the Instant Pot for homemade dog food? This is my first attempt. Thank you! Gloria
If that’s what you have, then go for it! I would still add the flax and coconut oil if you can. Hope you (and your dog) love it!
I would leave out the carrots and peas because they are high in sugar, but the sweet potatoes are good as are low carbohydrate vegetables like zucchini and yellow squash and cooked greens. Dogs are carnivores and mostly need meat,uncooked bones and some animal fat. Not more than 15 percent vegetables as dogs need the protein from meat and dogs really don’t need carbs at all because they don’t digest carbs well but mostly vegetables are good for the fiber. It is good to add, after cooking the food, to top off the meal with raw organic egg, or cottage cheese or plain low sugar yogurt or kefer. Dogs need calcium barbonate or citrate so add 1/2 teaspoons of this form of calcium powder for every pound of food. Also, a good quality multi-vitamin for pets is a good idea.
What size Instant Pot are you using? I have the 6 quart and the recipe is a lot of volume to get to pressure.
I also use the 6-quart, Jacqui.
I couldn’t get my IP to seal/pressurize with this recipe either, it was too full. I’m going to halve it next time though. If I use sweet potatoes instead of rice, how much would I add? I have a few bags of frozen, diced sweet potayoes on hand. Thanks!
Sorry that happened to you! You can add 3-4 cups of diced sweet potatoes. Just be aware that it won’t make as much as the rice because the potatoes will shrink instead of expanding. I hope that works for you!
We have been making our own dog food for decades and our dogs have all been healthy and long-lived with the added bonus of clean teeth! We use garden scraps and surplus like peas, green beans and carrots, grinding them in the processor for easy prep. Our dogs love veggies so much they follow us through the garden picking their own to snack on! We use venison, veggies and barley. Must be careful with rice as it really ups the calories. We used to add a little bacon grease for fat, but I’m going to try the coconut oil as per your recommendation.
I just discovered the Instant Pot and I Want One. Can’t wait to try making our dog food in it .
Hi, Vanessa! I just bought an 8 quart DUO Instant Pot at Kohls and saved $87.00 with coupons and deals! Also, free shipping and extra cash. Keep your eyes ope for the sales. Good luck!
Do you think whole chicken breast shredded after being cooked in the Instant Pot would be okay? I skipped right over the word ‘ground’!
Hi Lindsey! Thanks so much for your research, time and help on this recipe. I have an 8+ year old long-haired Doxie. He’s had stomach issues almost from the start, we got him when he was four months old, I think mostly from his affection for other dog’s poop. I know, disgusting, right??!!! I’ve spent a ton of money on vet bills, we almost lost him about 6 years ago. He got down to 10 pounds. He’s doing better for the most part now. I give him a probiotic every other day and that has helped. He loves veggies and of course meat but it seems whenever he eats just a little of vegetables he gets sick,either throwing up or diarrhea. I feed him Science Diet dry, mixed with a little of Nature’s Recipe Chicken or Vinison stew. He takes a Zantac and Benedryl every day before he eats. He still has issues…..for instance he’s thrown up about 3 times in the last 8-9 days, just small amounts with no food in it but bits of blood. I guess I’m wondering if you think he would benefit from your recipe. I’m going to take him to the vet this week and also ask him about trying it. He’s pretty good at receiving my suggestions.
Hi Reba, I’m not a vet, so I can’t make specific recommendations for your dog; however, I do believe your dog would benefit from this recipe because it’s only whole foods. I’m not familiar with Science Diet, but it is a processed, dry food — whereas this homemade food is not processed. If he’s used to eating the dry food all the time and you give him veggie/meat scraps every now and then, it’s normal for those foreign foods to upset his stomach. Should you choose to switch to homemade food, make the transition slow to keep him comfortable. For instance, maybe add a tablespoon or two of the homemade food to his usual food and increase by a tablespoon every few days, while removing a tablespoon of his dry food. I hope he gets better!
Probiotics made for pets and digestive enzymes made for pets should help with stomach issues and may even stop a dog from eating poop. Good sources for pet probiotics and digestive enzymes for pets is http://www.mercola.com and b-naturals.com. Since adding these products to my dogs diet her IBS has improved dramatically and she no longer snacks on poop. Also, be careful about not adding too much carbohydrates to a dogs diet as simple carbs, like rice and white potatoes turns to sugar in a dogs body, just like it does in ours and dogs have a very limited need for carbs. Dogs and cats are carnivores and need meat and fat. Fruits are also high in fructose so these should be limited also. Oh, and I also give homemade bone broth to both my cat and dog as it is a wonderful vitamin and mineral loaded addition and wonderful for their digestion.
Thank you for responding so quickly to my post. I made a small batch (1/3) of the recipe to start mixing in tonight. I couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was. I will report back in a few weeks to let you know how he’s doing.
That’s wonderful! I can’t wait to hear how he progresses!
Oh, for probiotics, you can add some whey that you’ve dripped from clabbered milk to your homemade dog food (once it’s cooled). Or, you can add a tablespoon or 2 of yogurt to his food when you dish it up for him. We frequently do this with our dogs, and they love yogurt!
THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS RECIPE!!! Toby is doing soooo much better. I ran out of the homemade and he had to eat his regular food for just ONE DAY but he threw up a little bit the next day and had diarrhea!! So no more running out! He was on a powered probiotic which I have not been giving him because I do mix the whey in his food now. Is the powder still necessary or will the whey be enough? Anyway I just wanted to let you know how well he is doing and how much happier we both are! Thanks again. And the instant pot makes it so quick and easy. Takes longer to weigh everything than to cook it…lol.
Thanks for reporting back! I’m so happy the recipe worked (for both of you!) <3
Cherries are fine for dogs as long as the pits are removed (just like we would do for ourselves).
Avocados are also fine (and good for dogs) again pit must removed.
Brewers Yeast is perfectly fine which is why many many treats contain brewers yeast.
I am disappointed that this wasn’t researched better and quite honestly makes me question the validity of the rest of the recipe.
Kris, all of the sources I checked (including my vet) warned against feeding dogs avocados. Also, brewer’s yeast should only be fed to dogs under the direction of a vet as a specific supplement.
My dear 13 year old poodle suffers from colitis so I’ve fed her EXPENSIVE dog food exclusively. You’ve inspired me to make her food in my Instant Pot. Also, this will be a great use of my leftover whey from making my Greek yogurt. Thank you.
For any dog that has IBS or colitis issues homemade bone broth is very healing to the digestive tract. Making bone broth in the instant pot is a great way to make this healing broth. My dog has IBS and since giving her the bone broth she hardly has any symptoms. Bone broth recipes abound on line, just don’t include any onions in it.
Lindsey,
We made this recipe last week( without the flax seed by mistake.)
Our dogs LOVE it! We made a triple batch and froze the extra so we are set for a month.
For the chicken, we bought bone-in. We removed the meat and ground it while we toasted the bones at 450 for 45 minutes.
We put the roasted bones in each instant pot as the food cooked, at the end of the cooking time we removed the bones before blending the cooked food.
We then used the bones to make Bone Broth! We feed a tablespoon of bone broth with once a day to the dogs.
They love their food and are healthy and happy!
This is so great! Thank you for sharing!
So glad I found this! I’ve been making food for my dog for about two years and would love to make it in the instant pot! My recipe is similar to yours, but I use 1 cup brown rice (do I really need to soak?) and 1/2 cup oats, along with three eggs, lightly scrambled. Would you suggest any changes in the timing? The main reason I haven’t used the Instant Pot is that I’m afraid of ruining a batch . . . thanks!
Kristin, we always recommend soaking grains, including brown rice. I don’t know how to adjust the timing with the added oats and reduced rice. I don’t think I’d add the eggs in until after it’s finished cooking however. Hope that helps a little!
My first batch used ore-cooked rice. I used high pressure and 23 minutes. The rest of the recipes was intact and perfect. I agree with the stir-in of the eggs at the end.
Do I need to stir the rice while it’s soaking or just leave it alone? Also does it need refrigerating while it’s soaking? Thanks.
No need to stir rice or refrigerate during soaking. It is a good idea to keep it covered to keep bugs out, though!
Hi! I don’t have any basmati rice. Can I use jasmine or brown rice instead? Would cooking time/water be the same! Thanks!
The cooking time and water needed for brown rice should be increased. If you use jasmine rice, everything should stay the same.
I am on the side of raw meat so I do the rice & veggies in the IP and then add the raw meat. I do 3lbs meat, 2C rice and half a large bag of frozen veggies, 2c beef or chicken broth (in IP) and mix the whole lot by hand in a huge bowl. Then divide into containers for about 10 days worth of food. Nellie is fed 1½ c twice a day, she’s a 9 yr old 45lb black retriever. I also add her supplements at feeding time. Enzymes a joint formula and some beef broth powder.
We rescued Nellie last November and sheis very healthy and runs with the best at the dog park!
I am on the side of raw meat so I do the rice & veggies in the IP and then add the raw meat. I use 3lbs meat and do 2C rice and half a large bag of frozen veggies, 2c beef or chicken broth (in IP) and then mix the whole lot by hand in a huge bowl. Then divide into containers for about 10 days worth of food. Nellie is fed 1½ c twice a day, she’s a 9 yr old 45lb black retriever. I also add her supplements at feeding time. Enzymes a joint formula and some beef broth powder.
We rescued Nellie last November and she is very healthy and runs with the best at the dog park!
Out of curiousity, why not avocadoes?
Also, to those who chose to “yell” at the author of this post, that was rude. She is giving something that has helped her in order to help others.
Thank you for this helpful information, Mrs. Dietz. We do not currently have the ability to own a dog, but in the someday when we can, this is very helpful to know. Again, out of curiousity, do you think this might work for a fox?
Do I still use whey or vinegar if I’m not adding rice? Thank you for posting!
Nope! The whey or vinegar are only needed as an acid for soaking the rice. If you’re making a grain-free dog food, you can skip that step!
Hello. I was really inspired by your recipe and have decided to switch to home made food. I looked for cheap cuts of meat to have the butcher grind fresh (and I have an attachment to my Kitchenaid mixer). I found some pork carnitas meat that I bought but after looking at the recipe, I noticed that you do not list pork as a good ground meat. Can you tell me why? Also, Why do you partially cook the meat and organ meat prior to adding the rice and other ingredients? Don’t they steam cook acceptably well in the IP? It’s not like dogs care about a sear on their food!!
I am merely curious about the browning, but the addition of pork meat might be a big deal. Thank you for the recipe and the advice.
Oh, and my pup is about 55 pounds of lab. Any help on the serving size?
Cheers!
Our family just doesn’t consume a lot of pork, Patty. If you want to use ground pork, I’ll leave that to your discretion. I partially cook the meat prior to pressure cooking because the meat requires longer to cook than the veggies. The meat finishes cooking in the time it takes for the veggies to cook through. Sorry, I can’t help on a serving size. We have small dogs (11 and 16 pounds, respectively), so I can only speak to what we feed them — about a scant cup, morning and evening.
My husband would question the use of making dog food in an IP and then using it for our food. There is no difference, right? Since it is all regular food?
Carolyn, I’m sure if you added some salt and seasonings to this, it would be delicious people food! LOL!
Hello, I am so excited to come across this recipe. I have a 50lb dog. I am unsure how much I should feed him if I use your recipe. I feed him twice a day. Would it be one cup 2xs? Or more?
I have no idea, Michelle Stang. My 17-pound dog gets about 3/4 cup twice a day. Does that help?
Dogs should be fed 2-3 percent of their body weight. 3 percent if maintaining weight and 2 percent if trying to reduce weight. You need a scale to weigh food to be accurate.
Is dark meat turkey /chicken OK, or does it need to be white? Thank you!
It doesn’t matter, Kristin. You may check with your vet about your dog’s fat needs to be sure.
HI Lindsey,
Wondering what size instant pot you have? I am doing your recipe and when it just beeped I looked and it never came to pressure? It’s pretty full, could that be why? I’m still getting used to the instant pot so am trying it again, just wondering if the meat will be okay?
I use the 6-quart IP, Sue. I had that happen one time. It was a freak thing and never happened again.
Hhmm, that is what I have, I should have checked it before I set it again…didn’t come to pressure the second time either so I have the bottom of my instant pot scorched and the veggies still cold! I just took the veggies and steamed them chopped a bit and put it all together….The good news…both dogs ate it ? Our one dog has been having seizures and trying to stop them so hoping this helps.
I would try adding a cup of water next time. It sounds like you didn’t have enough liquid to come to pressure.
I will do that, Thank You!!
Hi Lindsey,
I just bought my instapot and I am so excited to make this for my Dog. I have two questions, 1) can you subsitute brown basmati rice for the white? 2) I bought chicken hearts instead of livers by accident. Can I use them?
I use brown rice all the time, works fine.
All the organ meats are good but I would mix the hearts with your basic hamburger and see how it goes.
Hi Marie! Congrats on getting an Instant Pot! You’re going to love it! You can sub brown rice, however you will likely need to increase the water. And you can use chicken hearts. Your dog will love it!
Thank you. I made my first batch and I had the same experience as others where it never came to pressure. I added 1 1/2 additional cups of water and tried again with no luck. Thankfully I had read the other posts on this subject and I just took the vegies out and cooked them on the stove, but I’m a little hesititant to try again. Any suggestions? P.S. my puppy LOVED the dinner!!
That happened to me the last time I made food. What I finally figured out through Google and trial and error is that there wasn’t enough water in there to get pressure (even though I used exactly the same amount as I had previously.) After I added some more water it came to pressure and finally cooked all the way.
I will add more water next time and see why it didn’t come to pressure the first time instead of just doing it over without checking anything…might not have been as scorched!!
I recently tried to make dog food in my instant pot & I couldn’t get it to seal — the float valve stayed down. I only put in half of the recipe & I added about 2 cups of water. Here is the recipe that I used. I tested it after I emptied & cleaned the liner & it is working fine. Any help would be really appreciated. I did make it in my crockpot & our dog loves it. I’m really hoping I can make it in the Instant Pot next time. Thanks!
I don’t know why some have had this issue and others haven’t. Always make sure the seal is clean and fitting properly in the lid. Always make sure you have at least 1 cup of water so the IP can come to pressure. If it seems to be taking an unreasonably long time to come to pressure, you don’t have enough liquid. Stop the cooking, open the pot, and add more water. And sometimes, my pressure valve seems to “stick”. If I lightly tap it, it will come up and my IP will start the cooking cycle. Hope that helps!
Thank you, Lindsey. I’m sorry to repeat a question. I’m usually better at reading the comments that have already been posted to find an answer, but I totally missed it this time. Thanks for being so generous with your time & knowledge.
No worries, Beverly! I wish I had a better answer as to why IPs are coming to pressure for some and not for others with this recipe!
I had trouble having it come to pressure and it was definitely because the pot was too full. I scaled the recipe down (I have the original smaller size not the 8 qt.).
I also have stopped pre-cooking the meat – I just stick it on top and break it up and mix it all together once cooked. I don’t see the point in pre-cooking the meat since it cooks so fast given it is ground. I throw everything in (I had to scale down the recipe to fit in my size IP) with the meat on top and sweet potatoes or butternut squash on the bottom and cook for 6 minutes – then add the flax, blueberries and coconut oil. Works like a charm. Curious if anyone knows why cooking the meat some first is recommended and why 12 whole minutes??
Do you discard garlic? My dog don’t like it.
Dogs shouldn’t eat garlic, unless directed by your vet.
One way I keep the cost down of feeding real food to our dog, is to ask friends and family, especially the hunters for their freezer burned meat. I’ve gotten some good venison from family trying to clean the freezer out, and its too freezer burned for them, but once you cut it up and cook it in a recipe like yours, the dogs all love it! I keep a milkcrate in our freezer of just meat given to our dog and pull out what I need.
I have a question. When you board your dog, what do you do? I suspect you have to keep it fresh. Sending dry kibble is easy, but how do you send the fresh food?
We haven’t boarded our dogs since switching to the homemade food. We actually have never boarded them, come to think of it. Typically, if we leave town, they go with us or we have someone house sit for us. I would look for boarding that was willing to feed the food I provided for my dogs, no matter what form it was in. It doesn’t take any longer for the caretakers to feed homemade vs. kibble. And if they have a refrigerator, it will stay fresh!
Thank you for this post. I love my instant pot and will be trying this!!! My cocker spaniel throws up when he eats the commercial brand foods. So excited to try this!! Thanks again.
Great! I hope it works well for both of you!
Do you warm the food before you feed it to your dog after it has been in the refrigerator?
Nope, we serve it cold.
when do you add the flax seed
After cooking and cooling; however, it is an optional ingredient. Hope that helps!
Have you ever used any fish in this recipe and if so how much etc? And how?
We are on our 3rd batch of this food. I used sweet potatoes in two batches and in the 3rd I used spaghetti squash. We have a 2 year old beagle and she is a bit on the plump side. Thanks so much for this recipe and encouragement.
I too have made your recipe twice in the IP and never coming to pressure. I did add more water with no luck. After reading all the comments and how to properly soak the rice, I am wondering if not soaking the rice enough can cause lack of pressure? I believe I only soaked mine for 3 hours max instead of the 7 to 8 you recommend.
In the process of trying to get it to seal, I feel it’s been cooking apx, 3 hours. I hope that is enough. It’s very hot and is more like a soup with all the added water.
Thank you so much for posting your recipe. My dog loves it even though I haven’t made it right, yet.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts…
Hi Cheryl I have tried many times using different amounts of water but have not had any luck making this recipe come to pressure in my 8 quart instapot. I now saute all the meat and livers, and take out half of the meat and set aside. I put half the rice in with 2 cups of water and then half the veggies. I set it for 12 min manual and It takes about 20 min to come to pressure. It should not cook for more than 12 minutes. When I cook it in two batches it comes out perfectly. I add the coconut oil, flax seed, fruit and crushed egg shells after it has cooled. I freeze it in 4 (weekly portioned) bags. Hope this helps.
I am a veterinarian who works with and was trained by Dr. Pitcairn. I have been home cooking for my pets and teaching my clients to feed fresh, home prepared foods to their furry family for more than 10 years. I love the author’s enthusiasm about feeding fresh food, however I have a couple comments to add to help the readers.
1. This is a very high-meat diet. Meats are high in phosphorus, and thus require additional calcium supplementation to balance out the phosphorus. This can be done by using crushed egg shells (there are many online references that teach this) or by vitamins that provide calcium.
2. Variety is very important to avoid dietary imbalances. Be careful when feeding your dog that you are not feeding the same recipe over and over again. If you do this, a multi vitamin should be given (I like Canine Plus by Vetri Science).
3. For more information I recommend Dr Pitcairn’s latest, 4th edition book Natural Health Care for Dogs and Cats as he has a great deal of updated dietary information, and also Jan Allegretti’s Fresh and Flexible Plan that teaches pet guardians to share their healthy meals with their pets.
Thank you so much for chiming in! This is very useful!
Excellent post! Thank you. I too ended up cooking for our Golden Retriever about 20 years ago because he just refused to eat. I ended up buying Dr. Pitcairn’s book and started cooking for him. Never looked back. Our dog just flourished and lived to be 16 1/2 years. Your suggestion of cooking in the insta-pot is a real time saver.
I found Dr. Melling’s comment very timely since I was unaware that Dr. Pitcairn had updated his book, which makes sense. Back then I used to make a ‘concoction’ which came from Dr. Pitcairn’s book of Bone meal (for the calcium), brewer’s yeast and kelp and added that to the cooked food daily. Now I am surprised to see Brewer’s Yeast as one of the foods not to feed dogs – will have to read up on it…! I eventually discovered that a ready-made supplement supplied the same ingredients as I had been making. They still sell it and it is called Glycoflex. For a while I stopped giving our pup this ‘concoction’ and he started having problems with his hips. As soon as I added back in, he lost the limping and problems with his hips.
I always used brown rice as a base and rotated the protein (ground beef, chicken, salmon, tuna, liver, etc.), frozen vegetables, a spoonful of oil and the scoop of the concoction. I now
would use coconut oil, but sadly don’t have a furry friend any longer. Reason I say this – when I was at the vet when our dog was about 9 or 10 old, a couple came over and asked if he was from a particular breeder because of his head shape and build. I was surprised that they could recognize the line. They asked how old he was and commented that it was amazing he had lived as long as he had since that line had much cancer and most of the dogs died by 6 or 7 years! As I mentioned, ours lived to 16 1/2; thus I really feel that the nutrition aspect had a huge part to do with it.
Thank you for sharing your great experience. I think it will inspire many dog owners to start cooking for their pets. I truly believe that it made our beloved Golden live a longer and healthier life!
I’m a instant pot rookie. how would you cook this with frozen ground turkey and quinoa OR frozen turkey and lentils?
Lindsey- I need help. I have tried this recipe 5 or 6 times and it overheats every single time. I am so frustrated. Can you please help me.
Sorry to hear that, Will! Do you mind telling me what size Instant Pot you’re using? Also, have you tried adding a bit of additional water, like another 1/2 cup? Or reducing the cooking time? Are you using frozen veggies? This never happened to me, so I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m happy to help you find a solution!
Thanks Lindsey.
We have the biggest Instant Pot. Smart version.
I have added LOTS of water. I have even halved the recipe. Always overheats & I end up boiling on stove.
Our doggie loves it but I’m so discouraged!
I’ve tried to make this a couple of times, and I’ve added the 3 cups of water and soaked the rice, I’ve only been soaking it for 2 hours but every time my IP says burn and never gets to pressure. Am I doing something wrong? Thanks!
Hi Adam, I’m not sure what’s going on. Do you mind sharing what size Instant Pot you’re using? And, are you using frozen vegetables?
I have the 8 quart IP-Duo
I make it as follows:
Soak 3 cups of white basmati rice for 2 to 3 hours with 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar.
Strain rice saving 3 cups of apple cider water
Set IP to sauté and brown 3 lbs of 80/20 ground beef. After halfway cooked turn IP OFF.
Add strained uncooked rice, 3 cups of water on top of cooked beef with grease left in and stir,
Put 36 ounces of frozen vegetable (broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix)
Put lid on IP and set to pressure cook for 12 minutes sealed. Approx 7 minutes later IP beeps several times and says burn. Rice is still hard and vegetables are still frozen. Pot never reaches pressure. My 8 qt pot is usually to the 3/4 max line. I’m not sure how you do this with a 6 qt.
Thanks for the response!
Same thing happens to me. Cooking in the IP Duo, it says “burn” every time i have followed these instructions. I have even cooked the meat 1/2 way in a separate pan and then add rice, water and beans to IP and mix (so no meat is sticking to bottom of IP), then veggies on top and it still says burn. not quite sure how to remedy this situation as all the ingredients are in the pot including the 1:1 water to rice and can’t easily remove the ingredients and then cook on stove. So what winds up happening is I have to reset the IP each time and eventually it all cooks but I have to stop and reset 4-5x.
Hi Lindsey,
Would you happen to know just about how many calories are in a cup? Serenity my Lab weighs just about 80lbs and I wanted to make sure that she was getting enough calories.
Thank you
Tracy
Looks like Adam is having the same problems i’m having: burn, burn, burn. This recipe can’t be right. The water/rice ratio is way too low; a normal rice recipe is 2:1, but this is only 1:1.
Lindsey, would you please consider doing what Adam and I are doing and try making this recipe work and tell is what we’re doing wrong?
Wow! Made a version of this recipe today for my overweight chihuahua Bella. She loved it! I’m hoping to have her lose weight and real food is so much healthier. Here’s what I did so please tell me of any suggestions you may have to improve it.
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 pound chicken livers
1 chopped sweet potato
4 cups veggies and fruits including zucchini, carrots, broccoli, spinach, apples, blueberries
2 eggs including shell
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons coconut oil
3 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth
Cooked in Instant Pot for 10 minutes and it had a gravy-ish consistency which she loved. Made about 12 days of food.
That seems like it may be a lot of liver. I have read that you can overdo the liver to the point where it can become toxic. For a small dog, I read no more than 1/2 ounce per day (but I don’t know if that was raw or cooked!). Just something to look into. I have also read that dogs may have a hard time digesting and taking advantage of the flax so I still use it but add sardines. I am also trying to figure out how to get the right amount of phosphorous and calcium so I may add the eggs with shells as you have done! Do you grind your egg shells?
Hi Lindsey,
Before I try making this recipe, can you tell me about how much this 16-cup recipe costs to make?
And I’d like to calculate how many days this recipe will last for my dog, given that dogs eat about 2.5% of their body weight daily. So to calculate, can you tell me how many ounces are in one cup of your completed recipe?
Thanks!
Kimberly
What a GREAT idea. Our dog currently eats grain free so I could do butternut squash or sweet potatoes. BUT…if I do one of those, do I still cook in Instant Pot & for same amount of time?
Can’t wait to try this this week!
Also….our dog is 40 pounds. How much do you think we should feed him?
You should speak to your vet for feeding requirements as every dog is different.
I cooked the sweet potato right in with the meat and veggies for same time and they came out perfect. I chopped it quite small.
Hi Lindsey,
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Before I make it, I’d like to figure the price per oz so I can compare it to the grain-free dry dog food I’m currently feeding my dog. If your recipe is a lot more $/oz, I won’t be able to fit in in my budget, even though I know it would be better for her. Can you or one of your readers tell me the average total cost of this 16-cup recipe? And how many ounces one cup weighs?
Thanks!
Kimberly
I’m not sure how to calculate the cost for you, Kimberly. There are SO many variables, including geographic region, whether the produce is organic or not, whether the meat is grass-fed or not, whether you’re using rice or sweet potatoes, and on and on. Perhaps you could jot down the price of each item in the recipe next time you’re at your store and add up the cost to you before making it?
Lindsey- I have to tell you that this recipe is the best thing since sliced bread! It’s been a week since I started my girl on it and we already see a difference. She eats her food and there is no more begging…at all! She is satisfied. Her energy level is up and her collar is looser. Thank you!
Hi, I’m making the switch to homemade dog food and am happy to find this recipe. My one question is, what about calcium? How would I make sure she’s getting that? Thanks!
I dry eggshells and then grind them and add to food.
Leslie, you should speak to your vet about your pet’s calcium needs. Some say that ground eggshells works as a supplement, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending that to everyone, knowing that every dog’s needs are different based upon so many factors, including breed, age, geographic location, diet, and more.
I love this recipe and have been making it for a while now. I do wonder why mine almost never comes to pressure though. The meat and rice are cooked in the end and the veggies are usually ok, but I just made a new batch and used fresh instead of frozen carrots for the first time. The carrots are rock hard still. Also the meat is always stuck to the bottom. Am I doing anything wrong. I always make sure the meat is only. half way browned.
Hi Lindsey,
Our little Yorkie-poo Tucker just finished his first batch of the original recipe and it was a hit. I’m about to make a new batch. I have several pounds of steak that was cut into strips for fajitas frozen and was thinking of using that in the new batch. I only ever see ground meat mentioned in the recipes. Do you think it will be ok to use the steak as long as it is cut into tiny bite size pieces.?
Hi Lindsey,
I have been feeding my dog this recipe for a month now. She really likes it. Thank you for posting it.
Lindsay- So I never thought I’d be a big enough hipster to make my dogs food but here we are! He has had terribly dry, itchy skin for 3 years and after like 100 different creams, prescriptions, and kibbles I came across your recipe and thought I’d try it. I really can’t thank you enough. It’s been 2 months on this food with half kibble. His back legs had no fur and were always scratched up and flaky. Now the fur has completely filled in! Cooking beef liver is vile… so it’s good that he absolutely loves the food and begs for it like no other food. We’re sold.
Thank you so much!
I have a 85 lb dog…….how much of this recipe should I feed ??
Thanks,Linda
I also would like to know the serving size for an 89lb dog.
Hello.
I left a comment yesterday looking for help and it never posted properly. We need help trying to streamline this recipe.
I need help with this recipe. Is there anyone interested in helping me?
First of all what size instant pot was used?
Second… We kept getting a burn warning message from the instant pot. We tried splitting the mixture into two and using a 2nd instant pot but it kept giving the burn warning. So then we used the slow cook setting for 4 hours. After 4 hours the rice was still hard. So we added water and let it sit for another 4 hours. After that it mostly resembled mush but at least the rice was cooked.
Third… When are we supposed to mix the flaxseed in? The recipe doesn’t say.
Fourth… The recipe doesn’t say how to use the water/apple cider vinegar mixture from the rice after it’s been soaked.
Fifth… How many cups should an 90lb dog eat?
Please help explain where were went wrong. We followed this recipe to a T and would like feedback from people who have successfully made this recipe.
If the poster could email us at the email provided… That would also be appreciated.
Thanks.
Hi John,
I used a 6-quart Instant Pot when I developed this recipe. I’m not sure why you’re getting the burn warning. That’s never happened to me. I probably would’ve tried the same thing as you: split up the recipe or reduce the recipe. I probably wouldn’t have tried the slow cook feature.
Step 14 says “stir everything together”. This is the point when you add the flax seeds.
You don’t use the water/acv mixture in the recipe. That’s for soaking only, which is why it says to drain and measure the amount you catch — so you can add the correct amount of water back.
We cannot say how much you should feed your dogs based on weight, age, or any other factor. We recommend speaking with your vet about the appropriate amount of food to feed your dog.
Thanks for all your questions, and I hope this helps you make a successful homemade dog food!
Hello… thank you for responding.
Fortunately.. we did stir everything together in the end.. so that is good.
Yes…. we did try to separate the mixture and attempt to repeat the process with two Instant Pots but the burn warning came back. We repeatedly tried to avoid the burn warning but it kept happening. We tried to cool down the Instant Pot First… then we tried to add more water… it got to the point where after 30 minutes of not being able to get past the burn warning… we just put it on the slow cook setting. We were faced with the fact that if we didn’t act as soon as possible that we would waste all the food. So in the end.. we elected to use the slow cooker setting.
Well… unfortunately we recycled the water/acv mixture into the pot again. We didn’t know what to do with it because the directions weren’t clear to us. Do you think that it is going to be edible with that? We thought it was diluted enough that it should be ok. I hope there are no negative effects for my boy.
There are things we would do differently… like cooking the veggies separately, cooking the rice in a pot and even searing the meat on the stove top… then combining it all for a short stint in the Instant pot.
Here is my main concern.. I need to be able to cook this stuff twice a month and do it quickly. I cannot dedicate a massive amount of time to doing this.
I havetried this twice and it scorched in the bottom of the pot. It never got to pressure. I added more water this second time and still no luck. I moved it. Pot o the stove and will try to finish it that way.
Yup… same problem I had. I am sorry to hear you had the same difficulty. I feel confident that if we all work together that we can figure out a way to work around this problem. Hang in there Luisa!
Actually the myth that you cant give avocado to your dog has been disproved. Avocado is actually very healthy for your dog
I’ve been feeding variations of this recipe to our 7 month old airedale since we got her at 6 weeks old and she absolutely loves it. Because her breeder was feeding her a puppy chow I introduced the homemade food slowly, amd she had no trouble adapting to it. I now feed her three times a day, and she always lets me know when it’s time to eat. We also live in an area inundated with ticks and fleas, as well as being very hot and humid, but she has neither ticks or fleas, and we use no poisons to prevent them. I did purchase essential oils for tick and flea prevention but rarely use them as they aren’t needed.
This recipe has been wonderful for me. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for this helpful article and recipe! I have 2 questions – if I wanted to substitute sweet potato for the rice, how much would I use? The same amount or more (the rice grows when cooked while the sweet potato doesn’t?)? Also how do you know how much to give them – my dog is 35 pounds. Thank you so much!
I saw an earlier post that said use 3-4 cups sweet potato diced. Add them to the partially browned meat along with a cup or 2 of water. It will make a smaller volume because sweet potatoes shrink up whereas rice expands.
No where does it suggest to drain off the grease after browning the meat and liver. My second batch, which I used sweet potato instead of rice, was awfully greasy since I didn’t drain off the grease. I will definitely drain off the grease in future batches. Any suggestions as to why not?
Can you use quinoa instead of rice if so would you still do the 3 cups of both. Also do you have to soak that in the apple cider vinegar
We recently rescued a beautiful loving red golden retriever with allergies.
I thumped along making dog food until I found your recipe. All I can say is
WOW. Red is allergic to rice so I substituted barley and it worked fine. I had
to add more water because it did not want to come to pressure. I also added
a splash of oil so the barley wouldn’t bubble. I also used two pounds of
ground beef plus one pkg. of chicken hearts. Honestly the pressure cooker
was chocked full. Thanks again. And Red thanks you too.
I figured out how many frozen dog food cup cakes would last for Red and marked it on my calender. Perfect. Today I made my second batch. It took a long time to come to pressure so don’t think you are going to walk out of the house in 20 minutes. So I put the liner/food in the refrigerator over night and will divvy it up tomorrow. I use it as a supplement to his dry food otherwise he will not eat the dry food alone. Red says thank you for the recipe.
I never had any luck with this recipe in the Instant Pot at all. I tried twice and neither batches cooked right. The 2nd batch I threw out.
I resorted to using a small Nesco roaster for the meat, I use the microwave for the veggies and I cook the rice on the stove top in a pot.
I also found that the rice to meat ratio wasn’t good for my dog. I added another cup of rice so that my dog’s stools were firmer and another tablespoon of coconut oil to help mix it altogether in the mixing bowl.
As is… doing it in this manner takes 2 & 1/2 hours to complete. I would still like to find out if there is another method for using the instant pot to speed up the time.. that would be great. So far… doing it this way is not sustainable for me.
I have a friend who is a chef and he said I should brown the meat in the oven on a flat pan and then pulse the meat in a blender after its cooked to break it up. Then I can still cook the veggies in the microwave and the rice on the stove top. He said doing it like this should save me at least an hour.
Reporting back. I finished my first batch of dog food. I decided to brown the meat in my le cruset dutch oven instead of the PC. First I lightly browned the chicken hearts and then pulsed them in the food processor. Anyway I had to use barley instead of rice (allergies) and I did add the vinegar. It would not come to pressure. So I added more water and that did the trick. I forgot to add the coconut oil but that is an easy fix as both dogs will lick it off my fingers. When it cooled I took an ice cream scoup and filled enough silicone cup cake pans for 24 days. I am using the home brew as a chaser for his allergy free dry kibble. He will not eat it
plain. So tomorrow I will pop out the “cup cakes” into
gallon sized plastic bags and freeze. Previously I was doing another PC method that I made up but believe me this is much easier. Yes it is an effort but well worth it to see a red golden retriever with a shinny healthy coat. Considering he was a rescue he has come a long way. The other golden retriever should know that red is getting such delux treatment! lol
Do you travel with your dogs? The only thing holding me back is we like to travel with our dogs and I’m worried about how we would handle that. We have a 70 pound hound, a large beagle and a small beagle. That’s a lot of food! Even if we were prepared with all of the food made and packed ahead of time, I’m not sure we could rely on having fridge space everywhere we go. Additionally, neither of us have large cars so space for a large cooler would be difficult! Any suggestions??
Hello
I am trying to find a balanced diet. This recipe sounds great, but will I need to add any supplements to this besides a calcium supplement? Also, can I use quinoa instead of rice? And Is this a low sodium diet as one of my pups has heart disease. Thanks!!
Bonnie, can you share your recipe or email it to me? Along with Lindsey’s recipe, I need to start doing this. My little cairn terrier is currently being tested for pancreatitis/thyroid issues/etc b/c he’s been getting sick a lot. Thank you sooo much!! Kathy (maxmilomilton at gee male)
Great recipe! How many sweet potatoes do you put in when you are not using rice?
Many Thanks
Are scrambled eggs a good food for dogs to eat daily? Thank you
I love this recipe for my dog.. a 90 lb Dobie. He had an itch problem that I have been trying to cure for several years. 2 weeks on this recipe and the itch was gone!!
I use 3 cups soaked brown rice with 3 lbs lean ground beef with flax, Coconut oil and a little over 4 cups water. No browning .. just mix it up and cook in IP 33 min on manual. I usually cook it at night, turn IP off when it’s done and Leave in the IP overnight. The next morning it’s a good temperature to handle. I dump it in a huge Bowl.. add veggies that I cook separately… add fruit and whatever ever else you want and mix it all up with my hands. Works perfect every time.
When you set the IP on manual, do you select pressure high or low?
Do you cook the meat before mixing with rice? Thanks.
How much should be fed per weight?
Dear Lindsey,
My 15 year old Dachshund, Sadie, would no longer eat dry food or canned food. She ate a couple bites and that’s it. One day, I scoured Pinterest for homemade dog food. I found your recipe that I could make in my pressure cooker. I started it on September 29th and Sadie took to it immediately. She absolutely loves it! She gets so excited when I ask her if she wants breakfast or supper, she jumps up and down!! I’ll have to make a new batch in a few days and I don’t think I’ll change a thing. Thank you for your wonderful recipe!!
Hi! This is probably a stupid question, but I found this page looking for Dog food recipes and something popped up to get a free recipe for sourdough cornbread in the instant pot. — Is that safe to feed the dog? I have an extremely picky eater that doesn’t like most of the things dogs typically love. At the vet a women told me to try feeding her cornbread. Is there a way I can make it healthier for her? Do I make it from the mix or does that contain ingredients that will harm her? Do I leave the sugar out? (My dog is currently down to 2.7lbs. from 4lbs. so I normally limit her sugar/salt intake.) I’m desperate!
So glad your recipe popped up on my search. We have recently brought my Grandma’s miniature poodle into the family and she is an extremely picky eater. She was fed wet food and some dry but she won’t eat it. We have a Jack Russel that eats her food no problem so it is causing a feeding time problem when food is left in one bowl. New pup is also overweight so this will hopefully solve the problem of stinky breath, chubbiness and not wanting to eat, thanks!
Why no Brewer’s Yeast?
I apologize if someone already asked but what do you do about calcium? Do your dogs get raw bones?
I have just purchased an instant pot Ultra series. I followed the receipt as stated, but when I mixed the meat, rice, and water together and set the instant pot on Ultra (manual setting) putting it on pressure/low for 12 minutes, I got an error message BURN and it would not work. When I checked the inner pot, the food burned on the bottom. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can avoid this?
I have a similar issue. Mine doesn’t burn, but the IP doesn’t come up to pressure but the countdown begins anyway. The meat then cooks but the veggies don’t. From what I have read when you saute meat and then go to manual to cook more, you have to deglaze the bottom of the pan. I am considering not sauteing the meat first as I don’t understand why it is really needed it will totally cook in the timeframe of the recipe.
I do not see any calcium in the recipe. Can you tell me what you are using as a calcium source?
Hey Kathy try adding a scoop of nutrivite with you food it’s done wonders for our dogs. Website is nutrivite.com
That’s amazing dog food, i love to try it for my cute dog.
When do I add the flax seed?
I had the same question but I think it makes sense to just add it at the end when you stir in the coconut oil.
I am curious why the meat needs to be browned? Since it is ground it would cook at least as fast as the veggies. My IP won’t come up to pressure (although it counts down) and when I open it the meat is totally cooked and a bit burned on the bottom and the veggies are still raw. So I have to take the meat out and cook the veggies. Appreciate any thoughts!
check out my comment below…I finally settled on a technique that might work for you too. However, I have heard the newer IPs ARE oober sensitive.
Hello! How do you know how much to feed you dog? I have a 65 pound Labradoodle and I’m wanting to switch him over to homemade food.
Thanks!
I have the same question. In one of the comments she said she feeds her dog About a cup twice a day and I think her dog was somewhere around 20 pounds but I don’t remember exactly it was in one of the comments above. I’ve read that a dog needs about 30 calories per pound on average depending on activity level. When I looked up the calories in various dog foods I definitely have not been feeding my dog anywhere near that many calories and she’s not underweight so that confused me. I calculated the calories and protein in the recipe and I use 3 cups of Sweet potato instead of rice and no liver and the vegetables she recommended 32 ounces. And my recipe calculated at 263 cal a cup and I’ve been feeding my dog 2 cups a day. Now I’m worried she’s not getting enough nutrients I’m going to discuss it with the vet.
Hi, My dog Red is a sixty something golden retriever. He gets is taste of
the wild/prey dry dog food and 1/4 cup of the home made
stuff. Just enough to wet his whistle. The recipe makes enough for 3.5
weeks. Of course if you feed more it won’t last that long and
might make him fat. I make it because he has tested for food allergies and
all dog food except the above has something in it that bothers him.
How do we know? When he came to us he had cauliflower ear. The surface of
the inside ear looks like the surface of the cauliflower.
And he would lick his butt. All that is gone now. Hope this helps. M.
I have a huge vat of food that my pup is gong nuts over!! I also could not get it to cook properly either. I will definitely be experimenting to see if I can get it to work! I tried adding additional liquid too, to no avail…it heats up, counts down, but rice and veg are still not cooked (I tried three different times). Between all of us, I am sure we’ll get it figured out!
Is your pressure cooker a ten cup? If it isn’t maybe that is why it won’t
come to pressure. I always pour the water down
the sides and make sure there is enough. My last batch the barley did not
cook so I added some more water and let it rip
for more time. Then it was okay. I mesure it out in to 1/4 measure into
silicone cup cake pans. Temper it down with a
glass juice glass and it makes a compact disk. I do 1/4 cup because that is
all Red needs to wet his appetite for the dry
food. Don’t want a fat golden. funny thing, I can control my dogs weight
but not my own. lol
I think I have finally got it to work! I have a 7 in 1, 8 qt. I kept having issues, so I have settled on this route with success:
Partially cook the ground meat
Stir in the rice, mixing well
Stir in the chopped up veg and whatever dog safe spices you’re using, mix well
I add in 4 cups of water, stirring again to make sure gets distributed throughout the pot.
Cook as directed!
I have the same pot, and keep getting the burn notice. Did you also pre-soak the rice, and then just add in 4 cups of water in addition?
I have had issues with everything not fitting in my 6qt IP, I am going to try it in the 8qt, hoping that will make a difference. I am going to try it with sweet potato this time instead of rice. I will say that one of my dogs has some serious gas from this food 🙂
Got a brand new 8 quart ultra and this was my first recipe. Epic fail as it burned 3 times….super crusty and I had to dump and clean the pot then eventually made soup with 1/3 the ingredients. The rest cooked on the stove. I guess the newer pots are really sensitive to burn but they were indeed burnt. Mixing the liquid didnt put enough between the meat and the pot and if you dont fully deglaze after saute, you are doomed. Gonna have to try a different approach.
check out my comment above…I finally settled on a technique that might work for you too. However, I have heard the newer ones ARE oober sensitive.
Why do dogs need carbohydrates?
I really want to make this but each time I try I get the burn message…any suggestions?
check out my comment above…I finally settled on a technique that might work for you too. However, I have heard the newer ones ARE oober sensitive. I have a 7 in 1 8 qt, 2-3 years old
Lindsey, I don’t see anywhere in your article where a calcium supplement is mentioned. It is extremely important that calcium is supplemented to a home cooked diet. A multivitamin and probiotic supplement is also highly recommended. Folks should always consult with a vet before jumping in and converting to a home-cooked diet.
I have been cooking for my 12 yr old 20lb terrier mix for 4 years now variations of your recipe. She has been doing fabulous.
I asked the same question….look up grinding up egg shells or a calcium supplement.
I LOVE this recipe and have been on this diet for my five-year-old Dobie for about a year now. Previously I fed various grain free kibble which kept him fat and itchy. I thought homemade dog food was too much for me until I found this recipe. THANK YOU!! I started out following the recipe exactly but gradually tweaked it. My Dobie is now a much slimmer, healthy dog with no itch problem!
Here’s my tweaks: (i cook my veggies separately on stove top to avoid an IP overfill that fails to pressure up)
In my 6 qt IP the following:
3 C soaked brown rice
3 lbs lean hamburger
(Sometimes add 1lb liver)
4 C water
1/4 C coconut oil
1/4 C Ground flax seed
I NEVER pre-cook my meat but I do mix it all together to dispense the liquid throughout.
I set my IP for 34 min. (Longer cooking with brown rice)
No burning and it pressures up fine because it’s not overfilled or pre-cooked!
I leave cooked mixture in my IP to cool down. Then dump into large bowl and mix in cooked veggies and raw fruits.
My Dobie is 85 lbs so I buy a 10 lb tube of ground beef from Sam’s and fill 3 IP inner pots and cook alternately. I let all 3 pots cool overnight and next morning they are just right to handle. I dump all in a HUGE bowl, add cooked veggies and fruit. Fill each containers – with one-days portion ( 1/2 am 1/2 pm)
The only thing I still need to verify is: How much of this recipe to feed a moderately active 85 lb adult dog daily???
It seems that it should be measured by WEIGHT of the food rather than by CUPS since there is much more food in a PACKED-DOWN cup of this recipe than a loosely filled cup.
I would much appreciate any help or suggestions from others — especially those with larger breed dogs!
I have thought and thought about this myself. I feed my 68 pound, not very active lab Sheppard mix. I am not sure if this helps but we feed him 2/3 packed cups twice a day. He did need to lose weight, which he had but now seems to be maintaining nicely. He seems happy, content and satisfied. He just saw the vet and she seems to be happy with his current weight.
Thank you, Kimberly! I’m assuming 2/3 cups packed means 2 to 3 cups that you feed twice daily.
My Dobie also needed to lose weight which was impossible on kibble. I think he is just about right weight at the present . I may need to increase the amount a little for maintenance. (And he will love that!)
I’m so happy with this recipe but I’m very versatile with it. When I’m cleaning out my garden or preparing veggies from it I will chop, cook and freeze all the scraps to use later in my dog food. Not much left for my compost pile!
Hi Kay… nope we feed him just 2/3 cups twice a day…not 2-3 cups, he does get a a 1/4 cup cottage cheese, eggs or turkey and a couple of small biscuits in between. He has pancreatitis so his fat intake and meal portion needs to be on the smaller side. With all that said he seems satisfied . He is a bit of a piggy and would eat all day if I let him.
A few people have commented that they receive the ‘Burn’ message on the IP following the instructions here. I, too, experience that, so I no longer brown the meat. I place 1/2 cup coconut oil on the bottom of the pot, frozen veggies, then meat (ground beef, chicken livers, hearts), then I put the rice and water on the very top. I also add in Tumeric which helps with joint stiffness and pain. Once it’s finished cooking, I stir in fresh kale and frozen blueberries. My dogs love the blueberries! Then I pack it into 3-day portions and freeze individually. Love this recipe! Makes enough food for 10 days for my 80lb Chessie and 18lb mini poodle.
This was so helpful, thank you!
Is the Tumeric you use, ground/powdered, from the grocery store spice isle? How much do you use? Please and thank you ??
Hi, I am still having trouble with getting the burn food notifications with this recipe… first time it worked like a charm… for that past 4 weeks I get the burn food indicator and have to start all over! I am not giving up on this recipe, both my dogs were getting so sick on kibble! But need to figure out where What I am going wrong… should I use 6 cups of total water?? Layer differently?? Sorry I must be a slow learner!
Hi Kimberly – I think if you skip browning the ground meat you won’t have the problem. Honestly the ground meat cooks so quickly I don’t at all see the point in browning it. I have a 6 quart and I was having trouble getting to come to pressure so I do 2/3 of the recipe. I also use sweet potato instead of rice. So I put about 4 cups of cubed sweet potato on the bottom, 2 cups of water, then I later 1/2 the meat, then add 1/2 the frozen veggies, then the other 1/2 of the meat then the rest of the veggies. I add the flax, coconut oil and blueberries after it is done. It comes out perfectly now. Don’t lose hope – I was frustrated in the beginning too!
Thank you so much!
This is a great recipe and our dog likes it very much. I am struggling with knowing how much to feed him and wonder if you have a general idea of kcals in this food with and/or without organ meat? Thank you so much. I feel so much better feeding him this than the worthless and expensive kibble.
Hi I had put this into a nutrition calculator (Myfitnesspal) and using 6 cups of chopped sweet potato instead of rice, I came out with 313 calories a cup with 22 grams of protein a cup (when I made the recipe it made 14 cups). This was without the organ meat. They say your dog needs about 25-30 calories per pound of body weight. I now mix it up bit and don’t make it exactly the same way each time. Hope that helps!
Here is what went into that calculation for 14 cups (the broccoli normandy is a frozen mix from BJs Kirkland brand of broccoli, cauliflower, squash and carrots I think!):
3 lb(s), Ground Chicken
6 tbsp (7g), Brown Flax, Ground
1.50 cup (140g), Organic Frozen Blueberries
6 tbsp, Coconut Oil
10 cup (85g), Broccoli Normandy
2 cup (8 fl oz), Water – Municipal
6 cup, cubes, Sweet potato, raw, unprepared
Thank you for this helpful information!
Thanks I appreciate it
hello, how do I do the recipe if I am using sweet potato and not rice?
I add 6 cups of cubed sweet potato (raw).
Oh I should have added that I put the sweet potato on the bottom, then add 2 cups of water then the veggies and ground meat – I don’t brown the meat.
How the heck do you do this and not get ‘burn’? I have tried twice. I figured the first time I browned the meat too much. This time I barely browned it and still ‘burn’ before pressure even built up. So frustrating. And help is appreciated. Thanks!
What size instant pot are you using for this recipe?
I use a 6 quart and had to do 2/3 of the recipe. I tried the full recipe several times and it never gives came to pressure but would start the countdown. I realized after much frustration it was because the pot was just too full. I also n longer bother browning the meat as it cooks just fine without doing that extra step.
Is an instant pot a pressure cooker or a crockpot or something altogether different?
Hi,
I have been using your recipe for a week now and my dog is really enjoying it. My only concern is that she doesn’t see to be digesting the veggies- they seem to come out whole the other end. Would it help her if I blended them? Also, does this recipe give dogs the calcium they need or should I be adding bone meal powder to her food.
Thanks,
Rachel
If that is a bother to you why don’t you just mash (potato masher) after it
is cooked and still soft in the pot and still very soft. I use the recipe
as a supplement to their dry food. And I add a vitamin supplement called NuPro powder to their meal. It is granular and when you add water to the dish it turns into gravy train. They love it. It is not cheap. I buy
the silver container which contains the vitamins for bones and joints. Have been using this stuff for 17 years with various golden retrievers and it has been my mainstay.
Google it and you will see why…………….. Instead of going through
the dance of putting the fresh food in silicone cupcake tins I divide it
into square plastic containers (with lids) and freeze. I use one container at a time and it is always ready to serve.
Next time around I think I will not brown the meat as suggested. I have
been using turkey instead of beef lately. Just remember to use enough water to the IP pot. Because I use barley I have to make sure there is enough water to cook the barley.
I just want to make sure my dog is getting the nutrients she needs from the veggies. I add bone meal powder to the food for calcium since she won’t eat raw bones (she’s weird).I will probably try mashing them, but then I might not be able to tell if she is digesting anything besides the meat and rice.
OMG! I have a terrier/chihuahua mix too! Her name is Pip 🙂
I started making dog food for my two pups a couple years ago and I’m always on the hunt for new recipes. I also like to add the supplement Azestfor to make sure my fur babies are getting everything they need. Thanks so much for sharing, I can’t wait to try it out!
This recipe should be good but your instructions are an epic fail. I was unclear on the amount of water to add back in after the soaking (I even searched the comments prior to making). Can you please explain why you are supposed to drain the soak water and measure if you don’t explain how much is to be added back? Is the 3 cups of fresh water the total amount of water that is added to the recipe after adjusting the soak water? If not, how much of the soak water is supposed to be used? Very unclear and the 6 quart instant pot would not create enough steam to cook anything that was above the rice/meat mixture. The rice came out as a giant blob and I had to soak/scrub the pot once done. Help as this is a good recipe!!!
Are chicken gizzards and hearts ok? also parsley?
Hi, what if I don’t have an insti -pot?
All of these things can easily be cooked on a stove top, then combined. It will just take longer.
I have been a member of Traditional Cooking School for 2 years. I knew Wardee had talked about Homemade Dog Food. I have six dogs I noticed that they had not been eating their current dog. Also now they are getting sick throwing up, no energy, and hair lose. It’s 1:42 am and i have been searching for the website and found it. I am going to give it a try and I hope my dogs do well on it.
I have a 13 year old Shih-Tzu with allergies to all animal proteins. He has been on Royal Canin vegetarian (wet) for almost 3 years. I would like to transition him to a vegan homemade dog food. What would you suggest as an alternative to the animal protein choices in this recipe? I don’t want to give him soy beans which is often used as an alternative. He can eat most veggies and fruits recommended for dogs. Thanks for any help you can give.
One of the good things i like about this recipe is that it can be adjusted. my family has 3 dogs, a toy schnauzer, a Shepherd border colly mix, and a Shepherd Malamute mix, and I’ll tell ya its not cheep to make food for all 3 of them, spending around $80 to $100 a week for all the ingredients just to make the food for them and thats while we’re still transitioning them from the commercial brand to home made. But i use this recipe for a baseline and made adjustments accordingly, hopefully ill find a balance that will get the food to last the week instead of just 5 days, any suggestions???
I am very excited to try this recipe for my Westies! I’m curious though, I hear that when you home cook for your dogs its important to add a supplement to make sure they are getting all the vitamins and minerals that a dog needs. Do you add a supplement to this recipe?
i’m so excited i found this recipe. thank you so much! was considering making dog food for my baby since we already buy a hills prescription diet chicken stew recipe.
Joy at The Joyous Living
Doesn’t look like many people really reply to these comments, so I’m writing this to help others who are thinking about making this recipe. I made this Instant Pot dog food today and I’m mad at myself for not catching a few things beforehand. If you saute meat in the Instant Pot and then don’t deglaze the pot, chances are you’ll get a burn notice. I got my very first burn notice today. The recipe tells me to strain and measure the water that the rice soaked in, but never mentions the measurement again. Was I supposed to add more water? I don’t know. The recipe instructions left me hanging. The amount of food this recipe makes is fabulous, but it’s way too much for my 6 qt. Instant Pot. It’s obvious the person who wrote the recipe is a dog lover and has the best of intentions. Luckily, Barkeeper’s Friend cleaned up the mess that stuck to the bottom of the pot, and the dog food is cooking in my crock-pot as we speak. I’m sure my puppy will love it.
Just to follow up on my previous comment, after I cooked this recipe is when I really began looking into different websites and articles and comments by various people. I kind of put the cart before the horse, thinking what a great dog mom I’ll be, giving my pup nutritious meals, but that wasn’t the case. Here’s what I found. Liver can be toxic for older dogs. I call my dog a pup, but like my kids, she’ll always be my baby. Because I didn’t know if one pound of liver to three pound of ground meat is a toxic ratio, I called my vet who told me liver filters out toxins in the animals it comes from, and that’s what I’m feeding my older dog, whose own liver is not as good at filtering toxins as it was when she was younger, and to stay away from liver. My vet employs a nutritionist for less than the cost of an office visit, who reads my dog’s personal medical chart and develops a homemade diet based on my own dog’s needs. I’m going with that. Safety first. Just my two cents.
I love this recipe! I’ve been feeding this to my 8 year-old pug since the beginning of the year and he seems so much healthier. His coat is so soft and smooth. I’ve been alternating proteins each time I make it and tried using Salmon and it is great! I also love that the recipe includes such healthy add-ins like the raw apple cider vinegar, coconut oil and flax seed.
Just one question though – are there any benefits to using basmati rice? I noticed some people substitute brown rice or sweet potatoes instead?
I love this idea, but would like to use sweet potato instead of rice. How much sweet potato substitutes for the rice, since rice does swell a bit.
Thanks.
Am I misreading that you suggest keeping this food in the fridge for up to 2 weeks? That seems like an awfully long time to refrigerate cooked ground beef. My vet and the USDA recommend 3-4 days.
will this recipe fit in the mini (3 quart)? i’m new to the instant pot way of life. 😉
So I have a question for you. I have off/on made my own dog food. But when I spoke with my old vet they were concerned about my dog getting enough vitamins and minerals as that is added to the dry kibble. So I stopped. I know have two dogs as well, but my older dog doesn’t like to eat. We constantly have to coax her to eat. While my dobbie loves to eat. I still make our own food when either of them get sick and that seems to help. I really want to make our own dog food full time, but as I said the vet raised alarms with me. Did your vet voice any concern with this? I am really concerned about the ingredients in today’s dog food. I find questionable ingredients all the time. Ex. Avocado, cherry. And have now read reports that too many legumes are bad for them but you can’t find a single bag in the store that doesn’t have one or more of those ingredients!
I have made this recipe 3 times now and have gotten “burn” notices each time. I have followed the recipe exactly with the exception of halving the ingredients after the first time because the original amounts are too much for my 6qt IP.
I am also confused about the rice/water ratio, this is what I did:
Soaked 1 1/2 cups Rice in 1 1/2 cups (12oz) water. When I drained it I had 9oz of water left (assuming rice absorbed other 3 oz). I added 1 1/2 cups of rice with 9oz fresh water to the instant pot. Is this correct?
The 3rd time I made it I put the meat and vegis in the basket and the rice and water in the bottom thinking that might make a difference…again I got a burn notice?????
Am I getting the rice/water ratio wrong?
(I am cleaning the browning bits completely off the IP bowl before cooking)
I just made this for our Husky. I have a 6 qt pot so I split into two batches when cooking. I used a total of 3 cups brown rice soaked in 6 cups of water as I read in an earlier post to double water for brown rice. After ~3 hrs it absorbed 1.5 cups of water. When I split for cooking I added ~ 2 cups of water back for each 1.5 cups of rice. Didn’t burn and seamed be cooked when finished. I also cooked each batch the instructed 12 min.
What about Calcium? Don’t dogs need Calcium for their bones? I searched this article and couldn’t find one mention of it. Is Calcium included in some of the foods you listed?
Hello,
I saw you said no brewers yeast. Just curious the reasoning. We had a vet nutritionist make meal plan for our dogs and she recommended adding brewers yeast, calcium carbonate and a multivitamin to our food. Just looking to learn and see why not? Thanks!
Can I substitute ground chia seeds for the flax seeds? Would it be a 1:1 substitution
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’ve been using my Instant Pot for years, but never crossed my mind to make dog food.
Felix is a ShihTzu mix who is somewhere btwn 12- 14 yrs old. He’s always had frequent digestive upsets, and needed many dental extractions within a yr of adopting him. He started on a high quality kibble, but with his tender mouth I started mixing that half and half with wet.
The last couple weeks he barely wants to eat anything so I made this recipe today and he devoured half a cup of it.
So nice to see him excited about food again.
My 6 1/2 lb chihauhau east primarily homemade food. Mostly chicken with peas and carrots, but I’m going to try this receipe. She eats a very small amount of kibble when she thinks she needs a snack. I can put 1 cup(kibble) in her dish, and it will last all week long, She gets her “chef” made dog food in the mornings. My vet says her coat is in great shape. She maintains her weight well. I don’t feel it is expensive, but then again, I don’t buy cheap kibble, Addi eats Blue Mountain
Thank you for sharing your recipe, Lindsey! I would like to add some information for your readers to consider – regarding how long to keep the cooked food in the refrigerator or freezing it, and serving it cold or heated.
According to information published on the Mayo Clinic website (I will share the link for your readers) food ( like leftovers) should be eaten within 3 to 4 days. After that, the risk of food poisoning increases.
If we don’t think we’ll be feeding the food to our dogs within four days, we should freeze it immediately. Food poisoning is caused by harmful germs, such as bacteria in contaminated food, and because bacteria typically does not change the taste, smell or look of food, we can’t tell if food is dangerous to eat. So the food we cook for our pets should be treated the same as our leftovers.
Also, when we’re ready to eat leftovers, we should reheat them on the stove or in a conventional oven or microwave until the internal temperature reaches 165 F (74 C). (Slow cookers aren’t recommended for reheating leftovers since they may not heat foods hot enough to kill bacteria.) Since the Mayo Clinic and health departments recommend using leftovers within a few days to prevent food poisoning, I would not store my dog’s food in the refrigerator for any longer than 4 days after cooking it. Instead, I am going to proportion it out in baggies to freeze and take out servings every couple days that I’ll feed my dogs within a couple days. If it sits for a few days I will heat it to the safe temperature before feeding it to them first. Just wanted to share this to prevent any dogs from getting food poisoning from their cooked food being left in the refrigerator too long before serving.
Thanks again for your recipe! ?
The link to read about leftovers and food poisoning is:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/food-safety/faq-20058500
I’ve used your recipe for a few years now and my dog really likes it and is doing very well on it! I do still feed her kibble also, I measure and all that. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi! Thank you so much for this amazingly easy recipe! Our furry friends loved it so much (we have four) and I swear our oldest even has more pep in his step! We did use a combo of your recipe, plus added a bag of frozen mixed veggies, some celery tops, and chopped cucumber. God bless you, and again, thank you!