Preparing Food for My Dogs

January 16, 2020

Everyone loves a delicious, healthy home-cooked meal - even our pets.

Sharing a home with any pet is a huge responsibility - it requires time, knowledge, and commitment to ensure every animal gets the best possible care. Every few weeks, I set aside some time to make my dogs a good supply of home-cooked food. Preparing my own dog food has many benefits - fewer preservatives and additives, more varied and better ingredients and, of course, more of what I know my dogs will enjoy. I also know the food is from wholesome, organic, reputable sources - and that is very important to me. Recently, I made a giant batch of food filled with excellent quality chicken, quinoa, and lots of nutritious organic vegetables.

Enjoy these photos.

: Here is my gorgeous boy, Emperor Han. He is such a beautiful, sweet, and curious young dog. And, he’s a very good eater. He is watching me prepare his food and hoping something falls his way.

: I have four dogs – my Chow Chows, Emperor Han and Empress Qin, and my French Bulldogs, Bete Noire and Creme Brulee. Having multiple dogs means there’s a lot to prepare. Here is one of several roosters cooking with some added vegetables to the stock.

: The carrots are cooked until they are fork-tender. My dogs love carrots. They are low in calories and high in fiber and vitamins. Occasionally crunching on raw carrots can also be good for their teeth.

: I cut up about four heads of broccoli and boiled them until tender.

: I also used lots of spinach – my dogs love spinach.

: Look at this bowl of bright orange carrots. All my food is completely organic and full of flavor.

: I used about four bags of frozen peas. Green peas are a good source of the B vitamin Thiamin, phosphorous, and potassium. Don’t overcook them – they only take a couple of minutes.

: Sweet potatoes are also great for digestive health because they’re high in dietary fiber. They’re low in fat and contain vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese, and they’re rich in the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene.

: I took out three large stainless steel bowls and began combining the cooked ingredients. Carrots, broccoli, spinach, sweet potato, and a stalk of celery I had leftover. I also cooked quinoa and mixed it in these bowls. Quinoa is an amazing gluten-free superfood with high levels of essential amino acids. It is a high protein grain type food, so give it in small amounts. When preparing homemade diets, be sure it is well-balanced. Research what your pet needs.

: Han is debating whether to eat the carrot now or wait until later. I think Bete Noire is hoping it can be hers.

: After the chicken is cooked and cooled to the touch, it is removed from the bone. The carcasses are set aside to go to the coyotes. Nothing is wasted at my farm.

: The chicken is all shredded by hand.

: Sanu slowly fills the bowl of the processor with the vegetable and quinoa mixture plus a spoonful of chicken.

: And Enma places the protective lid on the processor and pulses small batches of food at a time.

: Here is the food once it is processed – it only takes a few seconds. This step may seem extraneous; however, I have found that my dogs prefer their food ground rather than in big chunks.

: Making my own dog food takes a bit of time to complete, but it is well worth the effort to feed my dogs the best food possible. On this day, I had to leave to go into the city for a day of meetings, so Enma and Sanu finished the process.

: Here, Enma mixes the ground batch thoroughly. It’s very important that dogs also get adequate amounts of calcium, and omega-three fatty acids – add supplements if needed. And, always talk to a veterinarian or canine nutrition expert before changing a dog’s diet.

: These quart-sized containers were pulled from the rack and laid out. I have a knack for knowing how many containers I will need. Here, we laid out about 40-containers.

: Enma scoops the food into the containers making sure not to let any spill over the sides.

: If planning to freeze, only fill up to the first line around the container so it has room to expand.

: Doesn’t this look good? My dogs love their food and always lick their bowls clean.

: Some of the food will be stored in my Winter House kitchen refrigerator, so they are easy to access. The rest will be stored in freezers elsewhere until needed.

: These containers are also marked with the contents and the date it was prepared.

: These are my Martha Stewart Food and Water Bowls. The bowls come with air-tight lids, so they can be transported easily if needed.

: Home prepared diets can also be mixed with kibble. I mix a little kibble with a scoop of their home-prepared food.

: And look at how beautiful their meal is. I always try to vary their home-prepared foods – sometimes beef, sometimes chicken, and sometimes different vegetables.

: It’s dinner time! My dogs eat two meals a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. Splitting meal times is good for their digestion.

: My champion Empress Qin is very happy. Cooking for your dogs is a personal choice, but if you have time, and are interested in giving it a try, I know your pets will love every meal.