My dog Cricket is a picky eater. Cricket would win the award for finickiest dog, if there was a contest! She is the equivalent to the child that only with eat chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese, except her taste leans toward steak, and fresh grilled chicken! I’ll pour her a bowl of high quality kibble and mix in some meat and she will gingerly pick around each and every kibble to get the good stuff! If she happens to get a singular kibble in a particular bite she will expel it quickly like she just tated the most disgusting thing in her life!
Her picky taste in foods isn’t the reason I started making her homemade dog food- it is for health reasons primarily (and she does enjoy it!). The average canine kibble is made with fillers and byproducts (although there are many brands now that avoid these) and other ingredients that just aren’t the best for producing optimal health for your hooch. I want my dog to live as long as possible and have a healthy vibrant life, so making a well balanced, whole-foods dog chow is a great way to ensure I know she is eating well. (I do supplement the homemade dog chow with a high quality kibble, mixed-actually mushed-in well to make sure she is getting all her vitamin and minerals, as they are fortified with the all necessary nutrients.)
I make a few different varieties of dog chow, and I do think it’s good to change up the ingredients and use different proteins from time to time. This recipe is a basic chicken and brown rice recipe. You can throw all the ingredients into a crockpot and cook it on low for a few hours, just make sure there is enough water. I make mine on the stovetop in a large saucepan, and that works just fine as well.
I would love to hear about your furry family members and get their feedback on this homemade dog chow, so comment below!
Cricket's Favorite Dog Chow
Healthy homemade dog chow
- 2-3 cups of low sodium chicken broth or water (start with 2 cups and as more as needed)
- 1 cup brown rice or cauliflower pulsed in a food processor (Grain-Free)
- 3-4 chicken breasts (you can use other cuts, just be careful not to include bones, skin and fat is actually good!)
- 1/2 cup carrot (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup broccoli (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup kale or spinach (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup sweet potato (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons fish oil (or 1 can of sardines- omega's!, coconut oil or olive oil)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Place 2 cups water/broth, rice and chicken into your pan or crockpot and set on a low temperature.
- Allow to cook until rice is almost fully cooked and chicken shreds easily, mix well.
- Add more liquid if needed as you go, just give the mixture a stir every few minutes.
- Add the carrots and sweet potato and cook another 5 minutes until the veggies are fork tender.
- Then add broccoli and finally the kale/spinach, and cook until they are bright green.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Mix in the oil and apple cider vinegar.
