Homemade Dog Food - For the health and love of your dog

Here on my little farm there is a lot of work to do.  I do all the animal care and fix it jobs . There is always something that needs my attention. Cooking for my 5 dogs was not high on my list of priorities.  I bake them little doggie treats on occasion but thats about it. Then my sweet huge 7 year old lab Charlie became diabetic . He was 115 lbs and the vet let me know his weight was compounding his health issues.

It was a wake up call , many of my spoiled critters are chubby. I'm a retired nurse I should no better. I had to pay better attention to their health.  I was giving them too many treats trying to make them happy. I knew Diabetes can quickly ravage a body. My mom at 56 just 15 years after a diabetes diagnosis passed away suddenly from the disease.  I have no intention of letting this disease do unnecessary harm to my pal.

Charlie refused diabetic food,  I ordered several brands to no avail. It must taste terrible because Charlie loves to eat. He once ate a dish cloth that I used to wipe up gravy. He was used to eating when he wanted. I didn't give him people food but I gave him plenty of dog food and treats. He never went hungry. I realized if I was going to get him in better shape he would have to love the food and be satisfied.

I started investigating dog diets. I was impressed with a variety of blogs claiming to reduce insulin dependence by cooking for their dogs.  I followed one womans recipe taking Charlie's blood sugar several times a day. I wrote everything down and I was able to eliminate/substitute things that spiked his sugar levels. Once Charlie was stable and lost 8 lbs I consulted with my vet to make sure this was a safe long term diet. My vet thought it was ok to put all of my dogs on Charlies *diet.

Hooray in just 3 months Charlie is an almost svelte 100 lbs


He's still losing weight,  even in the bitter  cold winter ,when our activity level is lower. My other chubby guys have also lost weight.  Charlie's diabetes is severe , he had blood sugar of 500 and couldn't walk because of neuropathy. It came on quickly,  I was heartbroken,  thinking we were going to have to put him down. Luckily, diet ,exercise ,insulin and supplements have worked miracles. He wrestles with his dog brothers , climbs stairs and wags his tail all the time especially at dinner.  He was on pain meds and a variety of other meds to help with his weak legs. I have been able to wean him off everything but insulin.

Here is what I feed my dogs now. I make huge batches and freeze it.They love their food even my picky yorkie. * Please note this is what I feed my dogs I am not a vet. Consult your vet before changing your dogs diet. 


30% carbs
30%protein
30% veggies


2 cups brown rice or other complex carb like barley
2 cups protein I use chicken or salmon
2 cups mixed veggies. I take out carrots and peas from Charles dish but everyone else gets them.
Optional 1 cup low fat dog food. - Per my vet you can give them an adult multi vitamins and skip the dog food .
Optional Fish Oil
Optional garbonzo beans I add them on and off about 1/2 a can of low sodium beans , Kelp when I have it and sweet potato for all the dogs except Charlie.

I like to cook the rice in the microwave because its easy
3 cups water 1 1/2 cups rice cook on high for 24 minutes it comes out perfectly. I used brown rice you may have to adjust cooking times and water for your particular brand of rice.
While rice is cooking bake chicken or fish
In a shallow baking dish place breasts or fillets
Pour on 1/3 cup  low sodium chicken broth and bake the chicken breasts for 45 minutes or the fish for 25.  optional use 2 tablespoons of low fat parmesan for flavor.( my dogs are picky )
Microwave or boil vegetables per package directions until they are soft . I always add extra spinach.

I use fresh and frozen vegetables depending on the time of year. Never corn it's fattening and raises blood sugar in diabetic dogs. It's not good for healthy dogs either.

Cut chicken, fish and veggies into small pieces mix with rice add a little more chicken broth if too dry I add 3 pumps of fish oil for every 6 cups. I use Dermaquin plus . There are lots of different doggy fish oils on the market. I get mine free when I order Cosequin from www.valleyvetsupply.com I will probably change to salmon oil when the free with purchase runs out.   Stir everything together divide into meal size packages and freeze. I microwave for 4 minutes to defrost before feeding. My large dogs eat 6 cups a day . My tiny dogs eat differing amounts depending on weight.

For healthy treats I hardboil eggs and cut the whites into strips. I put them in a ziplock in the fridge for quick access.  The dogs all love them. I used to give all sorts of bad packaged treats . They also get Cosequin chews everyday for their joints. I give the yolks to my chickens and peacock or add tiny bits for taste to the dog food. It's been 3 months Charlie is doing really well. My other dogs are enjoying their food , everyones coat is shiner and they have more energy .Jimi my 13 year old chihuahua can jump on the couch. He hasn't been able to get up there in years.  I am thrilled they all look healthy and happy. It's worth the effort and with sensible buying It costs me less than their dry dog food.
Do you feed your dog homemade food? Do you use supplements? I would love to hear from other pet owners about their dog food choices.

Surviving Winter

 The cold weather brings on all sorts of challenges for a 120 year old house and barn. I go into full pioneer mode.  It takes lots of energy to keep everyone safe warm and happy.  This year I insulated the drafty barn using  layers of cardboard a  tip I found on Pinterest. The beautiful old drafty windows in my house get covered with shrink wrap plastic. Then layered with heavy curtains. I put as many rugs out as possible on my frigid wood floors. My doors all have their own set of winter draperies to hold out drafts.  My tiny dogs need sweaters even in the house. It's too cold to get water from outside.  I have to haul buckets to the basement to be rinsed and filled. Snow has to be shoveled to create walking spaces for the animals.  It's a hard back breaking season. We manage to survive it every year. this year I am taking the bull by the horns and working to make things easier.

I am looking into alternate sources of heat for the house and barn. I am particularly interested in wood burning stoves since I always have lots of wood from broken tree branches in my yard. This winter has just started but we have already consumed 500 gallons of oil. The environmentalist in me is mortified. I keep the house temperature low, even so frigid temperatures make it necessary to run the heater all night. 

I am diligently exploring all sorts of environmentally conscious options. So far it looks like solar power can only be a supplemental source. It's cost is prohibitive and my township has rules about visible panels. Adding either wood or propane stoves seems like a great option. I am investigating off the grid sites to gain enough knowledge to make this decision.  I am hoping to get something installed before a big snowstorm hits.

Some of these photos are from past winters. I thought you might enjoy seeing the critters exploring the snow.

If you have any good advice about my energy decision. I would love to hear from you. How do you survive frigid temperatures with animals?