In times of highly processed foods and escalating food allergies, pet owners are looking for alternative methods of feeding their dogs. There is even a nutrition philosophy assuming that the diet of pets should be as close as possible to their wild ancestors’ diet. Accordingly, a dog’s diet should consist mainly of raw meat and bones. It should contain little carbohydrates and be supplemented with selected nutrients. This diet is commonly referred to as BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food).
Chicken and turkey turn out to be some of the best meat options for dogs, thanks to a lot of animal proteins – you can notice it even in a supermarket, as most dog food is based on either of those two.
As an example, we can mention the Wellness dog food, of which the majority of products have chicken or turkey in the composition. Since that’s not the point of our article, you can read more about Wellness dog food reviews later on.
If you wish to feed your dog with some poultry, remember to remove the skin before you give it to it, as it has many unhealthy lipids and hormones. Since dogs also do not despise eating chicken hearts, little dog food will be thrown away. This means that a meat-based diet will cost you little money while at the same time being very healthy for your dog.
You can choose to serve raw or cooked meat, but if you want to be creative, you have bigger chances of doing so with the latter. When giving your dog a dish you have made, make sure it has plenty of fruits and vegetables – you can also add an extra supplement with vitamins and minerals to ensure that all of its nutritional needs are met.
Below are recipes for both treats that will help you train your dog and healthy dishes.
Chicken Breast With Vegetables
Ingredients:
- Chicken breast
- 3 carrots
- A bag of white or brown rice
- A can of green peas
- 1 apple
Cook fresh chicken breast, carrots, and a bag of rice. If your dog doesn’t like carrots, you can replace it, for example, celery or parsley. Instead of brown rice or white rice, you can cook pasta. We do not recommend groats as dogs most heavily digest them. Optionally, at the end of cooking, you can add some green peas or a piece of diced apple (they become easier to digest when exposed to heat in small pieces).
Take the cooked ingredients out of the pot, and place them on a plate to let them cool down. After they’ve cooled down, cut the carrot, parsley, or other vegetables into slices or cubes, and the meat into pieces of such a size that your pet could easily chew.
Put the food in a bowl with a ratio of 1: 1: 1 – the same amount of rice, meat, and vegetables. Remember not to apply too much; the dog should satisfy its hunger but not overeat.
Rice Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of rice
- 3 glasses of water
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 4 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 2 kg of minced chicken
- 8 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
Pour water into the pot to cook the rice. After cooking, turn off the fire and let the food cool down.
Then combine all vegetables in a large bowl: potatoes, carrots, and celery, as well as eggs and meat. Stir with a spoon or by hand. Add oil, rice, and oatmeal. Mix well and put everything in muffin forms.
When you are done, put it into a preheated to 200 degrees oven, and bake for 45 minutes.
Self Made Chicken Liver Cookies
Ingredients:
- 3 large pieces of chicken liver
- Parsley
- 1 tablespoon of linseed oil
- 1 egg
- 1,5 cups of flour
Put the liver and chopped parsley in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of linseed oil and use a hand blender to combine the ingredients. Add one egg and flour to make the dough. Mix the ingredients with a whisk and place the dough on a baking tray. Spread it 1 cm thick.
Now put the tray in the oven at 160 degrees. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes. After taking it out of the oven, cut the dough into small pieces. It is best if these dog treats are eaten within 5 days. If you baked too much – you can freeze them.
Conclusion
If you prepare food for your dog yourself, you can be sure that your pup is getting all the best. You have the chance to get fresh ingredients, low-fat meat, and plenty of healthy vegetables.
If you don’t use what you have cooked at once and have some dog food leftover, you can put it in a closed container and put it in the refrigerator to serve during the following days. Remember that after taking the dog food out of the refrigerator, you will have to leave it aside for about 30 minutes before a meal so that it warms up to room temperature. It’s best not to feed your dog with a cold dish.
So, as you can see, becoming a dog chef is very simple. Roll up your sleeves, prepare the best ingredients for your chicken meal, and cook for your dog. Let the pup try – together, you will definitely create your own set of delicious and high-quality dishes!
Joseph Hudson has been raising chickens for over 15 years. In 2018, he completed the Agriculture & Natural Resources program at Mt. San Antonio College. He currently raises over 1400 chickens on his 7.5-hectare farm. He keeps sharing his experience on raising healthy and happy chickens on Chicken Scratch The Foundry.