How to Make Homemade Dog & Cat Food

Opening a pack or tin of pet food is convenient, but it is not always the healthiest option for your dog or cat. In the wild, dogs and cats eat primarily a raw meat diet with a small amount of vegetation and grains from the stomachs of their prey: their digestive systems are designed for this type of food. If you are unhappy with the quality of ready-made pet food available or would just like to make your own, it requires only a little more effort than opening that tin of ready-made food.

Things You'll Need

  • Meat
  • Food processor
  • Vegetables
  • Cooked brown rice (optional)
  • Bowl
  • Spoon
  • Eggs
  • Oven
  • Plastic containers
  • Marker
  • Refrigerator/freezer
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Instructions

  1. Ready-to-go Packets

    • 1

      Grind the meat in a food processor. Chicken, lamb, fish or beef is fine; pork should be avoided because of its high acidity. Use only one type of meat at a time. Put ground meat into the bowl.

    • 2

      Add vegetables to the processors and chop finely. Combine the vegetables and the ground meat in the bowl. There should be a ratio of about one part vegetables to three parts meat. If you want to add brown rice to the mix, it should be counted in the vegetable portion. Broccoli, carrots, squash and zucchini are all suitable for inclusion; avoid tomatoes, potatoes and other nightshades, like eggplants and peppers.

    • 3

      Crack three or four eggs into the mixture and combine. Bake the eggshells in the oven until they are totally dried out. Grind to a powder in the food processor---this is a homemade calcium supplement. Add the eggshell powder to the meat and vegetable mix and combine.

    • 4

      Spoon the mixture into separate containers, enough for three meals in each. Mark the date and contents on the containers and freeze them. Thaw before giving to your pet. The thawed meals will last for three days in the refrigerator.

    Chunky Meals

    • 5

      Cut your chosen meat into cubes. For larger dogs, 3-inch cubes are fine. For smaller dogs and cats, cut into 1-inch cubes.

    • 6

      Sprinkle some premade eggshell calcium supplement on the meat and serve.

    • 7

      Give cats whole small fish, such as sardines, once a week or once a fortnight if available. Give cats and dogs raw chicken necks if you want to feed them bones---chicken necks contain bones that are easily broken without the risk of lodging in throats; never give cooked bones. Dogs can be given a joint bone or leg bone weekly for a chewing treat.