Chances are that we will never buy another bag of commercial dog food again! We have tried them all. Well, our fur baby has tried them all. And most of them sit in her bowl all day because she prefers to eat what we are eating. And, frankly, it is easier to feed her what we are eating. Over Aphie’s 17 1/2 years, we have tried Grains-free, Organic, nonGMO. yada yada yada. They have always made up part of her diet. The rest of her diet has been the organic foods that we eat, minus any foods that are not well digested by dogs. In fact, I generally make our free range organic chicken broth onion-free just so that she can saver all those nutritious delicious cooked down carrots and scraps that come from it. Broth day is her favorite day! Yes, she is a little spoiled. She gets away with way too much because she is little and cute.

Of course, every dog is different. Just like every human is different. So what works for your dog may be something very different.

Making crock pot food for our fur baby is actually not laborious. It is kinda fun! And it fills the house with a beautiful aroma. The first time I made this recipe, I had to try it. It was delicious! 🙂 After it is made, it can be refrigerated or frozen in portions for easy meals.

The biggest advantage may be that crock pot doggie meals are so versatile. This is a bonus for two reasons, interest and health.

First bonus, interest. If I had to eat the same foods every single day for every single meal, I would go mad with boredom! Of course, I am a human. Maybe dogs are cool with that. But, honestly, I feel a little bored giving my puppy the same dry food every day. And I really tire of seeing it abandoned in her food dish, just sitting there. hmm

Second bonus, health. If Aphie is showing signs of heat or damp conditions, like an infection of some sort, we can leave grains out. Otherwise, we can add them in for nutrition. Also, each time we make a new batch, we can switch up the ingredients. Butternut squash, broccoli, and turkey may go in one batch. Kale, pumpkin, and chicken may go in the next. We keep the same general ratios, but this allows for more nutritional variety, without confusing her diet.

And Aphie’s verdict? Well, it never sits in the bowl. Not once. Not ever. She loves it. And for a really old dog, she seems to be experiencing pretty great health. This works well for her.

To freeze portions, I use a 1/4 cup scoop, place all my scoops on a cookie sheet lined with freezer paper, and flatten them so they will stack. They get frozen in a single layer, then placed into a freezer container. Because they are frozen in small portions, they thaw fairly quickly. We can just set them out on the counter and let them thaw before each mealtime. Then quickly stir in supplements. Done!

Yes, this is a cat bowl. Aphie has many bowls. This one has cats on it. The bowls get washed after each meal. But we have already established the fact that she is spoiled.

A Homemade Dog Food

Modified from Dr. Ruth’s Original Dog Food from Sun Cat Dog Moon

This recipe works for my little 10 # JRT. Be sure to consult with your own vet regarding nutritional needs for your little fur baby. Maybe a modification of this recipe for work for you.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup kidney beans
• 1 cup diced organic carrots
• 1 – 2 cup diced butternut squash – no need to dice it, it melts in the crock pot
• 1 cup chopped broccoli
• 1/2 teaspoon dried turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/3 teaspoon iodized salt
• one pound abf ground turkey
• 2 T coconut oil
• optional: 1/3 cup grains, such as rice, quinoa, or millet
• supplement: about 700 mg calcium, can be from bone meal

Note: per Dr. Ruth’s instructions, a multivitamin is to be added each day to the cooked food. It does not cook in the crock pot. Consult with your vet concerning vitamin additions.

Not in the recipe, but Aphie does get supplementation of high quality fish oil for Omega 3 when fish is not added to her diet.

Method

Place all ingredients in the crock pot in the order listed. Beans go on the bottom because they need to be down in the water to cook thoroughly. Set the crock pot on low and allow to cook for 8 hours. You really do not need to cut or dice anything, unless it helps with measurements.

If you are adding grains, either cook them separately or add them in during the last 3 hours of your cook time with another cup of water.

Use a potato masher to mash it all up. Easy! Done! Enjoy the aroma!

Again, consult with you vet, but generally dogs are fed twice per day. Amounts are determined by weight. A 10 – 50 lb dog gets 1/2 – 1 cup each feeding. Smaller dogs can have about 1/4 cup per feeding. And larger dogs up to 1 1/2 cups per meal.

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