If your dog is picky about the food he eats or suffers from food allergies, here is a homemade dog food crockpot recipe that helps my dog. Enjoy!
Are you wanting to make your own dog food? This is an easy homemade dog food crockpot recipe.
Just throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and cook for a couple of hours.
The result is a healthy, homemade dog food that your furry family member will love!
My dog has had food allergies FOREVER! I have tried almost every dog food under the sun from expensive to EXPENSIVE.
Finally, I had it and decided to look into making my own. I was shocked how easy it is.
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*Consult your veterinarian in deciding what food to make for your dog. I am not a vet. I have done my own research, and this is what works great for my fur baby.
What do you put in homemade dog food?
These are the ingredients I put in my homemade dog food:
- ground chicken
- kidney beans, carrots
- butternut squash
- peas
- green beans
- white rice
What other foods can you use in homemade dog food?
- You can interchange all the ingredients.
- I buy the meat that is on sale such as hamburger, turkey, and chicken.
- You change out the vegetables from time to time also. I sometime switch out the butternut squash with pumpkin or sweet potato.
- You can add in apples for a variety in flavor.
- Instead of the kidney beans, you can use lentils or pinto beans.
- You can also add in chicken livers. Chicken livers are really good for your dog, but also very rich. You want to add in small amounts.
- The egg shells are also very good for dogs. This adds in calcium. Most dogs won't eat the shells unless they are really broken up or crushed. You can crush the shells in a coffee grinder, food processor, or with a mortar and pestle.
- Salmon, salmon oil, and fish oil also helps with skin allergies and inflammation.
- I use white rice because it is easier on sensitive stomachs than brown rice. You can use brown rice if your dog does not have a sensitive stomach.
Tip: Give your dog supplements!
My vet said this recipe was very well balanced.
However to assure me that my dog was getting all the proper vitamins that my dog might need, he suggested I give my dog VetriScience Canine Multi Pro - Extra Vitamins, Minerals, Essential Fatty Acids, and Probiotics - Important for Homemade and Raw Diets - 60 Soft Bite-Sized Chews
He would suggest this supplement for my dog if he was eating store bought food as well. You can find cheaper supplements if you do some research. This is just the brand we use.
My dog is also older. He is at the age where he needs joint supplements.
He is a picky eater and has snubbed his nose at several different joint supplements that I have tried to offer him.
However, he LOVES Ark Naturals Sea Mobility Joint Rescue Chews, Beef, Increase Flexibility, Mobility and Joint Comfort, Vet Recommended for All Dog Breeds, 500 mg Glucosamine, 9 oz. Bag .
I buy the beef flavor. It is all natural with great ingredients.
He thinks he is eating a treat when I give him his little square chew!
Additional tips:
When I make this homemade crockpot dog food, I portion it out in baggies.
Next, I store the bags of food in the freezer.
I pull a bag of food out the night before to defrost the food for the next morning.
I add a little water to mix in so he slows down eating it.
My dog loves it and will inhale his food. I found adding the water in slows him down just a bit.
I feed him half a bag in the morning and half at night.
My dog, Goliath, loves the dog food! He wakes me up first thing in the morning begging for his food.
The little bugger jumps on my chest, then takes his little paw to hit me in the head to wake up.
He will not let me roll over to ignore him. He wants his breakfast.
Goliath also loves me for making it for him.
I have found him to be more peppy and less itchy. He is seven years old and acting like a new pup.
I won't go back to dry food again!
Not all dogs are created equal. If your dog's stomach seems sensitive to this recipe or really gassy, I would omit the beans.
I also have a homemade Doggy Treat Recipe here.
How much homemade dog food should you feed your dog?
You can calculate how much to feed your dog here. It is a great resource to tell you how many calories your dog needs based on it's size.
The calories in the recipe box are an estimate based on lean chicken.
If you are making your homemade dog food for the first time, introduce the new food a little at a time. You don't want your dog to get sick from a fast transition.
You may want to start off with half of the homemade food and half of the regular food for a couple of days.
Consult your veterinarian on how to do that best.
When you make this homemade dog food, please tell me what you think in the comment section! It would mean the world to me to hear back. My readers will appreciate the information also.
Also post your picture of your dog's food on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
Easy Homemade Dog Food Crockpot Recipe with Ground Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs lean ground chicken
- 1 cup butternut squash I use frozen, precut
- 15 oz can kidney beans drained
- 1 cup peas
- 1 cup green beans
- 1 cup carrots sliced or diced
- 1 ½ cup uncooked rice
- 4 cups of water
Instructions
- Add 3 lbs lean ground chicken, 1 cup chopped butternut squash, 15 oz drained can of kidney beans, 1 cup peas, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup sliced carrots, 1 ½ uncooked white rice, and 4 cups of water to a crock pot.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Christopher
I'm enjoying making my Gracie this home made food. I have been switching things up depending whats on hand but sticking to the core ingredients and she loves it. I have two questions. How many eggshells per batch?...and is corn, canned or otherwise ok as a filler? Thanks.
Katie Crenshaw
Spinach is ok to add in moderation. Spinach contains several vitamins, as well as calcium, iron, fiber, and potassium. An over consumption could cause kidney problems, but you would have to add a large amount. Therefore, if you add some in at a smaller quantity, it would be beneficial.
Frosou Besseling
My 2year old Jackie Russell has a Very Pink Inflamed underside. I've tried every meds.,prescribed by my Vet. I've now decided to try home cooked meals. Want to know whether Spinach will be okay to add to your recipe? Thank you! Can't wait to try my darling Misty on your recipe!
Kimberly Sorenson
Love this recipe, so does our fur baby. Tried the chicken recipe now will change it up with other meats. Thank you.
Katie Crenshaw
Yes, but white rice is better for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
Eileen Frank
Can I substitute brown rice?
Katie Crenshaw
Liz, the recipe is meant to be "soft and mushy."If you want it less mushy, add the vegetables the last 30 minutes.
Liz Loncher
Hi, looking for some constructive feedback. I tried this yesterday, and although the dogs still love it, it turned out super mushy! I substituted all the vegetables with frozen, but other than that I can’t think of what I could have done wrong?
Barbara
My dogs love this! They know when it's cooking in the crock pot. I have also used butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Does smell great!
Katie Crenshaw
Michelle, you do not need to cook it longer. Just make sure to use really lean ground beef. If it is too fatty, it will make them sick.
Michelle
My dogs circle when I’m making their food in the crock pot. It is unbelievable how much they love this recipe! My sweet shepherd lab mix (who has cancer and who is why I changed all of our dogs’ diets), my Siberian husky and my Australian Shepherd all love it. That has never happened. At least one of them always rejects whatever I’ve tried.
Question — when making it with hamburger (or a mixture), do you cook it longer?
Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Tricia P
Great advice on adding supplements, being sure one's dog isn't sensitive to beans or other ingredients, introducing the new food slowly, and many other things! Really thoughtful and informative. Thank you.
Margaret Pearce
My chihuahua is in heaven. Made this today. Gave him some for dinner, when I was portioning it out to freeze for later, he started crying! That is a rave review from one 10 pounder
Stacey
Our dog was pretty picky, but then he got worms from a bad groomer. After that his appetite changed even further and getting him to eat anything was a miracle. I tried this and he LOVES it. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, it's been a lifesaver and I feel great about feeding it to him.
Tammy
Both of my dogs love this recipe. I have made it once a week for a month now and while it's in the crockpot they go crazy waiting for it!
Kathy
I have a 7yo Shihpoo who would breakout with welts and red blotchy rash and itchy skin after eating kibble. I love your recipe! She no longer breaks out and has stopped scratching. I also give her the Vetri-Science multi-vitamins to make sure she’s getting all her nutrients. The best part is she loves it!!
Thank you!
AbnersMom
THANK YOU! I love this recipe and so does my Abner! His skin is healthier, his weight is stable, and he seems to poop less! I love being able to switch out proteins and vegetables so he gets a variety of nutrients. He does get a multivitamin daily and I add in some healthy fats with a fish and an egg meal once per week. I feel SO much better about what he's eating! Thank you for sharing!
Val
I have a 10 year old disabled, rescue pit bull mix. When she started having diarrhea I put her on the chicken and rice diet and it worked like it has in the past but this time everytime i started giving her tiny portions of her regular food, the diarrhea would come back. So, I decided to bite the bullet and start making my own dog food. I am so thankful I did as the improvement in her skin, ears, feet, and skin is amazing. She is happier and more energetic then ever, I will never be able to justify putting any future fur babies on kibble!! I found this crock pot recipe and went right out bought the crockpot and made it that night. My dog used to eat twice a day, kibble and wet dog food, she would have massive amounts of poop, now she eats 3-4 times a day and I may have to clean the yard once or twice a week as there just isn’t anything to clean!. I bought some books on homemade dog food but although the recipes sounded awesome i just do not have the time to make her meals everyday....I don’t even make mine everyday! I just switch out the ingredients and stockpile my freezer, save my egg shells, bought salmon oil and vitamins and we are good to go. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Renee
I wanted to switch my Chihuahua/Shi Tzu mix over to homemade dog food again and she loves this stuff. I went to the store today and picked everything up and cooked it for 4 hours on high and fed it to her for dinner tonight and she ate every last bite. I was shocked! I thought she would pick out just the chicken and rice and leave the vegetables but she ate everything. She’s a picky eater but she enjoyed this tremendously. Thank you.
Charis
Thank you for posting this recipe! I've tried making food for my 2 mini Aussies before, but it often did not agree with them, even though they loved it. This recipe is awesome because its so easy to make, I can put it in portions and freeze it per your suggestions, and it always agrees with their sensitive stomachs!
The comments offered some helpful suggestions too.