Homemade dog food recipes for senior dogs and those with medical issues aren't as difficult to make as I thought they would be. If you use my tips it doesn't even take that much time! Just a note - I am not a vet. This recipe was given to me by my vet to feed to my dog that has kidney failure. It is meant to be low protein. You should not feed this (or any new food) to your dog without talking to your vet first.
If you are following the Restless Chipotle Facebook page you already know that we had a serious issue with Cuddles, our pit bull (yes... Cuddles. If you have a pit you understand why that name, I'm sure).
We aren't sure how it happened but he got a bacterial infection and his kidneys began to shut down. He spent a week in doggie ICU -- refusing to eat.
When he got home he refused the special low-protein dog food and he just got thinner and thinner. It was time for some homemade dog food recipes!
I finally started making a dog food gruel that he would eat and he began to make a comeback.
It was a long, hard road! When I took him in for his check up and talked to the vet she gave me a recipe that she approved of. You see, although we have always fed our dogs premium dog food the protein was way too high for Cuddles now.
My vet explained that even our older dogs who were healthy should have less protein than before. She said dog food recipes for Cuddles had to be under 20 grams of protein but under 10 was better.
This recipe has 6.9% protein and Cuddles loves it. In fact, our older dog does, too. He is playing and jumping around like a puppy.
The other two (yes, we have four -- 2 yorkies that moved in when my husband and I got married and my old dog which is a long haired chihuaha mix-up, and then Cuddles) like the food as well so I mix it in with their dog food.
Cuddles is a rescue dog - both of my dogs are.
We found him under our porch one day. When my son coaxed him out we saw that his chest and shoulders were basically shredded. He had been used as a bait dog -- thrown in with pit bulls being trained to fight.
I am horrified to say that there is a lot of that in my area. Anyway, my son had been wanting a pit bull and praying for one -- who am I to argue with God?
We found him on a Saturday so of course there were no vets open. I wasn't sure if he wasn't going to need his leg amputated it was so bad.
Shreds of flesh and muscle infested with maggots. I had my husband and son hold him so I could clean the wounds with cotton swabs and a copious amount of peroxide.
I was nervous because here I was digging into this dog's wounds and he was a big dog with big teeth -- even if he was skinny.
That dog never even snapped at me. He looked it me with those big eyes and pushed at my hand with his nose. That was all. I
cleaned those wounds a couple times a day all weekend long and then to my vet.They kept him overnight, put him out, scrubbed a couple of pounds of mud and dried blood off of him, then fixed him up.
Tip
When you make homemade dog food recipes for senior dogs, and those with kidney failure, it's important to use the fattiest, cheapest ground beef you can find. You want more fat and less protein.
Totally the opposite of what I do when I'm making meatballs for us, for example.
I get a big chub pack and cook all of it up at once with the eggs that go in the recipe. Then I divide in in portions and freeze it. When I need another batch of food I thaw it and add the rest of the ingredients. So easy!
The recipe calls for boiled eggs but I crack raw eggs into the nearly cooked ground beef and then cover the pan until everything is cooked and the yolks are cooked through. Then I chop them into the ground beef.
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It's very important that you use a kitchen scale to make this and to serve it. It must be done by weight.
This is similar to the kitchen scale I use and it works really well.
Escali Glass Digital Kitchen Scale is thin and accurate plus easy to clean. Just remember to put your dogs bowl on the scale and zero the scale out before measuring in the food.
Measure everything very accurately and be sure not to make any substitutions or changes. The food should be refrigerated in an airtight container and eaten within three or four days.
Also - get a good canine multivitamin like (another affiliate link) Pet MD Multivitamin plus Minerals. This is extremely important because your food will not be enriched like the commercial foods are.
Update
I am sad to update this to say that Cuddles succumbed to his kidney disease but he lasted longer than the vet thought he would. His kidneys were just very weak.
We miss him terribly but within a few months two more pitties were at our kitchen door, starved and abused. We just couldn't resist Toby and Bisous.
Homemade Dog Food Recipes for Senior Dogs
Print Rate RecipeIngredients
- ¼ pound ground beef, (do not use lean)
- 2 cups cooked white rice, (no salt)
- 1 hard cooked egg, , peeled and chopped
- 3 slices white bread, , crumbled
- 1 teaspoon calcium carbonate, (blend a bottle of calcium carbonate in the blender until it's a powder then keep in a resealable plastic bag)
Instructions
- Cook the beef until it is cooked through.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix it well.
- Feed twice a day.
- Be sure to give your dog a vitamin supplement.
Notes
5 pounds feed ¼ pound
10 pounds feed ½ pound
20 pounds feed 1 pound
40 pounds feed 1 ½ pounds
60 pounds feed 2 pounds
80 pounds feed 2 ½ pounds
100 pounds feed 3 pounds
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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Heather says
Thank you for your story and for the recipe. I have 2 dogs and 1 of them has kidney issues and wears a diaper and has since he was 7 months old and he he just turned 9 yrs old thankfully! I take very good care of him but each day I find little things that seems to start to go south. My vet pays for his food since it was their mistake on why he is the way he is and he eat Science Diet K/D and has for all 8 yrs that he has been like this but I am seriously considering switching him to this diet since the K/D has 21 grams of protein in it. My other dog (both labs) has allergies, skin issues and anxiety and I now he wont eat his kibble for what ever reason so I have been making him brown rice, sweet potato, peas & either chicken or salmon for dinner and I have used ground beef but I always bought lean. I also cook him a fried egg in bacon grease because I felt like he was loosing so much weight and I thought the food I was feeding him didnt have enough fat in it for him. Plus I thought the fried egg would help his coat too. But after seeing your post I think I may switch him to this recipe but add in the veggies. i am going to make him some kale chips today because it is high in vit k and he had a bought of anemia in the past and vit k is good for that. Yes I know I have doggie issues but I wouldnt want them any other way. I love them with issues just as much as I would if they didnt have issues. Thank you so much for saving Cuddles and being such a great furbaby mom we need more moms like you and myself!! Thanks again for the recipe!
Shawn Blair says
You don't use any vegetables?
Marye Audet says
The recipe my vet gave me does not call for vegetables. I have since begun adding a few peas or green beans chopped up.
Ellen says
I don't understand. My dog is 60 pounds. Is this saying I need to give her 2 pounds of this food a day?
Marye Audet says
Yes.
rebecca says
thanks for the information. I am in a similar situation- as my Madeline somehow got a bacterial infection as well and is now kidney issues. I am going to discuss your recipe with my vet tomorrow, but I wanted to see how Cuddles is doing on the diet...
Thanks for being a great dog mom- we need more people like you in the world:)
Marye Audet says
Cuddles is doing great. He got sick in October and I started him on the homemade food when he came home from the vet (a week on IV meds) around the first of November. I took him back for a check up around the first of may and the vet was amazed at his bloodwork... she said he was as low as was possible with his issues! She was very happy.. and he is still doing well.
Sidney says
Hello, I just came across your Homemade Dog Food Recipe for Senior Dogs. I loved this article for many reasons. Your story about finding Cuddles under your porch and helping him to recover from his wounds is so heart warming! I completely understand why you named him Cuddles. I have 2 pitbulls of my own (both rescues) and they are the typical cuddle-bugs 🙂 I also now have a 3rd dog which I found on the streets in a very bad part of Los Angeles. I've named him Toby and he is some kind of American Bulldog mix. Toby is elderly and his blood work is not good. His kidneys are not good, he had a bladder infection, worms, he is also vision impaired, and of course he was completely emaciated when I found him. I have been doing my best to treat him with the limited funds that I have and I decided to feed him only homemade meals. So I have been doing my research and trying to find more recipes that will suit his needs. Your article was very helpful! I am considering to feed my other dogs homemade food as well and I'm trying to figure out the best recipes for them and the best way to store their food. I want to thank you for the recipe and also for having the heart to bring Cuddles into your home.
Thank you!
- Sidney