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.
You May Need...
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Thanks so much for being a part of Restless Chipotle!
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.
Phat Tran says
Been feeding this receipt for a month now. Is it ok to use ground pork or ground turkey very once in a while instead of ground beef? Seems like my dog is getting tied of ground beef since he's been eating the same thing for a month?
Marye Audet says
Beef is what was recommended to me. nothing low fat.
jamie linville says
How many milligrams of Calcium do you use?
Marye Audet says
Jamie, I am unsure. I measure by the teaspoon.
Shannon says
Hi Marye, Thank you for the recipe. I have been looking for Calcium Carbonate and came across generic Calcium supplements. The #1 ingredient is calcium carbonate and they are 600 milligrams. But there were ALOT of choices when it came to the milligrams. Is it possible to check your bottle of calcium that you crush to see what you are using? Or if you found just plain powdered calcium carbonate, can you tell me where you found it? Thank you
Marye Audet says
I believe I used the 50?
Boh says
Look up making egg shell calcium for dogs (the baked version not the one that uses lemon juice). I've made this using the shells from organic pastured eggs. I grind them up in the coffee bean grinder. I think there is a 2 month expiration. So, keep that in mind when choosing how much to make.
Patrice says
Thank you for this recipe! Unfortunately, I had to put my almost 16-year-old lab, Brandie, down last week. 🙁 I am so sad and heartbroken! She left behind her littermate, Allie, who I just found out has kidney disease. Knowing her symptoms were a lot like Brandie's, I'm pretty sure Brandie probably had kidney disease as well, as they had both lost so much weight. Back in July when they had their senior panels done, nothing had shown up yet on the blood work, but the symptoms were all there. Had I been suggested this diet or a low protein back then by the vet, I certainly would have made it! But unfortunately, nothing was offered to me so I just attributed her weight loss to old age, so I was feeding them salmon, chicken, and brown rice to get them to eat, which they loved! I just started feeding this special diet to Allie on Friday and she loves it (she won't eat the special canned K/D diet I bought from the vet)! But I am a little confused on the quantity. The vet said to feed her based on what she *should* weigh. She's just 38 lbs and has lost 10 lbs since July, so I'm basing it on 48 lbs. So, would I feed her 1.75 lbs? And did I read it right that it is 2X per day, so she's actually eating 3.5 lbs per day? Or do I split the 1.75 lbs up for 2 meals? Seems like a lot, and I don't want to bloat her up. In just a few days, though, I can already tell she is gaining weight.
Marye Audet says
split it up - so half at each feeding. I am so sorry. We did lose cuddles this past fall, too. 🙁
Boh says
I ordered some drops Kidney Support Gold @ petwellbeing.com that have good reviews (the only negative reviews are because the dog was too far gone). I'm hoping they will help my old dog along with a homemade diet.
Brenda says
Do you need the calcium carbonate if it is in the vitamin that you get them.
Marye Audet says
Yes it helps keep the levels good and low.
Phat Tran says
Show my vet this recipe the other day and he said there's no need for bread just add a little extra rice. Your thoughts??
Marye Audet says
go with what your vet says