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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Michelle says
Can coconut oil be added?
Marye Audet says
Please check with your vet about that. I really don't know. 🙂
Deb says
So thankful to have found your recipe! I have 2 dogs - 1 lab, 1 golden who both have kidney failure and don't like KD!! Tried mixing the dry kd with canned kd and a little unsalted beef broth - no thanks!! Just made this, mixed half their daily ration with 1/2 their kd, gobbled it up!!! Guess I am making dinner for the family and dinner for the dogs now!! Any ideas on how to big batch for the week?? And is ground pork ok to use with? We have grass fed beef and local farm raised pork in the freezer.
Marye Audet says
I used to use 5 pounds of beef and multiply everything accordingly. Then I'd package the beef/egg mixture in 1 pound bags and freeze it. When I needed food I'd make enough rice for the 1 pound bag (8 cups?) and add the bread for the 1 pound bag and keep it in the refrigerator. It will last a week just fine. I don't know if this makes sense.
Diane Fusco says
I know all these comments are from last year but my pom has stage 3 kidney diease and was looking for something for her to eat .she won't eat can or dry kidney food . I have everything in my house except the calcium. can i make it without for her till I buy it ( snowed in right now ;(
Marye Audet says
Yes Diane, you can do that. Don't let it go too long though.
E says
Hi Diane,
I too have a 9 year old Pomeranian with only 25% Kidney function.
The vet gave him only a short live span after he was diagnosed.
It's now 5 years last November.
I have some recipes you can try.
All have been researched for years by me.
I have to go now. Have appointment.
If you want some help just let me know.
I have a lot to tell you and if your not really interested I don't want to go into all the detail.
Hope your sweet Pom is still with you.
Boh says
I'm interested!
Just found out my 16 year old dog's kidney numbers are through the roof..
Marye Audet says
Oh no! I am so sorry!
Debbie says
Hi E, my name is Debbie and I have a yorkie she is going to be 11 years old this March 25, 2016. I love her dearly and I am very interested in what you have to say, I want her ( Lacey ) to live as long as she can. She has been with my family since she was 3 months old . I am suppose to put her on a low Renil diet. She is a very picky eater, I need as much information you can give. Our hearts are breaking.
Marye Audet says
I am so sorry. I don't know much as I am not a vet. This is a recipe that my vet gave me
sherrie rietz says
I'm very interested in your recipes!. I had fed my dogs homemade food for years then got busy and switched to quality dry food. My 10 year old German Shepherd now has kidney issues. I appreciate any help you can give me.
Sherrie
Marye Audet says
Hi Sherrie, other than sharing this recipe given to my by my vet I can't really help. I am not a vet. :/ It's best to discuss your concerns with your vet.
haley says
Hi E. My lab was just diagnosed a few days ago. We're having a hard time getting him to eat or drink anything. Could you send me a message with some tips? Thank you, haleykallinen@gmail.com.
Gigi says
Hi E
I have an eight yr old shih Tzu with liver issues . vet prescribed low protein diet. It does not seem to be helping much (prescription kibble). I would be so grateful if you could email recipes and any info. E-mail: gigiawalker@gmail
Thank you so much
Bonnie McCall says
Can you send me your recipes? I have a 15 year old yorkie and my vet is just pushing the canned food which he doesn't like
Marye Audet says
Bonnie this is the only recipe I have. I'd suggest talking to your vet or another vet about more recipes. 🙂
Beth says
Our Cody is a Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix and is a diabetic. We just found out his BUN and creatinine levels are high. He has had a rough time recently. His glucose levels were going from extremely high to bottoming out which caused a seizure. Turns out he had tumors in his spleen and liver. He had surgery to remove his spleen, but they couldn't remove the one in the liver. We are thanking God that the one in the spleen was benign. After a 3 week vet stay he got to come home, but we have to go back 3 times a week for glucose, BUN and creatinine level checks. He is refusing to eat any of the kidney dog food our vet has tried. We have been feeding him bread and green beans. (The vet said he could have the bread and green beans but needed more) He also stated there was a homemade kidney diet online. I came across this recipe and do have a couple of questions. If we cook one pound of ground beef do we increase the ingredients by 4?
1 lb. ground beef
8 cups cooked rice
4 eggs
12 pieces of white bread
4 teaspoons of calcium carbonate (I ordered the powder online)
is this correct? If we cannot get him to eat to bring his levels down he will continue to have IV fluids every Monday and Friday. We don't want him to suffer through it, but will do what we have to. Cody is losing weight and we are desperate for a food he will eat. We would also feed this to our 18 year old cocker spaniel, Jack. Thank you for posting your story and this recipe. We are hoping this will literally be a life saver!
Marye Audet says
Yep! That's right. 🙂 Please let me know how it goes.
Phat Tran says
Read in a comment below that said its not reccommend that you use egg yolks. So is it ok to use 2 eggs instead of one but just the egg whites only? Throw away the egg yolk? Thank you in advance.
Marye Audet says
I would not throw away the egg yolk.
Denise says
Egg yolk is high in phosphorus...for kidney failure, it should not be used....definitely want to discard the yolk
Marye Audet says
Denise - I am just posting the recipe my vet gave me. I always suggest people check with their vets before feeding their dogs this recipe.