Change Your Pet's Life - Cheap, Easy Homemade Pet Food Recipe

I used to research about how to make homemade pet food. Instinctively, it seemed like a good idea, but it also seemed like a great deal of trouble and money, too.

It was only when our rescue dog, Abner, got sick from an infection that I decided to make my own nutritious pet food at home. Although Abner was prescribed antibiotics, he wasn’t thriving, and our vet offered little hope for a positive outcome. When I took him outside, he faltered when he walked, and I could see his ribs. I knew his death was imminent.

With a little experimentation, I came up with a super easy and inexpensive homemade pet food (I feed it to our dogs and cat). As a result, Abner now has a small fat roll around his neck and tons of energy. All the animals’ coats are shiny like I’ve never seen before, and they have a lighter step! I am beyond convinced that homemade pet food saved my dog’s life and is extending the lives of all my babies.

So, please enjoy this recipe. May it help your pets live long and happy lives.

CAVEAT: Although I thoroughly researched my recipe so that I include only foods that are safe for both dogs and cats, any time you change your pet’s diet, it’s a good idea to check with your veterinarian.

Homemade Pet Food Recipe & Instructions

Never switch your pet’s diet cold turkey. Introduce small amounts of the homemade food at first, slowly integrating the new diet so as not to cause tummy upset.

All the ingredients for this recipe can be purchased at Walmart and will feed one medium dog for almost two weeks, a cat even longer.

Base Mixture:

□ One 6.9 pound can of white hominy (approximately $3 at Walmart)

□ One 32 ounce container of UNSALTED or LOW SODIUM Beef Broth (less than $2 for store brand at Walmart)

□ 1–2 pounds of protein source [ground beef OR other beef, chicken (I use the leg & thigh big pack from Walmart for $7)]. Best not to use pork and lamb due to high fat content. Never use smoked or seasoned meats of any kind.

Place Base Mixture ingredients into a huge pot. Simmer on medium heat (#5) until meat is cooked through. Spoon out the meat and set on cutting board to cool so you can cut it up into pieces and remove all bones.

Meanwhile, add the following Main Ingredients to the Base Mixture:

□ One 12 or 16 ounce frozen bag peas and carrots or mixed vegetables ($1 for store brand at Walmart)

□ One 12 or 16 ounce frozen bag diced sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or pumpkin ($1 for store brand at Walmart)

□ One 15 ounce can plain organic beans with juice (pinto, lima, or green beans)

□ One-half cup instant brown rice from a box or quick cooking oats (if the mixture is too juicy for you at the end, you can add more rice or oats to soak up the juice to make it thicker)

□ One cup of diced or crushed fruit: frozen, fresh, or canned in its own juice, no added sugar [bananas, strawberries, blueberries, mangos, peaches-apples-pears (no peach pits or apple/pear seeds — poisonous & choking hazard), pineapple (no outer skin — poisonous)].

□ Two tablespoons Chia Seeds

□ Optional: 3/4 cup diced celery

□ Optional: 1/4 cup coconut oil, unrefined or virgin

Now that the meat has cooled, dice it into tiny, pet-sized pieces, making sure that the meat is cooked through. Return the meat pieces to the pot, stir thoroughly, and bring to a simmer once again. Turn off burner and let cool. If I’m in a hurry, I spoon the food into bowls so it will cool off faster.

Serve one-half to one full cup per animal, 2–3 times per day or once at night as a supplement to your regular pet food.

Refrigerate remainder and use within 3–4 days or freeze single portions for ease in feeding. Simply take out of the freezer the amount of food you need for the next day and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. By morning, it should be ready to go.

Further Notes, Tweaks, Comments

Serving Suggestions: My pets enjoy a warm meal when it’s first cooked, but then I feed it to them cold from the refrigerator until the food is gone. They love it either way. Sometimes I might heat it up during winter.

Substitutions: I often substitute fresh ingredients for frozen ingredients if I have them on hand, adding them early during the BASE MIXTURE SIMMER so that they have time to cook well. For example, if I have sweet potatoes that need to be eaten, I will wash them and chop them up (with the skin). I do the same with other fresh items that are about to go bad or leftover veggies, like carrots, peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower — just make certain they have no added spices or other seasonings.

More Substitutions: Brussels Sprouts for the frozen bag of peas and carrots, regular potatoes for Sweet Potatoes (only occasionally since regular potatoes are not as nutritious)

Once per month, I substitute the meat with calves liver and/or chicken livers along with six eggs (shells ground up fine — excellent Calcium). It’s best not to feed liver and eggs to your pets very often. Never feed your pet raw eggs.

On rare occasions, I will add two cans of cooked salmon in water for the protein (crush all the bones — great Calcium — add it with the Main Ingredients since it is already cooked). Don’t do this often because fish can be addictive to cats, and it usually contains some mercury.

NEVER FEED YOUR PETS: Caffeine, Xylitol (artificial sweetener), Yeast Bread Dough, Bread Yeast, Essential Oils, Alcohol, Chocolate, Coffee, Macadamia Nuts, Walnuts, Raw Fish, Salt, MSG, Garlic of any kind (such as garlic powder, etc.), Onions of any kind (such as leeks, chives, onion powder, etc.), Mushrooms, Asparagus, Avocado, Tomatoes, Cherries, Raisins, Grapes, Coconut Flesh, Coconut Water, Rhubarb leaves, Citrus fruits if feeding cats, Pits from any fruit or vegetable, moldy food, rancid meat

Dairy Products can cause stomach upset for both dogs and cats, so try to stay away from them as much as possible.

I personally never feed my pets raw meat, but I know many people who do. Make sure you discuss this with your vet before deciding to feed raw meat to your babies.

And that's all there is to it, folks!

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