I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with a home cooked diet for there dogs? I have been a raw feeder for years & now i'm thinking to make a switch to a home cooked diet. I do have a holistic vet haven't inquired with her yet. Any help/suggestions would be great!!

I did one for a while. I got the recipe from a local vet - her practice is Sun Dog Cat Moon in Charleston. She has a website with a link to her crockpot diet. I liked the diet and got good results, but couldn't keep up with the time and expense of trying to feed four labs homemade food. If you just have one or two dogs it is very doable, though.

I did one for awhile for 4 dogs. Their coat and energy level were terrific. They were so healthy on this.

In a 5 gallon stock pot:
1 gallon water
10 boneless chicken breasts or equal weight venison
2 bags of cut up carrots
1 bag celery cut up
1 dozen eggs
2 bags white rice or 1 bag white and 1 bag brown
6 beef or chicken bullion cubes


Stir and Boil, cut up chicken breasts when cooked.

I froze extra in 1 gal ice-cream pails. Then took out and put in refrigerator the night before it's needed.

The dogs loved it and were so healthy but it is a lot of work. It's easiest if you can do enough once a week.

Thanks for the recipe.

Can I ask how many pounds of rice? How big are the bags you mentioned?
Also, are green beans OK to include?

Thank you! I am hungry now :)

Thanks for all the great ideas!

They like a bay leaf for flavor and a bit of Rosemary or garlic. Get good rice. With all of the talk about lead in the dog food from rice, maybe some grown in the USA.

They love Squash, Celery and Carrots best. There are some books that have the right formulas for feeding a balanced cooked diet and making your own vitamins.

I put it in zip lock bags to store it and freeze. It works especially well for nursing moms who are picky eaters.

The question about the liquid is twice the amount of water to the rice. 1 quart rice+2 quarts water and allow a bit for the veggie water.

Don't forget the calcium! Ground egg shells will do.

The recipe sounds a bit too good to work in our house. I'm certain that my hubby would steal some for HIS dinner and warm it up in the microwave {LOL}. He's always admiring the dog's raw dinners!!!!

I used to cook my own dog food and fed along with adding a calcium supplement and vitamin mix obtained from my vet (for free!). The dogs thrived on it but working full-time shift work, a chronic back problem and the time it took (I would make and freeze about two or three weeks worth/batch, it just became a huge chore. I went back to a high quality kibble, then to raw and now back to kibble (over several years and changes in dogs). My aim is to return to raw as soon as I find a supplier closer to my new home and get a freezer. My boy who was raised on raw is having difficulty adjusting to kibble. He has one gigantic, mushy stool a day and his coat has suffered. I am currently switching him to a high quality grain-free kibble to see if that improves the situation. OK...I digress... back to OP

I used a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in season and frozen during the winter months. I varied between brown rice and oatmeal (really messy!!). I'll see if I can find my recipe book around here somewhere; I still haven't unpacked everything yet.I used to make special meals for them besides such as fresh omelettes.

I love the great input every has posted! :-)

We've been doing a "stew" for our dogs for a few years now, we change the protein out once in a while. We use it as a topper for their kibble, they love it, their coats are really nice, and I know what they're getting. Our grandkids have sampled it, they just add some pepper and salt.

We use close to the same receipe above, but don't do the rice.