How to Create Balanced and Nutritious Meals for Pets at Home
You are what you eat… at least that is how the saying goes.
Is that really a thing for our dogs and cats? Turns out yes, it certainly is!
If you happen to feed ‘conventional pet food’ (as even I do), there are things that you can add to your pet’s diet to dramatically improve the quality.
Such as adding a complete supplement with ingredients that support the skin, the joints, the organs, the intestinal tract, and the immune system.
Dr Jones’ ULTIMATE Canine Health Formula
Dr Jones’ ULTIMATE Feline Health Formula
Dr. Jones’ Homemade Diets for Dogs and Cats
Homemade diets for pets often raise concerns about nutritional balance. However, many homemade diets are considered far superior to commercial kibble from a health standpoint, even if they are not perfectly balanced. When incorporating both homemade food and some commercial products like kibble or canned food, achieving 100% balance is less critical. However, if a homemade diet is the sole source of nutrition, ensuring it is nutritionally balanced becomes essential.
Key Points for Homemade Dog Food Diets
Macronutrient Guidelines
For dogs, the diet should generally consist of:
- 1/3 Animal Protein: Choose sources with balanced amino acid profiles such as lean beef, chicken, turkey, and eggs.
- 1/3 Healthy Carbohydrates: Include items like sweet potatoes (providing fiber, protein, vitamins A, C, E, potassium, and B vitamins) and brown rice (offering fiber, protein, calcium, iron, selenium, and B vitamins).
- 1/3 Vegetables
- Fats: Incorporate fats like sunflower oil for its Omega 6:3 ratio and coconut oil.
- Fiber: Ground flax is recommended for its health benefits.
Supplements
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Add supplements like krill, fish, or flax oil. Krill oil is preferred for its nutrient density and EPA/DHA profile.
- Calcium: Necessary since bones are not consumed. Preferred sources are ground eggshell or over-the-counter calcium carbonate.
- Vitamins: Ensure intake of Vitamin D (found in egg yolks and red meat) and Vitamin E (present in krill, sunflower oil, and coconut oil).
- Minerals: Include sources of iron, zinc, copper, iodine, and potassium from various food items.
Example Recipe: Ground Turkey Diet for a 50lb Dog
- Ground Lean Turkey: 1lb, cooked
- Brown Rice: 2 cups, cooked
- Carrots: ½ cup, steamed
- Eggs: 2, cooked and scrambled with turkey
- Sunflower Oil: 1 tablespoon per pound of animal protein
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Krill oil, 500mg per 20 lbs of body weight
- Calcium Supplement: ½ tsp ground eggshell or equivalent calcium tablets
- Multivitamin-Mineral Supplement: 1 tablet or scoop
Key Points for Homemade Cat Food Diets
Macronutrient Guidelines
For cats:
- Animal Protein: Focus on chicken, turkey, and duck with balanced amino acid profiles.
- Fats: Use balanced fats like sunflower oil.
- No Carbohydrates: Cats should not be fed carbohydrates.
Supplements
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Add supplements like krill, fish, or flax oil.
- Calcium: Required since bones are not consumed.
- Vitamins: Include Vitamin D and E.
- Minerals and Taurine: Ensure the addition of iron, zinc, and especially taurine, an essential amino acid for cats.
Example Recipe: Ground Turkey Diet for a 10lb Cat
- Ground Turkey: 1 pound
- Egg: 1 (optional)
- Sunflower Oil: 1 tablespoon
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids: 500mg Krill oil
- Salt: 1/4 tsp each of Morton’s lite and iodinated salt
- Calcium Carbonate: 1000mg or ½ teaspoon ground eggshell
- Multivitamin-Mineral Supplement: 1/4 tablet or scoop
- Taurine: 1/4 tsp or one 500 mg tablet
There’s no need to overly worry about achieving a “nutritionally balanced" diet. Consider how you manage your own diet and apply similar logic to feeding your pets. Most dogs and cats thrive on a varied diet that goes beyond just kibble.
Dr. Jones’ ULTIMATE Canine and Feline Health Formulas are available at up to 37% OFF to help support your pet’s health needs effectively.
The recipe looks great but I have a couple of questions..How much do I feed my 50# dog a day?
I would like to be able to feed my dogs some form of kibble, is there a brand of kibble you would recommend?
Healthy dogs, no food allergies, 2&3 years old. Thank you.
How much should I feed a 20lb puppy? He’s 6 months old.
You can adjust the suggested ingredients to your preference since its a healthy recipe there is no chances for over dosage .
How much per day should I feed my 75 pound lab?
You can modify the ingredients based on your dog’s weight by adding 1/4 portion of each ingredient.
Ground Turkey Diet for Dogs for a 50lb dog
Ground Lean Turkey- 1lb, cooked in pan/pot
Brown Rice – 2 cups of cooked rice
Carrots, ½ cup- steamed
Eggs- cooked, 2, great protein source, and egg yolks rich in Vitamin E, Iodine, scrambled with the Turkey
Sunflower Oil, good omega 6:3 ratio, additional Vitamin E, and great oil for skin health (a natural ceramide), 1 tablespoon (1 tbsp/1lb of animal protein), added after cooking
Omega 3 Fatty Acid, ie Krill at dose of 500mg/20 lbs of body weight
Calcium Supplement – Ground Egg Shell in coffee grinder, ½ tsp (1000mg), can also add Calcium Tablets (ie Tums, 2 tablets are 1000mg)
Adult multivitamin-mineral supplement – 1 tablet, or 1 scoop of Ultimate Canine
Hi Dr. Jones,
Would the cat food recipe be safe for a senior cat that has recently had elevated liver enzymes? We want to get her away from store bought wet food as soon as possible.
Thank you