Homemade Healthy Dog Food Recipe

Making some homemade healthy dog food so my dogs can live forever.

I am a clinical nutritionist for humans, but my biggest passion is the health of my dogs, so I try to use all my knowledge so I can support my bulldogs’ health and keep them around as long as possible (my sanity relies on them being alive).

Now that we have another foster in the house, it does increase the food bill a bit, so I am trying to find ways to make quick, healthy, affordable food as possible.

This whole meal cost me about $45 to make and only about 30-ish minutes. This will make enough food to feed 3 dogs for about 4 days, which makes each serve to be about $1.80. Now, this is still a big chunk of money each week; we prioritise our dogs’ nutrition and make sacrifices in other parts of our lives to afford it.

I use frozen veggies because they are more affordable and often are more nutrient-dense due to them being snap frozen, helping to retain more nutrients.

I also use quinoa to bulk it out and give them a bit of fibre.

We also feed our dogs raw BARF patties and alternate between the cooked and the raw, so they aren’t missing out.

And let me tell you, they absolutely love it, and even Dolly, our rescue, who we don’t think had ever had a vegetable before, loves it (she did eat around a lot of the broccoli when we first got her, but is now used to it).

This is my quick, easy and lazy homemade dog food recipe, so we use mostly frozen veg. You can use fresh if you like.

Ingredients

• 1 kg regular beef mince (you can use whatever mince suits your dog)

• 2 × 1 kg bags mixed chopped frozen vegetables (I used Woolworths Essentials brand). I like this one because the veg are diced nice and tiny, so it makes it easy to thoroughly mix everything through

• 1 × 500 g bag frozen broccoli

• 1 × 500 g bag frozen broccoli and cauliflower

• ½ × 250 g bag frozen chopped spinach (you can use the whole bag but Dolly wasn’t super keen on that much spinach last time)

• 2.5 cups organic quinoa (you don’t have to use organic)

• 1 whole bunch fresh parsley, chopped

• 500 g diced pumpkin (any type of pumpkin; you can even buy the pre-diced stuff, although it is more expensive)

• Olive oil to cook

• Sprinkle of good quality sea salt (I used Lake Deborah sea salt) and cracked pepper

Method

1. Start by browning your mince in a generous glug of olive oil (we want olive oil, it is soooo good for the dogs). Once it is partially browned, you can start adding the vegetables. I add one bag at a time, starting with the diced frozen veg, and mix the veg through with the mince well before adding the next bag. This will ensure the food has an even amount of everything in each serve.

2. Once all the frozen vegetables have been added, add 6 cups of boiling water, then add 2.5 cups of the quinoa. Mix this all through well and then add your diced pumpkin. Once the quinoa is cooked and the pumpkin has softened, mix it well again. I also try to mash up the pumpkin through the pot and break up the broccoli/cauliflower into smaller pieces with my spatula.

3. Add the chopped parsley and mix through well. Season with the salt and pepper and let cook for another 5 or so minutes.

4. Depending on your dog’s size will depend on how much you serve. You can always freeze this and use as needed, but it will be fine in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

I will top with mackerel or sardines once a day to give them essential omegas and fatty acids.

Michaela Sparrow, Naturopath, Clinical Nutritionist & Anti-Ageing Practitioner

Michaela helps busy, burnt-out women improve metabolic health, gut function, hormones and long-term healthspan. As founder of The Longevity Remedy she blends evidence-based care with practical, sustainable strategies for long term results. She works 1:1 with clients globally and is featured in leading publications for her holistic approach to longevity and functional health.

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