How to Make Homemade Dog Food: Chicken and Beef Recipes

Making homemade dog food lets you choose every ingredient that goes into your dog’s bowl—but creating a nutritionally complete everyday diet requires more than combining meat, grains, and vegetables.

On this page, I’ll introduce you to my Chicken Chow-Chow and Bow Wow Beefy Chow recipes, share the touching story of how our Miniature Pinscher came into our lives, and explain what to consider before feeding your dog a homemade diet.

How a Little Lost Dog Changed Our Lives

It all began when a tiny black dog wandered onto our property. My husband and I had never seen her before. She was thin, anxious, and determined not to let us get close enough to help her. That independent streak was our first introduction to the personality of a Miniature Pinscher!

A few weeks later, we walked to my brother and sister-in-law’s house for my dad’s 80th birthday celebration. Smack dab in the middle of the path was that same little dog.

She had an enormous tick attached to one ear and a smaller tick on the other. I cried on the spot.

My husband ran home for a clean towel. We gently wrapped her in it and carried her back to our house. This time, she didn’t resist. We could see the relief in her eyes.

We drove around the neighborhood looking for her owners, but nobody appeared to be missing her. We eventually concluded that she had been abandoned near the end of our road.

Our veterinarian gave her a thorough examination. Thankfully, she was in good condition apart from being thin and having those horrible ticks. She wasn’t microchipped, and although she wore a bright red collar with a tiny heart pendant, it had no name or contact information.

She was happy to be rescued. She made our day, and she completed our life.

Why I Began Making Homemade Food for Her

Around that time, reports of contaminated commercial pet food were understandably worrying many dog owners—including me. Having only just found this precious little dog, I wanted to know exactly what I was putting into her bowl.

During my research, I discovered a homemade dog-food recipe online. I adapted it and created the chicken meal I named Chicken Chow-Chow. Later, I developed a beef version called Bow Wow Beefy Chow.

This was a personal decision based on the information available to me at the time and my desire to prepare something Minnie enjoyed. It should not be interpreted as meaning that all commercial dog food is unsafe. Reputable complete-and-balanced commercial foods provide a convenient way to meet a dog’s established nutritional requirements.

Meet Chicken Chow-Chow and Bow Wow Beefy Chow

Chicken Chow-Chow combines cooked chicken with grains, vegetables, noodles, and the supplements described in my book. Bow Wow Beefy Chow follows a similar homemade approach using beef.

Minnie loved both versions and ate them enthusiastically. There were certainly no complaints from her—and I received plenty of appreciative licks!

These meals contain recognizable ingredients, but recognizable ingredients alone do not establish whether a recipe is nutritionally complete. If you want to serve either recipe as your dog’s principal diet, take the complete recipe—including all ingredient quantities and supplements—to your veterinarian for review.

How I Prepared Minnie’s Homemade Food

I cooked the meat thoroughly without adding salt, pepper, onions, garlic, or seasoning blends. The remaining ingredients were prepared separately, combined in the recipe quantities, and allowed to cool before the supplements were mixed in.

You can cook the chicken in a pressure cooker, in a pan on the stove, or in the oven. Whichever method you use, cook it as plainly as possible and cut it into suitably sized pieces for your dog.

After everything is combined, divide the food into portions and refrigerate or freeze it promptly. Use clean utensils and containers, and never leave cooked meat-based food sitting at room temperature for extended periods.

The complete ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are included in my Make Your Own Dog Food ebook and paperback.

What About Vitamins and Supplements?

My recipe includes four supplements, with the quantities and mixing instructions provided in the book. However, the fact that a recipe contains supplements does not necessarily mean it meets every dog’s nutritional requirements.

Please do not guess at supplement amounts, substitute products without checking their nutrient content, or assume that more is better. Both deficiencies and excessive amounts of certain nutrients can cause problems.

Your veterinarian can help determine whether the recipe and supplements are appropriate for your dog. For a detailed nutritional analysis or individually formulated recipe, consult a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

What We Observed in Minnie

Minnie had been thin when we found her, but she regained weight after coming to live with us. Her skin and coat looked wonderful, her eyes were bright, and she remained lean and active.

During one visit for a nail trim, our veterinarian exclaimed, “Your dog’s in perfect health!” Naturally, I was delighted.

Those were our personal observations of Minnie—not a promise that this food will produce the same results for every dog. Her overall care, safe home, veterinary treatment, activity, genetics, and diet may all have contributed to her condition.

What I can say with complete confidence is that she loved her Chicken Chow-Chow and Bow Wow Beefy Chow.

Get the Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Make Your Own Dog Food includes the complete Chicken Chow-Chow and Bow Wow Beefy Chow recipes, ingredient quantities, supplement information, and step-by-step preparation instructions.

Before using either recipe as your dog’s complete everyday diet, please ask your veterinarian to review it for your dog’s individual nutritional needs.

Homemade Dog Food FAQs

Purchasing and Returns

The ebook and paperback are purchased securely through Amazon. Any return or refund request is handled by Amazon and is subject to Amazon’s current eligibility requirements and return policies.

Check Amazon’s Return Policy or Kindle Book Return Information for the latest details.

Make Every Bowl with Care

Preparing Minnie’s food gave me control over the ingredients in her bowl and became one more way of showing her how deeply she was loved. She enthusiastically approved of both Chicken Chow-Chow and Bow Wow Beefy Chow—and watching her enjoy her dinner made every batch worthwhile.

If you would like to try the recipes, preview the book free and discuss the complete recipe with your veterinarian. With thoughtful preparation and professional guidance, you can decide whether homemade food is an appropriate choice for your best friend.

Susan
Easy Food Dehydrating