Making Dog Food

When we lived in MO the first time, which was between 2007 and 2011, Speck had so much tummy troubles and I began making his dog food. I continued until he passed away in 2017 and then I continued making food for Rita. Probably about 6 months before we got Oscar, we started using Honest Kitchen dehydrated dog food for Rita. She did fine on it. We kept Oscar on puppy food for a year, then switched him to the same Honest Kitchen that Rita was eating. The 10 pound box supposedly makes 40 pounds of dog food and on autoship, it’s $69.50. With both Rita and Oscar eating it, one box lasts between 4 and 5 weeks.

We have several turkeys in the freezer and I can hardly eat turkey so I decided I’ll cook a turkey and use the meat to make dog food. I feel like the Honest Kitchen food is healthy, safe and tasty . . and a bit expensive but I made the food using turkey and I’ll see how long the food lasts. I can’t really compare based on how much it made since what I’m making will be freeze dried and theirs is dehydrated but I can compare by seeing how long it lasts.

What I used yesterday was cooked rice, baked sweet potatoes, pumpkin, green peas, carrots (both drained), pumpkin, roasted turkey, cooked chicken livers, oats, bananas and boiled eggs. In the jar right behind the liver is ground eggshells which I will add to their food when I mix it up for them to eat it. That supplies calcium.

Those ingredients except the calcium is all mixed and in the freeze dryer now.

Once the food is freeze dried, I’ll vacuum seal it in jars, then I will mix up enough for a couple of days with water. To that, I will add raw broccoli, kale, carrots or chopped apples or celery. I will also add a bit of oil – fish oil, coconut oil or olive oil. I won’t add the same things every day. It will be just enough to give them a taste of something different . . who knows if they even notice but I wouldn’t want the same thing every day. Even with the Honest Kitchen food, I’ll add those raw ingredients.

I try to stick with about 45 to 50% protein (turkey, liver, eggs), 40 – 45% veggies/fruit and no more than 10% carbs (rice, sweet potatoes and pumpkin, though I don’t really count pumpkin because it has so many health benefits and they don’t get that much).

I’ll report back after I have a better idea of how much the homemade is going to cost compared to the Honest Kitchen.