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Best Dog Food & Cat Food Options for Your Healthy Pet!

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Homemade Dog Food Recipes

3 User Reviews
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Posted by Mannalis (Tulsa, Oklahoma) on 08/25/2009

I'd like to thank everyone for their posts, they are very informative. My sister has a Maltese and we feed him name brand food. We notice that he sleeps a lot, and he's not at all interested in his food. We have been in the process of switching to all natural and Organic foods and would like to switch Maverick (the maltese) to Organic as well, it would be nice to give him homemade recipes but he tends to throw up a lot of the human food we give him, except lettuce, tomato, and carrots, plus we don't have much time to prepare homemade food for him. Although we love him and from reading all of your posts I can tell that he will do a lot better on Organic and Natural foods. Anybody have any suggestions on simple recipes, Natural dog foods, or supplements we could give him? I heard something about flaxseed oil. Input and Suggestions are very much appreciated.

P.S. we would like to switch him to organic as soon as possible!

God Bless,
Manna

Replied by Gina
(Iuka, Ms)
08/29/2009

I stopped feeding my yorkies commerical food afer the recall. This is what I came up with (one has allergies). I boil about 3 chicken thighs, pick meat and skin off the bone. In the broth I boil white rice. When rice is done chop up the chicken and skin and add to rice. Mix in some canned green beans or peas, with a little pumpkin. You can freeze this in small portions sizes. When ready to eat microwave it and add 1/4 chopped slice cheese to top. My yorkies also take a pettab and for treats they eat raw baby carrots. If your baby only spits up occassionly it could be acid reflux the one with allergies also has this problem for that I use 1/4 of a pepcid ac tab he weighs 8 lbs so ajust as needed. good luck

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by Pat (New Albany, Mississippi) on 04/26/2008

I had a dog that nearly died from what I thought was a premium commercial food. After that I started making my own home made recipe and they are thriving on it. In a large turkey fry pot, I put in one bag of chicken quarters 8~10 quarters costs about $5 at Wal Mart. After they boil about two hours on medium i pull them out and clean the meat off the bone and set aside. Next in the broth I cook 1 med bag of black beans and 1 med bag of red kidney beans. As the beans near ready I add a medium bag of brown rice and let it cook. As the rice is close to done I add 2 small bags mixed frozen vegetables and two cans chopped spinach. After about 10 more minutes I add 1 small box of oatmeal. You have to play with the water level but by the time you add the oatmeal and it cooks you want most of the water absorbed. After all this is ready mix in the chopped up chicken back in. Buy some small reusable plastic bowls and freeze what you won't use in a day or two. The other needs to be refrigerated until ready. Lightly warm in microwave and serve. They love it!

Replied by Sophia
(Southern USA)
02/17/2009

I hate seeing these "organic", "natural" dog foods with a minimum of 22% crude protein!! Do people realize that these so called crude proteins come from animals that have been put to sleep?! They even leave their collars on! And the "rendering" does not get rid of the barbituates used to put the animal down. I could no longer stand the stinky greasy kibble first thing each morning, so I started making the dogs dinner with brown rice, ground turkey 85/15 which is the fat content, black beans with no spice, vegeall, cottage cheese, and canned salmon. And any vege leftovers, like sweet potatoes and green beans. They love it! Before they would spit kibble all over the floor and pick 1 chunk at a time to eat, it took forever!! Some of them would not even eat it! And they made a huge mess where kibble rolled under the stove and fridge to feed mice! Now 3 yrs later they are all sleek and shiny and not fat at all even though they are at their max weight. I love this boiled chicken recipe. I think I will try it next, they love oatmeal!!

PS: my local vet tried to act like I did not know enough about dog nutrition to make a decent dog meal but I figured anything is better than feeding my dogs other ill animals full of drugs and other such horrors!! Seems as though the vets are just as bad as the Doctors for humans!

EC: Yes, we read the same report years ago about the rendering plants and what goes into dog food. Unbelievable and horrific!

Replied by Tess
(Palm Beach, FL)
02/17/2009

Sophia, I agree with you! I have always felt that dogs (esp young dogs) who get cancer can be linked to the brand of food the owners were feeding it. Every owner I have talked to who had a dog that died young of cancer was feeding their dog the cheapest dog food possible.

Replied by Tricia
(Denver, CO)
02/25/2009

I am glad to see that you took the initiative to take care of your dogs health; it's nice to know that I am not alone with my "way of thinking." I wanted to add a side note for you though...Try avoiding canned vegetables and/or fruit because they have no nutritional value left. It is only good as a filler. Also, with some of the research I've done I have found out that when you microwave food it changes the molecules in such a way that the food becomes toxic to the body. By all means, don't take my word for it; do some research for yourself. Microwaves should be avoided if possible.

I wish you the best of luck with your dogs' health.

Replied by Dawn
(Birmingham, Al)
12/04/2009
★★★★★

It is exciting to here that other individuals are taking precautions for their little ones. I have 2 maltese, both under 5 pounds. My little girl had severe allergies for about 2 years. The vets did every test that one could possibly do and even proceeded with compound medications. I decided to take things into my own hands and research what would be best.

Each morning they both receive a quarter of banana, tablespoon of organic yougurt with a pinch of dried greens (purchased at an organic store) and they split one organic egg lightly scrambled in organic coconut oil. Each afternoon they receive a mixture that I prepare once a week and freeze.

The mixture includes the following all organic: one yellow squash, one zuccini, 3 carrots with skin, 1 sweet potato, 3 stalks of broccoli, 1 cup of cooked long grain rice with coconut oil and 2lbs. of grass feed organic sirloin steak freshly ground. I place all of the vegetables in the food processor and add in with the cooked rice and mix in the raw sirloin steak. I put these in small side dishes and freeze.

The kids love it. They have so much more energy and my 6 year old that had severe allergies is now the beautiful show dog. Once a week they get a quarter thick raw femor bone from the butcher and they receive baby carrots for treats. I have had them on this for over a year now. A word of caution to all who may switch their little ones over to a diet like this, remember that the above causes a cleansing process to occur just as humans that switch their diets:)

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by Pauline Dennison (Citrus Heights, California) on 01/08/2008

Just wanted everyone to know, that is has now been OVER a year, since I have put my Peke on a ALL Natural Diet. NO STORE BOUGHT dog food. Since my dog has had Bladder Stone problems, I have had to reduce her protein levels, give her veggies, with organic brown rice. AND, I topped it off with ACV. She gets a teaspoon daily with her food..and is in the BEST EXCELLENT condition she has ever been. I have recommended MANY MANY dog people to go onto this web site, and consider changing thier dogs diet, if they are having problems. I AM SO HAPPY..that my Dottie is in the best health EVER. Thank you Earth Clinic

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by Sheri (FAIRFIELD, California, USA) on 01/02/2008

I have four little Yorkies and they only eat HomeMade Dog Food. I cook a whole chicken and remove all fat, skin and bones. Then mix it will cooked rice. They also love raw veggies like chopped carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Of course, I also give them vitamin supplements because no recipe can include everything they need, but they are actually mostly vegetarians and eat very little meat. Sometimes cooked chicken livers, but only a little, they are high in Vitamin A and' too much vitamin A is toxic. Also NO onions or raw or spoiled garlic, these are poisonous to them. But I do add cooked garlic and oats sometimes. Both are good for the heart.

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by Claudia (PDX, Oregon) on 12/20/2007

I have a big lab/golden mix who has protien allegies. I ahve tried to find some kind of meat he can eat but to no avail. He is on a home made veg diet. He has NO doggy smell. None at all. I worked in an organic pet store and people would comment that certain types of meat would make their dogs smell worse, so if you have a problem I would try changing to a human grade dog food and changing the main protein source and see if you notice anything. I make my own food but after being the business for years if I had to buy food it would be any food from the Natura company. Either Innova or California Natural.

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by barb haven (WINDSOR, canada) on 12/01/2007

I routinely use 1(med) clove of garlic in a 2 litre stewpot that yeilds 72 oz of dog food. consisting of 2 cups brown rice, 2-3 small potatoes, 3 carrots, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 stalk celery, 1tbsp basil, 1/4 can chick peas, 1 med zucchini, or broccoli and two apples, I sometimes include 1/8 cup cottage cheese, to this I add' a ratio of 1/3 pureed mixture of either beef or chicken liver, chicken gizards and hearts. In additional after cooked I sprinkle in 2 tbsp of a 2:1 ratio of calcium/phosphorus supplement, which also includes proteins, fats,vitamins, minerals and advanced micro -nutrients. Am I overdoing it by adding the calcium vitamin supplement?

Replied by Valerie
(Heidelberg, Ontario Canada)
01/09/2009

I thought that garlic was not good for pets.

EC: Read the (mostly) positive feedback on garlic here: https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/garlic_for_dogs.html

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by Kathryn (Pewaukee, Wisconsin) on 11/06/2007

When we first brought home our Welsh Corgi puppy we noticed he had no real interest in his kibble. He would let it sit for an hour or so before he would finally eat some of it. We thought he was just not a big eater, but as we learned more about health from reading Earth Clinic we decided that real food HAD to be better for him than kibble so we switched his diet to real people food. (By this time, he was a very skinny little dog, about 1 year old) We fed him things such as eggs, chicken, beef, lamb, rice, cottage cheese, yogurt,and oatmeal. What a difference it made! First of all, he LOVED his food now! He would ask to be fed and gobble down his food. His energy level soared and his coat became so glossy and soft that people always commented on how silky he was.When he ate kibble he would zone out by 4pm and sleep from then on. After we changed his diet he played until closer to 8pm and had more energy on his walks. Now we have begun adding ACV to his meals and his energy has risen yet again. We love you, Earth Clinic!

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by Cindy (Bushnell, Florida, USA) on 09/19/2007

I have changed my 4 dogs diet since the scare with great help from a holistic DVM here in Florida. I have 3 Jack Russells (yes I have a horse farm) a Chihuahua. Ages range from 6 to 13. They are now eating a raw food diet (comes frozen, I slice and rebag) with veggies, missing link suppliment and Flint River. The change in these dogs is amazing. They don't smell like dogs...beter breath, super coats and overall better health and happiness. They love raw bones. I freeze the bones for 48 hours then thaw. No more dental problems! God Bless Earth Clinic! Cindy in Florida

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by Jesse Smith (Jacksonville, Fl) on 09/09/2007

Since the pet food scare, I started making my own pet food. everything I use is organic. the base is chicken, Beef, Fish(salmon) ,veal or Lamb. I then mix in brown rice which is made from the broth of the meat. I then add peas, corn, carrots,and soy beans. My dogs just love it. I generally make enough to freeze so I have plenty on hand. My cats get almost the same except for the brown rice. they don't seem to like it. I have found that it is much cheaper to make my own. I just have to give up some of my time on Sundays to keep my pets happy.

Replied by Liz
(Melrose, Ma)
05/03/2011
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

I just want to report an experience that I've had personally. I have been wanting to advice my son to change the dry dog food he feeds his dog. As I researched, I kept running across the advice to use raw meat. The idea made sense to me, as dogs are carnivores and eat raw in the wild. I had not made up my mind, and was cautious about it and hadn't recommended that to our son. In the meantime, I was visiting with a friend, who's dog was not there. She told us an awful story about her dog who was visiting a neighbor they always visit and he usually gave the dog a commercial dog bone treat. He was out of them and had raw hamburg on the counter just getting ready to cook dinner and quickly grabbed some off the counter and gave it to the dog before the owner could object. The man was elderly. Her dog got so ill she had to take her to the vet. Sure enough, she had e coli and she died. I can imagine a dog in the wild can eat freshly killed meat that has not been processed, but meat from the supermarket that has been processed has all kinds of bacteria and I've decided not to take that risk with our much loved pet.

Homemade Dog Food Recipes
Posted by Michele (Phoenix, Arizona) on 07/28/2007

I was appalled when the news about unsafe dog and cat food started breaking. I feel there is probably more to it than what we are being told. I wanted to switch my dog to something that would be healthy yet safe. I am leery of the RAW diet because I feel there are many risks involved with it as well. So I started home cooking for my dog. I found a recipe online that includes meat (cooked), vegetables, and grain. However, I started to worry that it might not include all the vitamins and minerals she needs. So now I feed half home cooked and half a supposedly very high quality commercial food. I also give her a dog vitamin and a flax oil capsule daily. At this point in time I feel we are all taking a gamble with our pets no matter what we choose to feed. And if toxic ingredients are in pet food, I have a sneaking suspicion they are in human food as well.

Intestinal Problems

Posted by Julie (Las Vegas, Nevada) on 04/18/2008

My cat was vomiting all the time. A lady told me about Royal Canin cat food; they have a formula Special 33, which is for intestinal problems. It worked!

Replied by Anonymous
(Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Usa)
04/21/2010

The ingredient list for Special 33 raises some red flags. Corn gluten meal, natural chicken flavor, wheat gluten, dried egg product, and brewers yeast may be sources of free glutamic acid, which can destroy the animals brain, and are addictive and stimulate appetite. Your pet may like it, but it may be killing your pet. Also, the sodium silico aluminate, is that a source of aluminum? And what are zinc proteinate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate? These sound like they could be other sources of free glutamic acid.

Ingredients: Chicken meal, corn gluten meal, chicken fat, rice, corn, natural chicken flavor, chicken, brown rice, wheat gluten, dried brewers yeast, dried beet pulp (sugar removed), anchovy oil (source of EPA/DHA), soya oil, calcium sulfate, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), potassium chloride, sodium silico aluminate, DL-methionine, dried egg product, salt, monosodium phosphate, choline chloride, taurine, Vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), niacin supplement, biotin, riboflavin (vitamin B2) supplement, D-calcium pantothenate, vitamin A acetate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], sodium tripolyphosphate, Trace Minerals [zinc oxide, zinc proteinate, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite], preserved with natural mixed tocopherols (source of vitamin E) and citric acid, rosemary extract.

Mineral Salt

Posted by Robert Henry (Ten Mile, Tn Usa ) on 12/21/2011

Got 6 Rhode Island Red Hens and and now feeding them mineral salt so they will drink lots of water and lay lots of eggs. Can anyone improve on this?

====ROBERT HENRY============

Pet Food Recalls

1 User Review
1 star (1) 
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Posted by Gwen (Denver, Colorado) on 12/30/2011
 ★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

I'VE 3 LITTLE DOGS & ALMOST LOST ONE LAST WEEKEND. USED EC TO PULL HER THROUGH BUT SHE WAS ALMOST DEAD. STARTED THEM ON RACHEL RAY SUPER PREMIUM DOG FOOD. LOTS OF VOMITING.

PLEASE CHECK GOOGLE FOR NEWEST DOG FOOD RECALLS. SURE ENOUGH, NEWS FROM REUTERS & TODAY SAYING IN HUMAN FOOD, "AFLATOXIN". PLEASE RESEARCH & POST (THIS QUICK POST), CAUSES SEVERE LIVER DAMAGE INCLUDING LIVER CANCER. NEARLY KILLED MY DOG!

EC: Here's an undated notice from Cargill about it's own products: http://www.cargill.com/feed/dog-food-recall/index.jsp

and here: http://www.cargill.com/feed/dog-food-recall/river-run-marksman-product-list/index.jsp

More information:

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/12/more-aflatoxin-related-dog-food-recalls-revealed/

and http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-breaking-news/2011/12/28/aflatoxin-leads-to-another-dog-food-recall.aspx

Pumpkin

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
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Posted by Diamond (Ma., US) on 11/30/2014
 ★★★★★

My husband and I give our dogs oatmeal, very good for humans, also dogs. We also add ground turkey or chicken, sometimes carrots, but the number one item is a can of pumpkin. No. one best over anything for pets. We have a cockapoo; she is very old and we thought for sure this past week she was ready to go-- she just couldn't get up to go out and do her duties. My husband and I would carry her out so she could go to the bathroom.... after awhile and this special diet and the strong will to live, she is back up and running. Thank you Earth Clinic for this site and showing our votes of confidence. Thank you GOD for our loving pets.

Pumpkin
Posted by Momof05 (Williamsport, Pa) on 08/18/2011

I have a Cavapoo puppy who is 11months old now. I have never been able to find a dog food he likes. I haven't changed his dog food too frequently because I know it's not good to do so. He seems happy and healthy. Very playful, but he is skin and bone! I'm thinking of trying sweet potatoes added to his present food since reading this forum it seems a popular item that dogs like and prevents diarrhea. He's only about 10 pounds, is 2T mixed in to his food too much? Does anyone have any other suggestions? I've tried wet as well. I "feed" him the Blue Buffalo right now. He will eat it if I hand feed him, something I started.

Replied by Donna M
(WA)
11/02/2024

Have you tried deworming with fenbendazole? Could be part of the skinny problem and also dog is young. So they are usually skinny. Give only with a fatty meal while using fenben. Cuz it can affect the liver. Milk thistle is good for the liver d3 omega3s and 6 but more omega 3.


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