Your dog is an extension of your family, a loyal friend who will greet you at the end of the day and love you unconditionally all while licking your hands, feet and face. Dogs make us happy and we make them happy. Making your own dog food at home is affordable, a way to monitor what and how much they are eating and to show them how much you care.

A few things to note:

• With any new food, pay attention to any reactions they have to the ingredients.
• A good rule of thumb is to 25–30% protein, 50% carbohydrates, 10% fi ber and 10% fat.
• You can incorporate ¼ teaspoon of cod liver up to three times per week to help with cancer prevention.
• When I use this for Josie, our Catahoula Leopard dog, I mix 1 cup with 1 cup of dry food in the morning only. If you do not use a dry dog food, please add in calcium citrate to the food.
• If you have organ meat (liver, kidney, heart, for instance), you can cook it with the rest for added protein.
• Any of the below ingredients can be combined. For example, you can use 1 cup rice, 1 cup lentils and 1 cup barley to make the 3 cups of carbohydrates.
• The weight of your dog determines the amount to feed them each day. Please consult your veterinarian if you have questions.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook lentils, rice or barley as directed and set aside. Sauté protein over medium heat until cooked through. Add in vegetables, squash, pumpkin or sweet potatoes, broth and oil and cook until everything is softened. Add in the lentils, rice or barley plus the calcium citrate; mix. Allow to cool and portion out the amount you want for your dog for 7 days; freeze the remainder.

Instant Pot: Put all ingredients in the Instant Pot and cook for 10 minutes with a 10-minute slow release.

Note: When I am serving Josie her food, I like to warm her 1 cup in the microwave for 30 seconds and mix it with her dry food.