I am so excited about this recipe – it was so much fun to put together for everyone who voted on my Instagram. As always I used BalanceIT to create this recipe – BalanceIT is a computer program made by a board certified veterinary nutritionist to make simple homemade recipes for healthy dogs. The program is free to use, you just need to add their supplement in order to balance out the recipes. Pretty simple right?
I love BalanceIT because it gives me peace of mind as a pet owner that the recipes I am giving my pups are balanced. And honestly if you have ever done food prepping, the process of cooking and assembling the ingredients is basically the same. I used BalanceIT for several years prior to moving into other cooking options for my dogs. You can find out more about the different DIY Dog Food Options on my blog post.
Without further a-do let’s get into the recipe!
INGREDIENTS:
Turkey Breast: A great lean protein that pairs perfectly with the fatty nature of the ground turkey – very high in essential amino acids, Vitamin B6 and Selenium.
Ground Turkey: An excellent source a protein in a dog’s diet – very high in essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, iron, zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and Selenium
Sweet Potato: A rich source of dietary fibre, along with vitamins A, C, B, and several minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium and selenium,
Pumpkin Puree: A good source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and works as an excellent prebiotic – to help feed your healthy gut bacteria – which supports the immune system.
Broccoli: The great multi-tasker, broccoli is high in vitamins A, C, E, K and B vitamins. It is also high in several minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, selenium and magnesium.
Blueberries: A great source of vitamin C, and a powerhouse for antioxidants – flavonoids, quercetin and anthocyanidin.
Walnut Oil: An excellent source of linoleic acid and alpha-Linolenic acid – which are essential fatty acids that dogs need in their diet.
Nordic Naturals Omega 3 Pet: A wonderful source of EPA and DHA, along with vitamin E. Nordic naturals fish oil is a purified, third party tested oil that has an excellent EPA to DHA ratio perfect for balancing out the higher omega 6 essential fatty acids found in the turkey and walnut oil.
Supplement (BalanceIT Canine): WITHOUT THE SUPPLEMENT: this diet will be deficient in… choline, riboflavin, vitamin B12, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin D.
DIET COMPOSITION:
PERCENT CALORIE BASIS:
- Protein: 42%
- Fat: 26%
- Carbohydrate: 33%
- Moisture: 75%
- Calories: 1057
HOMEMADE DOG FOOD RECIPE
- 255g (9oz) Turkey Breast, roasted – without skin
- 85g (3oz) 85% Ground Turkey
- 300g (2 cups) Sweet Potato, baked in skin (flesh only)
- 123g (1/2 cup) Pumpkin Puree
- 78g (1/2 cup) Broccoli, boiled
- 74g (1/2 cup) Blueberries, raw
- 1 tsp (5g) Walnut Oil
- 1 tsp (5g) Nordic Naturals Omega Pet
- 3 5/8 tsp (9.1g) BalanceIT Canine / Human Supplements
Full BalanceIT Canine Recipe | Recipe with Human Supplements
This recipe is formulated to AAFCO standards and is complete and balanced for adult dogs if all ingredients are prepared as listed and all supplements are included. If any changes are made to the recipe it will no longer be considered balanced and should be considered a “treat” or “addition” and be kept to 10% of your dog’s overall daily caloric needs. Without supplementation, this recipe is deficient in choline, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin B12, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin D.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Start by prepping your sweet potatoes for baking – use a fork to peirce small holes into the top of the sweet potato and then place into a pre-heated oven set at 350 degrees fahrenheit. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until cooled.
While the potatoes are cooking prep your turkey breast for cooking, to do this you will need to either cut up or puree the meat to make it a small and uniform size for easy cooking and mixing later.
Keep in mind that meats will shrink once cooked and this recipe calls for your to measure out meat after cooking. Depending on the brand of meat you may need to purchase more or less. My general rule of thumb is to cook 25% more meat by weight than what you need for the recipe.
Next brown the turkey breast in a pan (without oil!), remove from pan, then add in pre-ground 85% turkey to cook through as well. DO NOT MIX THEM. Each item is going to be weighed individually after cooking and prior to mixing together for this recipe.
While the turkey is cooking bring water to boil and boil your broccoli. You want to do this until they are just cooked through (about 3 minutes). After cooking puree or chop into small bite-sized pieces.
For the blueberries I highly recommend pureeing or blending them so that the outer skin layer of the blueberry has been broken down and is easier to digest.
The pumpkin puree can be either purchased canned – look for a product labeled with just pumpkin as the ingredient, no additional sugar, salt, or other spices!
Finally it’s time to assemble – make sure to use a gram scale to accurately measure all the ingredients. If you plan to serve right away, you can add the oils and vitamin mix. However if you are food-prepping for a longer period of time I highly recommend waiting to add those until right before surviving. This will keep the vitamins from degrading and the oils from going rancid.
NOTE: When you cook food items they will loose water! Meaning that the values listed above are the COOKED not RAW values.
HOW MUCH TO FEED
The amount that you feed your dog will be based on their individual metabolism and lifestyle needs. Calories needed can range up to 50% high or lower than the “average” amount and still be considered normal. Overweight or obese dogs trying to lose weight should be fed to their “ideal weight” – if your dog needs to lose weight please discuss your dog’s individual caloric needs with your veterinarian.
The below chart is the average calories needed for a dog of a particular weight. If you are using this recipe as a treat – the portion should be kept in the “treat” category. If feeding as a complete and balanced meal, you can either re-calculate the recipe using BalanceIT or feed according to your dog’s caloric needs (average suggested amounts within the “food” category).
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
You can find more homemade dog food recipes that are FREE on my website, I have recipes using a variety of different proteins, from fish to chicken to pork, and I also have both grain-free and grain-inclusive options. If you don’t see something particularly suited for your dog, or if you would like more support with the do-it-yourself process, feel free to reach out! I do offer Dog Food Consultations using BalanceIT, where I can create a recipe for your dog’s unique nutritional needs.
I hope you all had fun checking out this recipe – make sure to let me know if you try it out for your pups! You can absolutely use this recipe as a ‘topper’ for your dog’s regular food is you do not want to use the BalanceIT supplement, just make sure you keep it to 10% of your pup’s overall calories for the days (including other treats and additions). I hope you all have a wonderful day, and a fun rest of the week!
Til next time my canine health nuts!
About the Author: Nikki is a Registered Veterinary Technician (Veterinary Nurse) and Dog Mom with over a decade of experience with dogs and cats. Since graduation from college (BS Biology, Dip. Animal Nutrition, AS Animal Science) she has adopted two mixed breed dogs – Ranger and Ash, and has focused her time learning about pet food and nutrition.
Nikki shares information on a range of pet nutrition topics: from how to create a homemade complete and balanced dog and cat food recipes, to how to choose a pet food. Nikki strives to give dog and cat parents the information they need in order to make the best nutrition decisions for their pet!
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CONTACT ME:
thecaninehealthnut@gmail.com
If I use this for my dogs food,(20lb yorkie),not a topper,how many cups would I feed him a day please?
As a 20 lb dog your pup needs around 500 calories per day. This recipe is around 1000 calories, so you would feed 1/2 this recipe each day.
Probably the easiest way to prep this for a week is to quadruple this recipe, then divide evenly into 8 containers once all the supplements are mixed in. Store 2-3 days in your fridge and the rest in your freezer.
If the recipe is prepared as described, how much would I give a 15 pound dog and a 23 pound dog? It doesn’t say. Is it a half a cup a cup? How much? They get a half a cup of kibble in the evening I give them a moist food in the morning. So would that be?
Since I don’t know the how many calories your dog is currently eating (aka the kcals/cup of the current diet) I really can’t answer this question. What I would recommend is to calculate how much your dog is currently eating in calories. This recipe is about 1000 kcals. To figure out the portion to feed simply take the 1000 / amount of calories eat per day = how many days recipe will last.
Can I use all ground turkey
You can use fat-free ground turkey instead of turkey breast if that is easier for you. But you can’t use all 85% ground turkey or the recipe will lack certain amino acids (proteins) needed for overall health & organ function.