You asked and I listened – this recipe was created using ingredients that were voted on by our instagram community! Honestly, I really enjoyed using BalanceIT to put this together for you all – and you guys chose some amazing ingredients. Since I planned on using this for my own pups during the week – I made sure I edited the recipe to a lower fat level that my dog Ash could handle with his sensitive stomach – I actually have a full video explaining how I used BalanceIT to create this recipe over on the Instagram community page. So if you haven’t checked that out, make sure you do!
What is BalanceIT?
BalanceIT is a free online software that anyone can use to create complete and balanced recipes for your dogs. This software was created by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, and as long as you follow the recipe as instructed it will contain everything your pup needs – meeting all the AAFCO minimum nutrient standards for adult dogs.
When using this software it will give you two options – one is using their BalanceIT supplement, and the second is using Human Supplements. Personally, I find BalanceIT to be much for convenient and cost-effective than the Human Supplements, however, if for some reason the Human supplements are easier for you to acquire I do have a full list of the recommended supplements on my blog here.
INGREDIENTS
Turkey Breast: A great lean protein – very high in essential amino acids, Vitamin B6 and Selenium. A great option for a high protein, low fat meal.
Brown Rice: A great source of healthy fiber, an excellent source of manganese, magnesium, vitamin b6, vitamin b1, selenium, iron, and a good source of certain types of antioxidants such as phenols and flavonoids.
Blueberries: A great source of vitamin C, and a powerhouse for antioxidants – flavonoids, quercetin and anthocyanidin.
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.
Walnut Oil: An excellent source of linoleic acid and alpha-Linolenic acid – which are essential fatty acids that dogs need in their diet.
Supplement (BalanceIT Canine): Without using the supplement this recipe will be deficient in riboflavin, thiamin, vitamin b-12, vitamin E, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamin D.
DIET COMPOSITION
PERCENT CALORIE BASIS:
- Protein: 57%
- Fat: 19%
- Carbohydrate: 24%
- Moisture: 73%
- Calories: 1047
HOMEMADE DOG FOOD RECIPE
- 425g Turkey Breast, roasted
- 64g Whole Scrambled Egg
- 195g Brown Rice, long-grain, cooked
- 78g Broccoli, cooked – boiled
- 74g Blueberries, raw
- 1 tsp Walnut Oil
- 3 ¾ tsp 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.
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).
INSTRUCTIONS
Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
While the oven is heating, rinse your rice and place 3/4c of dry long-grain brown rice into the rice cooker and 1.5 cup of water. Allow that to cook until done.
Wash the blueberries and broccoli, then cut the broccoli into small peices ready to boil.
Bring about 2 cups of water to a boil in a sauce pan, then boil broccoli for about 3-5 minutes until just tender. Then allow to cool in the fridge while the rest of the food cooks.
Trim off any skin, bones, or fat from the turkey breast then place into the oven on a baking sheet. Do NOT add any oil to the pan. Cook until an internal temperature of 165 degrees. In order to get the yeild for this recipe – start with a raw weight at at least 1.25lb of turkey breast – it will loose moisture as it cooks.
After all ingredients are cooked. Allow to cool to room temperature – I recommend either doing this quickly in the freezer or by placing in the fridge for about 1 hr.
Once everything is cooled it is time to assemble! Weigh out all the individual ingredients as listed in the recipe using a gram scale. If you hve a larger dog you can chop ingredients into bite-sized pieces OR for smaller dogs I recommend using a food processor to chop and mix all ingredients well. Make sure to chop blueberries and broccoli well in order to allow for easy digestion.
Food can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for up to 30 days. It should be stored in a air-tight container, similar to how you would store your own food.
LOOKING TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP:
I feel like BalanceIT is a great place to start if you want to jump into the home-cooking realm (which is what I used to formulate this recipe), however, it does have some limitations/negatives in my point of view. Mainly the fact that recipes on BalanceIT do not contain organ meats.
Organ meats often provide many different vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that cannot be found in other food items. Thus, after you have gotten the hang of cooking for your pup, if you’d like to take the next step to add in organ meats I’d highly recommend working with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to formulate a fully custom recipe for your pup! You can find more information about finding an ACVN diplomat along with the other options for home-cooking for your dog in my blog post on DIY Dog Food.
RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS FOR COOKING FOR DOGS:
As someone who has homecooked for several years for their pups – cooking over 50 lbs of food every two weeks for my two 50 lbs dogs – I’ve used several products over the years that I LOVE. Below are some of those products.
The following links are amazon affiliate links, if used I will receive a commission on the purchase of the item at no additional cost to you.
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
Just made this recipe for my dog and he LOVED it!!! He is such a picky eater. Incredibly picky. I was a bit worried that he won’t eat it because he usually doesn’t like blueberries or broccoli. However he finished the whole bowl in just a few seconds. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!!! THANK YOU!!!!!
Yay – I am so excited that your pup loved the recipe! I find if most fruit & veg is in small enough pieces mixed with other yummy ingredients dogs love them. My own dog Ranger picks out the blueberries if I don’t properly mix them in and cut them up. Haha.
What if I can only find ground Turkey breast?
You can use ground Turkey breast if that is available and pan-brown instead of bake. Just make sure it is ground Turkey breast – so something like 99% lean ground – an 85% lean would not work in this recipe, it would be too fatty.