Homemade Dog Food Fish Recipe – When I created this recipe using BalanceIT I really wanted to make something that was a good option for a dog with a chicken allergy – however this recipe can be used for a normal pet as well.
Why do we like fish more compared to other proteins like Venison or Lamb for food allergies? The main reason is that fish is not only a new protein for many dogs, but it also contains a lot of natural omega-3 acids. These fatty acids have been shown to help dogs with other types of allergies – such as seasonal or environmental allergies. Because if a dog HAS seasonal and food allergies – FISH can help on both sides of the equation – leading to a better life.
Homemade Dog Food Fish Recipe
However, there are other drawbacks to a fish-based diet – especially the potential for toxins and heavy metals. Fish especially as you go up the food chain have higher and higher levels of heavy metals (like mercury) in fish. So choosing fish towards the lower end of the food chain is good. There is also a debate about wild-caught fish versus farmed fish from an environmental impact, and a nutritional perspective.
Homemade Dehydrated Fish Chew Dog Treat Recipe
In general, for a healthy diet it is better to choose wild, fresh water fish than farmed fish. And lower the fish of the food chain to the higher fish of the food chain. Each type of fish has a different nutritional composition – some fish are very lean, some are fatty – and some have a different protein/amino acid composition than others.
So why Salmon AND Cod? The truth is that Salmon is a VERY fatty fish, and to balance the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 and provide enough protein – the recipe will be TOO FAT for the average dog. It needs lean protein to balance and produce other proteins.
Now the “best” way to do this would actually be to pair salmon with eggs or chicken (because it also has omega 6s which balances things out, while also providing a bit of protein). But to keep this recipe chicken free I chose lean fish instead – COD. But as you can see, you need a lot of Cod to balance the fat in the Salmon. Then we need to add in a good source of omega 6s – Walnut Oil – to balance the omega 3s in the fish.
Cod: A good source of lean protein, providing essential amino acids while keeping a low fat content. It is also a great source of Vitamin B, and Vitamin D. Although it still contains omega 3 fatty acids, it does not have the amount of other fish.
Homemade Grain Free Dog Food Recipe
Salmon: A rich source of omega 3 fatty acids, and a good source of protein – however the fat content is often high and limits the amount that can be added to the diet. It is also a good source of B vitamins and vitamin D.
Walnut Oil: An excellent source of linoleic acid and alpha-Linolenic acid – which are essential fats that dogs need in their diet.
Brown rice: An excellent 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.
Pumpkin Puree: A good source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and acts as an excellent laxative – helping to feed healthy gut bacteria – which supports the immune system.
Balanced Homemade Dog Food Recipes (with Key Nutrients Included)
Spinach: Provides a variety of important vitamins and minerals such as vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, manganese, magnesium, iron and vitamin B2. Spinach also contains several antioxidants such as Quercetin and Kaempferol – which can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
Tomatoes: A great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K. Tomatoes also contain antioxidants lycopene, beta carotene and chlorogenic acid. It also contains a powerful flavonoid called Naringenin that has been shown to reduce inflammation.
Nutrition(BalanceIT Canine): EXCEPT BASE: this diet will lack… choline, riboflavin, vitamin E, calcium, chloride, copper, iodine, iron and zinc.
Bake all the fish until cooked through – this can be between 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the batch you are making.
Homemade Fish Dog Treats
While the oven is heating start your rice – add two parts water to one part rice. You can do this in a rice cooker OR you can do this in a pot on the stove. If you are using a pot on the stove, heat the water until it boils, then add the rice, when it boils reduce and cover for about 20 minutes, checking every 5 minutes and stirring. If you are using a rice cooker follow the instructions for your specific cooker model.
Next, you will need to prepare the vegetables. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to buy frozen spinach. Then microwave for 30 minutes until frozen. However, you can buy fresh and melt to cook in a pot with more water (a spoon or more).
For the pumpkin puree you can buy canned, pureed pumpkin puree OR you can make your own. Just bake at 350 degrees until soft (depending on the pumpkin this could be 30 minutes or up to an hour and thirty minutes).
Finally on the green tomatoes – cut and remove the seeds. I highly recommend using a food processor to make the texture smooth and easy to mix in the other ingredients.
Simple Dog Treat Recipes Made With 5 Ingredients Or Less
Once you have all the ingredients it is time to measure everything, you will need a gram scale to do this accurately.
When I prepare new food for my children I will divide the whole food and add vitamins and fats for the day. Just put a small shipping label on the container about how much you should add to make things easier. I like to do this because I know that the oils and vitamins are as pure as possible and have not gone bad after being added to the food. I also know that some vitamins (like vitamin E) are very sensitive to heat. So if I separate the food while it’s still hot, I can actually lose the vitamin E content of the nutrient by adding it to hot food that can be eaten right away.
So if you are going to add additives and oils during your preparation, make sure the food is completely cooled before adding.
NOTE: Cooking foods will loosen the water! Which means the values listed above are UNCOOKED and not RAW. This is very important – the cod I bought drank a TON after cooking (I used about 600g of fresh canned cod to make 230g of cooked cod in this recipe!).
The Ultimate Golden Retriever Homemade Dog Food Guide
I feel that BalanceIT is a good place to start if you want to jump into home cooking (which is what I used to make this recipe), however it has some limitations/disadvantages in my opinion. Especially the fact that the recipes on BalanceIT do not contain organ meat. Organic meats often provide many different vitamins, minerals and nutrients that are not found in other foods. Therefore, after cooking your puppy, if you want to take the next step of adding container meat, I would highly recommend working with the veterinary nutrition board to create a recipe that is perfectly optimized for your puppy. ! You can learn more about getting ACVN diplomat and other home cooking options for your dog in my DIY Dog Food blog post.
I hope you found this recipe useful and fun – let me know if you try it with your kids! I know my dogs loved this recipe as a fun addition. Have a happy pumpkin season everyone – I’m looking forward to the fall weather here!
Wow! There was an error and we were unable to process your registration. Please reload the page and try again.
Nothing contained on this website should be considered, or used as a substitute for veterinary medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The information provided on the website is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional advice from a veterinarian or other professional. This website and its services do not constitute the practice of any animal health advice or animal health care, diagnosis or treatment. Canine Health Nut disclaims liability for any damage or loss, direct or indirect, that may result from the use of or reliance on the information contained on this website. Not only are they very satisfied with the fact that we don’t leave the house anymore. we start to get angry when we go to check the mail, but Zack has used this free time to learn how to make Ruby’s HOMEMADE DOG FOOD and is living the perfect life. Don’t worry about it