homemade dog food recipes in bulk

5 Cheap Homemade Dog Food Recipes

Cooking homemade dog food can be a healthier way to feed your pet than store-bought dog foods. There are a number of well-balanced, healthy, delicious, and cheap homemade dog food recipes worth trying if you have the time. Some recipes err on the side of lower price and affordability, others prioritize the healthiest, most delicious, most premium ingredients.

While it's not smart to ditch all high-quality ingredients and go for the cheapest choice, balance is key. Using some common ingredients that you can buy in bulk, you can use these cheap homemade dog food recipes that will still be well-balanced and healthy. Some good examples are Samantha's raw recipe, cheap healthy recipe, and even this one.

If you're looking to start cooking for your dog and need more ideas, the below list of good cheap homemade dog food recipes that will satisfy your budget without depriving your dog of the must-have quality any good dog food should have. Remember to discuss them with a vet before you make these recipes part of your dog's regular diet.

ALSO SEE:8 Dangers of DIY Homemade Dog Food

5 Cheap Homemade Dog Food Recipes

1. Mutt Loaf for Dogs

Ingredients:

• 3 medium russet potatoes, cleaned of eyes and green spots, and grated
• 2 medium carrots, grated
• 1 (15-ounce) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained*
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 pounds ground beef (85 percent lean)

Directions:

Preheat the oven and combine the potatoes and carrots into a large mixing bowl. Combine the kidney beans, the eggs, and rosemary in a food processor. Chop and mix everything. After that, combine the egg and bean mixture with the potatoes and the carrots. Add the beef as well and mix everything thoroughly. Place the mixture in as many loaves pans you need and bake until completion. Remove from the heat and allow the meatloaves to cool off. After that, let your dogs enjoy their delicious new meal.

Serving Sizes:

* Divide into two meals, or serve one-half the daily portion per day with one-half the normal amount of dry food.

• 10-pound dog: 2/3 to 1 cup
• 20-pound dog: 1 to 1 2/3 cups
• 40-pound dog: 2 1/3 to 3 cups
• 60-pound dog: 3 to 4 cups
• 80-pound dog: 4 to 5 cups

2. Cheap Chicken Stock for Dogs

Ingredients:

• 10 cups of water
• 1 skinned chicken carcass
• 2 chopped, medium-sized carrots
• 2 chopped stalks of celery
• 1 cored and chopped apple
• 1 cup of packed fresh spinach
• 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil

Directions:

Boil the water in a large stockpot at a high temperature. Add the chicken carcass, carrots, celery, apple, spinach, rosemary, and basil. Boil them as well. Skim the foam from the top and decrease the heat. Leave the eal to simmer with a lid for about 40 minutes. Once its ready, strain the stock and discard the bones. After that, you can refrigerate or freeze it for later consumption.

Serving Sizes:

• 10-pound dog: cup
• 20-pound dog: 1/3 cup
• 40-pound dog: cup
• 60-pound dog: 2/3 cup
• 80-pound dog: 1 cup

3. Fresh Kiss Dog Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of meat, be it beef, chicken, or fish stock
• 1 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup of finely chopped fresh mint
• 2 Tablespoons of canola oil
• 2 1/3 whole wheat flour, plus some extra for rolling out

Directions:

Preheat the oven and flour the baking sheet. Heat the stock in the microwave. Add the parsley, mint, and canola oil to the stock in a large bowl and stir them together. Stir the flour into the herb mixture. Knead the dough until smooth. Gather the dough into a ball and put it on the baking sheet. There, shape it into a square. Dust the top of the dough with additional flour and roll into a 10-inch square. Then cut with a pizza cutter into 1-inch squares.

Bake the whole thing like this for about 25 45 minutes (less for a softer cookie and more for a crunchier one). Once done, let the cookies cool down before you present them to your pooch.

Serving Sizes:

• 10-pound dog: 2 cookies
• 20-pound dog: 4 cookies
• 40-pound dog: 6 cookies
• 60-pound dog: 8 cookies
• 80-pound dog: 10 cookies

4. Sweet Potato Fries for Dogs

Ingredients:

• 1 medium-sized sweet potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• Half a teaspoon of dried oregano

Directions:

Preheat the oven. In the meantime, peel the sweet potato and cut it into strips a quarter of an inch square by 4 inches long. Combine the sweet potatoes, the olive oil, and oregano on a baking sheet and coat the potatoes evenly in the mixture. After that, spread out everything evenly on the baking sheet and place the fries in a parallel position to one another. This will make it easier to flip them. Once this is ready, bake for 15 minutes. Flip the fries and bake them for another 15 minutes.

Once they are done, allow them to cool off before serving them or putting them away for later. This is a treat and not a whole-day meal so dont give this to your dog in large quantities a fry here and a fry there as treats for after training is what this recipe is meant for.

Serving Sizes:

• 10-pound dog: 1 fry
• 20-pound dog: 2 fries
• 40-pound dog: 4 fries
• 60-pound dog: 6 fries
• 80-pound dog: 8 fries

5. Doggy's Tuna Special

Ingredients:

• 1 slice of whole-grain bread
• 1 6-ounce can of tuna, packed in water

Directions:

Place the bread in a small bowl and soak it into the tuna water. Let sit like this for 3 to 4 minutes, however long it takes for the liquid to be fully absorbed. After that, add one tablespoon of the tuna meat, blend it inside the bread with a fork, and serve it to your lucky pooch. This is another great treat for after a training session.

Serving Sizes:

• 10-pound dog: 1/3 slice
• 20-pound dog: slice
• 40-pound dog: 2/3 slice
• 60-pound dog: slice
• 80-pound dog: 1 slice

These five cheap homemade dog food recipes include ingredients that won't break your bank and that you can buy in bulk and store long-term. As with any homemade dog food cooking, make sure to consult with your veterinarian or canine nutritionist before using any cheap homemade dog food recipes with your Fido. Discuss each recipe individually, and then you can continue serving it regularly, saving yourself some money.

READ NEXT:10 Choices of Best Cheap Dog Food Brands

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Dog Meal Prep: How to Prepare Dog Food in Bulk

Whether youre using commercially prepared dog food like kibble or making your own dog food at home, feeding high-quality ingredients can help improve your dogs health and longevity. To make things easier you can consider dog meal prep by preparing portions or big batches of cooked food for the week.

After youve put some thought into choosing the right diet for your pet, it makes sense that youd want the food to stay fresh for as long as possible. Food that isnt stored properly can lose its nutritional value or worse, make your dog sick.

Whether you pre-portion your dogs kibble rations or batch cook a week of meals, its essential that what youre feeding your dog is still safe for them.

How Do I Store My Dogs Food?

The first step to ensuring your dogs food stays fresh is proper storage, especially if youre trying to meal prep for your dog. Oxidation (a chemical reaction when food is exposed to oxygen) is what causes spoilage and loss of nutrition over time, explains Dr. Steph Sheen, DVM. Storing food in an airtight container, away from direct sunlight limits exposure to air and UV light, which slows the oxidation process.

For maximum freshness for food being served, ideally your dog would consume each meal in full. Alternatively, if you allow free-feeding or grazing, you can leave kibble out at room temperature. Dr. Sheen recommends measuring out the daily amount rather than topping up the bowl to avoid old food from staying at the bottom for too long. After eight hours, you should throw away any uneaten food and refrigerated food should be returned to the fridge sooner than that.

Extreme heat or cold can compromise the quality, safety, and palatability of food if its stored in a garage or shed, explains Dr. Ruth Ann Lobos, DVM, a senior veterinarian at Purina. Some dog food manufacturers use vitamins and antioxidants, which serve as natural preservatives to keep food from oxidizing and becoming rancid. To minimize exposure to moisture, air, and high temperatures, Dr. Lobos recommends following the FDAs guidelines, which are:

• Store dog food and treats in their original bag or container, at room temperature
• Put the opened bag into a container as opposed to emptying the bag
• Make sure the container you use is airtight, clean, and dry

How Long Does Food Last?

The expiration date on the bag refers to how long food stays fresh in an unopened bag, Dr. Sheen explains. Once you open the bag, air is introduced into the food and the oxidation process begins. Her advice for making food last is to select a quantity that your dog can consume within about six to eight weeks and avoid packaging thats torn or damaged at the time of purchase.

Keeping food in its original bag helps prevent nutrients from leeching out of the food into the container, so it may be better to continue to scoop their meals rather than keeping pre-portioned meals in individual containers. Another advantage of using the original packaging is having important information on hand including the brand, manufacturer, expiration date, lot number, and product code in case you have any questions or in the event of a product recall.

Typically, the expiration date is 12 to 18 months, but it can vary based on the formula, Dr. Lobos says. She suggests keeping a calendar of how long it takes your dog to finish a bag of food when deciding what size to purchase. You can always double check with the manufacturer if youre unsure about the expiration date.

How Can I Ensure Homemade Meals Are Safe for My Dog?

Preparing meals at home allows you to combine fresh ingredients that are easy for dogs to digest. Just make sure not to deviate from the recipe or engage in whats known as recipe drift, which is when pet owner substitutes chicken or fish for another ingredient, which totally changes the nutrient profile of the recipe, Dr. Lobos explains.

Even something as small as using a different cooking oil or switching vegetables in the recipe can create an imbalance over time, according to Dr. Sheen. Its better for your dog to use a whole new recipe rather than trying to substitute ingredients.

If you have a senior dog or a dog with medical conditions, homemade meals are still a great option. You can cook the food yourself or purchase pre-made meals. Keep in mind that many recipes found online dont meet minimum nutritional requirements, Dr. Sheen explains. Simply adding a generic multivitamin isnt sufficient to meet your dogs needs.

Whats most important is using a recipe that is complete and balanced by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, Dr. Sheen says. This often means needing to supplement your dogs food with specific vitamins and minerals. In addition, make sure to follow the nutritionists recommendations to provide consistent, complete, and balanced nutrition.

Is Batch Cooking a Good Option?

Seeing as cooking requires a lot of planning and preparation, preparing food in batches can help you save time. Youll need to consider the size of your dog, how much food they consume each week, and how much storage space you have in your kitchen or freezer. For a small dog, you can prepare a batch that lasts a few weeks and keep it frozen until ready for use. For a larger dog, you may need to cook more often or prepare more than one batch at a time.

Once prepared, the food can be kept in the freezer for up to a year, especially if its stored in a vacuum-sealed package, Dr. Sheen says. Although it begins to lose some nutrition after six months. Keep batches frozen until youre ready to serve them. Once defrosted, food can last in the fridge for three to four days or slightly longer if kept in an airtight container or vacuum-sealed package.

This also depends on the ingredients youre using. Cooked meals might be a better option if you or your dog has a compromised immune system due to age or illness.