Disclaimer: These recipes are formulated to be nutritionally complete and balanced per 1,000 calories, and not per weight of the dog using NRC guidelines which is my preferred method. This is one of the differences between recipes formulated for a general population (including commercial pet food) and recipes formulated by a professional canine nutrition consultant for an individual dog. (One uses Metabolizable Energy [ME] and the other uses Metabolic Weight [MW]). This means a recipe (or commercial dog food) may not be nutritionally complete and balanced for a specific dog, especially if they consume a very low amount or very high amount of calories.
These are general recipes. For an individualized recipe for your dog (including any substitutions) please see our services or contact us for more info.
Beef & Turkey Recipe:
This is a balanced recipe with most ingredients available from a regular grocery store. If your dog is already used to raw food then you do not need to cook unless you want to. Some older dogs, like mine, prefer it warm. If you would like to cook the recipe, lightly cook the ingredients before mixing with the other ingredients, and keep all the liquid for the water soluble nutrients.
Of course food contains more than the “essential” nutrients, but I’ve included the reasons why I’ve used these ingredients in the recipe as they relate to achieving balance per NRC guidelines, per 1,000 calories. This recipe is approx. 1850 calories which feeds an average 20 lb (9.1 kg) dog for about 3 days or an average 80 lb (36.4 kg) dog for about 1 day.
◾1 lb / 453 g (approx. 360 g cooked) 90% lean ground beef – for protein, fat and zinc.
◾1 lb / 453 g (approx. 360 g cooked) 90% lean ground turkey – for protein and fat (omega 6).
◾1 oz. / 28 g (17 g cooked) beef liver – for copper and retinol.
◾1 oz. / 28 g (17 g cooked) turkey liver – boosts selenium, folate, and retinol.
◾2.25 tsp Animal Essentials seaweed calcium* – for calcium and magnesium (can substitute 6 g, approx. 1 tsp, eggshell powder).
◾1.25 tsp Carlson cod liver oil** (without lemon) – for vitamin D and omega 3s.
◾100 g broccoli (cooked or puréed) – for fiber and antioxidants.
◾100 g spinach (cooked or puréed) – for fiber and antioxidants.
◾200 g canned sweet potato** (no salt or sugar added) – for fiber, antioxidants and manganese.
◾1 tsp nutritional yeast** – for thiamine and other B vitamins.
◾325 mcg iodine from NOW kelp tablet**
◾200 IU natural vitamin E** (d-alpha-tocopherol)
Calorie distribution: 45.5% protein, 41.5% fat, 13% carbs
*This can often be found at a small independently owned pet food store. If not, they can usually order it for you.
**These can typically be found at a health food store.