How to Make Homemade Dry Dog Food with Beef

Many dog owners are turning to natural recipes to make homemade dog food, rather than buying the bagged food available in the stores -- especially in the wake of pet food recalls and news stories about the benefits of natural dog diets.

The following recipe is a modified "Bandits Beef Casserole" from the Natural Pet Food Cookbook. It makes six servings for an average size dog. Here's how to make homemade dry dog food.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Baking pan
• 1 pound lean ground beef, cooked
• 8-ounce can corn, drained
• 1 pound fresh carrots, cooked and sliced
• 8-ounce can condensed tomato soup
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley, or 3 TB parsley flakes
• 1 TB wheat germ
• 1⁄2 tsp brewer’s yeast
• 1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and thoroughly spray a baking pan or casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. 
    
   Beef for dry dog food

   Combine together the ground beef, Monterey Jack Cheese, vegetables and tomato sauce. Add the brewer's yeast, wheat germ and parsley and mix thoroughly.
   
   It might look like you're making a casserole for humans to eat, and to be sure, this homemade dry dog food recipe is human-grade and can safely be eaten by people -- but knowing it's dog food may turn off your appetite.

3. 
    

   Press the mixture into the greased casserole dish for a meatloaf-like product, or place it in chunks on the baking sheet.

4. Sprinkle the top of your homemade dry dog food mix with the Parmesan cheese. The cheeses in this recipe add extra protein, fat, calcium and flavor.

5. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes (casserole) or 15 minutes (pan).

6. 
    
   Beagle mix puppy

   Feed one serving to your dog when cool, and at his normal feeding time. Adult dogs should be fed twice a day in most cases, with the amount of food depending on weight and activity level.

Tips & Warnings

• Ask your vet before switching to a homemade dry dog food diet for your dog.
• Some dog breeds are allergic to corn. Ask your vet, or watch your dog for signs of discomfort or poor digestion after eating the dog food. You can always omit the corn and add extra meat instead.

Resources

• How to Buy Pet Health Insurance
• The Natural Pet Food Cookbook: Healthful Recipes for Dogs and Cats

[Rockney]

on 7/8/2009 Great article! 5*!

[showpup]

on 7/8/2009 Really interesting recipe! I love reading homemade dog food and treat recipes.