Well, it’s official, our dogs are obsessed with quarantine life.
Not only are they getting way too comfy with the fact we don’t leave the house & have started throwing actual tantrums if we leave to check the mail, but Zack has used this downtime to learn how to make HOMEMADE DOG FOOD for Ruby & she is honestly living her best life. Don’t worry about Howard, we tried fresh food, but the guy just LOVES his kibble.
… but for Ruby, the fresh food is a must for her health. Yes, it’s totally extra, but it’s also a must for her health.
Ruby Tuesday is a 3 year old French Bulldog & if you know anything about Frenchie’s- you know, they aren’t like regular dogs. Not only are they highly emotional creatures, but yes- there are health issues that come with all that cuteness. Unfortunately for our Ruby, she was born with REALLY bad skin allergies & for the first few months of her life, the poor thing was constantly covered in hives. We tried special food from the vet & various creams, but it wasn’t until we switched her to a fresh food diet that her skin cleared up.
We have been feeding her The Farmers Dog for the last 3 years & yes- it worked at keeping her skin under control, but HOLY COW it was expensive. We did it, because the return of our dog being comfortable & happy was worth it, but it did feel like we were being straight up robbed. Hence, why Zack decided now was the time to finally start making Ruby’s food himself.
Anywhere I said “we” in this post, I meant Zack, because this is FULLY Zack’s project. I take ZERO credit. but I did ask him to come on the blog & share with you guys EXACTLY what he does to make Ruby’s food. He spent DAYS researching the subject, ordering different supplements, getting his recipe perfect & the whole process is surprisingly simple! Bonus points: it costs a FRACTION of what we were paying before it’s FRESHER than anything you can order!
RUBY’S DOG FOOD RECIPE
notes: from Zack: this is the full recipe & will make about 11 pounds of food which is 5,310 calories total. We often cut this recipe in half because we don’t have freezer space for 11 pounds of food.
Also, this recipe was adjust for Ruby’s skin conditions- fish is good for their skin! You can always swap out the protein to meet your dogs individual needs, be sure to do some research first & consult with your vet if your dog has specific medical issues/needs.
KITCHEN APPLIANCE/TOOLS YOU NEED:
+ an instant pot (option, but highly recommended!)
INGREDIENTS
+ 4lbs 8oz pacific cod (weigh it out raw)
+ 3lbs 3oz sweet potatoes with skin, chopped into small bites. Be sure to use ripe sweet potatoes without any shades of green.
+ 3lbs 3oz russet potatoes with skin, chopped into small bites. Be sure to use ripe potatoes without any shades of green.
**the potatoes are the base we are using for Ruby, some people choose quinoa, but definitely don’t do rice! That a common mistake when it comes to homemade dog food**
+ 6oz green beans, finely chopped
+ 6oz broccoli, finely chopped
+ 1 cup organic pumpkin, this is good for their digestive system!
+ 5.75 oz safflower oil
+ 1 tbsp of Animal Essentials seaweed calcium
+ 6 tsp of Just For Dogs ‘do it yourself’ nutrient blend powder
+ 1 tsp of Just Food for Dogs ‘Omega Plus’ fish oil PER serving. Fish oil is great for coat/skin issues. I add this each morning with her serving of food instead of adding to large batch to monitor the proportions better.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. First, start cooking our fish! Place raw cod fish on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the oven & cook at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until fully cooked through (internal temperature should be 145 degrees Fahrenheit). Let cool fully.
2. While your fish is cooking, wash all your FRESH veggies (never use frozen!) & chop everything up. Make sure the potatoes are cut into bite size pieces & the green beans/broccoli are finely chopped.
3. Since I use an Instant Pot, I just throw all my chopped veggies into the Instant Pot with 1 cup of water, set it to “manual” with the steam on lock, & set the timer for 14 minutes. That’s it. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can cook all your vegetables separately. Steam or boil the green beans & broccoli until soft & boil the bite sized pieces of potato/sweet potato until soft.
4. In a large mixing bowl, combine your vegetables/potatoes/fish, then add in your pumpkin, safflower oil, seaweed calcium, and the Just For Dogs nutrient blend powder.
5. Portion into individual serving sizes in seperate Tupperware containers & store one batch in the fridge for immediate serving (will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days) & the rest in the freezer. Defrost a batch when your running low on your current batch.
6. For the fish oil, I add in 1 tsp with her morning meal. This is specific to her skin issues, but always a great supplement for a dogs coat!
FEEDING GUIDE
General rule of thumb is 2-3% of their body weight, so for a 25lb dog that would be up to 12 ounces of food per day, but then you have to adjust based on your dogs needs. Ruby is super active, three years old, & a pretty svelte Frenchie- so we feed her almost double that (split between breakfast & dinner) and she maintains her weight.
When starting a fresh food diet for your dog, keep a close eye on their weight. If you notice they are losing or gaining, just can then adjust the amount you’re feeding them.
& when in doubt, consult your vet! We are super close with our vet, so she signed off on my homemade dog food recipe before I even started feeding it to Ruby!
