The Dove Gear Dog Food Recipe

The Dove Gear Dog Food Recipe

            At Dove Gear, we love our field companions and have been working to develop our own recipe to keep Quinn (our 10-year-old Lab) as healthy and happy as possible.  There is a lot written about the possible negative effects of dry kibble, which is cooked at high temperatures, leading to increasing press coverage of all the so-called “real” food for dogs.

            We began to research and read tons of information on how to make a healthy, hearty dog food right in your own kitchen and would like to share our recipe with you.  Yes, it takes a few hours every two to three weeks, but if you love your dogs as much as we love Quinn, it’s time well spent.

            You’ll need a large container that holds at least 4 to 5 gallons to allow thorough mixing.  A small ice chest works great.

INGREDIENTS

5 Chicken leg quarters (yields about 2-1/4 lbs of boned chicken)

1 pkg of chicken hearts – about 12-14 ounces

1 pkg of chicken livers – about 12-14 ounces

1 pkg of beef kidney – about 1.2 lbs cleaned and cooked

One dozen eggs, hard-boiled

4 cups dry brown rice (to make 12 cups cooked)

2 to 3 cups cooked oatmeal -- plain, no sugar, salt or other flavorings.

1 1-lb bag of frozen peas and carrots

1 1-lb bag of frozen chopped spinach

1 large sweet potato, diced into ¼ to ½” cubes

30 scoops of Dinovite supplement for gut health

DIRECTIONS

ING1.       1. Simmer the chicken leg quarters in 8 to 10 cups of water for about a half hour until done.  DO NOT PUT ANY SALT OR OTHER SEASONINGS IN THE WATER.  At the same time, hard boil the dozen eggs.

At 2. 2.      Remove the chicken leg quarters to cool a bit, put the hearts and livers and diced kidney in the broth and boil 15 minutes or so.

3.      After boiling the hearts and livers, strain the broth to yield 8 cups for the brown rice and 4 cups for the oatmeal.  Cook the brown rice and oatmeal according to instructions.  Set aside to cool.

4.      While rice and oatmeal are cooking . . .

a.      Cut all meat off the chicken leg quarters and dice into small pieces.  Same with livers and hearts and kidney.

b.      Pell and chop the boiled eggs and pulverize the shells in a food processor. Make sure there are no large pieces of shell.

5.      When rice and oatmeal is cooled, mix all ingredients together in your ice chest or suitable large container.  Be sure to mix thoroughly.  Then add the Dinovite eight to ten scoops at a time and mix thoughly.

This size batch will make about 15 lbs of finished product.  I’ve determined the best amount for Quinn is a heaping cup of this food twice a day. 

About 1/3 of this batch is about right for the refrigerator for the coming week or so, with the balance filling two one-gallon freezer bags with about four pounds of food each.  I freeze those for future thaw and use . . . each one will feed Quinn for about five days to a week.

For convenience, I’ve found I can tightly fill ten eight-ounce plastic containers and put them in the refrigerator for the next four to five days’ feedings.  Those hold about 11 ounces of food (by weight), or about 1/3 of the batch.  This feeding regimen keeps Quinn’s weight at 65 pounds with moderate exercise (for a nearly ten-year-old Lab).

If you want to venture out into the world of making your dog’s food yourself, we encourage you to give this one a try.