Homemade Dog Food In The Instant Pot

My recipes are low carb paleo: fresh,healthy, whole food ingredients with very few starches, no sugars, no vegetable oils. The health of my spouse and myself has improved dramatically eating this way.

We feed this to our dogs every few days; it is not the mainstay of their diet but adds lots of great nutrients on an intermittent basis. To add calcium to our dogs' diets, we slow cook chicken bones in the Instapot for 2-3 days until they are crumbly soft, then add them to their meals every few days. This also gives us humans some heavenly broth.

To reduce the carbs add much less of the rice OR sweet potato/butternut squash/pumpkin

Cook's Note: I buy frozen California Medley veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli). Three 12-ounce bags is the perfect amount for this homemade dog food recipe.

Cook's Note: How much to serve your dog -- Betsy is about 17 pounds, and we feed her approximately 3/4 cup in the morning and again in the evening. Willow is 10-11 pounds, and she gets slightly less than that morning and evening.

Servings: Makes 16 cups of homemade dog food

6 tablespoons coconut oil

1 to 3 C rice OR sweet potato/butternut squash/pumpkin chopped quite small

3 cups pure water

3 pounds ground meat: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, venison, or bison

1 pound pastured beef livers or chicken livers (optional, but preferred)

36 ounces veggies various fresh, can use frozen (See article by the American Kennel Club: Fruits & Vegetables Dogs Can & Cannot Eat www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/fruits-vegetables-dog...)

....green leaves: lettuce (uncooked - can be 50% of the vegetables)

....zucchini

....green beans - low in calories, high in fiber, and full of vitamins and minerals.

....broccoli

....cauliflower

....carrots (not many as it is higher in sugar)

....cucumbers

....celery

....cabbage

Put coconut oil in the bottom of the pan

Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot.

Add the ground meat and break it up and the liver, if using.

Cook the meat and liver until they are about half-way browned. You don't want them to brown completely because you still have to cook the rice and veggies in the Instant Pot, and the meat will burn if fully cooked.

Once the meat and liver are half-way browned, add the rice and water

Stir the meat, rice, and cooking water together.

Add the veggies on top, but do not mix in.

Place the lid on the Instant Pot, making sure it is locked and the vent is sealed.

Change the setting to Manual and adjust the time to 12 minutes.

When the Instant Pot beeps, carefully turn the vent to release the pressure. You may want to place a towel over the steam to protect yourself and your kitchen from any sputtering steam.

Stir everything together, mixing completely.

Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 3 months.

We adapted this recipe from one we found on this page traditionalcookingschool.com/food-preparation/homemade-do... They include a few more ingredients.

ARTICLE: Diet Shaped Dog Domestication - www.sciencemag.org/news/2013/01/diet-shaped-dog-domestica...

Comment by a reader: I am on the side of raw meat so I do the rice & veggies in the IP and then add the raw meat. I do 3lbs meat, 2C rice and half a large bag of frozen veggies, 2c beef or chicken broth (in IP) and mix the whole lot by hand in a huge bowl. Then divide into containers for about 10 days worth of food. Nellie is fed 1½ c twice a day, she’s a 9 yr old 45lb black retriever. Comment by a reader: I am on the side of raw meat so I do the rice & veggies in the IP and then add the raw meat. I do 3lbs meat, 2C rice and half a large bag of frozen veggies, 2c beef or chicken broth (in IP) and mix the whole lot by hand in a huge bowl. Then divide into containers for about 10 days worth of food. Nellie is fed 1½ c twice a day, she’s a 9 yr old 45lb black retriever.

Comment from a reader: I cooked the sweet potato right in with the meat and veggies for same time and they came out perfect. I chopped it quite small.

Notes from a Veterinarian:

1. This is a very high-meat diet. Meats are high in phosphorus, and thus require additional calcium supplementation to balance out the phosphorus. This can be done by using crushed egg shells (there are many online references that teach this) or by vitamins that provide calcium.

2. Variety is very important to avoid dietary imbalances. Be careful when feeding your dog that you are not feeding the same recipe over and over again. If you do this, a multi vitamin should be given (I like Canine Plus by Vetri Science).

3. For more information I recommend Dr Pitcairn’s latest, 4th edition book Natural Health Care for Dogs and Cats as he has a great deal of updated dietary information, and also Jan Allegretti’s Fresh and Flexible Plan that teaches pet guardians to share their healthy meals with their pets.

Servings: Makes 16 cups of homemade dog food

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