The best anti-inflammatory diet for dogs is one that consists of high-quality proteins, good fats, vegetables that are high in fiber, and nutrients with low levels of sugar and carbohydrates. This vet-approved, home made dog food recipe is full of inflammation-reducing ingredients that will nourish your dog from the inside out like quinoa, turnip greens, blueberries, and flaxseed.
***Please note, I am not a veterinarian, just a very passionate dog owner! The information in this blog post documents our own personal experiences, research, and the recipes that we feed our dogs under our veterinarian's careful supervision. Please, consult with your vet and use your own personal judgment when considering transitioning to a 100% human grade food diet for your pup.***
Is homemade dog food better for dogs?
Our lives drastically changed in 2019 when our dog Hooch's blood levels showed indicators for stage 4 kidney disease. We were literally blindsided!
There were no signs like you would expect; No symptoms to make us suspect something sinister was happening inside his body. Just the signs of what we thought was old age setting in. Then the vet said the unfathomable - we likely only had 3 - 6 months left with him.
We just could not wrap our heads around it - his symptoms were very mild. So mild in fact we just associated them with aging. We left the clinic that day saddled with grief. Armed with only a massive vet bill, and a small bag of prescription diet food that cost about $100.
Upon returning home I did what any dog mom would do - I started pouring myself into research. How could I make the time we had left comfortable for him? How could I help improve his quality of life? Are there measures we can take to prolong his life and improve his health?
Turns out - there was a lot we could do! To our surprise, the changes that had the most positive health impact were actually quite easy lifestyle changes for us to make.
I'm happy to report that it has been 2 years and Hooch no longer shows markers for kidney disease whatsoever! In fact, he is happier, healthier, and more active than ever!
Homemade Dog Food recipe
It's a fact, feeding your pup a diet of 100% human-grade dog food is easy, cost-effective, and WAY better for them than a traditional doggie diet of processed kibble!
Our easy homemade dog food recipe combines lean ground beef, wholesome brown rice, fresh vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, and tender herbs for a healthy, vibrant alternative to traditional dog food that has given our senior dog a new lease on life!
Hooch no longer shows any indicators for kidney disease thankfully, but we have noticed the inevitable signs of age creeping up on him over the past few years. This is why we created this 100% human-grade anti-inflammatory, homemade dog food recipe that is also gentle on his kidneys.
What ingredients are needed to make this Anti-Inflammatory Home Made Dog Food recipe?
The recipe box below contains a printable version of our recipe for this anti-inflammatory homemade dog food, but let's go into each ingredient in detail.
Lean ground sirloin:
Lean ground sirloin contains omega 3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation. However, ground chicken, ground white or dark meat turkey, & ground pork are all great options for your dog too.
Just be sure to make certain that any meat you feed your animals is free of seasonings when purchasing! Dog's living with a kidney disease diagnosis need meals that are lower in phosphorus - so for us a lean ground beef like ground sirloin is best the way to go!
Thoroughly washed quinoa:
Often used as an ingredient in high-quality dry dog foods, quinoa has a high protein content. Its strong nutritional profile makes it a healthy alternative to corn, wheat, and soy — other starches that are often used to make kibble.
If your dog has never eaten quinoa before, start by giving them a small amount. Though quinoa is generally a healthy food for dogs, some canines might have difficulty digesting it.
As quinoa grows, the plant produces a naturally occurring chemical called "saponin" to protect itself from insects. The amount of saponin found on quinoa is typically too small to create any health problems. But, it is possible that dogs' digestive systems are more sensitive to saponin than humans' digestive systems. A thorough wash of the quinoa before cooking it should remove most if not all of the saponin so you will no longer need to worry.
Eggs:
Eggs are high in protein, vitamins, and fatty acids that help support your dog inside and out.
Carrots:
Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A which is responsible for good vision, growth, immune function, and cell function. They also offer our dogs potassium, and fiber, among other vitamins.
Green beans:
Green beans are full of important vitamins and minerals, such as protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins B6, A, C, and K.
Turnip greens:
Turnips are helpful for dogs that suffer from kidney disease as they act as a natural diuretic. This means that they help create urine by increasing kidney filtration and stimulating kidney function. Turnips are also high in various antioxidants which are perfect for fighting inflammation.
Ground chia & flax seeds:
Chia is said to be an immune-system booster and is credited with supporting dogs' electrolyte balance. Flax is high in fiber, and both are high in anti-inflammatories.
Olive oil or another oil high in Omega 3's:
You will want to drizzle a few tablespoons of oil that are high in Omega 3's into each batch of dog food you make. I usually just stick with olive oil or safflower oil because I typically have them on hand and they are affordable. There are great Omega oil blends available on the market too that contain Omega's 3,6, & 9 but they tend to be a bit pricier.
How much 100% human grade food to feed your dog.
This will obviously vary from dog to dog, but a general rule of thumb is for every 10 pounds your dog weighs they should be fed roughly 1 cup of prepared food.
I know this seems like quite a bit compared to the amount of traditional kibble a dog would eat in a day, but this is because kibble has had all of the liquid cooked out of it. This condenses it down which means you need less of it to feed your pet. Real food like this is fully hydrated which means it takes more of it to feed your pup.
If you are concerned about how much you should feed your dog you should call and consult with your vet about transitioning your dog's diet and the amount of food your dog should eat each day.
Looking for more home made dog food recipes? We've got you covered!
We have noticed that our dogs thrive with a variety of fruits and vegetables in their diets. So, we developed this fall-inspired version below.
The Best DIY Dog Food with Turkey and Veggies
This 100% human grade home made dog food recipe utilizes some of the best fall produce for your dogs like sweet potatoes, cranberries, rosemary, and sage. It's perfect for everyday feedings and does double duty as a really delicious holiday meal for your dog!
If you’ve made this Anti-Inflammatory Home Made Dog Food for your pups I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe and let me know what you think in the comments below!
I just love hearing from you and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours.
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PrintAnti-Inflammatory Home Made Dog Food
To make prepping this homemade dog food a cinch and to save LOTS of time and dishes in the process I like to cook the hard-boiled eggs and quinoa in my Instant Pot!
I cook the eggs first, then while the quinoa is cooking in the Instant Pot, I brown the sirloin and get all of the fresh ingredients together. It really does help make the process of meal prepping homemade dog food so much easier! See recipe notes for Instant Pot cooking tips and times!
- Yield: 40 cups 1x
- Category: Dog food
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Dog Food
Ingredients
½ cup chia seeds
½ cup hemp hearts
1 dozen eggs, hardboiled, peeled, and chopped
2 (12-ounce) packages or 4 cups uncooked quinoa, prepared
4 pounds ground sirloin, browned and drained
2 pounds (32-ounces) frozen green beans
4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 (15-ounce) packages of frozen turnip greens
2 (10-ounce) packages of shredded carrots
6 tablespoons good quality olive oil or other oil that is rich in Omega 3's
Instructions
Place the chia seeds and hemp hearts in a blender or food processor and pulse to break down. Set aside.
Prepare the hardboiled eggs and quinoa in the Instant Pot as directed below.
When all of the ingredients that require cooking are ready combine everything in a large container and mix well. I find it easier to layer the ingredients in, adding a little of the olive oil with every layer. Then pop on a lid and give a big shake, it’s a whole lot easier than stirring.
Portion out into individual servings and freeze if desired.
Notes
Instant Pot Quinoa
It will take your Instant Pot about 15-20 minutes to come to pressure, but once it does cooking quinoa happens FAST!
4 cups uncooked quinoa, rinsed
6 cups water
Cook on 1-minute high pressure with 10 minutes slow release. Cool before mixing into other ingredients.
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs:
Place the metal trivet into the Instant Pot and add 1 cup of water. Add uncooked eggs on top of the trivet. Place the lid on top, lock to sealing, and cook high pressure for 5 minutes. Release pressure valve manually at the end of the cooking time and carefully remove the hard boiled eggs to a water bath to cool.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup per 10 lbs.
- Calories: 253
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 46.6 mg
- Fat: 6.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 54.3 g
- Protein: 7.7 g
- Cholesterol: 55.8 mg
Keywords: home made dog food, anti-inflammatory dog food, dog food recipe for arthritis, can dogs eat blueberries, quinoa dog food, vet approved
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Chanel Whitaker says
I’m really looking forward to making this for our little dude Ted. He just turned 1 and he’s giving us a run for our money with an abscessed molar, which was removed along with his neutering, which the mouth wound doesn’t manage to heal.
The dr got a culture of the wounded area and there is speculation it maybe cancer. 😭
We’ve given him canned food since mid December. And I can’t help but wonder if that isn’t aiding in the situation.
I just made him Golden Paste, and I’ll be making him this batch today!!!
Thank you for sharing and for being as passionate (if not more) about your fur baby!!!
Stephanie Greene says
Hi Chanel! So sorry to hear what you are going through. Did your little guy like this? I know it's only been a few days since you posted, but has it made a difference? Only asking because my little girl Penny is coming home today from the hospital with a massive infection in her mouth due to an abscessed molar (or two) and the infection has pushed its way up, pushing out her third eye lid. We can't give her an anti-inflammatory because the first vet we went to gave her rimadyl and prednisone too close, so now we have to wait 5 days to start on an inti-inflammatory. 🙁 So I am doing my research to find soft, homemade anti-inflammatory foods for her.
Kimberly Thompson says
Do you not cook the fruits and vegetables? Just mix them in with the quinoa and eggs?
Eliza Clendenin says
Right! We do not cook the fruits & vegetables, just add them in!
Michelle says
Can I use fresh veg instead of frozen ?
Eliza Clendenin says
Of course!
Jennifer says
I'm excited to try this for our dog. Her bloodwork came back that she has Valley Fever and her inflammatory levels are extremely high(she never got sick). We were extremely worried, stop and go for a while, but I think she's on the mend. At least her attitude and demeanor have perked up. This big girl could use more spoiling.
Eliza Clendenin says
Hi Jennifer!
Hope all is going well & that your pup loves the food!
Devon says
I’m so glad I ran across this! Our senior pup doesn’t have specific health issues, but lots of sensitivities so we are moving to home cooked. When you say 1 cup per ten lbs. that would be 7 cups of food for our guy. It seems like so much! Please tell me that is for the whole day? So we’d split it between his breakfast and dinner? 3.5 cups each meal? Thank you so much for sharing this!
Eliza Clendenin says
Hi Devon!
Yes, this would be for one whole day!
We typically give our dogs a few whole carrots throughout the day as snacks & then their dinner around the same time that we eat!
I hope that this helps!!
Eliza
Debbie Riomondo says
I can't find frozen turnip greens...what would a good substitute be?
★★★★★
Eliza Clendenin says
Hi there Debbie!!
Whenever we can't find frozen turnip greens at our local grocery store we will use frozen spinach or frozen kale if your store sells frozen kale.
Hope this helps!
Eliza
Kayla Bruce says
My 14 year old little gal has been diagnosed with stage 2 chronic kidney disease. I've looked over your recipes which I'm super excited about, but I have a question. The Anti-Inflammatory food is that one the one you made after yours had no signs of kidney failure? I'm trying to make sure I start with the right recipe.
Eliza Clendenin says
Hey Kayla! I am so sorry that you & your sweet girl have to go through this! Yes, we did create this recipe after he showed no signs of kidney failure. The recipe I would recommend starting out with would be our "Easy Homemade Dog Food Recipe". I hope this helps & that your pup gets better!
Nicole says
Do the frozen items remain frozen when mixing this together?
Eliza Clendenin says
Hi Nicole!!
Yes, whenever we make a new batch of food for our dogs we mix the frozen ingredients in still frozen. After this, we just keep our container of food in the fridge.
I hope this helps!
Eliza
Jessica says
This looks great! I'm hoping to start my 3 big dogs on a homemade diet soon and finding recipes like this is inspiring.
I understand you're not a vet or a nutritionist, but can you tell me if you're trying to hit certain ratio metrics like % protein, % vegetables, % grains, and % fats? I have a 3yo, a 7yo, and a 12yo so I want to make sure I'm hitting the right percentages for each. No health concerns (aside from our old girl having some inflammation) or allergies to worry about.
meg@thismessisours says
We just discussed feeding each individual dog with our vet and what would work best for them. Our vet recommended 1 cup per 10 pounds of body weight and what probiotics, vitamins, supplements, etc. to give each dog.
Ian says
Could you make this recipe in a crockpot? Like, just put everything in and let cook together.
meg@thismessisours says
I have honestly never tried it in a crockpot - but if you do and it works out please let me know so I can add your notes to the recipe card.
Carol Wolske says
I really want to use your recipes for our 11 year old Dachshund. He has so many environmental allergies, frequent yeast infections, Cushing's disease and a heart murmur. We give him several meds and supplements recommended by our vet. I see the recommendation would be 2 cups for his weight of 21 #s. Do you recommend splitting this amount into 2 times a day?
Thanks
meg@thismessisours says
Oh, Carol - it sounds like you guys have been through it! I split our dog's meals - but that is just because it's easier for our senior dog's kidneys to process smaller meals multiple times a day. Our dog's usually get an apple for breakfast or a yogurt bowl, some lunch a mid-day snack of a carrot and some dinner.
Karen says
I have a small Bishun/poodle dog diagnosed with diabetes. Also on insulin twice a day. Do you have a recipe that would work for a diabetic dog. She is very picky. Spent lots of money on the diabetic canned and dry dog food only for her to refuse to eat it so now I am cooking her meals. I also want to know if you steam all the veggies like the carrots, peas etc. Your meals look so good and the pumpkin yogurt bowl also looks good. I am going to give this to my Lab as a treat he eats anything.
meg@thismessisours says
Hi Karen,
I wish I had a diabetes-specific recipe to point you towards, but I do not. We haven't had to deal with that with our pets - so I have not researched it much. I will add it to my list of topics to look into and recipes to develop though.
I know your pain spending money on prescription foods only for your dog to turn their nose up at it. It is heart breaking and does a number on the wallet too.
I do not steam the veggies unless it is an ingredient like sweet potatoes. The carrots are either shredded or sliced raw, you can even use frozen, and the peas, green beans, and turnip greens we feed are all frozen.
I hope this helps!
Gayle kinsloe says
What wet recipes are low sodium for a congestive heart failure dog
meg@thismessisours says
Hi Gayle! We do not add any sodium to our recipes but have not done any in-depth research on food for dogs with congestive heart failure.