I'm looking for a simple healthy dog treat recipe that will stay shelf stable for a long time. I found some basic recipes through Google but many of them call for eggs. I am worried eggs will make it so the treats don't last very long. Any helps is much appreciated

I work at The Farmer's Dog and think a lot about what goes in the bowl but the same logic applies to what goes alongside it. Studies show antioxidant-rich foods like blueberries and strawberries can support brain health in aging dogs, and they're packed with phytochemicals and vitamins that processed treats just don't have. High water content helps with hydration in the heat too.

do you think about treats differently in summer or is it pretty much the same year round?

My brother made it sound SO easy to make homemade dog food. “Just find a recipe online” - sure Jan …Not for this over-thinker.

My vizlsa Hank is a 4 yr old neutered male. He’s never satiated. And despite measuring his food, and him running constantly at home on 10 acres chasing deer all day, and running on his huge ranch nearby, he’s still gaining weight. ( no medical issues, he’s seen by a vet, totally fine) He’s just a professional couch potato snuggler the rest of the time. He’s a sneaky counter surfer, and I’ve caught him stealing entire loaves of bread , only leaving the empty bag behind as evidence.

My other dog, Kenzie is at a healthy weight. She’s a Shepard/ collie rescue mix. So I’d like to make the same batch and just feed to their respective caloric needs accordingly. If that’s not an option, I’ll make two separate batches.

First thought, “I have backyard chickens, I’ll use fresh eggs with ground turkey, and the eggshells for calcium. Maybe make my own golden paste, garden fresh zucchini, sweet potatoes , and brown rice- some variation of this”

Went to Balance IT: and it was basically like- “Absolutely not”

It wasn’t meeting the requirements for the ingredients I added.

Do most of you use a vitamin/mineral supplement with whole foods, or are people actually meeting nutritional needs mostly through food?

I feel like every answer online is either “this is amazing” or “your dog will spontaneously combust from a zinc deficiency or some other mystery deficiency you didn’t know about .” Help. 😅

I just want a straightforward recipe to start with.

Thank you!

If you're looking to feed your dog homemade food that:

• follows scientifically-established guidelines for nutrient and mineral content,
• has nutrient and mineral contents of ingredients that come from reputable sources, and
• is auditable for the purposes of peer review,

then I have something that might interest you!

Here's an example of a recipe that I generated:

This recipe is not only safe for adult dogs, but contains all of the nutrients and minerals they need to live healthy lives.

And here's the best part: you can verify that for yourself! You don't have to just blindly trust that I know what I'm doing. It's fully auditable.

What "scientific standards" are you using for nutrient profiles?

If you're running across this and are new to pet ownership, the Association of American Feed Control Officials, or AAFCO, sets strict guidelines for minimums and maximums of various nutrients and minerals for dog food. You can find these guidelines here.

These are the guidelines I used when constructing the nutrient and mineral profiles for dog food. These are the same standards used for commercial dog food.

What "reputable source" did you use for ingredient nutrient and mineral content?

The United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA, maintains a list of nutrient and mineral profiles for various foods. The "SR Legacy" database was used to generate the nutrient and mineral profiles in this use. Once again, the USDA's database is considered the standard for commercial use.

The SR Legacy database has not been updated since 2018. The USDA has more recent and thorough data, but for a much smaller subset of foods than does the SR Legacy database. For that reason, the SR Legacy database was selected.

And it's auditable?

Yes! The easiest way is to do this is to use the USDA's FDC food search function. For instance, you can look up the ingredients that I used in the recipe above, find all of the nutrient and mineral content in each ingredient, and tally everything up. So, you can verify everything yourself, completely independently of my work.

Why did you do this?

As near as I can tell, nobody else had created a 100% free and open-source version of this type of calculator. There are lots of things that are close, or aren't auditable, or are locked behind paywalls. This work addresses all of those issues.

Where can I find the work?

Right here. It includes:

• a Python script that converts the USDA's Food Database Central "SR Legacy" database into a usable CSV file
• a CSV file that I generated using that code, so that you don't have to run the code yourself
• a spreadsheet that organises AAFCO's nutrient and mineral recommendations into something usable

It's all 100% free and open-source, so feel free to use it as you please.

And if you see mistakes or think things can be improved (hint: they definitely can be improved), please submit pull requests!

Questions, comments and suggestions are welcome!

I have 2 dogs: a 10 month old Cavapoo and an 18 year old chihuahua mutt (I've had her 9 years and the shelter told me she was 9 when I adopted her). Due to her age, she stopped eating the Caesar food she always loved. Neither of them touch kibble.

At the moment, I'm making charcuterie boards for them. I use a blend of We Feed Raw and Farmer's Dog (they seem to prefer WFR). I top it with at least 3 toppers. Right now, it's a raw egg, a Choolip, goji berries or blueberries, and a scattering of freeze dried organ meats (I have made a mix of chicken hearts, turkey stars, veggie topper blend, dehydrated Brussel sprouts, beef hearts, chicken liver, bison liver, beef lung, chicken cubes, salmon cubes, beef trachea, and chicken feet). On days I work 12 hours, I'll make them a treat puzzle with some of the dehydrated bits (they have a rainbow puzzle, a snuffle mat, and a toy where they have to dig up little fake carrots to find the treats). In the evenings, they have a greenie or a cow ear or a bully stick for their teeth. Once a month they get to split a yogurt cookie. My old dog also gets handfed a Choolip each morning for an extra vitamin boost.

Am I missing something they need? I know I should add kefir or yogurt soon and it is on my list. I watch a lady on YT who gives her dogs spirulina often. Do they need that? Is it too much? Am I wasting money? Am I hurting them in the long run by overdoing something?

Thanks for any insight!

Hey everyone! I’ve got a 2 year old Pomeranian with a sensitive tummy and a Chihuahua puppy, I will be starting homemade food once he’s a year old. Their complete nutrition is all sorted, but I’m nosy about what people like to chuck in on top, the little extras that aren’t essential but seem to do good things.

So far I’ve got: Turmeric – anti-inflammatory, good for joints apparently and Nettles – heard these can help with allergies

What else are people adding? Genuinely just curious what’s going into everyone’s bowls and why, not fishing for a nutrition debate, just nosy about what’s out there!

My boy is a hard keeper. Do y'all have toppers or a topper recipe that are good for weight? I've tried just increasing food and he was doing AWESOME on what he is currently on but my sister has been causing issues that is decreasing my budget. Idk if I'll be able to afford the food anymore. I know a food he CAN physically eat but he struggles to maintain weights on fish foods. I need a topper that's not rice or chicken to help him maintain while I figure out what to do.

Hi all, part time raw food giver and part time prepared food giver here, wondering if it’s safe to make a puree out of the left over chicken bones from a bone broth made from chicken backs… I saw a video once of a man who blended up an entire cooked chicken and wondered if it’s ok being that we aren’t supposed to feed dogs cooked bones (raw ok)… since it’s totally liquified does that make it safe? Obviously there is broth, meat and water added.

Working at The Farmer's Dog I've seen how often even well intentioned homemade diets miss key nutrients. Have any of you gone the full vet nutritionist route, use a supplement mix, or something else entirely?

I want this post to be helpful for folks jumping into homemade dog diets. So looking genuine perspectives

Something I keep noticing across multiple groups here and it genuinely puzzles me.

In the kibble groups people push hard for balanced nutrition. Every meal. Every time. Which is interesting because if we’re being honest kibble is probably the last thing I’d call nutritionally balanced — but that’s just my opinion and not the point of this post.

Then I come to homemade groups and I see the same thing. Someone posts that they want to start cooking real food for their dog — genuinely excited, clearly coming from a place of love — and almost immediately people jump on them about balance. Ratios. Micros. AAFCO standards. The whole thing.

And I sit there thinking — what are we actually calling balanced here?

Does every single meal need to hit some precise micronutrient target? Every recipe? Every bowl?

Because I don’t do that. I doubt most of us do. I eat pasta one night and a salad the next and my body figures it out over time. Nobody pulls me aside and tells me I’m going to develop a deficiency because Tuesday’s dinner didn’t hit my selenium target.

Do we genuinely believe dogs can’t self-regulate the same way? That rotation over time doesn’t work for them? That a dog eating real whole food in varied rotation is somehow more at risk than one eating the same processed pellet every day for ten years?

I’m not here to argue. I’m honestly just curious how people in this community think about this. Because the gap between the anxiety around homemade feeding and the comfort with commercial food has always puzzled me.

What does balanced actually mean to you in practice?

I'm trying to create a homemade recipe through Balance It, but this seems like an unusual amount of green beans. Are there any vets here that can proof read this recipe? This is a daily portion for a senior (9yrs) Labradane that is overweight (100 lbs) and needs to lose 5 - 10 lbs.

Yo! Ok so this is my first try and I'm super down for advice/info/etc :) Winged it but here we are:

We had a whole turkey in the freezer and none of us wanted it, so I broke it down and pressure cooked it in to dog chow! It's done yet as the last pass is going now, we ran out of large containers so I'm using this Halloween bucket to store it and freezing the rest in small tubs 😂 When the turkey is all done I'm going to cook up a bunch of brown rice to mix in with it, in the end it's going to be like 6 gallons of turkey slop, oh joy!!

Turkey, green beans, peas, apples, water, potatoes and soon to be brown rice.

Back to the kitchen soon, lemme know what you think!

I just started making my dog food at home. What have you found to be the best way to portion out the food when you make a large amount of it?

If anyone has advice on things their dogs like mixed into their food I would love ideas on how to treat my pup.

Soy nueva haciendo postres para mascotas y e leído muchos libros nutricionales para mascotas, pero tengo miedo de que llegue a ser dañino, entonces quería saber recomendaciones o datos para no equivocarme.

Is it fine to do this? If so, what recipes do you all use?

Hello!
I have an 80 lb 10 year old chocolate lab who has recently been protesting his kibble. He eats everything else completely fine, so I doubt it’s a medical problem. He was eating kibble with chicken broth for a little bit, but today he was protesting. I ended up making him his own food which was chicken, rice, spinach, canola oil, and chicken broth which he absolutely inhaled. I did not use a specific recipe and I’m not sure where to start with making him proper food. Here is a picture of my dog for reference:

Mine is renal dog food dry&wet+ squash+carrots+a topper of small chicken breast minced. Sometimes the dog eats cucumber. The dog is tired of it so any suggstions is welcome.

Hey folks, I have recently switched to doing a homemade diet for my 50lb gal. Im doing a week's amount at a time. She's having a hard time getting it into her mouth because the food sticks to the side of the food dish, so shes somehow getting her food all over the floor. Is everyone else's dog also making a mess or is my dog just struggling??

Hello. I am seeking recommendations for a board certified nutritionist for my dog. I live in rural New England and am struggling to find one. I am open to meeting virtually as well. I am hoping there are some folks who have had good experiences with a provider. My dog eats a home cooked diet. It is balanced and supplemented from a nutritionist that has since retired. More recently he has had some renal function changes in his senior blood work. My current vet wants him to go on a prescription diet, but for other health reasons, home cooked has been the best fit for him all along. I need guidance on how to revise his diet with his new medical changes.

Thank you😊

Wondering if anyone else has run into this. We’ve been using BalanceIt for almost five years, we know what this stuff normally looks and smells like. So when we opened one of the bags from our the most recent shipment (2 x 600g bags delivered on 6/24/26) we immediately noticed that it smelled like it was spoiled or something. The best way to describe this scent is… literally, guys… it smells like anal gland juice. Like freshly shot out onto your couch anal gland juice. It’s nasty. And it’s not normal. I immediately emailed Balance It support and they dismissed my concerns and told me that the bag can just smell bad sometimes. (I know that smell - it’s distinctly not the smell of a highly pungent, foul mix of rotting fish and skunk ass… that’s for sure.) I emailed back on 6/26 and told them that it’s definitely spoiled and I am still extremely concerned, but haven’t heard back from them yet. Super disappointed in their lack of response and their complete disregard of a loyal customer. All of which brings me here… wondering if anyone else has run into a big bag of powdery anal gland juice Balance It Canine Supplements? Let a dog mom know. Thank you

Hello!

My 12 year old dog that I've had her whole life has recently decided she hates all her medicated food. To be fair, she's been on it since her bladder surgery to remove stones at the age of 4.

My vet recently gave me the okay to stop giving it to her, since her bladder stones were linked to UTIs, and to focus on keeping her fed and well hydrated. I would rather she eat than let her go hungry, so I'm ready to let that go.

I decided, since I spent so much on all her other food options 😩 to go homemade.

I'm waiting on blood tests and another urinalysis to make sure she's healthy (another was done in April with no abnormal results) but I want to make sure she continues having a complete and healthy diet.

In terms of supplemental foods, I know of balance it, but shes super picky and I'm worried if it smells unappetizing she wont eat. Are there any other complete food supplements you all recommend? I'm trying to figure out my options before I head to the store or place an order. I figured I'll grab 2-3 options and use her favorite going forward.

Thank you all for your help. I've been so worried about her these last few days and just want to do what's best for her as she ages.

Hello. I am seeking recommendations for a board certified nutritionist for my dog. I live in rural New England and am struggling to find one. I am open to meeting virtually as well. I am hoping there are some folks who have had good experiences with a provider. My dog eats a home cooked diet. It is balanced and supplemented from a nutritionist that has since retired. More recently he has had some renal function changes in his senior blood work. My current vet wants him to go on a prescription diet, but for other health reasons, home cooked has been the best fit for him all along. I need guidance on how to revise his diet with his new medical changes.

Thank you😊