After the scare about certain ingredients mistakenly added to commercial dog food making animals sick, I did some investigation and found that most commercial dog food really isn’t that nutritious anyways, so I decided to make my own.

Homemade dog food is simple to prepare and is much healthier for your dog. First, I’m going to share how to make dog bread, then a tasty hamburger helper. All of my dogs – Kronk, Pip, and Precious – greatly enjoy their food and anxiously await dinner time every day.

DOG BREAD

4 cups oatmeal and 4 cups cornmeal (or a combination of each to make 8 cups)
(If you wish, you may use 3 cups of oatmeal and 3 cups of cornmeal along
with 2 cups of biscuit mix.)
3 cups cooked rice, preferably brown rice
2 teaspoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons brewer’s yeast
2 teaspoons bone meal

Mix the above ingredients together. To help repel fleas, add 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Stir 3 cups water into the mixture. Any type of broth or gravy can be used instead of water.

Now melt 1 cup of lard. Beat 4 eggs into the lard, then add to the oatmeal mixture.

Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 325 - 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow to cool. Break into pieces or crumble when you feed to your dog. Refrigerate any that is left over.

If you wish, you can make a larger batch and freeze some of it for later use. Please make sure what you make, or thaw out, is eaten within 3 days.

HAMBURGER HELPER FOR DOGS

1 lb. hamburger (or some other meat)
1 pkg. mixed vegetables
2 cups rice
1½ cups uncooked oatmeal
6 eggs

Break the raw hamburger, or whatever meat you decide to use, into pieces. Leave the meat raw; it is better for your dogs. I used to cook their meat, but in the wild they catch and kill animals, not bothering to stop and cook the meat before they eat. Add the mixed vegetables, rice and oatmeal. Beat 6 eggs and stir into the hamburger mixture.

You may find it necessary to make a smaller batch if you only have one or two dogs. Of course, you can freeze any extra and thaw before use.

I serve the hamburger helper on top of the dog bread, with some extra vitamins. My dogs go wild each day at dinner time. No longer do they leave even a speck of food uneaten.

Precious is a boxer/German shepherd cross. She 5 ounces of dog bread with 2 ounces of raw milk poured over it and topped with 5 ounces of hamburger helper. Precious has allergies, so a Loma Lux sinus & allergy pill is mixed in with her portion of food.

Kronk is a German Shepherd and Pip is an Australian Shepherd, so they are a bit larger. They each eat 11.2 ounces of dog bread with 9 ounces of raw milk poured over it and topped with 9 ounces of hamburger helper. Pip has a slight case of arthritis, so I mix an aspirin in with his food.

Feel free to taste the dog bread when it is done cooking. The taste isn't bad (my grandson loves it) If you like to eat raw meat, feel free to taste the hamburger helper concoction as well. You'll understand why your dogs love it.