I was happy to chat with my sweet Kitchen Pioneers during November’s live stream on November 29, 2022. Among the topics we talked about was how to make homemade dog food. (You can get to my printable recipe later in this public blog post.)
Plus, I was so happy to share the adorable apron I received from my sweet friend Rachel from Australia. (Thanks, Rachel!)
This live stream replay is available to Kitchen Pioneers who have joined my YouTube membership community—The Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy.
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Table of Contents
- Why My Pup Needs Homemade Dog Food
- Why I Avoided Specialty Dog Food
- Homemade Dog Food for a Dog’s Chicken Allergy
- Homemade Dog Food for Chicken Allergies Recipe
- Dehydrating Ingredients for Homemade Dog Food
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy Live Stream
- More Kitchen Pioneer Videos
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Why My Pup Needs Homemade Dog Food
When it comes to making homemade dog food, I am no expert, but I was desperate to find a solution to help my sweet yellow lab pup Indy who was diagnosed with a chicken allergy. Generally, he is a very healthy pup, but he started to develop little bumps between his webbed toes as well as some hot spots around his elbows and ankles.
And sorry if this is a bit of too much information (TMI), but I know you dog moms and dads will understand. Indy developed regular bouts of very loose stool. Our vet diagnosed it as a chicken allergy and recommended a special dog food.
Poor pup! Chicken is so tasty, but it has been off-limits for him for a while now. And I also found that Indy didn’t do great on beef either.
Why I Avoided Specialty Dog Food
Now, I think you know I would do anything for my sweet dog, but the food that the vet recommended was $135 per bag! And I was equally shocked when I learned of one of the main ingredients: powdered cellulose.
Guess what that is? It’s basically refined wood pulp. They threw in potatoes and some fish meal for good measure, but I figured I could do better than that—and for a lot less!
Personally, I don’t think Indy’s allergies will last forever. I wonder if he was the runt of the litter and possibly didn’t get a thorough probiotic wash from his birth mom.
My goal is to build up his gut health to help him overcome his allergies and eventually be able to reintroduce chicken and beef back into his diet. And I have been doing this by creating a homemade dog food for him that provides good bacteria probiotics and also includes prebiotics to help feed the probiotics.
Homemade Dog Food for a Dog’s Chicken Allergy
Here’s the homemade dog food recipe I found works the best to help our dog with the symptoms of his chicken allergy. It serves one meal for our dog, Indy, who is a 100-pound Labrador Retriever.
The good news is that with this diet, Indy’s symptoms have cleared up, and his stool has returned to a firm, healthy consistency. That’s an excellent sign his gut health is improving!
Homemade Dog Food for Chicken Allergies
Ingredients
- 1 whole banana
- 4 tbsp dehydrated pumpkin or 1/2 can of pumpkin
- 1 tbsp dehydrated beets
- 1 tbsp dehydrated carrots
- 1 tbsp dehydrated green beans
- 1 tbsp dehydrated alfalfa
- 1 tbsp dehydrated white potato
- 1 tbsp dehydrated goat's milk powder
- 1/4 cup soaked oat groats Cooked and cooled
- 1 tsp doggie probiotic powder or 1-2 tablespoons of plain yogurt with live active cultures
- 1 tsp dehydrated colostrum powder
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 cup cooked white fish
- 1 cup Warm water
Instructions
- Mix everything together with enough warm water (about 1 cup) to rehydrate.
- Serve to your pup, and make sure your dog has enough water to drink too.
Notes
Dehydrating Ingredients for Homemade Dog Food
You can find some of the recipe ingredients I use in my supplies section, but it may be easier and cheaper for you to dehydrate your own vegetables at home. (I do that for several of my homemade dog food ingredients.)
In the following videos, I show you how to dehydrate vegetables the easy way. I also have a video on how to dehydrate homemade vegetable bouillon that also provides you with a dehydrating 101 guide.
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The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.
Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy Live Stream
These live stream replays are available to members of the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy, who we call Kitchen Pioneers. You can learn more about my optional YouTube membership community, including members-only videos and exclusive perks.
This membership community is optional. I’m still publishing my weekly detailed instructional cooking videos on my public YouTube channel that you can watch for free. (Thanks so much for being a Sweet Friend and subscriber!)
In addition to links to the latest Kitchen Academy vodcasts, this blog post lists some of the public videos that I talk about in my live stream.
More Kitchen Pioneer Videos
In addition to live streams, I publish exclusive videos for my membership community. In case you have missed any of my past videos, be sure to catch up with the videos below.
- Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy video playlist (Optional Membership Community)
Here are a few of my previous member videos. (If you enjoy dogs and making homemade dog food, the following videos will introduce you to the dogs our family loves, including our current pup Indy.)
Stay in Touch with Maryโs Nest
- Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
- Subscribe to Maryโs Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy (Optional Paid) - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
- Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook (Optional Paid) - Get a printed book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.
I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Supplies for Homemade Dog Food
- Dehydrated carrots
- Dried green beans
- Dehydrated vegetable sampler – 15 Count Variety Pack from Harmony House
Note it may be cheaper for you to dehydrate vegetables the easy way to make the ingredients for your homemade dog food.
Favorite Kitchen Supplies
- Favorite Aprons
- Chef’s Knife
- Bamboo Cutting Board
- Lodge Cast Iron Frying Pan
- Scanpan
- Spatula Spoon
- Whisk
- Large Stock Pot
- Stainless Steel Colander
- Large Measuring Cup
- Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Baking Sheet
- 2-Cup Glass Storage Jars with Lids
- 10-Piece Glass Bowl Set
- Flour Sack Towels
Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide
- Visit Maryโs Nest Amazon Shop
- Visit my Shopping Guide page
Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Lehman's, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, Plan to Eat, and More!