If you are cooking for your dog for the first time, start here. This chicken pumpkin rice dog food recipe goes into the rice cooker in one layer, you press the button, and an hour later you have a week of meals. No pot to watch, no technique to learn. The pumpkin turns everything a warm orange that dogs seem to find irresistible, which is a pleasant bonus.
This formulation uses skinless chicken thigh as the single animal protein, supplying a complete essential amino acid profile; on an energy basis it provides about 81 g protein and 36 g fat per 1000 kcal, a moderate-fat design suitable as an everyday base diet for most healthy adult dogs. White rice is a highly digestible energy source, while pumpkin and carrot contribute soluble fibre and beta-carotene. The base ingredients supply only 0.09 g calcium per 1000 kcal, so the recipe is complete and balanced only when fed with the supplements as tabled below.
Ingredients (standard batch)
| Ingredient | Amount | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Skinless chicken thigh | 1.8 kg | diced about 1.5 cm, skin and visible fat removed |
| Pumpkin | 600 g | peeled, deseeded, diced |
| Carrot | 300 g | finely diced |
| White rice | 400 g | rinsed (about 2 rice-cooker cups) |
| Olive oil | 20 g (about 1.5 tbsp) | stirred in after cooking |
This batch yields about 3.3 kg of food (about 4,480 kcal), roughly 7 days for a 10 kg adult dog. Use a rice cooker of 8 cups or larger; if yours is smaller, cook in two rounds or halve the batch.
Method
- Rinse the rice, add it to the rice cooker with about 550 ml of water (slightly more than for plain rice).
- Dice the chicken; peel and dice the pumpkin and carrot, and spread evenly over the rice.
- Run a normal rice cycle; rest 10 minutes after it switches off and confirm the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the olive oil, fluff and cool.
- Portion by the daily amounts in the dosing table: 3 days refrigerated, the rest frozen.
Estimated nutrient analysis (base recipe, before supplements)
| Item | Per 100 g | Per 1000 kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Metabolisable energy | 138 kcal | – |
| Crude protein | 11.2 g | 81 g |
| Fat | 5 g | 36 g |
| Carbohydrate | 11.3 g | 82 g |
| Dietary fibre | 0.6 g | 4.3 g |
| Calcium | 13 mg | 0.09 g |
| Phosphorus | 112 mg | 0.81 g |
The base recipe supplies only 0.09 g of calcium per 1000 kcal, far below an adult dog’s requirement, so supplementation is essential. Adding Eggshell Calcium Powder as per the table below (this recipe needs about 3.1 g per 1000 kcal) brings calcium to 1.25 g/1000 kcal (the AAFCO adult maintenance level), with a calcium to phosphorus ratio of about 1.5:1 (ideal range 1.2 to 2:1). Daily Multi for Dogs, dosed by body weight, supplies 20 essential vitamins and minerals. Together they make the meal complete and balanced.
Feeding and supplement dosing (two meals per day)
| Dog weight | Daily energy need | Daily food | Batch lasts | Daily Multi (per meal) | Eggshell Calcium (per meal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 kg | 251 kcal | about 180 g | about 18 days＊ | 0.5 g | 0.4 g (about 1/8 tsp) |
| 5 kg | 368 kcal | about 270 g | about 12 days | 1 g | 0.6 g (about 1/4 tsp) |
| 10 kg | 619 kcal | about 450 g | about 7 days | 1.5 g | 0.9 g (about 3/8 tsp) |
| 20 kg | 1,040 kcal | about 760 g | about 4 days | 2 g | 1.6 g (about 5/8 tsp) |
| 30 kg | 1,410 kcal | about 1,020 g | about 3 days | 2 g | 2.2 g (about 7/8 tsp) |
*For small dogs one batch lasts beyond the 2-week freezer guideline – scale the batch down proportionally. If you feed once daily, combine both meal portions of the supplements. Stir supplements in only after the food has cooled to just warm. Energy needs follow NRC (2006) MER = 110 kcal x BW(kg)^0.75 and vary about plus or minus 15% with neuter status and activity; weigh your dog every 2 weeks and adjust to body condition score.
Storage
Let it cool, then divide it into daily portions. Three days worth goes in the fridge (4°C) and the rest straight into the freezer, where it keeps for two weeks. Move tomorrow’s portion down to the fridge the night before, and warm it in a bowl of hot water before serving. Skip the microwave: it heats unevenly and leaves scalding pockets next to frozen ones.
Clinical notes
- Remove the skin and subcutaneous fat completely, or the fat content will substantially exceed the design value.
- Cook all meat and fish right through (core temperature above 75°C), and add no salt, sugar or seasoning at all. It will taste bland to you, which is exactly right for your dog.
- Onion, garlic, chives, grapes and chocolate are toxic to dogs. No amount is safe, and there is no exception to this one.
- Give your dog a week to change over, adding a little more of the new food each day, and keep an eye on stools, skin and appetite as you go. There is no prize for rushing it.
- These recipes are formulated for healthy adult dogs. For puppies, pregnant or nursing mothers, seniors, or any dog with a medical condition, talk to your vet before you start.
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