Hong Kong in August is no time for a heavy bowl. This pork winter melon barley dog food recipe is the summer answer: winter melon is over ninety percent water, so the meal is light, cooling and low in calories without ever looking smaller. Handy too if your dog put on a little over winter and you would rather not cut portions.
Winter melon is over 95% water, lowering the energy density of the formula and adding satiety; barley contributes soluble fibre. Protein sits at about 93 g per 1000 kcal, making this a good bowl for Hong Kong summers or the early phase of weight management. Base calcium is only 0.12 g/1000 kcal – supplement per the table below.
Ingredients (standard batch)
| Ingredient | Amount | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Pork tenderloin | 1.8 kg | diced, visible fat trimmed |
| Winter melon | 700 g | peeled, deseeded, diced |
| Pearl barley | 150 g | soaked 1 hour |
| White rice | 250 g | rinsed |
This batch yields about 3.0 kg of food (about 3,315 kcal), roughly 5 days for a 10 kg adult dog.
Method
- Rinse the barley and rice, add about 1.2 L of water, boil then simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the pork and cook 10 minutes until fully cooked.
- Add the winter melon and cook another 8 to 10 minutes until soft.
- Stir, cool, and portion per the dosing table.
Estimated nutrient analysis (base recipe, before supplements)
| Item | Per 100 g | Per 1000 kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Metabolisable energy | 109 kcal | – |
| Crude protein | 11.9 g | 109 g |
| Fat | 1.6 g | 15 g |
| Carbohydrate | 11.1 g | 101 g |
| Dietary fibre | 0.9 g | 8.1 g |
| Calcium | 12 mg | 1.44 g |
| Phosphorus | 131 mg | 1.20 g |
On its own this recipe cannot meet an adult dog’s full requirement – calcium, copper, zinc and vitamin D all fall short. Adding Eggshell Calcium Powder (about 3.5 g per 1000 kcal for this recipe) and Daily Multi for Dogs (about 7.3 g per 1000 kcal), as tabled below, brings it up to every minimum in the AAFCO adult maintenance profile, with a calcium to phosphorus ratio of about 1.2:1. Both doses are calculated from this recipe’s own shortfalls, not from a generic chart.
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 230 g | about 13 days | 0.9 g | 0.4 g (about 1/8 tsp) |
| 5 kg | 368 kcal | about 340 g | about 9 days | 1.3 g | 0.7 g (about 1/4 tsp) |
| 10 kg | 619 kcal | about 570 g | about 5 days | 2.2 g | 1.1 g (about 3/8 tsp) |
| 20 kg | 1,040 kcal | about 960 g | about 3 days | 3.8 g | 1.8 g (about 3/4 tsp) |
| 30 kg | 1,410 kcal | about 1,300 g | about 2 days | 5.1 g | 2.5 g (about 1 tsp) |
If you feed once daily, combine both meal portions of the supplements. Stir them 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 15% with neuter status and activity; weigh your dog every 2 weeks and adjust to body condition.
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
- Skip barley for pregnant dogs – substitute the same weight of white rice.
- 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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More recipes: Homemade Dog Food Recipes hub | Duck and Winter Melon Rice | Beef and Chinese Squash Rice