This is the gentlest bowl in the book. White fish is very nearly pure protein with almost no fat, which makes this steamed seabass pumpkin rice dog food recipe the one to reach for when your vet has asked you to keep fat low, or when a sensitive stomach needs a rest. Ask the fishmonger to fillet it and you have skipped the only fiddly step.
White fish is extremely lean – this formulation carries only about 18 g fat per 1000 kcal, one of the lowest in the book, with a little olive oil maintaining essential fatty acid supply. Protein is about 86 g per 1000 kcal with high digestibility, suiting dogs that need fat restriction (for example post-pancreatitis recovery, with your vet’s confirmation).
Ingredients (standard batch)
| Ingredient | Amount | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| Seabass or mandarin fish fillet | 1.5 kg | ask the fishmonger to fillet it |
| Pumpkin | 600 g | peeled, deseeded, diced |
| White rice | 500 g | rinsed (about 2.5 rice-cooker cups) |
| Choy sum leaves | 150 g | blanched and chopped, leaves only |
| Olive oil | 30 g (about 2 tbsp) | stirred in off the heat |
This batch yields about 3.3 kg of food (about 3,621 kcal), roughly 6 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 and cook it in the rice cooker with the pumpkin and about 680 ml of water.
- Steam the fish 10 to 12 minutes until cooked through.
- Flake and remove every single bone.
- Blanch and chop the choy sum leaves, then mix with the fish, olive oil and pumpkin rice.
- Cool and portion per the dosing table.
Estimated nutrient analysis (base recipe, before supplements)
| Item | Per 100 g | Per 1000 kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Metabolisable energy | 111 kcal | – |
| Crude protein | 9.5 g | 86 g |
| Fat | 2 g | 18 g |
| Carbohydrate | 13.1 g | 118 g |
| Dietary fibre | 0.4 g | 3.9 g |
| Calcium | 15 mg | 0.14 g |
| Phosphorus | 98 mg | 0.88 g |
The base recipe supplies only 0.14 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 2.9 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 1.4:1 (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 230 g | about 14 days | 0.5 g | 0.4 g (about 1/8 tsp) |
| 5 kg | 368 kcal | about 330 g | about 10 days | 1 g | 0.5 g (about 1/4 tsp) |
| 10 kg | 619 kcal | about 560 g | about 6 days | 1.5 g | 0.9 g (about 3/8 tsp) |
| 20 kg | 1,040 kcal | about 940 g | about 3 days | 2 g | 1.5 g (about 5/8 tsp) |
| 30 kg | 1,410 kcal | about 1,270 g | about 3 days | 2 g | 2.1 g (about 7/8 tsp) |
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
- Re-check for bones while flaking, even after filleting; use only the leafy part of choy sum, chopped, at the recipe amount.
- 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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