Name: Lamb & Quinoa Homemade Dog Food
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Homemade Pet Food
Ingredients: 400g lean lamb mince or diced lamb; 3/4 cup quinoa; 1 cup sweet potato, diced; 1 cup pumpkin, diced; 1/2 cup carrots, diced; 1 tablespoon coconut oil; 2 cups water

🥘 Ingredients

Ground lamb (lean)500g
Quinoa (cooked)1 cup
Zucchini (diced)1 medium
Carrots (grated)1 medium
Spinach (chopped)1 cup
Coconut oil1 tbsp
Fish oil supplement1 tsp
Eggshell calcium powder — stir in cold after cooking (corrects Ca:P ratio per NRC)¼ tsp / serving

👨‍🍳 Instructions

Cook the Quinoa

Rinse 1/2 cup dry quinoa and cook according to package directions. Set aside to cool.

Brown the Lamb

In a large pan, cook ground lamb over medium heat until browned, breaking into small pieces. Drain excess fat.

Add Vegetables

Add diced zucchini and grated carrots to the lamb. Cook for 5-7 minutes until softened.

Combine Everything

Add spinach and cook until wilted. Mix in quinoa and coconut oil. Let cool completely.

Serve

Add fish oil before serving. Store in fridge for up to 5 days or freeze portions.

💡 Why Lamb?

Lamb is a "novel protein" for most dogs, meaning they haven't been exposed to it. This makes it ideal for dogs with allergies to common proteins like chicken or beef.

📊 Nutrition Facts

Per serving (approx. 250g)

Calories320 kcal

Protein28g

Fat18g

Carbs14g

Fiber3g

⏱️ Prep Time15 min

🍳 Cook Time25 min

🍽️ Servings4-6

🛒 Helpful Products

Fish Oil Supplement
Coconut Oil for Dogs
Food Storage Set

🔬 Making This Recipe NRC-Complete

Whole food recipes are a strong foundation — but three steps are non-negotiable for long-term nutritional completeness, per NRC (National Research Council) 2006 guidelines, the gold standard for homemade dog food.

🦴

Step 1 — Eggshell Calcium (every meal)

Meat is very high in phosphorus and very low in calcium. Without correction the body pulls calcium from bones. Add ¼ tsp ground eggshell powder per serving, stirred in cold after cooking (≈900 mg calcium per ½ tsp). This corrects the Ca:P ratio to the NRC target of ~1.2:1.

🐟

Step 2 — Salmon Oil Cold (every meal)

Unless this recipe already includes fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel), stir in ½–1 tsp salmon or sardine oil per serving after cooling. Never heat the oil — it destroys DHA and EPA. Dogs cannot convert plant omega-3 (ALA) to usable EPA/DHA at meaningful rates.

🫀

Step 3 — Liver 2–3× per Week

Beef liver covers copper, zinc, selenium, vitamin D and B12 — the micronutrients most commonly missing from home-cooked meals. Use 30–40g per 10 kg body weight, 2–3× per week. Do not exceed 10% of total food intake — vitamin A toxicity is a real risk with too much liver.

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Step 4 — Balance IT (optional safety net)

For complete peace of mind, add a calibrated dose of Balance IT Canine once per batch. Developed by UC Davis veterinary nutritionists, it fills remaining gaps for manganese, selenium, magnesium, iodine and vitamins not easily provided by whole foods alone. Follow the label dose for your dog's weight exactly.

Gentle Lamb & Quinoa