Homemade Dog Food for Arthritis

So I’m finally posting this dog food recipe after being asked many times.

I can’t tell you enough how happy I am that I finally started my dog on this recipe as I noticed changes in them immediately! 

I have a 7 tear old Rottweiler (Nikita shown below with our other guy Levi) that has had shoulder injuries and joint issues since she was 3. 

Nikita doesn’t have hip displasia and the condition comes and goes so we have just tried to take the best care of her that we could. We have always fed our dogs the best food, top quality supplements and fish oils and tried to keep their weight down. We have always been super active so in the last year when her mobility really went down we were at a loss. Some days she was is so much pain and we hadn’t even walked her!

 The Vet said Nikita has arthritis in her shoulder and she needs to lose weight. I was at a loss because she could barely walk at this point so I realized I needed to change the way we were feeding them.  

I then started doing some serious research online and hit my Natural Remedy Veterinarian Books. 

This recipe has been adapted from “The Veterinarians Guide To Natural Remedies For Dogs” by Martin Zucker, which is super easy to read and follow and has some great info.

I call this Dog Stew because that’s what it looks like and tastes like! 

(I’ve even eaten it myself for lunch it’s pretty good)

Dog Stew 

1 lb ground turkey, lamb or beef heart

1 cups of celery

2 cups of carrots

2 cups of spinach/kale or greens

3 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 cups of pearl barley

1/2 cup lentils

1/2 cup brown rice

1 cup of fresh parsley

1 cup of fresh/dried nettles

1/2 cup dried rosehips

Most of these ingredients are naturally alkaline and anti-inflammatory. I add the rosehips for Vitamin C and the Nettles for the minerals, nutrients and they are excellent for joint pain. 

Combine ingredients in a large pot, bring to a boil then simmer 1 1/2 hours. Keep pot covered and stir every 15-30 minutes. Add water if needed but it should be quite thick when done.

This makes a lot of stew so I let this cool then freeze half at a time.

I mix and match with the ingredients with what I have in the house or garden but try to stay consistent with what I find is the “base” of the recipe, which is the barley, brown rice, good quality meats, minimum of 2 cups of fresh greens, garlic and the parsley. 

Other than that I sometimes put in squash in place of carrots and I’ve used quinoa in place of the lentils.

This whole pot costs around $ 14 if it’s all organic and feeds both my dogs for a week, mixed with dry kibble. I give them 1/2 cup of dry kibble and 1 cup of stew 2X daily and they both look so good and have lost weight. Nikita (Rottweiler) has a very sensitive digestion and usually a lot of gas but on this food her poop has never been so normal looking, solid and consistent and almost no gas. 

And they love the food! they can’t wait for feeding time and it’s easy for me to add their supplements to.

For Nikita I also add a glucosamine with MSM and a Calcium carbonate supplement. I recommend doing your own research and discussing any changes with your Vet. 

I would also suggest just starting your dog on the new food regime first then adding supplements one by one with a few weeks in-between so you can see what is working or not.  

Nikita now has more energy so I can walk her again because with her arthritis she needs to keep moving. 

Short daily walks keep her fit and keeps her mobile. We also gently stretch her out at home on the floor and give regular massages. When she’s having a hard day like when it’s extra damp and cold out we just play inside. I try to keep a close eye on her when we walk because she wants to go forever, she has no sense of when she needs to stop and if I overdo it she pays the price limping in pain for 2-5 days after. For these times I give her Arnica homeopathic pellets which seem to heal her up faster and help with the pain and inflammation.

I wish I had started all of my dogs on homemade food a long time ago but I always thought it was going to be labour intensive and expensive. It only takes me about 2 hours a week and saves me around $ 30 a month in food bills for them! (never mind the Vet bills) Plus they are healthier and happier than ever!

From now on this is how I will feed all of my dogs, unless I find an even better recipe! I’ll keep you posted;)