Balanced Home Cooked Diets for Pets: Be Prepared for Potential Food Shortages

The pet food industry has been struggling to keep dog and cat food in stock for the entire duration of COVID. Just when it seems like things are back to normal and all products are on the shelf, there’s another surge in shortages. This has been a real dilemma for pets on special diets, or for pets with allergies.

Although the pandemic seems to be leveling out, we now have new food supply issues to worry about, specifically related to the war in Ukraine. How this might affect your dog and cat’s food supply is currently unclear, but the possibility is real. In this article, I will outline steps for creating balanced, home cooked diets for pets that you can make from ingredients in your pantry. 

Each recipe below is balanced by using Balance Its powdered supplement, which you can purchase through their website here. You can also customize your own recipes for home cooked diets for pets by referencing my how-to blog here.

Recipe for Dogs

Ingredients

• 85% lean ground beef – 7 ⅛ oz
• Potato  – 1 ¼ small white
• Olive oil – 5 ¼ tsp 
• Green beans – ¼ cup canned
• Carrot – ¼ cup grated
• Balance It Canine Plus – 2 ⅞ tsp 

Cooking Directions

• Heat ground beef in a cooking pan until fully cooked in crumbles, about 5 minute.
• Bake potatoes in a 400 degree preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until tender. 
• Peel potato and cut into bite-sized pieces. 
• Combine all food ingredients with the Balance It Canine Plus supplement and mix well. 
• Freeze in single servings for convenience.

Please note: BalanceIt Canine Plus can only be heated one time. Heating the portioned meal should be after thawing and right before serving to your pup! 

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 904 calories
Protein: 28% protein calories (251 calories)
Fat: 54% fat calories (491 calories) 
Carbohydrates: 18% carbohydrate calories (162 calories)
Moisture: 65.2% 
Deficiencies: None, based on AAFCO with Balance It supplement 

This recipe provides enough daily calories for a healthy 35 pound dog. You can multiply this recipe by 7-14 to batch cook 1-3 weeks worth of food. Meals can be frozen for up to 3 weeks only. To determine how many daily calories your pup requires to maintain a healthy diet, please reference our blog here. 

Recipe for Cats

Ingredients 

• 85% lean ground beef – 26g
• 85% lean ground turkey – 26g
• Whole egg – 44g
• Olive oil – 4g (just under 1 teaspoon) 
• Balance It Carnivore Blend – ¾ tsp

Pro tip: It is worth investing in a gram scale for convenience.  

Cooking Directions

• Heat ground beef in a cooking pan until fully cooked and in crumbles, about 5 minute.
• Heat ground turkey in a cooking pan until fully cooked and in crumbles. 
• Cook egg (scrambled). 
• Combine all food ingredients.
• Divide servings evenly and freeze in single servings. 
• Mix Balance It Carnivore Blend supplement well after thawing and heating meal, right before serving. 

Please note: BalanceIt Carnivore Blend can not be heated. This supplement will need to be added after you have thawed, heated and cooled the portioned serving. 

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 222 calories 
Protein: 33% protein calories (74 calories)
Fat: 65% fat calories (145 calories) 
Carbohydrates: 1% carbohydrate calories (3 calories)
Moisture: 63.6% moisture
Deficiencies: None, based on AAFCO with Balance It supplement 

This recipe provides enough daily calories for a healthy 8 pound cat. You can multiply this recipe by 7-14 to batch cook 1-3 weeks worth of food. Meals can be frozen for up to 3 weeks only. To determine how many daily calories your kitty requires to maintain a healthy diet, please reference our blog here. 

Storing Home Cooked Diets for Pets

Meals can be frozen for up to 3 weeks only, and any longer can cause vitamin degradation of the Balance It supplement. These recipes are only considered balanced and free of deficiencies when the Balance It supplement is included. I would recommend freezing each serving separately for convenience! 

Remember: The Balance It Canine Plus can be heated one time only, and the Balance It Carnivore blend cannot be heated at all. 

Hopefully these recipes are rarely needed, or not needed at all! However, should a food shortage affect you and your pet, we want you to feel prepared and supported to get through it with home cooked diets for pets! 

Love & Hugs,
Claire