Slow Cooker Dog Food

My dog has hit her golden years, and I started feeding her the "fresh" dog bologna in the tube to supplement her kibble diet, which was fine until supplies ran short in the lock down months. I started making fresh food for her, and found that it is comparably priced or -- often! -- cheaper than the ready-made food.

She changed in many ways almost immediately. Her skin allergies went away, she had more energy, and she was very excited at meal time and whenever I started cooking her weekly batch. I use a 2.5 quart slow cooker for my pup's food, and it makes enough for a one-week supply. My steps will show how to best use this size cooker for seven 10 ounce servings.

This is a permutation of the recipe I make every week, but I swap out vegetables, fruits, and the protein I use every week based on what's in season, what's on sale, and what my pup seems to like. The basic ingredient ratio suggested by my vet is 40% protein, 50% vegetables/fruits, and 10% starch (in the form of brown rice).

• Slow cooker (2.5 quart used for this recipe)
• Large bowl for mixing
• Containers for storage

• Frozen chicken tenders (or other protein)
• 5-7 depending on size
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Used in this recipe:
• apple (about 1/2 cup)
• carrots (about 1 cup)
• sweet potato (1)
• Frozen fruits and vegetables
• Used in this recipe:
• Chopped spinach (about 1/2 cup)
• Cut green beans (about 1/2 cup)
• Peas (about 1/2 cup)
• Cooked brown rice (1 1/2 - 2 cups)
• You can cook this yourself (cheaper) or use the "heat and eat" version -- either works

Prepare your fresh fruits and veggies. I like to mix up the sizes and textures:

• Grate the carrots
• Small dice the apples
• Medium dice the sweet potato

Gather your selection of frozen veggies and your protein.

You can cook the brown rice at this point or wait until the slow cooker is finished.

Layer the sweet potato on the bottom since it takes the longest to cook.

Place the protein next. I have begun sitting the chicken tenders on their edges so that they fit more easily and because I find that they cook more evenly and are easier to shred.

Pour in the frozen vegetables and fruits. Reserve the fresh veggies and fruits for later on since they will cook a bit faster and the cook time difference will give your pup a variety of textures.

Set the slow cooker to low temperature and start cooking.

Let the frozen foods and protein cook until they cook down and leave room for the fresh foods. On low temp, it took 3 hours for this batch to get to that point.

Once there's about a half inch of room at the top, add the fresh foods (the reserved apples and carrots in this case). Replace the lid and continue cooking.

I cook this recipe until it "smells done," which takes about a total of 6-7 hours on low. When it's finished, turn it off and let the slow cooker cool down a bit.

If you haven't already done so, cook the rice.

I usually complete this step late at night so it's ready in the morning.

Put the rice in the bottom of a large bowl.

Add the contents of the slow cooker.

Cover the bowl and put it in the refrigerator overnight. I sometimes leave it on the counter overnight, but refrigeration would best guard against bacteria and other nasties.

Uncover the bowl and mix the food.

This is best done by hand. Shred the protein and make sure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. This is the time to remind your pup that the kitchen is off-limits. Mine waits in the doorway, hopeful that there will be a taste left over.

Once it's mixed, you can store it in a large container in the fridge, freeze it if you like, or, as I do, divide it up into upcycled dog food containers for the week.

I microwave the food for 30 seconds at 40% just to take the chill off of it before feeding, but to be honest, she'd eat it cold.

My pup gets half a container in the morning and half in the evening. She also has constant access to kibble if she gets hungry.