Sweet potatoes have jumped in popularity over the past decade. We are learning more about their nutritional benefits, and it seems like new sweet potato based recipes are introduced every day. Did you know that dogs can also benefit greatly from the addition of these vegetables into their diet? Try this sweet potato dog food recipe to get you started!
Most dogs love the taste of sweet potato, and these vegetables are very healthy for your canine companion. Sweet potatoes are low in fat and high in dietary fiber. They are also a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C and manganese.
Like carrots, these veggies are rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene, which converts to Vitamin A when processed by your dog's body. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for proper growth, muscle strength and vision. They can also help soothe an upset stomach.
Sweet Potato Dog Food Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 1 cup lentils
- 3 sweet potatoes (chopped)
- 3 cups peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp. flaxseed oil
- 250 mg. cranberry extract
Directions
Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Add the chopped potatoes, lentils, rice and quinoa. Chop the sweet potatoes into appropriately sized pieces for your dog. You will notice that I the pieces I cut are quite large, because this food is for our 75-pound Labrador. If you have a small breed, you'll need much smaller pieces.
Boil the ingredients listed above for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the heat and allow the sweet potato dog food recipe to simmer for 45 minutes. Finally, add the vinegar, peanut butter, flaxseed oil and cranberry extract.
Mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly. The heat from the dog food will help to melt the peanut butter, and it should be very easy to mix completely.
Once the dog food has cooled, you can feed it to your pup. The recommended serving size is about 1/2 cup for every 20 pounds of body weight per serving. This recommendation is for 2 servings per day.
Let's say your dog weighs 60 pounds. He should be eating about 1.5 cups of food in the morning and 1.5 cups in the evening. If you'd like to feed multiple smaller meals per day, take the total amount of food your dog needs per day and divide into 3-4 smaller portions.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. You can also make this recipe in bulk and store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
READ NEXT: ebook – 25 Vet Approved Homemade Dog Food Recipes
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