Obesity is an epidemic that is quickly taking over our country. Pets and their humans are more obese now than ever before. Obesity is linked to some very serious health conditions, like heart disease, liver disease and even cancer. This low fat food for dogs can help your pooch shed those unnecessary pounds.
Your dog may also need a low fat diet due to health conditions that he has been diagnosed with. Senior dogs, pets with kidney or liver disease, dogs suffering with irritable bowel syndrome and dogs with pancreatitis may be prescribed a low fat diet by their veterinarian.
There are dozens of commercial pet food options that tote the “low fat” label. Many of these low-fat options lack quality, as they reduce the amount of protein in the food to get rid of the excess fat. Some of these foods are actually unhealthy, high-carb, low-protein meals that don’t provide dogs with the nutrition they need.
No matter what the reason, this low fat food for dogs will provide your dog with better nutrition than any commercial option. It's best to consult your veterinarian to make sure that this recipe will provide proper, balanced nutrition that will meet your dog's unique needs. They may recommend adding a multi-vitamin or additional supplements to make this low fat food for dogs nutritionally balanced for your pet.
Low Fat Food for Dogs with Chicken Recipe
Discuss all of your options with your veterinarian and let them know that you're interested in going the homemade route. If your vet isn't open to the idea of feeding your dog a homemade diet, ask for a second opinion from a holistic veterinarian or a canine nutritionist.
If you're concerned that your dog is overweight, do not switch his diet without consulting your vet or a canine nutritionist. It's important that your dog still gets all the nutritional elements that his body needs, and switching his diet without knowing exactly what he needs increases the risk of making his diet deficient in required nutrients.
Diets low in fat are often deficient in important nutrients like Vitamin A and Vitamin E. A low-fat diet may help your pet in certain aspects of his health, but it may actually do more harm than good in the long run. For example, a diet deficient in Vitamin A could result in a weakened immune system and extremely dry skin.
PrintRecipe: Low Fat Food for Dogs with Chicken
This is a crock pot recipe, which means it's incredibly easy to prepare. These types of recipes are great for busy pet owners who don't have time to prepare homemade meals every day. You can throw the ingredients in your slow cooker, go to work and come home to a ready-to-serve meal.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-7 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: about 12 cups 1x
- Category: Cooked Food
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Dog Food
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
- 2.5 pounds chicken
- 2 cups of red cabbage (chopped)
- 2 apples (chopped)
- 2 cups of spinach
- 5 eggs
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Many owners don't have the extra time to prepare homemade dog food for their canine companions. Of course there is still a bit of prep work, but using a slow cooker makes it possible for even the busiest dog owner to feed their dog a homemade diet.
As with most slow cooker recipes, this one is very simple to make. It takes me about 5 minutes to cut up the vegetables for this recipe, and that's all the work you need to do.
Just add all the ingredients to your slow cooker and stir the dog food occasionally as it cooks. You can cook this recipe for 4 hours on the ‘high' setting or 7 hours on the ‘low' setting.
Once the food has cooled completely, stir until all of the ingredients are equally combined and serve it to your pup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 106
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 46 mg
- Fat: 3.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 3.1 g
- Fiber: .7 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
Serving Size Recommendation: You can serve this food to your dog as soon as it has cooled. I recommend feeding about 1/2 cup of food for every 20-25 pounds of body weight. This recommendation is for 2 servings per day. So, a 25-pound dog would eat about 1/2 cup in the morning and 1/2 cup in the evening.
This is just a guideline. Some dogs, like working dogs and very active breeds, will need more calories than this. Lazier pets and senior dogs may not need as many.
It's best to consult your veterinarian about the appropriate serving size for you dog. They will also help you evaluate the meal to make sure it will meet your pet's unique nutritional needs. If necessary, they will assist you in choosing the best supplements and/or multivitamins to add.
How to store: You can store the leftover low fat food for dogs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or freeze them, and they’ll keep for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that this recipe includes no preservatives, so that it won't last nearly as long as commercial dog food.
For More Information
We publish many homemade dog food and treats recipes every month. For more recipes, pet food cooking tips and advice, see our “Recipes” section. If you're new to home cooked dog food subject, I recommend you read more about “How Much To Feed” to understand serving sizes, “What Supplements To Use” to create well-balanced meals, and “How To Store” for tips on simple and easy homemade dog food storing in a fridge or a freezer.