Chicken & rice: a balanced homemade dog food recipe
The classic: chicken thigh, white rice, carrots, a little chicken liver and sunflower oil.
Cooked · Meat 48%, Grain 34%, Veg 13%, Liver 5%, Oil 1% · checked against AAFCO adult maintenance, per 1,000 kcal
For 1,000 kcal a day
About the daily calories of a 42 lb neutered adult. Scale it to your own dog below. Grams are for the food as listed (raw weight for raw entries).
| Chicken thigh, meat only, raw | 420 g |
| White rice, long-grain, cooked | 298 g |
| Carrots, boiled | 112 g |
| Chicken liver, raw | 42 g |
| Sunflower oil (linoleic, about 65%) | 7 g |
| Calcium carbonate powderPure calcium carbonate: 400 mg calcium per gram | 3.15 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 3/4 tablet |
| Copper tablet, 2 mg (gluconate or bisglycinate)2 mg copper per tablet (not copper oxide) | 3/4 tablet |
| Vitamin E softgel, 100 IU (d-alpha-tocopherol)100 IU vitamin E per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Vitamin D3 drops, 400 IU per drop400 IU vitamin D3 per drop | 1 drop |
| Kelp (iodine) tablet, 150 µg iodine150 µg iodine per tablet | 1 3/4 tablets |
| Potassium chloride (salt substitute)Pure potassium chloride: 525 mg potassium per gram | 0.2 g |
| Magnesium capsule, 100 mg (citrate or glycinate)100 mg magnesium per capsule | 1/2 capsule |
| Choline capsule, 250 mg (bitartrate)250 mg choline per capsule | 1/2 capsule |
| Fish oil softgel, 1,000 mg (180 mg EPA, 120 mg DHA)180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA per 1,000 mg softgel | 1 softgel |
Balanced: 0 short, 0 over
What the recipe misses without supplements
On its own, this recipe is 9 short and 1 over: omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (over), calcium (short), calcium to phosphorus ratio (short), potassium (short), copper (short), zinc (short), iodine (short), vitamin d (short), vitamin e (short), choline (short).
- Chicken and rice have almost no calcium, so calcium is the biggest gap and the calcium to phosphorus ratio is upside down.
- Zinc, copper, iodine, vitamin D and vitamin E are short too. Liver helps with vitamin A and copper but can't cover everything.
Scale it to your dog
About 1,020 kcal a day. One batch for 7 days:
| Chicken thigh, meat only, raw | 2,999 g |
| White rice, long-grain, cooked | 2,133 g |
| Carrots, boiled | 800 g |
| Chicken liver, raw | 300 g |
| Sunflower oil (linoleic, about 65%) | 50 g |
| Calcium carbonate powderPure calcium carbonate: 400 mg calcium per gram | 22.4 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 5 3/4 tablets |
| Copper tablet, 2 mg (gluconate or bisglycinate)2 mg copper per tablet (not copper oxide) | 4 1/2 tablets |
| Vitamin E softgel, 100 IU (d-alpha-tocopherol)100 IU vitamin E per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Vitamin D3 drops, 400 IU per drop400 IU vitamin D3 per drop | 3 drops |
| Kelp (iodine) tablet, 150 µg iodine150 µg iodine per tablet | 13 tablets |
| Potassium chloride (salt substitute)Pure potassium chloride: 525 mg potassium per gram | 1.3 g |
| Magnesium capsule, 100 mg (citrate or glycinate)100 mg magnesium per capsule | 1/2 capsule |
| Choline capsule, 250 mg (bitartrate)250 mg choline per capsule | 1 1/2 capsules |
| Fish oil softgel, 1,000 mg (180 mg EPA, 120 mg DHA)180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA per 1,000 mg softgel | 3 softgels |
Checked after rounding: 0 short, 0 over
Full AAFCO check of the balanced recipe
Per 1,000 kcal against the AAFCO adult maintenance profile, after rounding the supplements.
| Nutrient | Per 1,000 kcal | AAFCO min | Max | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protein and amino acids | ||||
| Protein | 98 g | 45 g | – | OK |
| Arginine | 6.94 g | 1.28 g | – | OK |
| Histidine | 2.89 g | 0.48 g | – | OK |
| Isoleucine | 4.68 g | 0.95 g | – | OK |
| Leucine | 8.38 g | 1.7 g | – | OK |
| Lysine | 8.69 g | 1.58 g | – | OK |
| Methionine | 2.73 g | 0.83 g | – | OK |
| Methionine + cystine | 4.05 g | 1.63 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine | 4.11 g | 1.13 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 7.77 g | 1.85 g | – | OK |
| Threonine | 4.65 g | 1.2 g | – | OK |
| Tryptophan | 1.1 g | 0.4 g | – | OK |
| Valine | 4.96 g | 1.23 g | – | OK |
| Fat and fatty acids | ||||
| Fat | 28.2 g | 13.8 g | – | OK |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 8.13 g | 2.8 g | – | OK |
| Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio | 17 : 1 | – | 30:1 | OK |
| Minerals | ||||
| Calcium | 1.35 g | 1.25 g | 6.25 g | OK |
| Phosphorus | 1.06 g | 1 g | 4 g | OK |
| Calcium to phosphorus ratio | 1.3 : 1 | 1:1 | 2:1 | OK |
| Potassium | 1.58 g | 1.5 g | – | OK |
| Sodium | 0.49 g | 0.2 g | – | OK |
| Chloride(estimated) | 0.59 g | 0.3 g | – | OK |
| Magnesium | 0.2 g | 0.15 g | – | OK |
| Iron | 11.1 mg | 10 mg | – | OK |
| Copper | 2.18 mg | 1.83 mg | – | OK |
| Manganese | 1.73 mg | 1.25 mg | – | OK |
| Zinc | 20.6 mg | 20 mg | – | OK |
| Iodine(estimated) | 0.26 mg | 0.25 mg | 2.75 mg | OK |
| Selenium | 0.14 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.5 mg | OK |
| Vitamins and choline | ||||
| Vitamin A | 4,675 IU | 1,250 IU | 62,500 IU | OK |
| Vitamin D | 398 IU | 125 IU | 750 IU | OK |
| Vitamin E | 107 IU | 12.5 IU | – | OK |
| Thiamine (B1) | 1.05 mg | 0.56 mg | – | OK |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 1.65 mg | 1.3 mg | – | OK |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 4.02 mg | 3 mg | – | OK |
| Niacin (B3) | 32.4 mg | 3.4 mg | – | OK |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | 2.69 mg | 0.38 mg | – | OK |
| Folic acid (folate) | 0.45 mg | 0.054 mg | – | OK |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.009 mg | 0.007 mg | – | OK |
| Choline | 446 mg | 340 mg | – | OK |
Balance your own recipe instead
Keep your own ingredients and grams. The check is free; exact grams, doses and a PDF for your vet are $19 per dog for 12 months.
Check my recipeNot veterinary advice. For healthy adult dogs only. Review any diet with your vet, change food over about a week, and weigh your dog every 2–4 weeks.