Cod & potato: a balanced homemade dog food recipe
Cooked Atlantic cod, boiled potato, green peas and a hard-boiled egg.
Cooked · Meat 5%, Fish 43%, Starch 38%, Veg 14% · 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).
| Cod, Atlantic, cooked | 448 g |
| Potato, boiled without skin | 422 g |
| Green peas, boiled | 158 g |
| Egg, whole, hard-boiled | 59 g |
| Calcium carbonate powderPure calcium carbonate: 400 mg calcium per gram | 2.95 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 1 tablet |
| Copper tablet, 2 mg (gluconate or bisglycinate)2 mg copper per tablet (not copper oxide) | 1/2 tablet |
| Vitamin E softgel, 100 IU (d-alpha-tocopherol)100 IU vitamin E per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Vitamin B-50 complex tablet50 mg B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6; 400 µg folic acid; 50 µg B12 per tablet | 1/4 tablet |
| Iron tablet, 18 mg (ferrous bisglycinate or sulfate)18 mg iron per tablet (not iron oxide or carbonate) | 1/4 tablet |
| Vitamin A softgel, 10,000 IU (retinyl palmitate)10,000 IU vitamin A per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Safflower oil, high linoleicAbout 75% linoleic acid | 3 g |
Balanced: 0 short, 0 over
What the recipe misses without supplements
On its own, this recipe is 11 short and 0 over: fat (short), linoleic acid (omega-6) (short), calcium (short), calcium to phosphorus ratio (short), iron (short), copper (short), zinc (short), vitamin a (short), vitamin e (short), riboflavin (b2) (short), vitamin b12 (short).
- Why cod and not salmon: per 1,000 kcal, sockeye salmon, rainbow trout and mackerel carry 3 to 6 times the AAFCO maximum for vitamin D. A bowl that is almost half salmon goes over; cod stays under.
- Cod is very lean, so fat and linoleic acid come from an added oil.
Scale it to your dog
About 1,020 kcal a day. One batch for 7 days:
| Cod, Atlantic, cooked | 3,203 g |
| Potato, boiled without skin | 3,018 g |
| Green peas, boiled | 1,132 g |
| Egg, whole, hard-boiled | 419 g |
| Calcium carbonate powderPure calcium carbonate: 400 mg calcium per gram | 21.1 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 7 1/4 tablets |
| Copper tablet, 2 mg (gluconate or bisglycinate)2 mg copper per tablet (not copper oxide) | 3 tablets |
| Vitamin E softgel, 100 IU (d-alpha-tocopherol)100 IU vitamin E per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Vitamin B-50 complex tablet50 mg B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6; 400 µg folic acid; 50 µg B12 per tablet | 1/4 tablet |
| Iron tablet, 18 mg (ferrous bisglycinate or sulfate)18 mg iron per tablet (not iron oxide or carbonate) | 1 3/4 tablets |
| Vitamin A softgel, 10,000 IU (retinyl palmitate)10,000 IU vitamin A per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Safflower oil, high linoleicAbout 75% linoleic acid | 21.5 g |
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 | 125 g | 45 g | – | OK |
| Arginine | 7.56 g | 1.28 g | – | OK |
| Histidine | 3.51 g | 0.48 g | – | OK |
| Isoleucine | 5.71 g | 0.95 g | – | OK |
| Leucine | 9.88 g | 1.7 g | – | OK |
| Lysine | 10.9 g | 1.58 g | – | OK |
| Methionine | 3.5 g | 0.83 g | – | OK |
| Methionine + cystine | 4.91 g | 1.63 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine | 5.02 g | 1.13 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 9.22 g | 1.85 g | – | OK |
| Threonine | 5.42 g | 1.2 g | – | OK |
| Tryptophan | 1.41 g | 0.4 g | – | OK |
| Valine | 6.49 g | 1.23 g | – | OK |
| Fat and fatty acids | ||||
| Fat | 13.9 g | 13.8 g | – | OK |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 3.23 g | 2.8 g | – | OK |
| Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio | 4.1 : 1 | – | 30:1 | OK |
| Minerals | ||||
| Calcium | 1.35 g | 1.25 g | 6.25 g | OK |
| Phosphorus | 1.07 g | 1 g | 4 g | OK |
| Calcium to phosphorus ratio | 1.3 : 1 | 1:1 | 2:1 | OK |
| Potassium | 2.98 g | 1.5 g | – | OK |
| Sodium | 0.45 g | 0.2 g | – | OK |
| Chloride(estimated) | 0.45 g | 0.3 g | – | OK |
| Magnesium | 0.34 g | 0.15 g | – | OK |
| Iron | 11.1 mg | 10 mg | – | OK |
| Copper | 2.15 mg | 1.83 mg | – | OK |
| Manganese | 1.52 mg | 1.25 mg | – | OK |
| Zinc | 21.2 mg | 20 mg | – | OK |
| Iodine(estimated) | 0.81 mg | 0.25 mg | 2.75 mg | OK |
| Selenium | 0.19 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.5 mg | OK |
| Vitamins and choline | ||||
| Vitamin A | 10,494 IU | 1,250 IU | 62,500 IU | OK |
| Vitamin D | 267 IU | 125 IU | 750 IU | OK |
| Vitamin E | 108 IU | 12.5 IU | – | OK |
| Thiamine (B1) | 13.7 mg | 0.56 mg | – | OK |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 13.5 mg | 1.3 mg | – | OK |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 16.5 mg | 3 mg | – | OK |
| Niacin (B3) | 32.5 mg | 3.4 mg | – | OK |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | 15.3 mg | 0.38 mg | – | OK |
| Folic acid (folate) | 0.3 mg | 0.054 mg | – | OK |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.018 mg | 0.007 mg | – | OK |
| Choline | 651 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.