Lamb & barley: a balanced homemade dog food recipe
Ground lamb, pearled barley, carrots and beef liver.
Cooked · Meat 50%, Grain 30%, Veg 15%, Liver 5% · 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).
| Lamb, ground, raw | 275 g |
| Barley, pearled, cooked | 165 g |
| Carrots, boiled | 82 g |
| Beef liver, raw | 27 g |
| Calcium phosphate powder (tricalcium phosphate)Tricalcium phosphate: 388 mg calcium and 200 mg phosphorus per gram | 3.75 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 3/4 tablet |
| Manganese tablet, 10 mg10 mg manganese per tablet | 1/4 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 | 1 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 |
| 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 |
| Selenium tablet, 50 µg (selenomethionine)50 µg selenium per tablet | 1/4 tablet |
Balanced: 0 short, 0 over
What the recipe misses without supplements
On its own, this recipe is 15 short and 0 over: calcium (short), phosphorus (short), calcium to phosphorus ratio (short), potassium (short), chloride (short), magnesium (short), iron (short), manganese (short), zinc (short), iodine (short), selenium (short), vitamin d (short), vitamin e (short), thiamine (b1) (short), choline (short).
- Ground lamb is fatty: watch the calories per gram, so portions are smaller than with lean meat.
Scale it to your dog
About 1,020 kcal a day. One batch for 7 days:
| Lamb, ground, raw | 1,964 g |
| Barley, pearled, cooked | 1,179 g |
| Carrots, boiled | 589 g |
| Beef liver, raw | 196 g |
| Calcium phosphate powder (tricalcium phosphate)Tricalcium phosphate: 388 mg calcium and 200 mg phosphorus per gram | 26.8 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 4 1/2 tablets |
| Manganese tablet, 10 mg10 mg manganese per tablet | 1/2 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 | 2 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 | 7.25 g |
| Magnesium capsule, 100 mg (citrate or glycinate)100 mg magnesium per capsule | 3 1/2 capsules |
| Choline capsule, 250 mg (bitartrate)250 mg choline per capsule | 1 1/2 capsules |
| 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 tablet |
| Selenium tablet, 50 µg (selenomethionine)50 µg selenium per tablet | 1 1/4 tablets |
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 | 55.4 g | 45 g | – | OK |
| Arginine | 3.29 g | 1.28 g | – | OK |
| Histidine | 1.72 g | 0.48 g | – | OK |
| Isoleucine | 2.65 g | 0.95 g | – | OK |
| Leucine | 4.38 g | 1.7 g | – | OK |
| Lysine | 4.66 g | 1.58 g | – | OK |
| Methionine | 1.4 g | 0.83 g | – | OK |
| Methionine + cystine | 2.18 g | 1.63 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine | 2.4 g | 1.13 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 4.28 g | 1.85 g | – | OK |
| Threonine | 2.44 g | 1.2 g | – | OK |
| Tryptophan | 0.67 g | 0.4 g | – | OK |
| Valine | 3.02 g | 1.23 g | – | OK |
| Fat and fatty acids | ||||
| Fat | 66.2 g | 13.8 g | – | OK |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 4.21 g | 2.8 g | – | OK |
| Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio | 3.7 : 1 | – | 30:1 | OK |
| Minerals | ||||
| Calcium | 1.54 g | 1.25 g | 6.25 g | OK |
| Phosphorus | 1.4 g | 1 g | 4 g | OK |
| Calcium to phosphorus ratio | 1.1 : 1 | 1:1 | 2:1 | OK |
| Potassium | 1.57 g | 1.5 g | – | OK |
| Sodium | 0.23 g | 0.2 g | – | OK |
| Chloride(estimated) | 0.71 g | 0.3 g | – | OK |
| Magnesium | 0.16 g | 0.15 g | – | OK |
| Iron | 12.6 mg | 10 mg | – | OK |
| Copper | 3.1 mg | 1.83 mg | – | OK |
| Manganese | 3.19 mg | 1.25 mg | – | OK |
| Zinc | 23.2 mg | 20 mg | – | OK |
| Iodine(estimated) | 0.26 mg | 0.25 mg | 2.75 mg | OK |
| Selenium | 0.09 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.5 mg | OK |
| Vitamins and choline | ||||
| Vitamin A | 4,448 IU | 1,250 IU | 62,500 IU | OK |
| Vitamin D | 424 IU | 125 IU | 750 IU | OK |
| Vitamin E | 102 IU | 12.5 IU | – | OK |
| Thiamine (B1) | 13 mg | 0.56 mg | – | OK |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 14 mg | 1.3 mg | – | OK |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 16.6 mg | 3 mg | – | OK |
| Niacin (B3) | 36.4 mg | 3.4 mg | – | OK |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | 13.5 mg | 0.38 mg | – | OK |
| Folic acid (folate) | 0.27 mg | 0.054 mg | – | OK |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.035 mg | 0.007 mg | – | OK |
| Choline | 435 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.