Sardines & brown rice: a balanced homemade dog food recipe
Canned sardines with their soft bones, brown rice, spinach and an egg.
Cooked · Meat 11%, Fish 34%, Grain 41%, 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).
| Sardines, canned in oil, drained, with bones | 254 g |
| Brown rice, long-grain, cooked | 304 g |
| Spinach, boiled | 101 g |
| Egg, whole, raw | 85 g |
| Calcium carbonate powderPure calcium carbonate: 400 mg calcium per gram | 2 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 |
| Kelp (iodine) tablet, 150 µg iodine150 µg iodine per tablet | 1 1/2 tablets |
| Vitamin A softgel, 10,000 IU (retinyl palmitate)10,000 IU vitamin A per softgel | 1 softgel |
Balanced: 0 short, 0 over
What the recipe misses without supplements
On its own, this recipe is 6 short and 0 over: calcium (short), calcium to phosphorus ratio (short), copper (short), zinc (short), iodine (short), vitamin a (short).
- Sardine bones bring real calcium, so this is one of the few homemade recipes that comes close on calcium without a powder.
Scale it to your dog
About 1,020 kcal a day. One batch for 7 days:
| Sardines, canned in oil, drained, with bones | 1,813 g |
| Brown rice, long-grain, cooked | 2,175 g |
| Spinach, boiled | 725 g |
| Egg, whole, raw | 604 g |
| Calcium carbonate powderPure calcium carbonate: 400 mg calcium per gram | 14.2 g |
| Zinc tablet, 15 mg (gluconate or picolinate)15 mg zinc per tablet | 6 3/4 tablets |
| Copper tablet, 2 mg (gluconate or bisglycinate)2 mg copper per tablet (not copper oxide) | 3 1/2 tablets |
| Vitamin E softgel, 100 IU (d-alpha-tocopherol)100 IU vitamin E per softgel | 1 softgel |
| Kelp (iodine) tablet, 150 µg iodine150 µg iodine per tablet | 11 tablets |
| Vitamin A softgel, 10,000 IU (retinyl palmitate)10,000 IU vitamin A per softgel | 1 softgel |
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 | 84.5 g | 45 g | – | OK |
| Arginine | 5.2 g | 1.28 g | – | OK |
| Histidine | 2.37 g | 0.48 g | – | OK |
| Isoleucine | 3.93 g | 0.95 g | – | OK |
| Leucine | 6.88 g | 1.7 g | – | OK |
| Lysine | 6.99 g | 1.58 g | – | OK |
| Methionine | 2.4 g | 0.83 g | – | OK |
| Methionine + cystine | 3.43 g | 1.63 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine | 3.55 g | 1.13 g | – | OK |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine | 6.5 g | 1.85 g | – | OK |
| Threonine | 3.63 g | 1.2 g | – | OK |
| Tryptophan | 0.98 g | 0.4 g | – | OK |
| Valine | 4.57 g | 1.23 g | – | OK |
| Fat and fatty acids | ||||
| Fat | 40.3 g | 13.8 g | – | OK |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 11.4 g | 2.8 g | – | OK |
| Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio | 2.9 : 1 | – | 30:1 | OK |
| Minerals | ||||
| Calcium | 1.96 g | 1.25 g | 6.25 g | OK |
| Phosphorus | 1.78 g | 1 g | 4 g | OK |
| Calcium to phosphorus ratio | 1.1 : 1 | 1:1 | 2:1 | OK |
| Potassium | 1.86 g | 1.5 g | – | OK |
| Sodium | 0.98 g | 0.2 g | – | OK |
| Chloride(estimated) | 0.98 g | 0.3 g | – | OK |
| Magnesium | 0.32 g | 0.15 g | – | OK |
| Iron | 14.2 mg | 10 mg | – | OK |
| Copper | 2.03 mg | 1.83 mg | – | OK |
| Manganese | 4.2 mg | 1.25 mg | – | OK |
| Zinc | 22.3 mg | 20 mg | – | OK |
| Iodine(estimated) | 0.27 mg | 0.25 mg | 2.75 mg | OK |
| Selenium | 0.18 mg | 0.08 mg | 0.5 mg | OK |
| Vitamins and choline | ||||
| Vitamin A | 10,712 IU | 1,250 IU | 62,500 IU | OK |
| Vitamin D | 555 IU | 125 IU | 750 IU | OK |
| Vitamin E | 113 IU | 12.5 IU | – | OK |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.87 mg | 0.56 mg | – | OK |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 1.41 mg | 1.3 mg | – | OK |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 4.23 mg | 3 mg | – | OK |
| Niacin (B3) | 21.6 mg | 3.4 mg | – | OK |
| Pyridoxine (B6) | 1.19 mg | 0.38 mg | – | OK |
| Folic acid (folate) | 0.24 mg | 0.054 mg | – | OK |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.023 mg | 0.007 mg | – | OK |
| Choline | 488 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.