Back in June, 2024, my 13-year old dog was diagnosed with kidney disease.

Normally, when you have a pet diagnosed with kidney disease, you start feeding them a prescription food. The problem with my dog is she’s allergic to chicken, turkey and other fowl, and the main ingredient in pretty much every single prescription dog food is chicken.

So, I started to cook for her.

Six months after I started cooking for her, her bloodwork came back completely normal. She was back to her usual energy levels, was eating better and wasn’t drinking so much water.

I’ve had people ask me for the recipe so I decided to share it here. It’s from my vet, but I did modify it slightly. It’s super easy, the dog loves it, and it’s works out to being cheaper than the prescription dog food (although that wasn’t my main reason for cooking for her, but it’s a nice benefit).

Obviously I can’t guarantee anything, and what works for my pup may not work for yours (and you may want to chat with your vet as well before switching to homemade food) but below is my protocol:

1 pound ground beef (I use 80% mostly as I think the fat content helps her feel fuller since there’s less protein)
13 cups of filtered water
6 cups jasmine rice (I buy big 25 pound bags of rice from Costco)
1 very large sweet potato
Frozen green beans (I dump a bunch in there so not sure how much, but at least a cup or two)

Chop up the sweet potato and boil it in the water until it’s soft.

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until the rice is fully cooked. No draining or rinsing required.

This lasts me roughly 2 weeks for a 28 pound dog. I freeze in smaller batches and thaw out as needed.

In addition, I give her 2 squirts of fish oil (one morning and one night with her food) and a pet vitamin called Pet Tab (from my vet) once a day. I also give her raw baby carrots as treats.