What’s in Cyrus’s Bowl? 6 Homemade Dog Food Ingredients I Rotate

When Cyrus sees a bowl like this, he is definitely not thinking about Pinterest, SEO, or whether his mother got the perfect photograph. 😂🐾

He is thinking one thing:

Can I eat it now?

I’ve been preparing homemade food for Cyrus for years, and one of the things I enjoy most is being able to see and choose the individual foods that go into his meals.

I don’t believe every bowl needs to look exactly the same. I rotate ingredients, proteins and vegetables and pay attention to what works well for Cyrus.

Here are some of the simple whole foods that regularly make an appearance in his bowl.

1. Cooked Meat 🍗

Protein forms an important part of Cyrus’s meals.

I rotate different cooked meats rather than relying on only one protein all the time. Depending on what I’m preparing, that might include turkey, chicken, beef or lamb.

I prepare his meat plainly without onion, garlic or rich sauces.

2. Organ Meat

Organ meat may not win a beauty contest, but Cyrus certainly doesn’t seem bothered. 😂

I sometimes include small amounts of organ meat as part of his food rotation. Because organs are nutrient-dense, I treat them as their own ingredient rather than simply using them as another large serving of meat.

3. Eggs 🥚

Cooked eggs are another simple food I like using.

They’re easy to prepare and can be combined with other foods in Cyrus’s meals. Sometimes the simplest ingredients are the easiest ones to keep in rotation.

4. Green Beans 💚

Green beans bring something fresh and green to the bowl.

I usually cook or cut vegetables into dog-friendly pieces before serving them. Other vegetables can rotate through Cyrus’s meals depending on what I have available.

5. Pumpkin 🎃

If Cyrus had a fall menu, pumpkin would probably deserve a permanent reservation.

I use plain cooked pumpkin, not sweetened pumpkin pie filling.

Pumpkin is easy to combine with meat and vegetables, and during fall it seems to find its way into our kitchen constantly.

6. Apple 🍎

A few pieces of fresh apple can add another seasonal whole food to Cyrus’s rotation.

I remove the seeds and core and cut the apple into small pieces.

Fruit is only one small part of the overall picture. Cyrus would happily negotiate different terms, but fortunately he does not control grocery purchasing. 😆

Why I Like Rotating Whole Foods

One of my favorite things about preparing Cyrus’s meals is variety.

Different proteins, vegetables and other dog-friendly whole foods can give his meals different flavors and textures while allowing me to know exactly what I put into his bowl.

But there is something important I always want other dog parents to understand:

Whole-food ingredients do not automatically make a homemade diet nutritionally complete.

Dogs have specific nutritional requirements, and getting the right balance of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and other nutrients matters, especially when homemade food makes up most or all of a dog’s long-term diet.

That’s why dog parents interested in long-term homemade feeding should discuss their individual dog’s needs with their veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.

Food Is More Than a Pretty Bowl ❤️

For me, preparing Cyrus’s food is part cooking, part learning and part knowing my own dog.

I like choosing his ingredients. I like seeing real food in his bowl. And I love watching his reaction when dinner finally arrives.

Cyrus, meanwhile, would like everyone to understand that the photographing portion of this process is completely unnecessary.

His official recommendation: serve immediately. 🐾😂

I share Cyrus’s meals and our experience as a dog family for general educational purposes. Every dog is different. Talk with your veterinarian or a veterinary nutrition professional before making major or long-term changes to your dog’s diet.