This homemade dog food literally saved Mylah’s life. I know that sounds extreme but a dog’s diet, like a human’s, is what sets someone up for living a healthy or unhealthy life. Mylah wasn’t unhealthy, but she was sick. If you don’t know all about Mylah and her autoimmune issues and diabetes, here is more info on her.

This diet might not be for every dog as every dog is completely different. Mylah needed something that we couldn’t buy anywhere - she needed something that could maintain her weight of 30lbs, keep her inflammatory bowel disease from flaring up and something that wouldn’t spike her diabetes. The University of Tennessee’s Veterinary Nutrition Service is who put this diet together for Mylah. If you have a very special needs dog like her I recommend contacting them. Before this diet, Mylah couldn’t keep weight on her and her IBD was getting out of control. We tried everything from raw to cooked to prescription. Nothing worked until this.

Before the diet she looked emaciated and was very weak, we were so worried she was nearing the end of her life. This diet changed everything for her. She eats 3 cups every morning and night and gets the food in a kong or duck hearts for a treat. She is a steady 30lbs on this diet. If you try this diet for your dog, depending on their weight, you might need to increase or decrease the amount you feed him/her. Every batch of food lasts us about 5 days.

We also add the following supplements to this food daily:

-3.5 teaspoons of Balance IT Carnivore Blend per day

-1 teaspoon of Nordic Naturals Omega 3 Pet per day (affiliate link)

A few notes on how we make this:

-We buy the tilapia at a wholesale fish market in Chicago, it comes frozen in 30lb batches

-The mixed vegetables is a mix of cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots that we also buy frozen

-The barley we use is Quick Barley by Quaker

I am not a veterinarian and this is not meant to diagnose or treat your pet. Always consult with your veterinarian first 🙂

Print Recipe

The Diet that Saved My Dog's Life

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Passive Time

45 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 60 oz Tilapia
• 31.9 oz Sweet Potato
• 24.6 oz Barley
• 26 tbsp Canola Oil
• 10 oz Mixed Vegetables
• 3 grams Morton's Iodized Salt

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 1 hour Passive Time 45 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 60 oz Tilapia 31.9 oz Sweet Potato 24.6 oz Barley 26 tbsp Canola Oil 10 oz Mixed Vegetables 3 grams Morton's Iodized Salt

Instructions

1. Bake the tilapia in the oven. If frozen, you will need to bake for longer at 350 degrees. We bake frozen tilapia all at once using two trays for 45 minutes. Save the juice that the tilapia produces and use it in the food mixture.
2. While the tilapia is baking, peel and slice sweet potatoes into 2-4 inch pieces. We cook them in a bowl in water for 20 minutes in the microwave.
3. Start your barley on the stove according to the instructions.
4. Once the sweet potatoes are done, take your bag of frozen vegetables and cook them in the microwave.
5. Place the cooked sweet potatoes and vegetables in a blender and add in the canola oil. Puree until smooth.
6. Once the barley and tilapia are finished cooking, add everything together including the salt in a giant container or pot and mix together thoroughly.

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Xox,

Alicia