Argus’s Chicken, Rice & Pumpkin Dinner

This photo was taken on our family vacation to Tahoe this past summer.

The best gift I ever gave was to my husband for his birthday…a wiggly, nine-week old Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix. We named him Argus. 

Baby Argus, the day after we adopted him from the rescue organization. It was so long ago, this shot was taken on a film camera.

That was over 15 years ago and from the first day has been a good buddy, family protector, and playmate to my children.

Happy.

Argus has been getting up in years and is starting to need a little extra T.L.C. (Tender, Loving, Care). This means that he now goes to a professional groomer so his fur can stay clean, and he gets first dibs on the sofa because his joints are a bit more achy and needs a soft place to lay down. It also means I make him homemade meals, at least for now, because his stomach has been sensitive lately. It’s the least of what I can do after so many years of his unconditional love and devotion.

Most homemade recipes for pets will start off with chicken.  I get a family pack of chicken breasts and put it in a crock pot with water and cook it. No salt. No nothing. It needs to be bland and plain. The goal isn’t to serve up a fine dinner for humans. The goal is to make something nutritious for a dog, that won’t upset his stomach and be simple to digest.

At some point while that is cooking, I make the rice. I use instant rice, which takes all of 10 minutes from start to finish. Rice is a good, basic carb, and most dogs can tolerate it well. Rice is often recommended for dogs that have food allergies. Some dogs, however, are allergic to any grain. If this is your pooch, substitute instant potatoes in the same amount.

I put the rice in a big bowl and then using a food processor, I break down the chicken a bit. I put it all in a bowl, and mix together.

The veggies should be fresh and steamed before you use a food processor. Any time you are making a meal, choose fresh ingredients over canned (this goes for you and me, as well as our pets). This recipe highlights what I had on hand, and is a good fallback in case you can’t get to fresh.  I like green beans because they are a good source of nutrients, and the pumpkin has fiber. I also like adding parsley for the phytochemicals. And don’t forget bone meal. Dogs need calcium.

I usually blend the veggies to a pulp. After I took the shot above, I realized my mistake and pulled out the green beans and pureed them in the food processor. If you are considering feeding this to your dog because of digestive issues, you definitely want to make sure everything is as pureed as possible. 

When it is all mixed together, simply package in tupperware containers and freeze until you are ready to use.

A fifteen-year old, large-breed dog is going to have some milage on the kidneys, so I tweak this basic recipe for Argus. I give him:

• Proportionally more rice than chicken, because protein can be hard on the kidneys
• A 1/2 cup of water to the food, because the extra water helps the kidneys filter a bit better
• A squirt of salmon oil (from a pump bottle) to get more omega-3s into his diet

He’s been doing great on this recipe and I think we’re ready to transition back into his diet a little bit more of high-quality kibble. It’s helpful to have this recipe on hand, though, in case he needs the extra nutritional and digestive support.

Argus's Chicken, Pumpkin, & Rice Dinner

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 15 cups food

Author: Four to Cook For

Ingredients

• 4 cups of instant rice cook according to package should result in about 8 cups
• 1 family pack about 3.5 lbs of chicken breast (about 6 or 7 breasts)
• 6 cups water
• 2 14.5 oz cans of green beans or 3 cups fresh, steamed, pureed
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin or 1 cup fresh, steamed, pureed
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp bone meal

Instructions

• Cook chicken breast in crock pot with four cups of water (over low about eight hours or four hours at high). When finished, set aside to cool. Keep the broth for later.
• Cook instant rice as per directions and set aside to cool.
• When cool, put all rice in a large, eight-quart mixing bowl.
• Working in batches if needed, mince up chicken in food processor and add to rice.
• Puree green beans and parsley in food processor and add to bowl.
• Add one cup of pumpkin.
• Mix together.
• Add in some of the broth from the crock pot back in to make it a little moist, like the consistency of chili beans. The amount may be from one to two cups.

Notes

Package in two or three day serving containers and freeze. Argus is about 70 lbs and gets about 1 1/2 cup a day, twice a day. This recipe lasts him about a week.

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or tag @fourtocookfor and hashtag #fourtocookfor on Instagram.

If you are considering feeding your pet homemade food, do your homework and learn all you can about a species-appropriate diet. In addition, consult your vet. Like any recipe I make for myself or for my pets, I make no claim for this being 100% balanced.