Simple Homemade Dog Food Recipe with Beef and Green Tripe

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I love using Animal Diet Formulator software so much that I often ask strangers if I can confirm that their recipe is balanced. Someone on Reddit took me up on this offer. The following recipe is for a 19-pound Havenese, whose owner was concerned that it was low in iodine. She’s never been concerned about iodine and wasn’t looking forward to trying to figure out how to correct the deficiency because her dog didn’t like kelp.

A decade ago, I’d share alternate foods high in iodine (eggs, oysters, milk, yogurt). Today, I know better. The first step was to confirm that there was an iodine deficiency.

There wasn’t one.

Beef (muscle meat)

Beef is a nutrient-dense protein source that provides:

Protein & Amino Acids: High-quality, complete protein that supports muscle development, tissue repair, and healthy skin/coat. Contains all essential amino acids, including lysine and methionine.
Fatty Acids: Supplies both saturated and unsaturated fats for energy and hormone production. Grass-fed beef tends to be higher in omega-3 fatty acids and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid).
Iron: Highly bioavailable heme iron, critical for red blood cell production and oxygen transport.
Zinc: Important for immune health, wound healing, and maintaining a strong skin barrier.
B vitamins (especially B12, niacin, riboflavin, and B6): Support metabolism, nervous system health, and energy production.
Phosphorus & Selenium: Essential for bone health and antioxidant function.

In raw feeding, beef is often used as a base protein because it’s versatile, nutrient-rich, and widely available.

Green Beef Tripe (unbleached, unprocessed stomach lining of cattle)

Green tripe is considered a superfood for dogs because of its unique nutritional profile:

Digestive Enzymes & Probiotics: Naturally contains enzymes (like lipase and amylase) and beneficial bacteria that can aid digestion and support a healthy gut microbiome.
Balanced Calcium-to-Phosphorus Ratio: Unlike most muscle meats, tripe has a near-ideal 1:1 calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which helps support skeletal health.
Manganese: A trace mineral that’s often deficient in homemade/raw diets—important for joint health, collagen production, and metabolism.
Essential Fatty Acids: Provides linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) in natural balance, supporting skin, coat, and anti-inflammatory pathways.
Moderate Protein & Fat: Easier to digest than some richer cuts of meat, making it a good option for sensitive stomachs or senior dogs.
Palatability: Dogs love the strong smell—even picky eaters will often go for it, making it a great meal topper or appetite booster.

Green tripe is key—bleached/processed tripe (the kind sold for human cooking) has lost nearly all its nutrients.

A Complete List of US Raw Food Co-Ops

Sourcing Ingredients for this Recipe

The ingredients for this recipe can be sourced from a variety of trusted suppliers. I purchase many ingredients in bulk from a local raw food co-op. The fatty fish comes from Oma’s Pride (Ocean’s Blend), while the chicken eggs are purchased from both a local homesteader and Costco. The sunflower and hemp seeds are from Costco and Amazon. And the kelp is sourced from Life Line Pet Nutrition, and the base mix is purchased from Dr. Harvey’s via Amazon.

Homemade Raw Dog Food Recipe

This recipe was formulated using Animal Diet Formulator software for a healthy 19-pound dog without food sensitivities or other health issues. If you feed this recipe to a dog of a different weight, keep in mind that the nutrient breakdown will vary slightly.

Ingredients:

Animal Diet Formulator Software Report

1	1.3 oz	beef, 80/20
2	1.3 oz	green beef tripe
3	.32 oz	beef liver
4	.16 oz	beef kidneys
5	.16 oz	beef spleen
6	.25 oz	canned pink salmon
7	.125 oz	bone meal powder
8	2.13 g	canned boiled oysters
9	3.12 g	raw sunflower seeds
10
11

The beef, tripe, beef organs, and bone meal are a premade beef blend.

How Much to Feed My Dogs

The Animal Diet Formulator software will tell you how much to feed your dog based on calories. I use a raw feeding calculator and weigh my dogs' meals because this better accounts for their metabolism and daily or weekly exercise. I weigh my dogs twice monthly and adjust how much I feed based on their weight.

Animal Diet Formulator Report Reddit - 9.2025 - Beef Recipe.pdf

324.47 KB • PDF File

Homemade Dog Food Nutrient Breakdown

This recipe was formulated using Animal Diet Formulator software based on FEDIAF guidelines for a 19-pound dog. The nutrient profile includes macronutrients, vitamins, fats, and amino acids. For a detailed breakdown—including amino acid profiles, dry matter values, and daily intake figures—please refer to the Animal Diet Formulator report below:

Macro Nutrient Analysis

	As Formulated	%kcal
Protein	15.84%	38.84%
Fat	10.45%	57.65%
Ash	4.15%
Moisture	67.99%
Dietary Fiber	0.28%	0.35%
Soluable
Insoluable
Net Carbs	1.29%	3.16%
Sugars	.41%	1.00%
Starch	0.16%	0.40%
Total		100.00%

Minerals - Units/1000 kcal

Ca - calcium, P - phosphorus, K - potassium, Na - sodium, Mg - Magnesium, Cl - chloride, Fe - iron, Cu - copper, Mn - manganese, Zn - zinc, I - , Se - selenium

	Unit	Minimum	Maximum	Recipe
Ca	g	1.45	6.25	5.59
P	g	1.16	4.00	3.67
Ca:P	ratio	1:1	2:1	1.52:1
K	g	1.45		1.48
Na	g	0.29		0.61
Mg	g	0.20		0.18
Cl	g	0.43		0.19
Fe	mg	10.40	170.00	26.46
Cu	mg	2.08	7.00	6.53
Mn	mg	1.67	42.50	0.79
Zn	mg	20.80	56.80	28.65
I	mg	0.30	2.75	0.01
Se	mg	0.09		0.16

This diet runs a little low in magnesium, chloride, manganese, and iodine. These shortfalls are easy to correct with variety and balance over time. If I were using this recipe, I’d make up for the gaps the following week to create balance across two weeks.

Vitamins - Units/1000 kcal

	Unit	Minimum	Maximum	Recipe
Vit A	IU	1,754.00	100,000.00	8,929.04
Vit C	mg			13.11
Vit D	IU	159.0	568.00	271.98
Vit E	IU	10.40		10.99
Thiamine, B1	mg	0.62		0.63
Riboflavin, B2	mg	1.74		2.71
Niacin, B3	mg	4.74		24.31
Vit B5	mg	4.11		6.655
Vit B6	mg	0.42		1.34
Vit B12	mg	0.01		0.05
Folic Acid	mg	0.08		0.22
Choline	mg	474.00		758.88
Vit K1	mg			0.00
Biotin	mg			0.05

Fats - Units/1000 kcal

	Unit	Minimum	Maximum	Recipe
Total	g	13.75		64.276
Saturated	g			21.914
Monounsaturated	g			26.118
Polyunsaturated	g			7.582
LA	g	3.82		6.183
ALA	g			0.328
AA	g			0.297
EPA	g			0.169
DPA	g			0.072
DHA	g			0.314
Omega 6 / Omega 3	ratio			7.34:1
EPA + DHA	g			0.483

Amino Acids - Units/1000 kcal

	Unit	Minimum	Maximum	Recipe
Total protein	g	52.1		97.441
Tryptophan	g	0.49		0.854
Threonine	g	1.51		3.892
Isoleucine	g	1.33		4.268
Leucine	g	2.37		7.623
Lysine	g	1.22		7.665
Methionine	g	1.16		2.685
M- Cystine	g	2.21		4.835
Phenylalanine	g	1.56		4.018
P - Tyrosine	g	2.58		8.625
Valine	g	1.71		4.9
Arginine	g	1.51		6.417
Histidine	g	0.67		3.168
Purines	mg			311.178
Taurine	g			0.542

Disclaimer: I’m sharing this recipe to help pet parents explore what a balanced raw food diet can look like. While I’ve completed an online canine nutrition course, I am not a professional canine nutritionist and do not offer meal formulation or consulting services. This recipe is balanced for my own dogs, but it may not meet the needs of every dog if fed exclusively. If you’d like to learn more about formulating fresh food diets, I encourage you to take advanced online courses and consult with a qualified canine nutritionist—someone with formal education and hands-on experience beyond an introductory course.

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