Meat Loaf for Dogs Recipe

Making your own food for your furry friend means you always know exactly what you're feeding him. This helps you stick to an organic diet, if that's important to you, or to keep your pup's food allergies at bay. Meatloaf is a flexible food -- you can give it to your pooch as a special treat or instead of standard canned food. Once it's cooked, it freezes well, meaning you can make a huge batch one day and feed your dog with it for weeks.

Pick the right meat for your dog. Lean ground beef is the traditional meatloaf ingredient, but dogs with weight issues might fare better with ground turkey or ground chicken. Mix some ground pork in with the beef if your dog is underweight and needs a few more calories to get back where he needs to be.

Put 2 pounds of meat in a bowl, then add three eggs. Pour in some finely chopped vegetables as well, such as white or sweet potatoes, carrots, peas and green beans. Most vegetables are safe, but keep onions out of the mix -- they can be toxic to dogs. Use about 2 cups of vegetables.

Toss in some fiber-filled cooked oats, flaxseed meal and wheat germ to help your pooch's digestive system stay on track. Add about 3/4 cup total of the fiber products. You can use just one fiber food or mix two or three to total 3/4 cup.

Give the meatloaf a bit more moisture by adding low-sodium beef or chicken broth. Pour in about 1 cup to start with, but you can add more if necessary to keep the meatloaf moist and sticking together.

Put on some protective gloves and mix the ingredients by hand, pulling up and in from the bottom. Continue mixing until all the meat is coated and the veggies are evenly dispersed throughout the meat.

Spray a 9-by-13-inch pan with non-stick spray and pour the meatloaf mixture into the pan. Bake it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour.