How to Cook Hamburger Meat for Dogs

What dog would prefer dried kibble to a meal of meat? The dog's diet should be 10 percent to 50 percent protein, and hamburger is an inexpensive protein. You can cook it in batches since it stores well in the refrigerator or freezer. It pleases your pooch's taste buds by itself.

Store hamburger meat at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler until you are ready to cook it. This temperature keeps uncooked meat fresh and discourages bacteria.

Give the skillet a coat of baking spray to avoid having the hamburger stick to the pan and save time on cleanup. Preheat the skillet on the stove to medium heat.

Use clean hands to break up the ground beef into the skillet. Stir the meat with a wooden spoon every few minutes to turn it in the pan and keep it from burning. If grease is splattering, turn the heat down.

Brown the hamburger thoroughly. No pink should remain anywhere; this ensures that any bacteria in the ground beef are killed by the heat. Break up larger pieces of meat with a spoon or spatula.

Allow the cooked hamburger to cool until it is warm to the touch, but no longer hot, before feeding your dog. Hamburger should comprise no more than half of your dog's required food intake per meal, depending on his size. Add the ground meat to dry kibble or mix with other approved foods if using a natural, homemade diet. It is not necessary to drain off the hamburger grease.

Store leftover cooked hamburger in the refrigerator up to three days in a food storage container; warm it up in the microwave for subsequent meals. Refreeze cooked hamburger if you will not use it within this time frame.