Senior dog food recipe: chicken with ricotta and rice
Senior dog food recipe with chicken, ricotta and rice: highly digestible protein in a soft, moist dish. How to choose the cheese, and every step.
- Time
- 40 min + 15 min resting
- Makes
- About 1.45 kg / 3.2 lb (2 days for a 15 kg / 33 lb senior dog; 4 days for a 6 kg / 13 lb dog)
- Type
- Main meal
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 32 % skinless chicken breast
- 32 % white rice
- 14 % cottage cheese or ricotta
- 14 % zucchini
Follows THE RULE. All 8 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
This senior dog food recipe brings together two of the easiest proteins to digest: cooked chicken breast and ricotta (in Spain, requesón). With very well-cooked white rice, zucchini and carrot, moistened with the chicken's own broth, it's a soft, juicy dish for dogs that eat little, don't digest as well as they used to or need to regain some muscle.
The ricotta goes in at the end, once things have cooled a little, and melts into the warm rice to make a creamy, pale mix, with the chicken shredded into fine strands. It has a mild, milky smell that sparks the interest of many senior dogs who have become pickier about food. There's no chewing involved either: the shredded chicken and soft rice can almost be licked up.
Why it works
Chicken breast provides lean, very digestible protein. Ricotta adds dairy protein of high biological value, plus calcium, in a soft texture. Very well-cooked white rice is the gentlest energy source for the stomach, and the zucchini and carrot add fiber without weighing anything down. The cooking broth makes the dish juicier and helps them take in a bit more water. The eggshell balances the phosphorus and the salmon oil provides the omega-3s.
Step by step
Cook the rice
Put the rice in a pot with 550 ml (2⅓ cups) of water. When it boils, lower to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes, until very tender, a little softer than usual.
Cook the chicken and vegetables
In another pot, cover the whole breast with 700 ml (3 cups) of water and bring to a boil. Add the thinly sliced carrot and, after 5 minutes, the zucchini in small dice. Cook for 12-15 minutes in total, until the chicken is white inside.
Shred the chicken
Take out the breast and save a cup of the broth. Shred the chicken into fine strands with two forks: for a senior dog, strands are better than cubes.
Mix with the broth
Combine the rice, chicken, drained vegetables and the cup of broth in a bowl. Stir until the rice absorbs some of the liquid and is moist. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
Add the ricotta and calcium
Once the mix is lukewarm, add the ricotta and the ground eggshell and stir gently until evenly spread. The ricotta isn't cooked: that way it keeps its texture better.
Serve with the oil
Divide into portions and add the salmon oil to each bowl right before serving.
How much should I feed?
Approximate daily portion for a "senior dog" profile. Split it into two meals (three or four for puppies).
— g a day
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grams/day | 225 | 335 | 560 | 760 | 940 | 1,275 | 1,585 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 98 kcal/100 g
- Protein
- 39 % dry matter
- Fat
- 9 % dry matter
- Calcium:phosphorus
- 1.4 : 1
Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). An everyday meal. To feed it daily as the only food, add a vitamin and mineral supplement for homemade diets.
Storage
Fridge: up to 3 days in a sealed container (the ricotta won't keep longer). Freezer: up to 2 months in portions; once thawed, the ricotta may release a little whey, so just stir it. Thaw in the fridge and warm it gently, without letting it boil. Serve lukewarm and add the salmon oil after warming.
If you don't have…
- Your dog doesn't tolerate dairy
- Leave out the ricotta and add 2 hard-boiled eggs (110 g), finely chopped, and 100 g (3.5 oz) more chicken
- You can't find ricotta
- Plain fat-free quark or fromage frais in the same amount
- Your senior dog is overweight
- Reduce the rice to 110 g (½ cup) and increase the zucchini to 300 g (10 oz)
- You don't have zucchini
- Pumpkin in the same amount
Cooking tips
- If your dog has never eaten ricotta, start with half the amount for the first week and keep an eye on their stools.
- For dogs that don't drink much, add a couple of extra tablespoons of warm broth to each portion: it's an easy way to add water.
- As the only daily meal it needs a vitamin and mineral supplement made for homemade diets: the recipe covers protein, energy, calcium and omega-3, but not every vitamin and trace mineral.
- Raise the bowl to a comfortable height if your dog has arthritis in the neck or front legs.
Safety
- If your senior dog has diagnosed kidney, liver or heart disease, the protein, phosphorus and fat need to be adjusted with your vet before you use this recipe.
- Plain ricotta or cottage cheese, without flavorings or herbs and as low in sodium as possible; never aged or semi-aged cheeses, which are high in salt and fat.
- Some dogs don't tolerate lactose well. If you notice gas, soft stools or diarrhea, use the dairy-free substitution.
- The broth must be only the water the chicken was cooked in: no salt, onion, garlic or bouillon cubes.
Frequently asked questions
Can dogs eat ricotta cheese?
Yes, ricotta is one of the dairy foods dogs tolerate best: it's soft, high in protein and calcium, and lower in lactose than milk. Choose a plain one, with no flavorings or herbs and low in sodium, and feed it in moderate amounts. If it's the first time, start with a spoonful and see how it agrees with your dog.
Is cottage cheese good for dogs?
Yes, cottage cheese is safe for most dogs and is often used in homemade diets for its protein and soft texture. The catch is that it usually contains more salt than ricotta, so compare labels and choose the lowest-sodium one. Avoid flavored versions or ones with herbs or chives, and serve it as part of a meal, not by the spoonful.
Can senior dogs have dairy?
It depends on the dog. With age, many dogs tolerate lactose less well, but ricotta, quark, plain yogurt and kefir contain less than milk and usually agree with them in moderate amounts. Milk, on the other hand, often causes diarrhea. If you see gas or soft stools, take the dairy out.
What protein is easiest for a senior dog to digest?
The most digestible are cooked egg, chicken and turkey breast, white fish such as hake or cod, rabbit, and soft dairy such as ricotta. All of them provide quality protein without much fat. The key for a healthy senior dog isn't cutting back on protein, but choosing it easy to digest and well cooked.
What's in it, in detail
If they liked it, try
The fridge list
The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.