Homemade food involves preparing your dog's meals yourself from fresh ingredients.

It is attracting more and more owners who want to better control ingredients, limit industrial foods, or simply cook for their pet.

This is a perfectly legitimate approach.

However, it is also one of the feeding methods where nutritional errors are most common. Published studies are particularly consistent on this point.

Only 6% of rations are potentially complete

The Dog Aging Project, which analyzed 1,726 homemade rations reported by their owners, made a striking observation: only 6% had the potential to meet the nutritional needs of an adult dog according to AAFCO recommendations.

This result is consistent with several other studies.

A Brazilian analysis of recipes from books and the Internet showed that most presented one or more nutritional imbalances.

A Korean study on commercial homemade foods found, in particular:

• a selenium deficiency in nearly 91% of products;
• a lack of copper and zinc in almost one in two cases;
• a calcium deficiency in more than a quarter of products;
• an unsuitable calcium/phosphorus ratio in more than half of cases.

In other words, a large proportion of homemade rations do not adequately meet the dog's needs.

Why is it so complicated?

Balancing a canine diet is not just about mixing meat, vegetables, and a starchy food.

Dogs have specific needs for:

• proteins and essential amino acids;
• essential fatty acids;
• vitamins;
• minerals and trace elements.

Calcium is one of the most critical points.

Meat is naturally rich in phosphorus but poor in calcium. Without appropriate supplementation, the calcium/phosphorus ratio is almost always unbalanced.

Certain vitamins (such as vitamins D and E) as well as several trace elements (zinc, copper, iodine, or selenium) are also difficult to provide in sufficient quantities without precise formulation.

In practice, balancing a diet requires reliable nutritional data, calculations, and a good understanding of the dog's needs.

Why guidance is important

The authors of the Dog Aging Project point out that a homemade diet should be formulated and monitored by a veterinarian with training in nutrition.

Each ingredient plays a specific role.

Replacing a meat, changing an oil, or omitting a calcium supplement can be enough to unbalance the entire ration.

Calculation aids, such as BalanceIT, exist, but they do not replace the knowledge required to create a complete diet.

Even good recipes evolve over time

Following a recipe for several months is not always simple.

A study conducted among owners using a diet developed by a veterinary nutritionist showed that:

• nearly a third modified the recipe;
• 40% did not follow the prescribed quantities;
• many no longer gave the recommended oils or supplements.

These changes, often made in good faith, can gradually unbalance an initially appropriate diet.

When is it particularly beneficial?

Homemade food can be an excellent option when properly formulated.

It is particularly used in dogs suffering from:

• allergies or food intolerances;
• certain chronic diseases (renal, hepatic, or pancreatic);
• loss of appetite making industrial foods difficult to accept.

An Italian study of 167 dogs fed a homemade diet prescribed by a veterinarian observed:

• an improvement in coat quality in approximately 70% of dogs;
• a decrease in the frequency of bowel movements in nearly half.

However, many owners eventually abandoned this feeding method, mainly because it required too much time and organization.

Key takeaways

A well-formulated homemade diet is not inferior to a complete industrial diet.

What makes the difference is not that it's "homemade", but the quality of its formulation.

Well-constructed, it can be excellent. Improvised, it can become unbalanced.

To limit this risk, three conditions are essential:

have the diet formulated by a veterinarian trained in nutrition;

respect the ingredients and quantities prescribed;

regularly re-evaluate the diet as the dog ages, changes weight, or develops a disease.

 

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Sources

1. O’Brien EA et al. Evaluation of home-prepared diet recipes for adult maintenance in dogs from the Dog Aging Project. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2025.
2. Pedrinelli V et al. Analysis of recipes of home-prepared diets for dogs and cats published in Portuguese. Journal of Nutritional Science, 2017.
3. Oliveira MCCC et al. Evaluation of the owner’s perception in the use of homemade diets for the nutritional management of dogs. Journal of Nutritional Science, 2015.
4. Choi JH et al. Evaluation of nutritional adequacy of commercial home-prepared diets for dogs. Journal of Animal Science and Technology, 2023.
5. Crisi PE et al. Home-prepared diets: owner compliance and clinical effects. Animals, 2024.