Dog meals have become a real subject of debate

Choosing your dog's diet has never sparked so much discussion.

Kibble, wet food, BARF, home-cooked food, or mixing feeding: each approach has its defenders, its arguments, and its critics. It is therefore not always easy for owners to find their way.

However, scientific literature is more nuanced than debates on social networks.

To date, no study has shown that one feeding method is systematically superior to all others, for all dogs and in all situations.

Each approach has advantages, but also limitations. The most important thing is to correctly meet the dog's nutritional needs while taking into account its age, health status, activity level, and the owner's lifestyle.

This article provides an overview of the main dietary approaches and what studies actually conclude about them.

What dogs actually eat

Before comparing different diets, it is useful to look at owner habits.

A French survey of 426 owners showed that 55% exclusively fed their dog conventional food (kibble or wet food), while 38% used at least one alternative diet, such as BARF, home-cooked meals, or the prey model.

The authors point out, however, that participants were recruited via social networks, which may overrepresent owners already interested in these approaches.

On a larger scale, kibble remains by far the most common.

In the Dog Aging Project, which collected data from over 40,000 American owners, approximately 82% of dogs were fed primarily kibble.

In France, a survey conducted by Pets International and Yummypets found a comparable figure: 83% of owners reported mainly using kibble.

This latter survey describes consumption habits, but does not have the same level of evidence as a scientific study published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The main feeding approaches

1. Kibble

Kibble remains the most common feeding method today.

When marketed as complete food, it is formulated to cover all of the dog's nutritional needs for protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements. In Europe, manufacturers primarily rely on FEDIAF recommendations, which are themselves based on the work of the National Research Council (NRC).

Their main advantage is their simplicity: they allow for a balanced diet without the owner having to calculate the nutritional intake themselves.

However, not all kibbles are created equal. The quality of raw materials, formulation, quality controls, and manufacturer transparency can vary from one brand to another.

Another peculiarity: their low water content, generally around 8 to 10%. It is therefore important for the dog to always have access to fresh water.

The "kibble" format alone is therefore not a guarantee of quality. It is the overall formulation that makes the difference.

2. Wet foods

Wet food and other moist foods generally contain between 70 and 80% water.

This high water content naturally increases daily water intake, which can be beneficial for dogs that drink little, seniors, convalescing animals, or those suffering from certain urinary disorders.

These foods are also often more palatable, which can make feeding difficult dogs easier.

Their main drawback remains their cost, which is generally higher than kibble for an equivalent energy intake.

Contrary to popular belief, they do not offer any particular benefit for oral hygiene. Their interest lies primarily in their palatability and high water content.

3. BARF

BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or Bones and Raw Food) is based on a diet composed mainly of raw meat, meaty bones, and offal, to which various supplements can be added depending on the recipes.

Its proponents advocate for a diet closer to that of the dog's ancestors and less processed.

To date, studies do not show that BARF is generally superior to other feeding methods.

However, they clearly document certain microbiological and nutritional risks when rations are poorly formulated or hygiene rules are not followed.

4. Home-cooked meals

Home-cooked meals consist of preparing your dog's meals yourself from cooked foods: meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, starchy foods, and fats, to which mineral and vitamin supplements are generally added.

When properly formulated, it can perfectly cover a dog's nutritional needs. It is also used in certain medical situations, particularly for exclusion diets, certain chronic diseases, or when industrial foods are poorly tolerated.

The main risk therefore does not come from the principle of home-cooked rations, but from their formulation.

Studies show that recipes developed without guidance are very often unbalanced, with frequent deficiencies in calcium, trace elements, vitamins, or certain essential fatty acids.

Preparing your dog's meals yourself therefore requires more than a recipe found on the internet. A home-cooked ration must be constructed as a true nutritional formulation.

5. Mixing feeding

Mixing feeding consists of combining several types of food during the day or in the same meal.

This could involve, for example, kibble and wet food, kibble accompanied by a small amount of cooked meat, or a few fresh foods added to improve palatability.

This approach is very common and can have several advantages: varying textures, increasing water intake, or making feeding difficult dogs easier.

However, replacing a significant portion of a complete food with unbalanced foods can alter the nutritional balance of the ration.

Mixing feeding is therefore not problematic in itself. As with other approaches, everything depends on how it is structured.

What studies actually show

Comparing different feeding methods is much more difficult than it seems.

The majority of available studies are observational. They identify associations between a type of diet and certain health parameters, but they do not prove that a diet is directly responsible for an effect.

Many factors can influence the results:

• the dog's age;
• its breed;
• its activity level;
• its weight;
• its health status;
• its reproductive status;
• the household's lifestyle.

To this is added another important bias: a sick dog is often directed towards a specific diet. If this dog has more health problems, it does not mean that its diet is the cause.

A large study from the Dog Aging Project, involving over 27,000 dogs, compared several types of diets (kibble, home-cooked, commercial BARF, and homemade BARF).

The authors themselves point out that the benefits often attributed to alternative diets still rest on a limited level of evidence.

In other words, current data do not allow us to conclude that one feeding method is systematically better than another.

This is why learned societies remain cautious and prioritize recommendations focused on nutritional balance rather than on a specific type of diet.

Key takeaways

Currently, no feeding method has demonstrated systematic superiority over all others.

Complete kibble remains the simplest solution for daily balance and benefits from the longest history of formulation.

Wet foods can be particularly interesting for increasing water intake or stimulating the appetite of certain dogs.

Home-cooked meals and BARF can also be suitable, but they require much more knowledge and rigor to correctly meet nutritional needs. When improvised, the risk of imbalance increases significantly.

Mixing feeding offers some flexibility and can be a good option when structured consistently. Again, it is the balance of the overall ration that matters.

Ultimately, the choice of food depends primarily on the dog, its age, its health status, its activity level, but also on the time and knowledge its owner can devote to its diet.

An excellent home-cooked meal will always be preferable to poor kibble, just as well-formulated kibble will be preferable to an improvised home-cooked meal. More than the type of food, it is the quality of its formulation, its consistency, and its adaptation to the dog that truly make the difference.

Sources

1. Hoummady S. et al. (2022). Comparison of canine owner profile according to food choice: an online preliminary survey in France. BMC Veterinary Research, 18(1), 163. PMID : 35509073.

2. O’Brien J.S. et al. (2024). Dog and owner demographics impact dietary choices in Dog Aging Project cohort. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 262(12), 1676-1685. PMID : 39142333.

3. Ortiz A.V. et al. (2025). Association Between Diet Type and Owner-Reported Health Conditions in Dogs in the Dog Aging Project. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 39(3). PMID : 40256950. PMC : 12010193.

4. Dodd S.A.S. et al. (2019). Plant-based (vegan) diets for pets: A survey of pet owner attitudes and feeding practices. PLOS ONE, 14(1), e0210806. PMID : 30645644.

5. FEDIAF. Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs, version 2025.

6. National Research Council (2006). Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. National Academies Press.

7. Pets International / Yummypets. Enquête multi-pays sur les habitudes d’alimentation des propriétaires de chiens, consultée en 2026.