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Homemade Diets
Joe Bodewes, DVM


Veterinary Services Department, Drs. Foster & Smith, Inc.
The vast majority of dogs and cats in this country are fed commercial dry kibble or canned
food as the sole source of their calories and nutrition. Since the 1940s, preprocessed
commercial foods have become so commonplace that most people would find feeding
anything other than dry kibble or canned food very unusual or abnormal. The fact is
however, that there are literally thousands and thousands of pets that do not eat
commercially prepared food for a multitude of different reasons. A homemade diet can be
nutritious, balanced, and better for your pet than commercially prepared diets. This article
will explore the pros and cons of a homemade diet and give some helpful pointers to steer
you in the correct direction should you choose to feed a homemade diet.

Why would someone feed a homemade diet?
There are many good reasons that people feed homemade diets, for instance, if their pet
has a special dietary requirement that cannot be met by commercial foods, such as food
allergies, diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, or weight loss. Another reason that some people
feed a homemade diet is to provide their pets with a source of nutrition that is free from the
by-products, chemical additives, and processing found in commercial foods. A third group of
animals that may be fed homemade diets are performance dogs such as sled dogs,
whereas, they require very high amounts of fat and protein that cannot be met by a
commercial diet.

What are the benefits of feeding a homemade diet?
There can be many benefits of feeding a homemade diet over a commercial diet. To
understand the benefits of a homemade diet we may have to break through a commonly
held myth that commercial foods are the best food for your pet.
While the commercial kibble does an excellent job of meeting the nutritional requirements of
most pets and is convenient and fairly affordable, it is far from the perfect food for your pet

First off, have you ever looked at the ingredients listed on a pet food label? Most
commercial diets are full of grains, animal by-products (by-product means intestines,
chicken feet, etc., but no actual meat) and chemical preservatives. They contain huge
quantities of carbohydrates.
Dogs and especially cats were never intended to eat many of these types of foods. Dogs
are primary carnivores and cats are complete carnivores. That means that they never
evolved to eat all of these carbohydrates. They are designed to eat animals including their
organs, skin, meat, hair, bones, and stomach contents.

Ancestors of dogs would eat an occasional berry or plant but they were not the bulk of their
diets. Cats hardly ever ate plant material of any kind, yet in commercial kibble we are
feeding them up to 70% carbohydrates. Wild canines and felines eat a diet much higher in
protein than what is found in commercial diets. But protein is expensive and even though
many pet foods utilize the cheapest protein source available in the form of animal
by-products, it still costs more than grain.
Because these carnivores cannot begin to digest these grains in a raw form, they must be
cooked. The cooking and high temperatures necessary for processing destroys many of the
vitamins and nutrients found in these ingredients in the raw form, so they must be added
back in the form of vitamin and mineral supplements. To prevent the fat in the food from
becoming rancid, chemical preservatives are then added. The pet food supplies what the
public demands. We want food that is inexpensive and meets the minimum required vitamin
and mineral requirements. We want food that is fast, convenient, and easy to purchase. In
our demand for convenience and low cost the pet food industry has given us what we
wanted, but is it what your pet would want or is really designed to eat?
Feeding a homemade diet can sometimes be cheaper than a commercial diet. I know of
many kennel owners who purchase outdated frozen chicken and beef for as little as 10
cents a pound and formulate their own diets with this meat as the base. A homemade diet
can also be a huge benefit in animals with food allergies or digestive disorders.
Why doesn't everyone feed a homemade diet?
People do not feed a homemade diet because for most of us it is too much work and most
pets do pretty well on commercial diets. Many people also believe that they cannot properly
balance their pet's diet if they make it themselves. The fact is that pets live longer now than
ever before and a lot of that is due to improved nutrition, mainly, commercially prepared
diets. In fact, pets do so well on commercially prepared diets, that by far, the single biggest
nutritional problem veterinarians see is obesity in pets. So despite all of the less than
optimal characteristics of commercially prepared diets, there are many positive benefits,
especially affordability and convenience. Most pets do pretty well on dry or canned food. But
if you have one of the pets that does not, or you want to feed a more natural, healthier diet
to your pet, you may want to seriously consider the benefits of feeding a homemade diet.
With the availability of pet multi-vitamins on the market, balancing the vitamins and minerals
is relatively easy.
The three kinds of homemade diets
I see three different kinds of homemade diets being fed. The first is the true, well-balanced,
nutritiously complete, entirely homemade diet. This diet contains premium protein sources, a
balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and fiber and meets the animal's entire vitamin and
mineral needs. People that feed this diet are truly dedicated to the health of their pet.
The second diet is the supplemented homemade diet. It usually consists of a commercial dry
food as at least half of the pet's diet. The owner then supplements the diet with meat and
some carbohydrate sources. The family leftovers usually get scraped into the pet's bowl. If
the owner is careful not to feed fat in the leftovers and adds a multi-vitamin to the diet this
can work great. With sled dogs or large kennels of working dogs this is often the diet of
choice.
The third type of homemade diet is the one where the owners feed their pet only table food
and does not balance the diet for protein, fat, carbohydrates, and vitamins. This is not a
good diet for your pet. It is often fed to finicky eaters. In an effort to please the pet and to
get them to eat the owner prepares a 'special' diet that may consist of chicken breast or
turkey but lacks fiber, and the correct vitamins and minerals.
Some things to consider before feeding a homemade diet
·  Preparing a homemade diet takes more time.
·  A homemade diet may be more expensive than commercial kibble.
·  A homemade diet needs to be supplemented with a multivitamin to ensure that it is
completely balanced.
·  Once a pet gets used to eating a homemade diet it probably will not go back to
commercial food.
·  If a homemade diet is not properly balanced it can be worse for your pet than commercial
diets.
·  Homemade diets are often soft and your pet needs to chew a solid, crunchy food such as
carrots to provide the needed cleaning action for their teeth.
·  You need to switch a pet from a commercial diet to a homemade diet slowly over a period
of three weeks to prevent intestinal upset.
·  The best diet in the world will not improve your pet's health if it does not receive daily
exercise.
A sample of some homemade diets for an active dog
1 lb. of meat with the fat included
2 cups of cooked cream of wheat
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 hard-boiled egg
2 T. brewers yeast
3 T. sugar
1 T. vegetable oil
1 t. potassium chloride
1 t. dicalcium phosphate
1 t. calcium carbonate
Multi-vitamin/mineral tablet
or
1 lb. of ground meat with the fat included
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup cooked oatmeal
1 cooked potato
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup raw carrot
1/2 cup raw green vegetables
3 T. olive oil
2 T. minced garlic
Multi-vitamin/mineral tablet
This is just a small sampling of homemade diets. There are more complete lists in the
references listed below. By following the rough guidelines shown with these diets you can
substitute appropriate protein and carbohydrate sources as you or your pet desires.
Summary
Homemade diets can be a great source of nutrition for your pet. They require a little
planning and extra time on your part but they can have many positive rewards. Dogs and
cats with special nutritional needs can benefit greatly from these diets. By providing a
multi-vitamin and mineral supplement you can meet your pet's daily requirements. With a
little planning and preparation your pet can be one of the thousands that enjoy the benefits
of a homemade diet.
References
Lewis, L.; Morris, M. Small Animal Clinical Nutrition. Mark Morris Assoc. Topeka, KS; 1984.
Palika, L. The Consumers guide to Dog Food. Macmillan. New York, NY; 1996.
Winter, W. The Holistic Veterinary Handbook. Galde Press Inc. Lakeville, MN; 1997.

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