Diet Types: BARF, Homemade, Mixed
Homemade Dog Food: Recipes, Supplements, Common Mistakes
Discover safe homemade dog food recipes. Learn about essential supplements and common mistakes to avoid for a balanced, healthy diet for your dog.
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Homemade Dog Food
Cooked homemade food is safer than BARF (heat treatment kills bacteria and parasites).
Why Choose It?
- You know exactly what's in it
- Allergy/intolerance control
- Tasty, fresh
- For senior dogs (softer)
- For recovering dogs
4 Common Mistakes
- Nutrient Deficiency: "just cooked chicken + rice" leads to calcium and vitamin deficiency in 2-4 weeks
- Unbalanced Recipes: 70% of online recipes are not balanced according to FEDIAF
- Ad-hoc Portioning: cooking by eye → inconsistent weekly calorie intake
- Hygiene: max 2-3 days in the fridge, max 1 month frozen
Simple Basic Recipe (22 lb / 10 kg dog, daily portion)
- 7 oz (200 g) cooked chicken breast (unsalted, skinless)
- 3.5 oz (100 g) cooked white rice
- 1.8 oz (50 g) cooked carrots
- 1 oz (30 g) cooked sweet potato
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or fish oil
- 1 tsp eggshell powder (for calcium!)
- 1 g canine multivitamin (essential!)
Calories: ~500 kcal.
ESSENTIAL Supplements
1. Calcium: eggshell powder (1 tsp per ~1 lb / 0.5 kg food) or calcium citrate. 2. Fish Oil: 250 mg EPA+DHA per 11 lb (5 kg) of body weight / day. 3. Canine Multivitamin (NOT human!): 1g daily. 4. B-Complex for strict cooked diets.
What You Can Cook
✅ Proteins (40-50%): chicken breast, turkey breast, lean beef, white fish, salmon (2x weekly), eggs (2-3x weekly, cooked) ✅ Carbohydrates (25-30%): white rice, brown rice, sweet potato, oatmeal, potato ✅ Vegetables (15-25%): carrots, zucchini, broccoli, pumpkin, spinach, peas ✅ Fats: olive oil, fish oil, coconut oil (in small amounts)
AVOID
🚨 Onion, garlic, grapes, raisins, chocolate, avocado, macadamia nuts, xylitol, salted/spiced foods
Weekly Meal Prep
- Sunday: Prepare 7 daily portions
- Cool down: Divide into 7 portions
- Refrigerator: Store 3 days' worth
- Freezer: Store 4 days' worth
- Morning: Move frozen portion to fridge
- Before serving: Bring to room temperature/lukewarm
- Add supplements fresh
When Is It Recommended?
✅ Severe food allergies, chronic IBD, senior dogs, recovering dogs, owners with time ⚠️ NOT justified for: "I feel it's more natural", lack of time, uncertainty
What NOT to Expect
❌ "It will definitely improve health" — average premium kibble is adequate ❌ "Cheaper than kibble" — more expensive with supplements ❌ "My dog will prefer it" — it's tastier, but not a health benefit
Veterinary Nutritionist Consultation
Consult a specialist before starting a long-term homemade diet, and get blood work done every 6-12 months.
Free tool — no sign-up
Enter weight and activity level — 10 seconds and you get the daily portion.
References
- 1.Stockman J, Fascetti AJ, Kass PH, Larsen JA — Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 242(11):1500–1505, 2013. https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.242.11.1500 (accessed: 2026-09-10)
- 2.National Research Council (US), Committee on Animal Nutrition — Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats. National Academies Press, Washington DC, 2006. https://doi.org/10.17226/10668 (accessed: 2026-09-10)
- 3.FEDIAF (European Pet Food Industry Federation) — Nutritional Guidelines for Complete and Complementary Pet Food for Cats and Dogs. FEDIAF, 2024. https://europeanpetfood.org/self-regulation/nutritional-guidelines/ (accessed: 2026-09-10)
- 4.WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — WSAVA Global Nutrition Guidelines. World Small Animal Veterinary Association, 2021. https://wsava.org/global-guidelines/global-nutrition-guidelines/ (accessed: 2026-09-10)
This is general information and does not replace a veterinary diagnosis.
This guide was compiled based on the expert input of Reka Fazekas-Birizdo canine nutritionist.
Certified Canine Nutritionist