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Home-Prepared Feeding: Nutritional Gaps, Diet Drift, and How to Do It Safely

Veterinary Voices UK


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It is increasingly common for owners to feed their pet a ‘home-prepared’ diet.


As veterinary professionals, many of us have a strong interest in nutrition and work hard to keep up with research and new evidence. However, when we dig deeper into how these diets are formulated, what we hear is often worrying. In fact, in many cases, the nutritional adequacy of these diets is deeply concerning.


Owners choose to home cook for a range of understandable reasons. Some say their pet is ‘fussy’, others want to avoid commercial food entirely, believing it is unhealthy, overprocessed, or unsafe. Many feel that “fresh food” is more natural and therefore better.


Studies confirm this stating owners:


  • Want more control over ingredients

  • Distrust pet food companies

  • Feed what they perceive as a more “natural” diet


When you look online, you can see why people feel this way — the internet is full of anti-kibble misinformation. The problem is that much of it simply isn’t true or isn’t evidence-based. Although commercial diets vary in quality, there are many high-quality, complete, and balanced commercial foods that have been carefully formulated and tested to meet nutritional standards.

For owners who prefer to prepare diets themselves, we support this - when it is done well.


Sadly, it is often not done well, and this is where the issues lie. 


Unfortunately, research also shows that most owners who formulate home-prepared diets do not seek advice from a vet or a qualified veterinary nutritionist (remember that nutritionist is not a protected title and the knowledge in this industry varies greatly - many of which are not working from evidence base).


Instead, owners rely on online advice, books, magazines, or recipes shared by other pet owners. One survey found that only 8% consulted a veterinarian and only 5% consulted a nutritionist before creating their pet’s diet. This becomes a major issue because published home-prepared recipes — even those appearing in books and popular pet media — are frequently shown to be nutritionally inadequate. In some studies, 95–100% of recipes analysed failed to meet all essential nutrient requirements.


As aforementioned, another challenge is that the term “nutritionist” is not protected. While many skilled and evidence-based professionals work in animal nutrition, the field is also filled with unqualified individuals offering dietary advice without adequate training. Some of the most confidently marketed “nutrition courses” available online are not evidence-based and promote unsafe feeding practices.


Owners can be easily misled into believing their pet’s diet is complete when it is far from it. In fact, one study concluded that professionals prescribing home-prepared diets need advanced training because the risk of nutritional deficiencies is significant, and owners must be informed of these risks. 

The scientific evidence around home-prepared diets is consistently concerning.


A European study calculated levels of 12 nutrients (e.g., calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A and so on) for 95 homemade diets being fed to dogs. They found that 60% of the diets had major nutritional imbalances.


Another study examining 200 home-prepared recipes found that 95% were deficient in at least one essential nutrient and over 83% had multiple deficiencies.


There is also the issue of ‘drift’. When we start off something with enthusiasm and over time become more complacent. Even when a recipe is correctly formulated at the start, people tend to alter it over time — changing ingredients, adjusting amounts, forgetting supplements — making the diet unpredictable.


A study of owners in the Dog Aging Project found that only 6% of 1,726 home-prepared diets were potentially nutritionally complete according to AAFCO maintenance standards.


This does not mean home-prepared diets are always inappropriate. When done properly — with the involvement of a veterinary nutritionist— home-prepared diets can be extremely beneficial.


However, correct formulation requires expertise, ongoing monitoring, and owner commitment. Not everyone has the time, money, or ability to follow such a plan accurately and consistently.


For owners who do not wish to feed kibble but do not want to fully commit to home preparation, there are now many commercial diets available that meet these needs and still adhere to FEDIAF nutritional guidelines.


In summary, home-prepared diets are appealing for many reasons, and we like to support owners the best we can in feeding their diet style of choice, but the evidence consistently shows that most are nutritionally incomplete or imbalanced, and many carry long-term risks.


Feeding pets is an act of love, and owners naturally want to make choices that feel wholesome and caring. This must be paired with science. If you wish to continue home cooking, do so only under the guidance of a qualified veterinary nutritionist. Your veterinary team is here to support you in making informed, evidence-based decisions to keep your pet healthy and thriving.


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