Piedmont Small Animal and their team of veterinarians cares about the nutrition and well-being of your dogs and cats. Looking for information about pet food? You are not alone! We all worry about providing the best diets for our pets. There are a lot of options and nutritional fads tend to jump ahead of science-based nutrition. Here we provide consensus-based recommendations and information sources.
Home-Cooked Diets
If you choose to feed a home-cooked diet, we encourage you to consult with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist or a veterinarian with advanced training in nutrition to create a complete and balanced recipe specifically for your pet’s needs.
The adequacy of a home-cooked diet depends in part on the quality of the ingredients selected. It is also very important to have an appropriate recipe and that the recipe is strictly followed. When ingredients are left out or substituted, dangerous nutrient deficiencies or excesses may result. This is especially important for animals with the most stringent dietary requirements, such as cats and young, growing animals.
While recipes for homemade diets are easily found, few provide adequate nutrition. According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 200 dog food recipes were analyzed for nutritional adequacy. Only a few of these recipes provided all essential nutrients in concentrations meeting or exceeding the National Research Council and Association of American Feed Control Officials for canine maintenance diets. A later study evaluated 114 home-cooked diets for cats. Problems with nutritional adequacy were identified in all 114 diets. As Dr. Chapman has wisely said, there is nothing better than a balanced home-cooked diet, and nothing worse than an unbalanced home-cooked diet.
For Homemade diet recipes and nutritional counseling:
For a list of board-certified veterinary nutritionists go to American College of Veterinary Nutrition
For help balancing your pet’s homemade diet see the links below
- Balance It
- Ohio State University School of Veterinary Medicine
- University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Nutritional Consultations
For nutritional pet care and wellness, call Piedmont Small Animal today at (540) 364-4954 to schedule an appointment, or complete our Contact form.
