The appeal of homemade dog food is obvious: you know exactly what's in it, you can tailor it to your dog's needs, and there's something satisfying about cooking for your pet. But a consistent finding across studies of home-prepared canine diets is that the majority are nutritionally incomplete.
A 2013 study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science evaluated 200 home-prepared dog food recipes from books and websites. Over 95% of them were deficient in at least one essential nutrient. The most commonly deficient nutrients were zinc, copper, vitamin D, and essential fatty acids.
If you're committed to home preparation, use a recipe formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, and supplement rigorously. The WSAVA (World Small Animal Veterinary Association) guidelines provide a framework for evaluating any home diet recipe.
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