The benefits of a homemade pet diet and why professional guidance by certified pet nutritionist is essential

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As a pet owner, you naturally want the best for your furry companion, including what they eat. In recent years, many pet owners have shifted towards homemade diets for their pets, driven by the desire to provide higher-quality, tailored nutrition. However, while the benefits of homemade diets are significant, ensuring that your pet’s diet is complete and balanced is crucial. This is where professional guidance becomes indispensable.

1. The benefits of a homemade pet diet

Transparency and control over ingredients:

  • Freshness and Quality: One of the primary concerns with commercial pet food is the lack of transparency in ingredient sourcing and quality. By preparing your pet’s food at home, you have complete control over the ingredients. You can choose fresh, high-quality meats, vegetables, and grains, avoiding preservatives, artificial additives, and fillers commonly found in commercial pet foods.
  • Minimally Processed Food: The cooking methods you use in your kitchen will be far less invasive compared to those necessary to transform ingredients into dry kibble or canned dog food.

Creation of a tailored nutrient profile:

  • Customizable Diets: Homemade diets can be tailored to your pet’s specific needs, whether they require weight management, age-specific nutrition, or support for certain health conditions. 

Provide a useful tool for supporting the clinical treatment of diseased animals:

A study from the veterinary faculty of University of Zurich reported that a dog with chronic pancreatitis and likely inflammatory bowel disease that are failing to respond to long-term medical and dietary treatment for chronic pancreatitis was successfully managed long-term with a carefully formulated homemade diet.1 Another case study from the same faculty also reports management of a growing dog with renal failure by feeding a homemade diet.2

Homemade diets formulated for a healthy pet can often be modified to accommodate different medical conditions as they arise with relatively small changes as opposed to changing to another commercial product. Nutrient levels can be altered as needed with relatively minor changes in the recipe to accommodate emerging medical conditions as the pet ages.

2. The importance of a complete and balanced diet

Nutritional Balance:

Pets, like humans, require a balanced and complete diet that includes proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. A diet lacking in essential nutrients can lead to deficiencies or health issues over time. It’s crucial to ensure that your pet’s diet meets all their nutritional needs.

Common pitfalls in homemade diets that are not developed by certified pet nutritionist:

  • Over-reliance on certain ingredients: Many homemade diets published in the web focus heavily on one type of food, such as meat, without providing adequate vegetables, grains, or supplements. This can lead to an imbalanced diet lacking in fiber, vitamins, or minerals.
  • Developing recipies on your own: Feeding your pet a meal that looks similar to what you have for dinner might be an appealing alternative to offering commercial dog foods. However, it’s vital to your pet’s health to remember that the nutritional needs of a canine and feline are different than your own. That means you can’t just cook your dog or cat something that’s considered healthy for humans to eat. 
  • Deficiencies and imbalances: Generic homemade diet recipes that are found in the internet are not likely to meet nutritional requirements.3,4 Additionally, a study was carried out on home-made recipes and it did not find any recipes available on the internet that were completely nutritious and balanced.5 This is why it is so important that pets are fed a home-cooked diet that has been formulated by a certified pet nutritionist.

3. Why Professional Guidance Is Essential

Personalized Nutrition Plans:

  • Tailored to Your Pet’s Needs: As a professional pet nutritionist, I provide personalized diet plans that consider your pet’s breed, age, weight, activity level, and health status. I also take into consideration pet’s and owner’s preference. This ensures that your pet’s diet is specifically designed and formulated to meet their unique needs.
  • Evidence-Based Formulation: My approach is grounded in science to calculate and validate the nutritional adequacy of each diet plan. All recopies are formulated to meet the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AFFCO) standards. This ensures that your pet receives a balanced and complete diet that supports their overall health. 

Ongoing Support and Adjustments:

  • Continuous Monitoring: Follow-up check-in consultations, that are included in my service, allow for adjustments to the diet if needed, ensuring that your pet continues to thrive. 
  • Peace of Mind: With professional guidance, you can have confidence that your pet’s homemade diet is not only delicious but also nutritionally complete and balanced.

Homemade diets offer numerous benefits, from higher-quality ingredients to customized nutrition. Cooking for your pet can be a great bonding experience. However, ensuring that these diets are complete and balanced is critical for your pet’s long-term health. You should always consult with a certified pet nutritionist, that can provide your pet with the best possible diet, tailored to their individual needs and backed by scientific evidence.

If you’re considering a homemade diet for your pet, take a look of my customized diet plans or reach out for a consultation today.

References:

  1. Opsomer H, Wichert B, Liesegang A. Homemade diet as nutritional support for a dog suffering from chronic pancreatitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Vet Rec Case Rep. 2022;10:e355. https://doi.org/10.1002/vrc2.355
  1. Gerstner, Kerstin; Liesegang, Annette (2016). Management of a growing dog with renal failure fed a homemade diet. Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 158(12):834-836. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17236/sat00099
  1. Streiff, E.  L.,  Zwischenberger, B.,  But terwick,  R.  F., Wagner, E.,  Iben, C., & Bauer, J. E. (2002).  A comparison of the nutritional adequac y of home- prepared and commercial diets for dogs. Journal of Nutrition, 132(6), 1698S– 1700S
  2. Pedrinelli, V., Zafalon, R. V. A., Rodrigues, R. B. A., Perini, M. P., Conti, R. M. C., de Carvalho B., Júlio C., Brunetto, M. A. 2021. Influence of number of ingredients, use of supplement and vegetarian or vegan preparation on the composition of homemade diets for dogs and cats. BMC Veterinary Research, 17(1), doi: 10.1186/s12917-021-03068-5
  3. Pedrinelli, V., Gomes, M. de O. S., & Carciofi, A. C. (2017). Analysis of recipes of home-prepared diets for dogs and cats published in Portuguese. Journal of Nutritional Science, 6. doi:10.1017/jns.2017.31