Homemade dog food: when it works, when it doesn't

Homemade dog food is having a moment. Some of it is excellent for short-term elimination diets and sick-day fasting; most of what's posted on Instagram is nutritionally incomplete in ways that take 6 to 18 months to show up. The supplements most homemade diets miss are calcium, taurine, certain B-vitamins and trace minerals. A vet nutrition consult costs $250 to $500 once and produces a recipe that is actually balanced. Below: when homemade is fine, when it's not, three vet-approved starter recipes, and the supplement list to keep on the bench.

When homemade works

• Sick-day bland fasting. Plain boiled chicken and white rice for 24 to 48 hours after a stomach upset. Better than commercial in this window. The dog stomach issues guide covers this in detail.
• Elimination diets for suspected food allergies. A novel-protein diet (kangaroo, venison) plus a single carb (sweet potato) for 8 to 12 weeks under vet guidance. Easier to do at home than buy commercial novel-protein.
• Geriatric dogs that have stopped eating commercial food. A warm hand-prepared meal sometimes restarts appetite when nothing else will.
• Dogs with very specific medical needs that no commercial food covers (some kidney, liver and pancreatic conditions). Always with vet nutrition input.
• Owners with the time, the kitchen and the discipline to follow a complete recipe with all the supplements, every single meal.

Why “just chicken and rice” wrecks dogs over time

Plain chicken and rice is fine for 2 to 5 days as a sick-day fast. As the only diet for months, it's deficient in:

• Calcium and phosphorus in the right ratio (chicken meat is very low calcium). Without supplementation, growing dogs develop bone problems within 6 months.
• Taurine (chicken breast is very low; thigh and dark meat have more). Long-term deficiency causes dilated cardiomyopathy in some breeds.
• Vitamin E (almost absent in cooked white meat alone).
• Omega-3 fatty acids (chicken is very low). Add fish, sardines or fish oil.
• Iodine (use iodised salt or specific supplement).
• Trace minerals (zinc, copper, manganese, selenium). All present in commercial complete-and-balanced food, almost absent in single-protein homemade.

The dog looks fine for the first 6 months. The deficiencies show up in skin, coat, growth, immunity and (eventually) heart muscle. Anyone telling you their dog “thrives” on plain home cooking either has a young dog with reserves to burn through, or hasn't had blood tests done lately.

The supplement list every homemade diet needs

The minimum bench, for a 20 kg adult dog on a meat-and-grain home diet:

• Calcium source. Powdered eggshell (1 teaspoon per pound of meat) or bone meal (around 1.5g per kg of body weight per day).
• Iodised salt. Pinch (about 0.25g) per cup of meat.
• Omega-3 source. Sardines once or twice a week, or 1 to 2 fish oil capsules a day.
• Vet-formulated multivitamin. Balance IT, Just Food For Dogs supplement, or similar. About $30 to $50 a month.
• Vitamin E (often included in the multivitamin) and zinc supplementation as the multivitamin specifies.

Without these, you're guessing.

Three vet-approved starter recipes

These are simplified general-purpose recipes for healthy adult dogs. Always run a recipe past a vet nutritionist for your specific dog before using long-term.

Recipe 1, chicken and rice (everyday)

• 1 part cooked chicken thigh (skin off, bone out) to 2 parts cooked white or brown rice
• 1 part chopped cooked carrot, peas or pumpkin (no onion)
• Add the supplement bench above per dog weight
• 1 sardine 3 times a week

Recipe 2, beef and sweet potato (alternative protein)

• 1 part cooked lean beef mince (drained) to 2 parts cooked sweet potato
• 1 part chopped cooked vegetables (carrot, green beans)
• Supplement bench plus liver (cooked, around 5 to 10 per cent of total)

Recipe 3, fish and quinoa (omega-rich)

• 1 part baked white fish or salmon to 2 parts cooked quinoa
• 1 part chopped cooked vegetables
• Supplement bench (less omega-3 needed because the fish covers it)

Feeding amount: roughly 2 to 3 per cent of body weight per day for adult dogs, split into 2 meals. A 20 kg dog eats about 400 to 600 grams of prepared food daily. Higher for active or working dogs.

When to get a vet nutrition consult

A board-certified veterinary nutritionist consult costs $250 to $500 in Australia, often by video. The output is a balanced recipe with exact gram quantities, the supplement schedule, and adjustments based on your dog's bloods, age, breed and activity level. For dogs going long-term homemade, this single consult saves money compared to premium commercial food across a year, and removes the guessing.

Tell people when not to do this themselves: if your dog has any chronic medical condition (kidney, liver, pancreatitis, diabetes, food allergy), always run the recipe past a vet nutritionist before going homemade. The wrong macronutrient ratios in those conditions are actively harmful, not just suboptimal. The find a vet guide covers how to find one with nutrition training.

Straight answers

Homemade dog food is fine when done with a real recipe and full supplementation. It is harmful when done as “just chicken and rice” for years. The single most useful thing you can do is invest in one vet nutritionist consult and follow what they specify. Related: dog stomach issues, find a vet, cat vomiting. Information here is general and isn't a substitute for veterinary advice.