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Many pet owners would like to feed home-cooked or raw diets to their dogs and cats; however, well-balanced home-cooked or raw diets are often hard for owners to design and make. To complicate matters, there is much disagreement on what diet is best for pets, as “one size does not fit all”.

A Well-Balanced Diet is Possible

Feeding your pets a healthy, home-cooked, well-balanced diet is possible. It is suggested to consult with your veterinarian first and discuss the specifics of your pet’s health. A well-balanced diet for a young dog or cat may not be the same as for a geriatric pet with kidney disease or other health issues.

Your veterinarian may refer you to a veterinary nutritionist (specialist). A veterinary nutritionist can help you understand diet options based on your pet's specific health needs and design a nutritionally complete diet (all the calories needed, protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, etc.) for your pet. Visit this site to find a veterinary nutritionist near you.

Raw Diets

While it may be possible to feed a balanced raw diet, handling and feeding raw foods may pose health risks to you and your pets. Before embarking on this it is very important to do significant research (see the links below) to understand these risks.

Overall, the more you know about raw diets before you start, the better the nutrition and outcome will be.

Other Resources:

·         See the American Veterinary Medical Association's position on a raw food diet.

·         CDC - Raw Pet Food 

·         Dietary Supplements Warnings and Safety Information