Thinking about making homemade dog food?
More dog owners are looking into homemade dog food and I completely understand why. You want to know what is going into your dog’s bowl. You want to use fresh ingredients and personalise your dog’s diet based on their needs.
For many dog owners, homemade dog food feels like the next step after questioning what is really inside commercial pet food. It can feel reassuring to choose the meat, chop the vegetables, cook the food yourself and see your dog enjoy it.
A homemade diet can be a brilliant option for many healthy adult dogs when it is formulated and balanced correctly. But one of the biggest mistakes I see is assuming that homemade dog food is automatically complete & balanced just because it uses fresh ingredients.
This is something I care deeply about, both as a dog owner and as an evidence-based certified canine nutritionist. I have worked in canine nutrition for the past five years and recently completed a Master in Dog and Cat Nutrition at the University of Teramo in Italy.
The more I studied canine nutrition, the clearer this became: dogs do not just need ingredients. They need nutrients in the right amounts and in the right proportions.
A bowl of meat, vegetables, eggs, rice, quinoa, sweet potato or oils may look healthy. Your dog may love it. It may feel like a much better choice than commercial food. But very often, it does not provide every nutrient your dog needs every day.
This is where homemade feeding becomes confusing.
Ingredients are not the same as nutrients
When most people think about homemade dog food, they think about the foods they can see in the bowl: chicken, beef, turkey, fish, vegetables, eggs, oils, rice, quinoa or sweet potato.
These foods can all have a place in a homemade diet. But the ingredients themselves are only one part of the picture. What really counts is what nutrients those ingredients provide and whether the full recipe gives your dog those nutrients in the right amounts.
Meat is a great example. It provides protein and amino acids, but it is naturally low in calcium. Vegetables can provide fibre and some useful nutrients, but they do not provide the full vitamin and mineral profile a dog needs. Oils can also be useful, but the type and amount need to be correct.
So the question is not just, “Are these ingredients healthy?”
The better question is, “Does this full diet meet my dog’s nutritional needs?”
That is the difference between a homemade meal and a complete & balanced homemade dog food recipe.
A homemade bowl can look healthy and still be incomplete
This is one of the biggest misunderstandings around homemade dog food. A bowl can look fresh, colourful and full of good ingredients, but still be missing key nutrients.
Some of the nutrients often missing in homemade dog food include calcium, iodine, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin D, vitamin E, choline, linoleic acid and omega 3s.
These are not small extras. They are essential nutrients that support your dog’s bones, thyroid, immune system, skin, coat, brain, joints, heart, liver and many other parts of the body.
The tricky part is that nutritional gaps do not always show up straight away. A dog can look fine for months, sometimes longer, while the diet is still not providing everything they need.
This is why homemade feeding needs structure and a properly formulated complete & balanced recipe.
Why meat and vegetables are not enough
A common homemade dog food mistake is starting with meat and vegetables and assuming the diet is balanced because the ingredients look natural.
Meat and vegetables can absolutely be part of a homemade diet, but they do not balance the diet on their own. Meat is usually high in phosphorus and low in calcium. If there is no proper calcium source, the calcium to phosphorus ratio can become unbalanced.
Calcium and phosphorus are both needed for bones, teeth, muscles, nerves and many normal body functions. This is one of the reasons “meat and veg” bowls can be a problem when they are fed as a large part of the diet.
Vegetables are useful too, especially for fibre and gut health. They can support stool quality, gut movement and beneficial bacteria in the gut. But vegetables do not reliably provide enough iodine, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin D, vitamin E, linoleic acid or marine omega 3s.
So yes, a meat and vegetable bowl may look better than many processed foods. But nutritionally, it may still be incomplete.
Fresh food only becomes complete & balanced when every essential nutrient is accounted for.
This is exactly why I created the DAFY recipes. They give dog owners a clearer way to prepare homemade dog food using fresh ingredients, without having to build the nutritional balance from scratch.
What does a dog actually need?
A dog needs a specific range of nutrients every day. These include protein and essential amino acids, fats and essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, fibre, water and enough energy to maintain a healthy body weight.
Protein provides amino acids, which help build and repair muscles, skin, hair, enzymes, hormones and immune cells.
Fats provide energy, but they also provide essential fatty acids. Linoleic acid, an omega 6 fatty acid, supports healthy skin and coat. EPA and DHA, which are omega 3 fatty acids, support the brain, eyes, joints and normal inflammatory responses.
Fibre helps support stool quality, gut movement and beneficial bacteria in the gut.
Vitamins are needed in tiny amounts, but they have important jobs. Vitamin D helps with calcium regulation. Vitamin E works as an antioxidant. B vitamins support energy metabolism and nerve function.
Minerals support bones, teeth, blood, nerves, enzymes, hormones and many other systems.
This is why a homemade dog food recipe has to be built around nutrient requirements, not just ingredients.
What does complete & balanced mean?
You have probably seen the phrase “complete & balanced” on dog food before. In simple terms, a complete & balanced diet provides all the essential nutrients a dog needs, in the right amounts and the right ratios.
There are different nutrition guidelines used around the world. AAFCO is commonly used in the United States. FEDIAF is used in the UK and Europe. NRC is used as a scientific reference by veterinary nutrition professionals.
These guidelines do not say that every dog needs the same ingredients. They do not say every recipe must contain chicken, beef, rice or sweet potato. They focus on nutrients and tell us which nutrients dogs need and how much of each nutrient should be provided.
That means two recipes can use different ingredients but still aim for the same nutritional standard. The final nutrient profile is what counts.
This is why properly formulated homemade dog food is very different from simply putting fresh foods together in a bowl.
All DAFY recipes are formulated by me and reviewed by a veterinary nutritionist before publication. They are designed for healthy adult dogs and built around recognised nutritional guidelines, with the ingredients, oils, supplements and feeding amounts considered together.
Why portion sizes are part of the recipe
Homemade dog food is not only about what goes into the bowl. It is also about how much goes into the bowl to maintain their body condition.
Portion size affects calories. Calories affect body weight. Body weight affects long-term health.
Even a well-formulated recipe can cause problems if the feeding amount is wrong. Too much food can lead to weight gain. Too little food can lead to weight loss, and it may also reduce the amount of nutrients your dog receives each day.
This is why guessing portions is not a good idea.
A little bit of meat, a spoon of oil, a handful of vegetables or an extra scoop of supplement can all change the final recipe. Small changes can make a big difference, especially with fat, calcium, iodine, vitamin D and minerals.
A proper homemade dog food recipe should give clear amounts, not just a list of foods. It should tell you what to buy, how much to use, which oils to add, which supplement to use, how much to feed and how to prepare the recipe.
This is one of the reasons DAFY recipes include feeding amounts and batch cooking guidance. You are not left trying to work out portions yourself.
Life stage is important
A homemade dog food recipe should also match the dog it was designed for.
A healthy adult dog does not have the same nutritional needs as a puppy. A pregnant or lactating dog has different needs again. Dogs with medical conditions may need a therapeutic diet designed around their diagnosis.
This includes dogs with kidney disease, heart disease, pancreatitis, allergies, digestive disorders or other diagnosed health issues.
A general homemade recipe is not suitable for every dog. This is why the DAFY recipes are designed for healthy adult dogs only.
They are not suitable for puppies, pregnant or lactating dogs, dogs with medical conditions, dogs prone to pancreatitis, or dogs needing a therapeutic diet.
If your dog has a diagnosed health condition, it is best to work directly with a qualified veterinary nutritionist.
Why homemade diets often need a supplement
Some dog owners feel unsure about supplements because they want homemade dog food to be as natural as possible. I understand that.
But in homemade feeding, a supplement is often what helps the recipe reach nutritional balance. It is not there to make the food less natural. It is there because whole foods do not always provide every nutrient in the right amount.
Calcium can be difficult to cover correctly. Iodine can be difficult to cover consistently. Zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin D and vitamin E are also common gaps in homemade diets.
This is why many complete & balanced homemade dog food recipes include a vitamin and mineral supplement.
In the DAFY recipes, we use V-Integra. It is a vitamin and mineral supplement designed for homemade diets, and it was formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
V-Integra is included because the DAFY recipes are formulated with it. It helps provide vitamins and minerals that are difficult to cover consistently through whole foods alone.
This also makes homemade feeding more practical. Instead of buying lots of separate supplements and trying to work out what might be missing, the recipe is built around one balancer.
The fresh ingredients, oils, V-Integra and feeding amounts are all included for a reason. Together, they form the full recipe.
That is why the recipe should be followed exactly as written.
What makes a homemade dog food recipe safer?
A safer homemade dog food recipe should be clear. It should not leave you guessing.
It should include exact ingredients, exact amounts, required oils, required supplements, feeding amounts, preparation instructions, storage guidance, batch cooking guidance and suitability information.
It should also make it clear what not to change.
This is important because swapping ingredients can change the nutrient profile. Skipping oils can change the essential fatty acid balance. Removing the supplement can create nutritional gaps. Changing portions can change calories and nutrient intake.
A complete & balanced homemade dog food recipe is not just a cooking idea. It is a nutritional formula.
That is why it needs to be followed properly.
A clearer way to start home cooking
This is the reason I created DAFY.
Many dog owners want to feed fresh food, but they do not want to rely on random recipes online. They also do not want to sit with spreadsheets, nutrient tables and supplement calculations trying to build a diet from scratch.
The DAFY recipes are designed to bridge that gap.
They give you a complete & balanced homemade recipe for a healthy adult dog, with the ingredients, oils, V-Integra, feeding amounts and batch cooking guidance already thought through.
You can choose to feed the recipe as 100% homemade. Or you can use the 50/50 option if you want to combine homemade food with a complete commercial food.
If you choose 50/50, you will get the exact amounts to feed in grams, based on your dog’s weight, activity level, the calories in your commercial food and the DAFY recipe you selected.
So instead of trying to balance everything yourself, you have a clear recipe to follow.
Can you safely feed half homemade and half commercial food?
Yes, for many healthy adult dogs, a 50/50 approach can be a practical option. This means part of the diet comes from a complete commercial food, and part comes from a properly formulated homemade recipe.
This can be helpful if you are not ready to go fully homemade. It can feel less overwhelming, more affordable and easier to fit into normal life.
But the homemade part still needs to be planned properly.
A 50/50 diet should not mean half commercial food and half random leftovers. If homemade food makes up a large part of the diet, it should be formulated properly, even if it is only part of the daily food.
Homemade dog food should not be based on guesswork
There is a lot of homemade dog food advice online. Some of it is helpful. Some of it is incomplete. Some of it is risky.
One recipe says to use meat and vegetables. Another adds rice. Another adds bone broth. Another adds kelp. Another adds eggshell. Another says supplements are not needed.
It becomes confusing very quickly.
This is why I do not recommend copying a homemade dog food bowl from social media. You cannot see the nutrient balance from a video. You cannot know the feeding amount from a photo. You cannot know if the recipe meets FEDIAF, AAFCO or NRC-based nutrient requirements. You cannot know if it is right for your dog.
Homemade feeding can be a wonderful option. But it should never be guessed.
Ready to start homemade feeding?
Homemade dog food can be a brilliant option for many healthy adult dogs. It gives you more control over what goes into the bowl. It lets you use fresh ingredients. It can make feeding feel more personal and intentional.
But fresh ingredients alone are not enough.
Dogs need nutrients in the right amounts, in the right ratios, every day. That means thinking about protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, fibre, calories, oils, supplements and feeding amounts.
A homemade diet should not be copied from a random post online. It should not be guessed from a pretty bowl. It should not be built from meat and vegetables alone.
It should be formulated properly.
This is exactly why I created the DAFY recipes. Each recipe is formulated by me, reviewed by a veterinary nutritionist, and built around V-Integra, a vitamin and mineral supplement formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
The goal is to give dog owners a clearer way to start DIY homemade dog food for healthy adult dogs, with the ingredients, oils, V-Integra, feeding amounts and batch cooking guidance already thought through.
Explore the DAFY complete & balanced homemade dog food recipes for healthy adult dogs here:
You can also learn more about V-Integra here.
Thank you for reading. I really hope this helped make homemade feeding feel a little clearer.
Gaia x
Founder of DAFY Nutrition
