Study finds homemade diets for canines often lack key nutrients

A new study has found that although home-prepared diets for canines are often diverse in ingredients, most canines are lacking key nutrients. Investigators assessed 1726 homemade diets for nutritional completeness as well as how dog owners prepared the dog food.^1,2

Diet information was collected through an open-ended survey with responses from owners participating through the Dog Aging Project. The study was a collaborative effort led by the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) with support from additional institutions.¹

“We found that only 6% of homemade diets had the potential to be nutritionally complete,” Janice O’Brien, DVM, a PhD student in dog nutrition epidemiology at Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia, and a study author, said in a news release.^1,2 “Since our study didn’t include exact ingredient amounts, it’s possible that a smaller percentage than 6% were nutritionally complete.”

The diet information collected for the study was entered into a digital tool, Balance It, which helps owners create nutritionally complete homemade diets for their pets. “Balance It is compliant with both the [FDA] and the Association of American Feed Control Officials’ recommendations for canine nutrition,” O’Brien said.¹ “By entering the list of ingredients in each recipe into Balance It, we determined if there were nutrients missing.”

Based on the collected diet information, home-prepared diets were composed of a range of ingredients that may include meat and organs, vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and seeds, and added oils. “The most common dietary ingredients were meat (90%) and vegetables (65%). Nearly half (45%) of owners added some form of commercially prepared diet or base/topper to supplement the home-prepared ingredients,” according to the study’s authors.²

O’Brien previously found that few home-prepared diets are balanced. In a presentation of her research at the 2025 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Louisville, Kentucky, she shared that about 25% of diets for pets enrolled in the study were partially balanced (1 to 10 nutrient imbalances), and 52% were unbalanced (10 or more nutrient imbalances), while approximately 17% could not be categorized.³

Home-prepared diets have seen a rise in popularity among dog owners over the last 2 decades, according to VMBS. Katie Tolbert, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM, SA Nutrition), an associate professor in the department of small animal clinical sciences at VMBS and an author in the study, noted that dog owners should be aware that there is a responsibility that comes with the choice to prepare their pets’ meals in their homes. The word of caution is based on the study’s results.¹

“There is a temptation for a lot of dog owners to go off script when preparing meals at home,” Tolbert said in the release.¹ “If you decide to formulate your dog’s food at home, be sure to work with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and stick to the diet exactly as prescribed. Nothing is considered a ‘filler’ that you can leave out.”

O’Brien noted in a dvm360 interview at 2025 ACVIM Forum that adding vitamins and minerals to home-prepared foods is necessary in the majority of cases. “There's probably some sort of supplement that is going to have to be added, and it needs to be added all the time,” O’Brien said.⁴

Substituting different types of oil can change the nutritional completeness of the diet, for one example, according to the release. As another example, serious problems can occur by omitting a calcium supplement, which is a common addition in home-prepared dog food.¹

“If your dog’s calcium and phosphate levels get out of balance, they can develop bone health problems, including a condition nicknamed ‘rubber jaw’ where the bone starts to become soft, like cartilage,” Tolbert said.¹ “It can also cause problems in the kidneys.”

Dogs with existing illnesses can experience exacerbated symptoms if they do not receive a diet that is specifically formulated to their unique needs, according to Tolbert. Additionally, she recommends avoiding ingredients that are toxic to canines, such as grapes, or ingredients that pose other risks. “Whole bones…are risky because dogs can end up with sharp pieces of bone in their stomach,” Tolbert said.¹

O’Brien said that pet owners should be closely following the recipes they use for their animals’ meals. “If you have a recipe that's formulated, make sure that you continue doing that exact recipe all the time, because otherwise, if you drift away from what it initially was, that's going to result in changes to the balance of the diet,” she said in the interview.⁴

The study investigators also concluded that veterinarians collecting a diet history for their patients should fully examine the home-prepared foods being reported by owners. A variety of tools should be used to help pet owners choose a maintenance diet, including consultation with veterinary nutritionists that are board-certified through ACVIM.²

For pet owners interested in providing home-prepared meals for their companion animals, the investigators recommend consulting with a veterinarian about dietary needs. The next step is to work with a board-certified veterinary nutritionist to ensure a healthy diet plan meets the individual pet’s needs.¹

Additionally, Tolbert suggested sending a food sample to a laboratory for testing, which can help ensure the diet contains the appropriate nutrients. “It can be helpful to know exactly what is in the food you’re feeding your pet to make sure the recipe is as precise as possible,” Tolbert said.¹

References

1. Price C. Most homemade dog diets lack nutrients; Texas A&M study finds. Texas A&M University. November 21, 2025. Accessed November 26, 2025. https://stories.tamu.edu/news/2025/11/21/most-homemade-dog-diets-lack-nutrients-texas-am-study-finds/
2. O’Brien JS, Lawson E, Dog Aging Project Consortium, Tolbert MK, Ruple, A. Findings from the Dog Aging Project: home-prepared diets for companion dogs feature diverse ingredients, and few are nutritionally complete. Am J Vet Res. 2025;86(11):ajvr.25.06.0216. doi:10.2460/ajvr.25.06.0216.
3. O’Brien J, Ruple A, Tolbert K. Abstract NM04: Home-prepared diets for companion dogs are made from diverse ingredients and few are balanced. Presented at: American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum; June 18-21, 2025: Louisville, KY.
4. Crossley KC. Study: Few home-prepared diets are balanced. dvm360. June 20, 2025. Accessed November 26, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/study-few-home-prepared-diets-are-balanced