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Quick answer: home-cooked food can be an option, but it is very easy for it to end up unbalanced in calcium, vitamins or fatty acids. If you want to cook for your dog regularly, ask for a recipe formulated by a veterinary nutritionist and do not improvise with leftovers. Never give them chocolate, grapes or raisins, onion, garlic, xylitol or cooked bones.
Cooking for our dog is a sign of affection, but feeding well is not the same as giving tasty food. A dog needs nutrients in specific proportions that differ from ours, and mistakes do not show overnight: they appear over months.
Pros and risks
- Pros: control over ingredients, tastiness, useful in some specific cases under supervision.
- Risks: deficiencies or excesses of minerals and vitamins, weight gain, more time and cost, and the risk of including toxic foods.
Foods dogs must never eat
- Chocolate and cocoa.
- Grapes and raisins.
- Onion, garlic, leek and chives (raw, cooked or powdered).
- Xylitol (chewing gum and "sugar-free" products).
- Cooked bones (they splinter).
- Alcohol and caffeine.
- Macadamia nuts.
- Raw yeast dough.
If your dog eats any of these, call your vet as soon as possible.
If you want to combine home-cooked and dry food
- Talk to your vet about what proportion makes sense.
- Use simple, unseasoned foods (for example, cooked meat with no salt or fat).
- Reduce the dry food portion so you do not add extra calories.
- Keep an eye on their weight and stools.
An easy alternative: complete wet dog food
If you want a tastier diet without the hassle, a complete wet food offers texture and flavour with the nutritional balance already formulated.
Browse all our wet dog food.
For information only. For home-cooked diets, consult a vet who specialises in nutrition.