Homemade food VS Commercial dog food
Advantages of commercial prepared diets
· Easy to feed
· Require little or no preparation
· Complete and balanced, providing all necessary ingredients
· Convenient packages and easy storing
Advantages of homemade prepared diets
· Custom made and fulfilling the dog’s nutritional requirements
· All ingredients are known and fresh
· No additives and contaminants
· No by-products
· Possibility to use ingredients not found in commercial foods
· Possibility to fulfil nutritional requirements of dog with clinical condition or with more than one clinical conditions for which there is no commercial food diet
· Possibility to avoid some adverse reactions of food in some dogs
· Bonding owners with their dogs as they prepare their food personally
· Could be Vegetarian, Vegan, Grain free
· Better tailored to the dog's specific needs
· Could follow owner’s social beliefs and religion traditions
· Highly palatable and suitable for finicky pets
Disadvantages of commercially produced pet foods
· Sometimes contain unknown ingredients (variable formulas)
· Sometimes contain by-product
· Sometimes contain colourants, preservatives which may cause adverse food reactions (allergy)
· Could be not palatable and animals to refuse them
· Could be highly palatable and to lead to overeating
· Could have high caloric density and to lead to obesity
· Very expensive (semi-moist foods)
· Could lose the original taste quality after long prolong storing (dry foods)
· If not consumed immediately require fridge temperature for storing (wet foods)
Disadvantages of homemade diets
· Require serving preparation (warming till room temperature and mixing as ingredients may layering)
· Require time for preparing and cooking
· If not consumed immediately require fridge/freezer temperature storage
