Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

    rewards header
    Become a member today!
    Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
    Already a member? Sign in
    Petco Pay LogoBecome a credit card member today!

    Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
    when you use Petco Pay!

    APPLY NOW
    Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

Can I cook for my dog? What foods and meats are safe to feed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 4 months old | 36 lbs

Pet foods are so expensive these days, can I feed my fur boy home cooked meal and if so, what should I prepare and what do I stay away from? Are there certain meats I can and can not give him?

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 18th, 2020

The problem with home cooked meals is that they are often unbalanced nutritionally. There are two websites that offer recipes for home cooked diets that are made by veterinary nutritionists. I would check out these sites to get recipes to cook for Pali. https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 6th, 2020

    I'm not a big fan of it. It is very hard to get the correct balance of nutrients. There are two websites that are run by veterinary nutritionists so that meals are balanced. I'd check them out: https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Hi, I was wondering if it is safe to feed my dog just cooked meat? If not what can I add to feed him a fresh cooked meal? Thank you
No, meat is not a balanced diet. Even raw meat is not balanced. Balancing a home made diet is difficult and is not recommended unless you work with a veterinary nutritionist. When online, home made recipes where tested, 97% were found to be unbalanced and lacking in 1 or more essential nutrients. Unless you plan on working with a nutritionist, I recommend to feed a normal commercial diet that is AAFCO certified. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a nine yr old Mini Schnuzar who suddenly develop food sensitivities to dog food any. She gets diarrhea so bad it gets bloody even adding alittle She basically can eat any kind of meat veg potaoes rice eggs and occasionally cheese as long as it
It's very hard to get a home cooked diet balanced nutritionally, but good news there are two websites that are run by veterinary nutritionists that have recipes for home cooked diets. They are balanced, and tell you how much to feed. I will link them below for you. I hope this helps! https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
I would like to start cooking for my dogs instead of buying dry or wet food. What are some good resources to learn about it and how to do it properly?
Great question! Check out these two websites below. They are run by veterinary nutritionists, and provide balanced and healthy recipes for homemade diets for dogs: https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
I have a 3 year old male Yorkipoo and a 3 year old female mini aussie. They had loose stool so I started feeding them pumpkin chicken and rice and it really helped. i noticed that their fur stated looking better and their breath smells better and t
Yes, this can be safe, but it can be difficult to get the correct balance of nutrients. I will put links below to two websites that are run by veterinary nutritionists. These websites provide balanced and nutritious home cooked diets for dogs. I hope this helps! https://secure.balanceit.com https://www.petdiets.com
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has recently been diagnosed with kidney disease and pancreatitis. Ive been cooking his meals- chicken breast, sweet potatoe green beans. I would like to know what other foods arr safe with both problems going on.
Check out this website: www.balanceit.com Click on "create free pet recipe." It will allow you to select the medical conditions your dog has, and his other information to make a balanced customized home cooked diet. I hope that's helpful! Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Hello, I would like to ask about a vet opinion about cooking dog food at home instead of buying industry dry food
If you want to cook for your dogs, the diet MUST be balanced correctly. The best way to do this is to have a recipe formulated through BalanceIt.com and purchase their supplements to use in order to balance the diet out with all the vitamins/minerals needed for your specific pet. I suggest you refer to their website. ( https://secure.balanceit.com/recipegenerator_ver4/index.php?rotator=EZ )
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
Hi, I was wondering what are some great and healthy home cooked meal recipes that I can make for Gizmoe? -Thanks
Hi there. If you're interested in preparing a home-cooked diet for Gizmo, I would recommend using a website like www.balanceit.com or www.petdiets.com to formulate appropriate recipes for him that are complete and balanced, to ensure that he's getting the nutrition he needs. :)
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
hello I am considering switching my dog food to homecook food. Is it actually better? If I brush her teeth everyday and give her some crunch. And if yes, how much percent of what to give? As I researched for 40%protein,50%vege and 10%starch. Cause ma
Yes a well balanced home cooked meal is definitely better than dried, pre-prepped food that has preservatives. You will need to resource an online dog recipe website for specifics on how to get a well balanced diet for Snowie. Here are some websites that should be able to assist you in achieving this. https://secure.balanceit.com/ <- has recipes for certain conditions in pets as well!  https://www.petdiets.com/  And yes you are correct, pets are healthier on an home-cooked diet regimen.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
We are looking at cooking our dogs own food using chicken, mince meet, carrot, and cooked potato. Are there any foods that you recommend giving him and any that could harm him
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! No onions, garlic, raisins or grapes. I would be careful cooking for a young growing puppy. I don't like it for adult dogs because unless a veterinary nutritionist is balancing the food appropriately you are at risk of causing problems. You have to be sure the diet has the correct calcium/phosphorus ratio and has sufficient amounts of certain amino acids, for example taurine. A diet that doesn't have appropriate levels of taurine can cause heart disease and heart failure in animals. Commercial diets are the best thing to feed your pets. If you want to cook, pay to have someone help you. Refer to the link below. Good luck! https://secure.balanceit.com/
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
I’m thinking about making my dog’s food from scratch. However, a lot of people say that there will be specific vitamins that are missing in a DIY dog food. What should I look out for?
Hi there. I'm afraid this isn't a quick or simple question to answer, as formulating a correctly balance diet is a fairly complicated thing :) If you want to do a home-cooked diet, I would strongly recommend using the website www.balanceit.com to help you formulate one that's appropriate for your dog. If you prefer, you could also consult directly with a veterinary nutritionist to put together a diet based on his age, size, and medical needs. You can find more information on this option here: http://www.acvn.org/nutrition-consults/
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Food Minimally Processed & Gently Cooked Dog Food Dog Health & Wellness Wet Dog Food Premium Dog Food Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food Dry Dog Food Dog Food With Grain Veterinary Diet Dog Food Sensitive Skin Dog Food JustFoodForDogs Mix-A-Meal Minimally Processed & Gently Cooked Dog Food JustFoodForDogs Veterinary Diet Dog Food JustFoodForDogs Minimally Processed & Gently Cooked Dog Food Mix-A-Meal Dog Food Mix-A-Meal Raw Dog Food JustFoodForDogs Dog Health & Wellness Mix-A-Meal Dog Supplies Complete Minimally Processed & Gently Cooked Dog Food Veterinary Diets
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored