Most available recipes for healthy dogs, even those published in books by veterinarians, do not provide essential nutrients in the quantities required by dogs.
I’ve said it many times. Only 5% of online recipes for dog food have all the nutrients and minerals your dog needs and that’s just not good enough for the pets we love. Did you also know that most vets haven’t had extensive education in nutrition. It’s just not part of the required curriculum. Gaining certification through the ACVN nutrition program is a way to know they received an extensive education in pet nutrition.
Recently I came across another study relating to the 5% statistic I love to quote. UC Davis Veterinary Medicine wrote an article based on a study in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
The study analyzed 200 recipes from 34 different sources and found:
- 95% of the recipes had one essential nutrient deficiency
- > 83% of the recipes had multiple nutrient deficiencies
- Only 9 recipes met all nutrient and mineral guidelines set by AAFCO
- Only four were written by board-certified veterinary nutritionists
- Although recipes written by veterinarians were less likely to have any nutrient deficiencies — and those being less severe — most still had at least one deficiency.
- 85 percent of the recipes did not provide calorie information for the recipe
What this tells me is choosing a recipe your dog enjoys eating from the millions you can find online, is not good enough for the long-term health of your dog. It also tells me that even though I think the world of my vet, she isn’t a nutritionist and if I’m interested in his nutrition, I need to consult a veterinary nutritionist. When I started out cooking, I was only going to do it for a few months to help rid Seeley’s body of toxins from his commercial pet food. Because it was only a few months, initially I didn’t need to be concerned with him getting all his minerals and vitamins. When I saw the health benefits it came with, I decided to do this long term and that’s when the work started. I had to figure out how to make nutritious food and fit the task it into my life for the long term. I know how much work it takes to educate yourself, how much it costs to lab test food, how many test batches you must make to get it just right, how much it costs to consult with a veterinary nutritionist, and how long it may take to not feel like such a large burden.
I’ve done all the hard work for you. Now, all you must do is decide. Do you want to take this fresh food journey with me? Do you want to give your adult dog a food that you control the quality of? Buy our Chicken and Veggie Stew today and I’ll have your custom recipe ready for you in a few days.
