Home Cooked Food for Dogs — What Is Safe, What to Avoid, and How to Balance It

Home-cooked food is a common choice for Indian pet parents, and with good reason — you control the ingredients and can avoid preservatives. But unbalanced home diets are one of the most common causes of nutritional deficiency we see at Shivraj Pet Clinic & Lab. A dog fed only rice and chicken for years without supplementation will develop bone disease, skin problems, and immune dysfunction.

What Dogs Need

Dogs are omnivores requiring a balance of:

• Protein — the most critical macronutrient for muscle, immune function, and coat health
• Carbohydrates — an energy source, though not strictly essential
• Healthy fats — for skin, coat, and fat-soluble vitamin absorption
• Vitamins and minerals — particularly calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D, and B vitamins
• Fibre — for digestive health

The biggest mistake in home cooking is providing adequate protein and calories while neglecting minerals — particularly the calcium:phosphorus ratio, which is critical for bone development and maintenance.

Safe Foods to Include

Proteins: Chicken (boneless, cooked), lamb, eggs, fish (boneless, cooked), paneer in small amounts.

Vegetables: Carrots, green beans, peas, spinach, pumpkin, sweet potato (cooked). Start with small quantities to assess tolerance.

Grains: Plain cooked rice, oats, and millets are generally well tolerated.

Fruits (in moderation): Banana, apple (no seeds), watermelon (no rind or seeds), blueberries.

Foods to Strictly Avoid

• Onions and garlic — haemolytic anaemia (toxic even in small amounts, including cooked forms)
• Grapes and raisins — acute kidney failure
• Bones — cooked bones splinter and cause intestinal perforations. Raw bones carry Salmonella risk.
• Salt — Indian home food is too salty for dogs. Cook dog food separately with minimal to no salt.
• Spices — chilli, turmeric in excess, pepper — irritate the gastrointestinal tract
• Maida (refined flour) — nutritionally empty and promotes obesity
• Dal and legumes in excess — high in lectins and phytates that interfere with mineral absorption

The Calcium Problem

A common homemade diet of rice, chicken, and vegetables is severely deficient in calcium. Over months, this leads to metabolic bone disease — especially dangerous in growing puppies and large breeds. If feeding home food, you must either add a calcium source (eggshell powder at 1⁄2 teaspoon per pound of food, or a veterinary calcium supplement) or have your vet calculate the appropriate supplementation.

Getting the Balance Right

True nutritional balance in home cooking requires calculation — it is more complex than it appears. We recommend:

1. A consultation with our team to design a balanced recipe for your dog's size, age, and activity level
2. Annual blood work to catch any nutritional deficiencies early
3. Adding a veterinary multivitamin and mineral supplement to home-cooked diets

Many pet parents combine a good quality commercial food (50–70%) with home-cooked meals (30–50%) as a practical middle ground that ensures baseline nutritional coverage.

Call 077569 65169 to book a nutritional consultation at Shivraj Pet Clinic & Lab, Wakad & Pimple Saudagar.