Homemade diets for pets: reasons, risks and rewards

Abstract

Requests for homemade diets are becoming more common in general practice. It is essential that general practice veterinarians understand the advantages, drawbacks and risks of these diets to facilitate evidence-based discussions in the consult room. In the veterinary literature, it has been shown that many clients are choosing to feed homemade diets without consulting a qualified veterinary nutritionist. This may put their pets at risk of nutrient deficiencies. Calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D deficiencies appear to be common as evidenced by selected case studies. In this article, an overview is given of current homemade diet use in general practice, answers to why clients are interested in using them and how to have better discussions with clients about their use.