Home prepared diet recipe example

Animal Proteins

Meat, muscle, and fish filet are a source of animal protein, and provide protein and all amino acids necessary in the diet of dogs and cats.

You can cook meat of fish a few minutes at 70°C, as food safety requires to avoid contamination problems (such as bacteria, parasites…).

The meat and fish differ by their proportion of protein and fat, and energy. So they are not all the same.
Also, some pets find some tastes more interesting/palatable/attractive than others.

Do not replace without considering the composition or asking to your vet or assess the body weight of your pet weekly.

Mineral vitamin supplement

Vit’i5 is a mineral and vitamin supplement formulated by a veterinary nutrition specialist in order to balance homemade diet. It provides the micronutrients that are lacking of in the routine dietary components such has meat+oil+vegetables+carbs.

Vit’i5 has to be added to a diet each time it contains fish or meat. It has been designed in 3 products. You can adapt it depending on age and condition, and with the amount of meat/fish each day. Vit’i5 is neither seasonal nor optional.
If the diet is half homemade and half commercial, give Vit’i5 Half-half instead of any Vit’i5 recommended in the homemade recipe. Adjust to the amount of meat or fish filet.

Warning:
Do not heat or cook Vit’i5, in order to preserve vitamins
Also, do not give Vit’i5 if your dog of cat eats only a complete pet food, either dry or wet.

Complex carbohydrates (source of energy from Starch)

Starch is the complex carbohydrate contained is pasta, rice, corn, potatoes, tapioca, chick pees, lentils…
It must be cooked (water boiled) to be digestible and become a source of energy. Pets have individual and variable capacity to digest starch, linked to their genetic and epigenetic production potential of alpha-amylase.
Make sure to boil carbohydrates, such as rice or peeled potatoes, TWICE the time it should be for people. That maximises the digestibility of the starch by pets.

Once cooked, DO NOT freeze carbohydrates as freezing-defrosting process decreases the digestibility of starch, and could induce digestive issue such as diarrhea and bloating.

In the recipe, a part of Carbs can also be replaced by other carbs or by treats, to provide an equivalent amount of calories.

Equivalent to 10 grams of raw (dry)  OAT FLAKES:

– 10 grams of PASTA or white RICE, cooked
– 40 grams of POTATO or SWEET POTATO, cooked
– 10 grams of any BISCUIT designed for cats
– 5ml (1 spoon) of peanut butter
– 10 grams of Cheese, such as cheddar CHEESE
– 40 grams of Cottage cheese (4%Fat)
– 50 grams of Pure Plain 4%Fat Natural YOGURT (such as Greek or Plain organic yogurt without additional flavours or ingredients)

Essential fatty acids

Canola oil, or soybean oil, is a source of essential fatty acids, omega 6 (linoleic acid) and omega 3 (linolenic acid). They may be altered by heat and sunlight.

Don’t heat or cook it, to preserve the fatty acids. Store the bottle in the fridge.

You can also add caps of fish oil to bring also long chain omega 3 fatty acids EPA & DHA, but this does not replace the canola or soybean oil. The fatty acids are different.

Fiber source

Vegetables are a beneficial source of fiber.
Give all vegetables cooked, either boiled, or steamed enough to become smooth form, or strained if canned.

Zucchini is a special vegetable that can be given cooked, but can also be cut and frozen raw, and, once defrost, included in the diet without cooking.

Carrots may be replaced by broccoli, green beans, skinless pumpkin or butternut with the same weight basis. These vegetables must be cooked  enough to be easily cut or mashed.

Last, to offer a bigger amount of vegetables, 100 grams of carrots or equivalent may be replaced by 150 grams of zucchini, tomato, mushroom, asparagus, endives, all cooked well enough to be easily cut or mashed.

Wheat bran can also be used are a source of fiber, along with or instead of vegetable (however, not in the same amount as wheat bran is dry!). A 2.5ml-spoon in the daily recipe for kitten instead or with vegetables.

Treat (Fruits / Dairy)

Fruits are usually more appreciated by dogs than cats.
Fruits may represent a treat or a part of the vegetables. Dogs can eat them raw.

Better offer juicy FRUITS such as apple, peach, watermelon, strawberry, pear…
If doing so, stick to the following equivalence: 50 grams of FRESH FRUIT may subsitute 50 to 100 grams of CARROT.
(However, do not offer banana or dry fruit as a TREAT, they are very rich in energy and can replace carbohydrates)

Please DO NOT REPLACE more than half of the vegetables with fruits as part of fiber source.

For example, in a recipe with 200grams of vegetables, that should not be more that 100 grams (half of 200 grams) of vegetables to be replaced by fruits. Thus so 100/2 = 50 grams of FRUIT such as fresh APPLE in this recipe.

Avoid large amounts of vitamin C-rich fruits such as kiwi fruit, orange… as large amounts of vitamin C would be metabolized in oxalic acid, excreted in urine.

Last, DAIRY such as cheese or yogurt are also commonly shared with the pet. No problem with plain yogurt with only milk and ferments in the list of ingredients (avoid the ones with any other component added), and with plain cheese, but be very careful at the amount given, it brings a lot of calories, and 10 grams of cheese must be considered as bringing as much energy as 4 ml of oil or 15 g of raw rice!

BISCUITS also are often proposed. They also brings energy, so limit the amount, and substitute the similar amount (in grams) of raw rice rather than add biscuit to a recipe.