🍽️ Vet Guide 2025: Home‑Cooked & Raw Diets for Dogs & Cats by Dr Duncan Houston

Many pet owners seek alternatives like home‑cooked or raw diets, aiming for improved health and natural feeding. But without expert guidance, these diets often fall short. In this 2025 vet-approved guide, Dr Duncan Houston shares balanced, science-backed insights to help you safely navigate home-cooked and raw feeding options for your dog or cat. 🐾

⚖️ Dietary Options & Professional Guidance

Home-cooked or raw diets can be beneficial—but require careful formulation. Begin by consulting your veterinarian and ideally a veterinary nutritionist, who can create a complete, individualized feeding plan covering:

• Calories, protein, fats, carbs
• Vitamins and minerals
• Food safety and nutrient bioavailability

Research thoroughly before starting. Expert direction ensures optimal nutrition and safety. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

🧭 AVMA & Public Health Perspectives

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) strongly discourages feeding raw or undercooked animal-source proteins to pets due to documented risks of bacterial contamination (e.g., Salmonella, E. coli) and potential zoonotic transmission—even to healthy pets. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

🐶 Home-Cooked Diets: Benefits & Pitfalls

Cooking meat and vegetables inactivates harmful pathogens and may help reduce immunologic and digestive issues. That said, achieving proper nutrient ratios is complex:

• Deficiency or excess of calcium: improper calcium:phosphorus ratio affects bone health.
• Risks such as vitamin A toxicity from over-supplementation (e.g., liver).
• Potential biotin deficiency from raw egg avidin or thiamine loss from raw fish.

Successful home-cooked diets must follow vetted recipes or nutritionist-formulated plans—ad hoc DIY feeding puts pets at risk. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

🥩 Raw Diets: The Appeal & the Risks

Raw feeding mimics wild prey diets—uncooked muscle, organs, bones, sometimes veggies. Benefits reported by owners include shinier coats, improved dental health, and more energy—though clinical data is limited. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Microbial Hazards

Raw meats have significantly higher rates of bacterial contamination than cooked diets. Studies found Salmonella in ~6% and E. coli in ~50% of raw pet food samples, compared to lower rates in commercial cooked diets. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Zoonotic Concerns

Pets on raw diets can shed pathogens—some asymptomatic pets still pose risks to humans, especially children, elderly, or immunocompromised individuals. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Nutritional Balance

Maintaining balanced nutrient ratios is complex without lab analysis. Uneven calcium:phosphorus ratios can cause skeletal or kidney issues. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

✔️ Safer Raw Diet Alternatives

Commercial raw diets treated with High-Pressure Processing (HPP) reduce pathogens without heat—and are designed to meet AAFCO nutrient profiles. These are safer than homemade raw diets—but still carry some risk and are not a one-size-fits-all solution. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

📊 Comparison Table: Diet Types

🔬 Safeguards & Best Practices

• Consult your vet—and preferably a veterinary nutritionist—before switching diets.
• If feeding raw, choose reputable HPP-treated commercial brands and store them correctly.
• Follow strict hygiene: handwashing, disinfect surfaces, separate raw utensils.
• Regular veterinary checkups—with lab work to assess nutrient status.
• Monitor pet’s health: weight, coat, energy, stool quality.

📋 Transition & Monitoring Protocol

1. Gradually introduce new diet over 7–10 days.
2. Track appetite, stool, energy levels.
3. Lab test after 4–6 weeks: CBC, chemistry, nutrient markers.
4. Adjust diet with nutritionist input as needed.

✅ Final Guidance

Home-cooked and raw diets can support your pet’s health—but only when expertly planned and monitored. Commercial cooked diets remain the safest and most reliable. If you choose alternative feeding, ensure:

• Expert formulation (with a nutritionist).
• Adherence to food-safety protocols.
• Ongoing veterinary oversight.

To learn more or customize a diet plan, visit AskAVet.com or download the Ask A Vet App. Get 24/7 guidance on transitions, nutrient safety, and microbiological concerns. 🐶🐱📱

With proper planning, rigorous standards, and professional support, you can confidently choose the best diet path for your pet’s lifelong health. 🌟