Our pups are more than pets: they’re family. There’s nothing like a hearty home-cooked meal made for your loved ones.

Just as you cook for your human family members, many people choose to prepare their dog’s food at home — giving you more control over what’s in their food, and the way it’s prepared.

If you’re looking to explore beyond commercial pet food, here are some tips to keep in mind. At Lyka, we believe all dogs deserve fresh food — whether it’s made at home, or in our human-grade kitchens.

What to consider when making food for your pup

Before you start cooking up a storm, it’s worth considering whether a home-cooked diet is right for your dog. Here are some talking points to start off with.

Advantages of home cooking

• More control over ingredients and nutrition, as the contents of commercial options can be difficult to verify — the pet food industry is unregulated in Australia.

• Fresh food has been proven to maximise longevity and wellbeing in dogs — while preventing chronic inflammation and promoting a healthy microbiome. Dogs eating lots of high GI ingredients (like grains and cereals) are more prone to an inflamed digestive system.

• You can provide higher levels of vitamins and minerals, past the bare minimum that AAFCO recommends. When done right, home cooking can provide more phytonutrients and superfoods for your dog to take advantage of.

• You can improve the balance of Omega 6:3 ratio in your dog’s diet.

When done right, homemade diets can help dogs with specific health needs like intolerances, and low protein or low phosphorus requirements.

Get in touch with our friendly Customer Care team to get a full picture of your dog’s dietary needs. They can provide helpful insights on what to weigh up, as well as putting you in touch with a holistic vet if you’d like a second opinion on fresh feeding.

How to cook for your dog at home

Our dogs need a certain balance of ingredients in their diet to thrive (not just survive!). Home-prepared diets need to be made up of at least 50% protein, as well as fruit, vegetables and superfoods.

Rotate these ingredients on a regular basis so your dog gets the optimal balance of nutrients. Let’s take a look at each element in more depth.

1. Protein

Human-grade protein is critical to your dog’s bodily functions: holding cells, muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, organs and cartilage together. From regulating blood glucose levels to healing, aiding in digestion and more, the amino acids found in protein are essential.

Different types of meat contain different amino acids, so your dog will need a variety of protein sources. Protein can also be found in plant sources like spinach and broccoli — but since dogs are omnivores, these vegetables are best served alongside animal protein sources. It’s best to stick to muscle meats and liver, as these have the most vitamins and minerals (like iron, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin A and copper).

To get started, lightly cook your human-grade mince. You can choose from:

• Chicken

• Beef

• Lamb

• Kangaroo

• Fish

• Turkey

2. Fruit and vegetables

You can serve up the protein with a side of fruit and vegetables, choosing from spinach, kale, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower and pumpkin. Steam your pup’s vegetables separately to help preserve their nutrients, then add them to the protein before serving.

If you’d like to add a little fruit, blueberries or raspberries can make a tasty addition.

These ingredients are chock full of phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that your pup needs to thrive. For example:

• Blueberries help to boost your dog’s immune system, as well as having anti-inflammatory properties.

• Purple or red sweet potato aids in heart function and brain health. They’re filled with fibre, and low in sugar!

Take a look at Lyka’s list of dog-friendly ingredients for more inspiration on what you can add.

As a rule of thumb when choosing vegetables, complex carbohydrates are the healthiest choice. Compared to simple carbohydrates, complex carbs are more digestible and have a slower release of glucose into the bloodstream. We use butternut squash in Lyka’s Chicken, Turkey and Kangaroo Bowls.

3. Superfoods and toppers

Superfoods and toppers are an essential part of the home cooking process, as they help to prevent your dog from suffering nutritional deficiencies. For home-cooked diets, there’s a greater risk of these imbalances; every home-cooked diet in this study failed to meet recommendations for at least one key nutrient.

It’s also important to include the optimal Omega 6:3 ratio across your dog’s diet. As an excess of Omega 6s can lead to inflammation in the body; Omega 3s have anti-inflammatory properties, balancing this out.

Essential fatty acids

Every meal needs to have a mix of essential fatty acids, like:

• Fish oil

• Flaxseed oil

• Chia seeds

• Safflower oil

Superfoods

• Turmeric

• Shiitake mushroom powder

• Beetroot powder

• Ginger

• Kelp

• Hemp seeds

• Spirulina

You can source supplements, or multivitamins (either synthetic or natural) at wholefood and health food stores.

For more on these nutrients and the areas of health they support, learn more about our ingredients and why we use them.

When is home cooking not appropriate?

Cooking at home is best done with the guidance of a dog nutritionist.

Here are a few reasons it may not be the best option for you and your dog’s needs:

• For puppies and dogs that are pregnant or lactating, there is a greater risk of nutritional deficiencies or imbalances.

• Home-cooked diets can take a lot of time, with the process of sourcing and cooking ingredients — as well as the potential for higher expenses.

Homemade diets are a step up from commercial options on the market — but if you’d prefer a certain level of certainty, recipes from board-certified nutritionists are always safest.

For those looking to save time or effort, Lyka makes this simple — tailoring our recipes to fit your dog’s specific health needs.

Who to speak to about home-cooked diets

When it comes to home-cooked diets, it can feel like there’s a lot to consider — it’s also tough knowing who to talk to. There are different approaches you can take, depending on factors like:

• Your budget

• Disease risks your dog may have

• The nutritional requirements for your pup’s needs

The people providing you with information should have the qualifications to safely advise on how to cook for your dog.

To better understand whole foods, consider speaking to a board-certified veterinary nutritionist (BCVN). We recommend Laura Gaylord from Whole Pet Provisions in the USA — there are currently no BCVNs practising in Australia.

Wholefood consultants are holistic vets, and are located in Australia. While they’re not board-certified, they can provide you with individualised counselling on your dog’s nutritional needs. Lyka’s Customer Care specialists can also provide unbiased guidance on fresh, wholefood diets.

Lyka: making life easier for home cooks

Want more hours in the day playing with your pup, and less time spent in the kitchen?

It can take time and money to cook your best friend’s food at home — whether it’s going back to the supermarket because you’ve forgotten a key ingredient… or worrying that you’re feeding the wrong balance of nutrients.

Lyka makes all of this easy. Our meal preparation service (with free home delivery) does the thinking for you, with portions personalised to your dog and their health needs.

Our vet co-founder Dr Matthew Muir works with an expert team of formulators. We’re proud to give Lyka puppers the healthiest blend of vitamins, minerals, and essential amino acids, with ingredients fit for human consumption. Your pup deserves it!

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This article was reviewed by Lyka’s animal care experts.

Reviewed by:

Louise Hawkins, Qualified Veterinary Nurse and Research and Development Associate