A common misconception about homemade dog diets is the belief that adding a commercial multivitamin will fully compensate for any nutritional gaps in the food. Unfortunately, this is far from accurate. Multivitamins are specifically formulated to supplement commercial dog foods, which are already designed to meet a dog’s daily nutritional requirements. The vitamin and mineral levels in these supplements are typically low, intended only to boost an already balanced diet—not to fill in major nutritional deficiencies.

To test this, I reviewed several homemade dog food recipes, sourced from public Facebook groups and online searches, and compared them against the NRC Nutritional Profiles for Dogs. As expected, each recipe showed significant nutritional shortfalls, and some even had potentially harmful nutrient excesses. On average, each recipe was deficient in 11 key nutrients, with the minimum being 8 deficiencies. In this post, I’ll highlight the most concerning nutritional gaps found in these diets. Click here to jump to data!

Note: These recipes are NOT recommended. I will not be sharing specific ingredient amounts or the brand of multivitamin used. While I do occasionally use certain products and additional supplements in specific circumstances, these recipes do not meet the nutritional standards required for a balanced homemade diet.

Commercial multivitamins are often seen as a quick fix for homemade dog food diets. The idea is that by adding a multivitamin, you can ensure that your dog gets all the nutrients they might be missing from the food you’re preparing. However, this is based on a flawed assumption that a single multivitamin tablet can meet all of a dog’s nutritional needs, especially when it comes to complex and balanced nutrition. Unfortunately, this is something even veterinarians unfamiliar with diet formulation recommend.

Nutrient Ratios Matter: Dogs require specific ratios of nutrients that work together synergistically. Simply adding a multivitamin won’t fix the deficiencies in critical nutrients like protein, fat, or minerals, which might be lacking or imbalanced in the base food recipe.

The Risk of Over-Supplementing: Multivitamins are formulated for commercial pet food, which already has balanced nutrient levels. If added to homemade diets without careful calculation, multivitamins can lead to dangerous excesses of certain nutrient like iodine, retinol, or vitamin D, which can cause toxicity or long-term health problems.

The Size and Scope of Deficiencies: All 10 of the diets analyzed had significant deficiencies. The following table shows the percentage of the analyzed diets that were deficient in each essential nutrient.

For the purpose of this analysis, falling below 100% of a dogs recommended allowance (RA) was considered deficient. In a well balanced diet, there are many other factors to be considered beyond simply meeting the dogs RA.

As shown, most of the recipes were deficient in at least one essential nutrient. The only exception was amino acids, which are typically sufficient in meat-based diets. These nutritional gaps are not just a short-term concern; if left unaddressed, they could lead to long-term health issues, such as a dull coat, a weakened immune system, and potential growth or developmental problems. For the purposes of keeping this shorter, I’m going to focus on the nutrients that were deficient in at least half of the recipes analyzed.

Homemade dog food can be a great option for pet owners who want to have full control over what their dog is eating, but it requires careful planning, accurate nutrient calculations, and high-quality supplementation. While multivitamins can play a role in bridging gaps, they should not be relied upon as the sole source of nutrition.

If you are looking for formulate a balanced homemade diet for your dog, keep the following in mind:

1.  Conduct a nutritional audit of your diet. You can find nutritional data for each of your ingredients on the USDA Food Database per 100g. Add up the total amount of each essential nutrient that are present in each of the ingredients used. Human nutrition trackers like Chronometer can be used for this but if you are feeding raw meaty bones, you will not find nutrition data including the bone there. You also won’t be able to compare the diet to your dogs nutritional requirements in human apps without altering them to use canine nutritional requirements. To do everything in one place, I recommend the Raw Fed and Nerdy Formulation Spreadsheet. Remember to keep ingredient bioavailability into account if using human programs. Ex. Iron from plants has close to 0% absorption and should not be included.

2. Supplement only what’s needed. Now that you know exactly what nutrients are missing from your recipe, calculate how your multivitamin would fit in. If it includes something that your diet already provides enough of, it may not be a good choice. You will likely also find that some nutrients need more than what your multivitamin is providing. It is almost always more useful and practical to add single mineral and vitamin supplements to only supplement what’s needed. You’ll also almost always be able to use better forms than those commonly found in multivitamin products.

3. Consider working with a qualified professional. Formulating a diet for your dog can feel overwhelming at first. If this is how you feel, working with a professional nutritionist can be a huge stress relief while you continue to learn on your own. 

Homemade dog food requires more than just adding a multivitamin to be truly complete and balanced. Relying solely on multivitamins can leave significant nutritional gaps and imbalances, which may lead to serious health risks over time. Many DIY dog food recipes fail to meet all of your pet’s nutritional needs without proper guidance.

That’s where my diet analysis and formulation services come in. I work with you to carefully evaluate your dog’s current diet, identify any deficiencies or imbalances, and recommend changes to create a fully balanced diet (advanced diet analysis only). If you haven’t begun feeding a homemade diet yet, my formulation services would provide a nutritionally balanced diet tailored to their specific needs, life stage, health history and more. By incorporating appropriate supplementation and providing expert guidance, I ensure your dog’s homemade meals support their long-term health and well-being. Regular vet check-ups and adjustments to the plan are also encouraged to maintain optimal results.

Don’t forget to take a look at my $10 downloadable recipes as well. Each of these recipes is complete and balanced for maintenance and may suit your dogs needs. Those with health conditions should consider tailored diets.