How to balance homemade dog food
Meat, a starch and some vegetables make a meal your dog will love, but rarely a complete one. Here is what usually goes missing, how much a healthy adult dog needs per 1,000 kcal, and how to fix it without guessing.
Most homemade diets miss something
In the Dog Aging Project, researchers reviewed 1,726 home-prepared diets that owners described in 2023. Only 6% were potentially nutritionally complete by the AAFCO adult dog maintenance standards (American Journal of Veterinary Research, 2025; PubMed 40865554).
The usual gaps
We ran our 8 sample recipes through the engine before adding any supplement. These came up short most often:
- Calcium: short in 8 of 8 recipes
- Calcium to phosphorus ratio: short in 8 of 8 recipes
- Iodine: short in 7 of 8 recipes
- Vitamin E: short in 7 of 8 recipes
- Zinc: short in 6 of 8 recipes
- Vitamin D: short in 6 of 8 recipes
- Copper: short in 5 of 8 recipes
- Linoleic acid (omega-6): short in 3 of 8 recipes
Calcium tops the list almost every time: meat is rich in phosphorus and poor in calcium, so the calcium to phosphorus ratio ends up upside down unless you add calcium (or feed bone). Iodine is short because almost nothing in a home kitchen carries it except iodized salt, eggs, dairy and some fish.
How much is enough: AAFCO adult maintenance, per 1,000 kcal
| Nutrient | Minimum | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 1.25 g | 6.25 g |
| Phosphorus | 1 g | 4 g |
| Zinc | 20 mg | – |
| Copper | 1.83 mg | – |
| Iodine | 0.25 mg | 2.75 mg |
| Vitamin D | 125 IU | 750 IU |
| Vitamin E | 12.5 IU | – |
| Choline | 340 mg | – |
| Linoleic acid (omega-6) | 2.8 g | – |
| Calcium to phosphorus ratio | 1:1 | 2:1 |
Per 1,000 kcal means the amounts scale with what your dog eats: a dog that needs 500 kcal a day needs half of each. Source: AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles, adult maintenance (how we use them).
Five steps to a balanced bowl
- Work out your dog’s calories (calorie calculator).
- Weigh every ingredient of one batch, including oils. Use the raw weight for things you weigh raw.
- Check the batch against every AAFCO nutrient, per 1,000 kcal (the free check does this).
- Close the gaps with measured supplements: calcium first, then zinc, copper, iodine, vitamins D and E, and choline as needed. Never above an AAFCO maximum.
- Review the plan with your vet, switch over about a week, and weigh your dog every 2–4 weeks.
When a free tool is enough
If you cook for a healthy adult dog and are happy to pick from a fixed ingredient list, the free Balance IT recipe builder, run by a veterinary nutritionist, may be all you need. It can balance with its own supplement blend or with human supplements. FidoFormula is for what fixed lists leave out: raw feeding, your own ingredients and labels, and supplements you already own. Balance IT is a trademark of its owner; FidoFormula is not affiliated with it.
Safety notes
- Too much is harmful too: vitamins A and D, iodine, selenium and calcium have maximums. Count drops and tablets exactly.
- Liver is rich in vitamin A and copper: keep it to about 5–10% of the recipe by weight.
- Oily fish such as salmon, trout and mackerel carry a lot of vitamin D; a bowl that is mostly salmon can go over the AAFCO maximum.
- Puppies, pregnant or nursing dogs, and dogs with a medical condition need a veterinarian or a board-certified veterinary nutritionist.
Check your own recipe
Enter your dog and the recipe you make. See every AAFCO adult nutrient as short, OK or over. Free, no account.
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