# Why I Do Not Think Home Cooked Diets Are A Good Idea For Pets (from a holistic vet)



## channeledbymodem (Dec 25, 2008)

(Dr. Doolitle, you'll like this one.)

Counter-intuitive advice from an "integrative" vet that's worth your consideration.

Why I Do Not Think Home Cooked Diets Are A Good Idea For Pets | Web DVM - https://is.gd/88JMSR

Some highlights:

". . . Why in the world would I promote processed pet food for dogs and cats as opposed to home prepared real food?

The main reason comes from a rash of cases I have recently managed, of systemic diseases that are necessarily or ideally managed through the feeding of prescription therapeutic diets. Where I have usually departed from home prepared diets is in the case of disease specific nutrition. _It is a very difficult balance to maintain the special nutritional needs of a patient living certain with chronic diseases, while maintaining a well-rounded nutrient break down appropriate for species and life stage. In the case of therapeutic diets, while they may be processed and most have preservatives, they are diets engineered to manage disease through nutrition, while meeting the nutrient demands to sustain life._"

His conclusion is that if a dog has eaten (yummy, healthy) homemade food all its life, it may very well reject a "prescription" diet at the very time that commercial food is the one thing that will save its life. ". . . Feeding pet food may mean the difference between life and death for a patient whose life may one day depend on being fed a therapeutic, prescription pet food."

_Dr. Roger Welton is the President of Maybeck Animal Hospital in West Melbourne, FL, Chief Editor of the Veterinary Advice and Information Website, Web-DVM, and founder/CEO of Dr. Roger’s Holistic Veterinary Care._

Personally I take away two insights from this: 1) while he subjectively prefers to feed "natural" homemade food, he's not suggesting that a) it prevents disease or b) that commercial diets cause disease. And 2) he's making the point Dr. Doolittle often makes: you cannot easily duplicate the "prescription" diets at home, yet because they work he recommends them, even though the ingredients are a turn off.

There is an alternative: Rebecca Remillard, a board certified veterinary nutritionist who is not affiliated with any pet food company, has made a business of customizing homemade diets for chronically ill pets. BUT, she's not inexpensive, she doesn't think the homemade food she prescribes is any more effective than commercial prescription diets, and she insists that her recipes be followed to the letter, with specific supplements and NO substitutions allowed. You can contact her a www.petdiets.com.


----------

