is homemade dog food cheaper than kibble

Making Your Own Dog Food: A Cheaper Option or a Costly Myth

Making your own dog food is not the most common practice when it comes to feeding your pet.

While health and distrust in the quality of commercial food are the main reasons dog owners decide to make their own dog food, switching to homemade food is often deferred for cost constraints.

So, is it cheaper to make your own dog food? From my research, heres what I found:

Homemade dog food is more expensive than dry kibble but less expensive than human-grade commercial options. A $25 bag of kibble lasts a week, while homemade meals can cost about $10 daily, depending on your dogs size and ingredient prices.

In this post, well explore the financial aspects of homemade versus store-bought dog food, considering factors like ingredient costs, nutritional value, and the size and dietary needs of your dog.

Whether youre a budget-conscious pet parent or simply curious about the economics of dog food, join us as we unpack the true cost of feeding your four-legged friend.

Lets crunch the numbers!

Is It Cheaper to Make Your Own Dog Food?

A recent study found that only 13% of dog owners exclusively fed their pets homemade food. But why is this?

Lets investigate the data!

Going by available literature and research on the cost of homemade and commercial dog food options, making your own dog food comes with higher costs than opting for commercial diets.

• According to the VCA Animal Hospitals, youll pay more to make homemade dog diets than to purchase commercial ones.

• Similarly, a study conducted in collaboration with the American Veterinary Medical Association reported that making your own dog food at home is generally more expensive. Besides, it is more time-consuming and inconvenient to prepare.

The only time homemade dog food would come cheaper is when compared to commercial human-grade diets.

• A study in Brazil that compared the cost of homemade, dry, and canned dog food and commercial human-grade food found that making homemade dog food was more costly than buying commercial kibble or canned food. However, making your own dog food is cheaper than purchasing commercial human-grade dog food.

So, why exactly is making your own dog food more costly than buying commercial kibble or canned dog food? Lets tackle that question in the next section.

What Makes Homemade Dog Food Costly?

Cost can take different connotations. It could account for the buck you pay to obtain your dogs food, the time you put into it, and other hidden costs that could arise from a specific dog food option.

In this light, I found that homemade dog food is more costly for the following reasons:

• Homemade dog food ingredients are costly.
• Making your own dog food is time-consuming.
• Homemade dog food is often under-nourishing.

Expensive Ingredients

Every type of dog food comes with a cost, whether it is commercial or homemade dog food. The main reason dog food prices increase is the cost of the ingredients.

Dog food ingredients should be combined to provide all the nutrients for your dogs wellness. Ensuring proper nutrition for your dog means making sure that homemade dog food has all the required ingredients as listed:

• Proteins Obtained from meats like chicken, beef, turkey, and fish such as salmon and whitefish.
• Carbohydrates From starches like white/brown rice, oatmeal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and quinoa.
• Vitamins including vitamin A from carrots and pumpkins; Vitamin B from whole grains, green vegetables, and liver; Vitamin C from fruits like apples and watermelon, blueberries, and bananas; Vitamin D from meats and fishes; Vitamin E from plant oils and leafy green vegetables; and Vitamin K from vegetables and fish.
• Fats & fatty acids From animal or plant seed oils such as canola, corn, fish, soybean, and flaxseed.
• Fiber Important for gastrointestinal (GI) healthy functioning. Sources include green leafy vegetables, brown rice, apples, carrots, and flaxseeds.
• Minerals including Calcium from broccoli, tofu, and green beans; Sulfur from meats and fishes; Magnesium from vegetables and whole grains; Iron from meat; Zinc from eggs, liver, and lamb; Iodine from seafood and kelp; Selenium from brown rice, meats, and vegetables; and Copper from whole grains, seafood, and seeds.
• Water An important ingredient in a healthy dog diet.

While all these ingredients are cheaper incorporated in the dough that makes commercial kibble, purchasing these ingredients for a daily dog home diet is costly.

Lets take an example from a sample recipe for a days meal for a 20lb dog:

Note: The prices are calculated from the price rates provided on different websites at the time of writing this article: (U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS (Chicken and rice), Statista (carrots), & Produce Market Guide (peas).

By these calculations that only factor in the main ingredients (chicken, rice, peas, and carrots), you will pay approximately $5.19 to feed your 20lb (9kg) dog with homemade food daily.

If you double the ingredients amount for a 40lb (18kg) dog, it means $10.38 daily and even more if you have a larger dog.

If you compare this cost with a commercial equivalent, such as Purina ONE Dry Dog Food, with the lowest price of around $25, youll pay a lot less, as the 8lb (3kg) bag can feed your dog for an entire week.

The Time Investment

If you feed your dog with kibble or canned food, you can simply sit on your couch, use your phone to make an order and have the dog food delivered to your doorstep. You can then pour the food into your dogs feeding bowl when its time for the pets meal.

Preparing and cooking your dogs food at home isnt that easy. You need to make shopping trips often to purchase the required ingredients and stock them in a fridge. That counts for time and fuel.

Next, you must prepare the ingredients and cook the meal for your dog before dishing it up in your pets bowl. If that sounds like a lot of time, well, it is!

You can compare it to the time you need to make your own meals. And as they say: Time is money!

Homemade Dog Food Can Be Under-Nourishing

Making your own dog food should happen after a conversation with your pets vet or vet nutritionist on what you should include in your furry friends meal.

When working with a professional on feeding your dog homemade meals, the top condition is that the diet is followed to the letter; otherwise, your dog will miss out on certain nutrition requirements.

It seems that not many dog owners can adhere to that rule. According to the AKC, homemade dog food can risk your dogs health if it is inadequate or exceeds the essential nutrients.

Health conditions such as malnutrition and obesity can result from improper dog diets.

The fact that dog owners can risk their pets health with poor nourishment is not just a supposition.

A study analyzing recipes for homemade dog diets found that none of the recipes was a complete diet. Instead, they all had one or multiple nutrient deficiencies compared to the recommended nutrient levels.

Read more: Kibble vs. Homemade Dog Food (Which is Better?)

Moreover, not meeting recommended nutritional requirements is consistently listed as a disadvantage of making homemade dog food in all the consulted literature on the topic.

Final Thoughts

Cooking for your dog at home is a decision many dog owners make to favor their pets health. Some dog owners also cook for their pets for the fulfillment that comes with it or because home dog food is considered healthier.

However, homemade dog food ingredients are pricey, and cooking for your dog is time-consuming. Besides, you could end up paying more in vet costs if your dogs diet lacks the essential nutrients.

So, is it cheaper to make your own dog food? Apparently not! Thats unless you go by the benefits of homemade dog food over monetary costs.

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Kibble vs. Homemade Dog Food (Which is Better?)

If youve been thinking about what to feed your dog, you might have considered a few brands and types of dog food. From kibble, canned wet food, and raw, there is a lot you can feed your dog. You also have the option of preparing food at home for your dog. But which option is better, kibble or homemade dog food?

Kibble is better than homemade dog food regarding nutritional value, while homemade dog food is more appealing to dogs. When it comes to kibble vs. homemade dog food, the homemade variety wins for fussy eaters, while kibble wins for dogs in general and is less costly.

Both have pros and cons, and you must consider them before choosing one.

In this article, we will get deeper into the discussion of dry dog food vs. homemade food, with the pros and cons of each type of dog food.

One thing to note is that when Im talking about kibble, Im referring to a good-quality brand that is complete and balanced in line with the AAFCO dog nutritional requirements.

I will also briefly cover the types of homemade food that are most nutritious for dogs and what you must look for when selecting kibble for your dog.

Regardless of which type of food you pick, in the end, you will gain useful insights from this post.

Is Homemade Dog Food Better Than Kibble?

Homemade dog food can be as good as kibble or even better for your dog based on its nutritional content and how much he likes it.

Kibble is no good to a dog that doesnt eat it. Similarly, homemade food is not good for a dog if the dogs nutritional needs are not met.

Biologically, the place where the food is made matters very little. What matters are its nutritional value and how fond your dog is of said food. With those metrics in mind, heres how homemade dog food fares against kibble.

Nutrition

Dog food businesses manufacture kibble with research and development departments dedicated to getting the nutritional makeup of dog food just right for specific breeds and life stages of dogs.

In contrast, homemade food can be nutritious but might overshoot in calories or be a subpar source of nutrients. While exceptions exist, kibble is often more nutritious than homemade dog food.

One exception is if you employ the services of a pet nutritionist. The American College of Veterinary Nutrition has a directory of nutritionists, and you can have a remote consultation.

Adoption/Acceptance

Generally, dogs love homemade food more than kibble. Dogs can smell the aroma of homemade food and feel its moisture content, which are significant contributors to the canine food consumption experience.

On the other hand, kibble is dry and often needs toppers and moistening before it is appetizing for dogs. In this matter, homemade food beats kibble.

Again, exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, your dog is more likely to eat homemade food, but a good quality kibble is probably healthier for him.

If your dogs main problem is that he does not like his food, then you might want to introduce homemade food to your dogs diet.

If the issue is related to nutrition, you might want to consult a vet or expert canine nutritionist regarding the contents of the food recipe or introduce him to kibble.

Pros And Cons Of Kibble

Read more: Is Kibble Bad For Dogs? If So, Why?

Pros And Cons Of Homemade Dog Food

So, whats the bottom line?

From a surface-level assessment of the pros and cons of both dry dog food and homemade dog food, it is clear that there are advantages to each type that are disadvantages of the other.

Most dog owners find it surprising that kibble is healthier than homemade dog food. And there is a good reason for this reaction.

Homemade food is healthier for humans because our packaged food is formulated to entice our tastebuds. Dogs dont buy their own food, so kibble makers dont factor taste as highly as the nutritional value of the food.

It might be hard to believe, but many homemade recipes are generally unhealthy for dogs. A study of 200 homemade dog food recipes found that most lacked vital nutrients. In fact, only 10 of the recipes had the correct canine nutrients.

A recent study of home-prepared pet diets found that all 106 diets analyzed had at least one nutrient below the recommendations, potentially exposing dogs to nutritional deficiencies.

Is Homemade Dog Food Healthier Than Kibble?

Homemade food is not healthier than kibble, but some recipes can be more nutritious than a low-quality kibble brand, especially if the meal has been designed and approved by a qualified dog nutritionist.

Sometimes, kibble is healthier than homemade food, but dogs dont like it as much as they like soft food. If your dog rejects kibble, which in most cases is better for him, you have a few options.

• Add a topper to the kibble This is the shortcut to get your dog to eat dry food. You can get your dog hungrily consuming kibble by sprinkling organic treats or appetizing food over the kibble.Check out the ideas in this article, 15 Easy Foods To Mix With Dry Dog Food.
• Mix kibble with canned dog food Since canned dog food and kibble are both made to meet a dogs nutritional requirements, this solution can be healthy and appetizing. You can even mix dog food brands.
• Use canned dog food instead of kibble Wet food is generally more appealing to dogs but can be unappealing to your budget. It is five times more expensive on average.
• Add homemade food to kibble You can mix homemade food with kibble to pack nutrients and flavor in a single serving.
• Add water to the kibble Adding warm water to dry dog food turns it into a yummy gravy, making it more appetizing and altering its palatability.

I like to add a topper to my dogs kibble, such as pieces of meat, chicken, veggies, or Greek yogurt. Additionally, Ill mix some wet food with my dogs dry food.

Mixing Homemade Dog Food With Kibble (A Compromise!)

You can mix homemade dog food with kibble to make kibble more appealing to your dog.

Homemade dog food might not be as nutritious as kibble, but it can improve your dogs appetite. And the kibble content can fulfill your dogs dietary requirements.

You need to be aware of the proportions of the mix and the recipe you use for homemade dog food. Getting these right is crucial for dog food that is healthy and appetizing.

While that requires another post dedicated to mixing kibble with homemade dog food, this article has yet to cover one crucial area: best practices for choosing kibble and making homemade dog food.

Best practices for choosing kibble for your dog:

• Consider the price, but dont make price all you consider The kibble your dog gets used to is the one youll be buying repeatedly. Make sure you consider that. But dont let that be your permission to buy the cheapest box available.
• Check the reviews and ratings If youre shopping on Amazon, look for dry dog food that has over 500 reviews and has at least 4.5 stars on average. This ensures you get food that enough pet owners have vouched for.
• Make your purchase specific to the breed (size) of your dog Dog food can be specific to the dog breed (like German Shepherd dog food) or can be targeted at a breed size (kibble for small dogs). If the package matches your dogs size or breed description, you can get it for your pet.
• Make your purchase specific to the life stage (age) of your dog Puppies should eat puppy food, adult dogs should eat adult dog food, and seniors should have senior food. In some instances, there is young-adult dog food as well. Ensure the kibble you buy matches your dogs age or life stage.
• Try a few types of kibble until you find the right one Dont buy your first choice of kibble in bulk. You dont know how fond your dog might be of it. You must try a few types of dry food before you find one your dog likes.
• Avoid overprocessed kibble with too many preservatives Make sure your kibble isnt packed with too many preservatives and colors. Try to get healthy kibble and choose well-known brands as they have a closer-to-nature formulation.

Best practices for preparing homemade food for your dog

• Use vet-verified recipes Average recipes can be undernourishing or weight-packing for dogs. Vet-verified recipes are much better if your dogs diet is supposed to be 100% homemade.
• Go protein-heavy It is harder to go wrong with protein like chicken or red meat. Make sure to include enough protein in your dogs diet. You can check your dogs nutritional needs here.
• Include some greens A small dose of veggie carbs can help add flavor and vitamins to your dogs diet.
• Bet on moisture Wet food is generally more appetizing to dogs, so cook your dog food to be less dry.
• Avoid scrap-recycling recipes Do not use recipes that recommend recycling scraps from the previous nights dinner. You will not coincidentally get a nutritious meal using a non-specific recipe.
• Store homemade food properly Store the homemade dog food properly as it doesnt have preservatives and can go bad quickly.

Lets Wrap This Up!

In a kibble vs. homemade dog food discussion, kibble emerges as a clear winner in terms of nutrition, while homemade dog food remains the more appetizing option.

You can mix the two to get the best of both worlds, but just be mindful of your recipe choice and kibble alongside the proportions.

And if youre still undecided on choosing kibble or home-cooked dog food, you might want to consider kibble vs. raw dog food.

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