Is packaged dog food more nutritious than homemade dog food?

Home cooked meals, unless prepared by veterinary nutritionists, are deficient or unbalanced in nutrients required for a pet’s overall well being. Some pet parents feel homemade dog food is fresh and less processed, but they miss out on the fact that this it does not constitute complete food for dogs. It is best to feed your pet prepared pet-food for it offers guaranteed nutrition, palatability, digestibility, safety and convenience. In addition, it also offers diversity without loss of consistency and cater to the specific needs of the dog. Furthermore, it is more cost-effective in the long run.

The nutrient requirement of dogs change depending on their life stage and lifestyle. For example, a puppy requires a higher amount of energy, protein, calcium and phosphorus for growth.
An adult human male needs 2500 kcal/day while an adult dog of 65 kg needs 2520 kcal/day. While eating those 2520 calories, the dog has to have a higher concentration of nutrients than humans.
Homemade diets may also contain contaminants and food-borne microbes if the owner is not as careful. Strict rules and regulations ensure that packaged pet food is free from microbial contaminants such as Salmonella or mycotoxins.
To meet the nutritional requirements of a dog, pet parents often tend to overfeed because homemade food are not governed by any canine dietary guidelines. Prepared pet-foods always have a feeding guide to help the owner ensure the pet is fed the correct amount of calories for its life-stage and lifestyle.
Dogs are allergic to many foods that humans consume and sometimes, they also prove to be poisonous. Manufactured pet foods never contain ingredients that are unsafe for pets.

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