Your dog needs 30+ nutrients EVERY DAY

There's a phrase you've probably seen on every bag of dog food you've ever bought.

"Complete and balanced."

Sounds simple. Like a checkbox.

But most people have no idea what it actually takes to hit that standard.

And if you're cooking for your dog at home, this is the difference between a diet that keeps your dog thriving and one that slowly creates problems you won't see for months.

So let me walk you through it.

Your dog needs protein, fat, carbs, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.

Every single day. Not some of them. All of them. In the right amounts. In the right ratios.

Here's what that looks like inside our new homemade dog food recipes.

The whole food side:

• Protein comes from the main protein source in each recipe (beef, chicken, pork, turkey, or fish) plus eggs for a choline boost and extra protein.
• Fat comes from two places. The natural fat in the protein itself, and the oil or fat you add. We give you options: duck fat, coconut oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil, or chicken fat.
• Carbs come from the grains and vegetables. Brown rice, pasta, barley, amaranth, or quinoa are the grains depending on the recipe, along with veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, etc..
• Fiber, phytonutrients, and antioxidants come from the fruits and vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, apples.

OK so that's the food part. But here's where most homemade recipes fall apart.

Whole foods alone can't cover everything your dog needs. They get you a lot of the way there, but not all the way.

That's where supplements come in. And they're not optional.

• Calcium and phosphorus come from bone meal and calcium carbonate powder. These two work together to hit the right ratio for bone health. Get this wrong and you're looking at skeletal issues over time.
• Iodine comes from iodized salt. Not regular table salt. Iodized. Your dog needs it for thyroid function.
• Taurine comes from taurine capsules. Supports heart and eye function.
• The daily multivitamin covers a ton: vitamin A for vision and immune function, vitamin D for bone health, vitamin E as an antioxidant, the full B vitamin complex for energy and nervous system support, iron for oxygen transport, zinc for skin and coat, copper for connective tissue, selenium for thyroid support, and manganese for bone development.

The omega-3 piece

This one is interesting.

Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are technically not required by AAFCO minimums. But the research on them is strong.

Evidence-backed benefits for joints, skin, coat, brain health, and inflammation.

So Dr. Conway included fish oil in every recipe at therapeutic dosages.

Not the bare minimum "check the box" amount. The amount where you actually start seeing benefits based on research.

Now step back and look at the full picture.

All of that has to be calculated per recipe, per protein, adjusted for the fat content of the meat, the nutrient density of the vegetables, and the caloric density of the final product.

That's what "complete and balanced" actually means.

It's not a vibe. It's math.

And this is exactly why 95% of homemade dog food recipes online are nutritionally incomplete.

Not because the people who made them don't care. Because this stuff is genuinely hard to get right without a veterinary nutritionist doing the formulation.

Which is why we had Dr. Danielle Conway, a board-eligible veterinary nutritionist, formulate every single one of ours.

She did the math. She ran the numbers. She made sure every nutrient your dog needs is accounted for, every single day.

Our Single-Protein Recipe Bundles come with 5 recipes each (beef, chicken, pork, turkey, and fish), full supplement guides, cooking instructions, and scaling charts for any size dog.

🚫 Get the Grain-Free Recipe Bundle here

🌾 Get the Grain-Inclusive Recipe Bundle here

Thanks for reading and tell your pets I said hello :)

Bryce