Unfortunately, most homemade diets are flawed even when followed exactly and consistently. One survey found that 90% of the homemade diets prescribed by over 100 US veterinarians were not nutritionally adequate for adult dogs or cats. There are many published homemade recipes for dogs and cats, and few, if any, have been properly tested for nutritional adequacy. These recipes should not be assumed complete and/or balanced for any dog or cat simply because they are published in a book or because they have been fed to someone else’s pet who appears to be healthy. A computer using the average nutrient content of specific foods has only crudely balanced most of these recipes. The palatability, digestibility, and safety of these recipes has not been adequately and scientifically tested in animals. Rarely are homemade foods balanced for micro minerals or vitamins, and adding veterinary vitamin/mineral supplements rarely corrects the deficiencies. There is no one veterinary supplement which can be added to homemade recipes for dogs or cats that will meet all the micro mineral and vitamin requirements adequately. A common error made by pet owners is to eliminate the supplement because it is inconvenient, expensive, or its importance is not understood. These published recipes—once crudely balanced diets—become grossly unbalanced when owners eliminate the supplements. Inappropriate food substitutions are another common error made by pet owners formulating their own pet’s diet. People are taught that eating a variety of foods is nutritionally sound, and the food pyramid helps them choose between the various food groups. Pet owners can extend this principle to their pet’s nutrition. Some recipes in print are complete and balanced; however, many owners then make their own food substitutions, selectively omitting items due to personal preference or convenience, and make preparation errors that can result in an unbalanced formulation. Owners mistakenly feed their pet according to current and popular human nutritional guidelines such as avoiding fat, cholesterol, and sodium. That, too, does not constitute a complete and balanced food for the pet. Owners’ use of uncooked meat and eggs in their home foods can be dangerous; uncooked meat and eggs can harbor pathogenic bacteria that would be killed during cooking. Making homemade foods requires knowledge, motivation, additional financial resources, and careful and consistent attention to recipe detail to insure a balanced intake of nutrients. The best recommendation to pet owners wanting to make their own pet food is to be sure a recipe has been properly formulated and to get regular veterinary check-ups for your pet.