Homemade vs Store-Bought: What Should Your Pet Eat?

Every pet parent eventually asks this question. You see influencers making elaborate home-cooked meals for their dogs. Your mum insists rice and chicken is fine. The pet shop has 47 brands of kibble. What's actually best?

Let's break it down — honestly, without the marketing fluff.

Store-bought kibble: the good

A quality commercial diet is nutritionally complete. That means your pet gets the right balance of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals without you needing a chemistry degree.

Our recommendations for Malaysia:

For dogs: Royal Canin, Hill's Science Diet, Acana, Orijen For cats: Royal Canin, Hill's, Taste of the Wild

All widely available on Shopee, Lazada, and at PJ pet shops.

Store-bought kibble: the bad

The cheap stuff (RM 15 for a 10kg bag) is basically junk food. Low protein, lots of fillers, weird preservatives. You get what you pay for.

Homemade: the good

You know exactly what's in it. Some pets with severe allergies or specific conditions genuinely do better on a carefully designed home diet.

Homemade: the bad

It is really hard to get the nutrition right. Most homemade pet diets we see are deficient in calcium, essential fatty acids, or specific vitamins. Over months, this causes real problems — weak bones, dull coat, and worse.

If you want to go homemade, you need a veterinary nutritionist to design the recipes. Not a YouTube video.

Our honest recommendation

For 95% of pets: a good quality commercial diet is the safest, most convenient choice. Supplement with occasional fresh treats (plain cooked chicken, carrots, blueberries) if you want.

For the 5% with specific medical needs: talk to us about a tailored nutrition plan.

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Confused about what to feed your specific pet? Book a nutrition consultation and we'll give you a straight answer — no upselling, just what's best for your pet.