switching to home made dog food

Question
Hi,
  With all the pet recalls I am wanting to switch my dogs over to home made food.  They were on Iams for years, but about a month ago I switched them (slowly) we switched to a premium brand called "California Natural"  I thought we were doing good by making this switch, but now the food Natural Balance had a recall which is similar to the California Natural.  It seems like everyday I turn the TV on, there is yet another pet food/treat recall.  I would feel much saver just making them home made food.  They currently get only home made treats and they seem to like them much better then the store bought ones.   I have done some research, but still not sure I'd be giving them all that they need in their diet going home made. I've read  40 percent meat, 30 percent vegetables and 30 percent starch.  I have several recipes and am more than willing to make them for my dogs.  I have a 10 year old beagle, an 8 year old beagle and a 6 year old Chihuahua.
I would appreciate it so much if you could give me your feedback on what you think of the homemade food thing and the California Natural dog food.

Thanks, Michelle  

Answer
Hi Michelle,

Feeding your dogs a homemade diet will certainly guarantee your dogs get the best possible ingredients in their food, but it can take up a lot of time. I guess that's how manufactured pet foods got popular in the first place.

California Natural dog food is a great super-premium dog food. It was not implicated in any of the recent recalls, so it's perfectly safe to feed your dogs this brand.
Keep in mind the activity levels of your dogs. At 10 years old, your Beagle probably doesn't need a diet high in protein and fat. One type of dog food might not be the answer for all of your dogs. If you're set on the California Naturals brand, their reduced calorie adult dry food might be the best choice.

Even though you've read up on what making a homemade diet for your dogs, you should run it past your vet or a veterinary dietitian. There are some vitamins, minerals and micro-nutrients which can really screw up a dog's health if they are in the wrong proportions, or if they are not present in the food.

My personal feeling on this is that the vast majority of commercially prepared pet foods have solid research and science behind their formulation and manufacture. Veterinarians rarely see cases of nutritional deficiency in pets fed commercial pet foods.

This dog food comparison chart might help:
http://www.gooddogmagazine.com/drydogfood.htm

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti