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My male, red sheeb is nearly 10 months old, 16 lbs and not likely to grow too much larger, conforms to breed standard, and is fairly athletic, getting 4–6 hours of exercise daily. I am considering a home-cooked diet to control the dog's nutritional intake and mitigate the risk of disease caused by factory error. When I search the internet for "shiba inu nutritional requirements" or "shiba inu home-cooked diet" I receive many unhelpful results, full of truisms like "shiba inus need lots of protein!" (as if that wasn't obvious).

I am considering either a fully or a partially (mixed with retail kibble) home-made diet. What nutritional requirements do I need to fulfill for long-term health? With which foods can I meet those requirements? And, are there any good resources I can learn more from (as my searches have proven fruitless)?

I am looking for specific quantities of specific vitamins, proteins, carbs, and other nutrients that I need to provide daily for long term health and happiness. Obviously, his current physiology is my primary focus, but I am concerned about lifetime nutrition as well.

Fictotum
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    Which country? Most commercial dog foods in the US are reasonable nutritionally balanced, and no matter what folks are telling you about specialized diets dogs are dogs are dogs... – keshlam Oct 16 '23 at 05:14
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    Commercial dog food in industrialized countries is usually just as much regulated and tested as human food. It's true that there have been cases in the past where factory pet food has led to disease in cats and dogs, but that's mostly malnutrition due to poorly balanced ingredients. The number of pets who suffered the same malnutrition due to home cooked food is much, much higher, we just don't read big stories in the news about that. – Elmy Oct 16 '23 at 10:19
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    Also, you will almost certainly need to add supplements for vitamin and mineral requirements and that industry is less well-regulated than the dog food industry and will likely be susceptible to factory error as well. – steve v Oct 16 '23 at 11:59
  • @keshlam do nutritional requirements change across borders? I'm not asking where to buy dog food, so I'm not sure why my country would matter. – Fictotum Oct 16 '23 at 13:07
  • @stevev Yes... supplements... that is kind of exactly what I am asking about. Do you happen to know what supplements, and what quantities? – Fictotum Oct 16 '23 at 13:09
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    Quality and supply of pet foods may change across borders. Nutritional requirements don't really change across breeds, though they may change somewhat based on special needs for individual dogs or genetic problems from inbreeding. If concerned, ask your vet. – keshlam Oct 16 '23 at 13:13
  • @keshlam you seem to misunderstand my question. I am not asking "how to get the best kibble?", I am asking "what are my dogs nutritional requirements based on breed?". – Fictotum Oct 16 '23 at 13:16
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    I'm saying that breed is a minor, likely insignificant, factor in food composition. Breed specific foods are 99.44% marketing gimmick (Ridiculous number is a reference to a soap commercial, in case you don't recognize it.) – keshlam Oct 16 '23 at 13:29
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    Forget your dog's breed. Activity level, life stage, weight, etc. are all what will be the dominant factors for nutrition. Here's some brief information on nutritional needs. – steve v Oct 16 '23 at 15:25
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    Does this answer your question? How can I ensure that homemade dog food is healthy for my dog? – Allison C Oct 16 '23 at 21:19

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