All your questions.

Yes, when it’s nutritionally complete and balanced. BetterBowl has over 200 complete meal recipes, every one formulated to meet AAFCO adult maintenance profiles and cross-checked against NRC guidelines using a whole-food ingredient database (AFCD for Australia, USDA for North America). The rest of the library is toppers, treats, broths, special-occasion and condition-specific, designed to complement those meals rather than replace them. Unbalanced homemade diets are a problem. Balanced ones aren’t.

No. BetterBowl's recipe library uses whole-food balancers: eggshell powder for calcium, kelp for iodine, organ meats for vitamin A, hemp and pumpkin seeds for minerals, mussels for manganese. You don't need pharmacy-grade powders to hit a complete nutrient profile.

That's fine. The recipe builder includes a curated set of common supplements like multivitamin, calcium and kelp that you can add, and BetterBowl counts their nutrients toward the audit. Can't find yours? Request it and we'll add it to the catalogue. Our curated recipes hit AAFCO and NRC targets through whole foods alone, so supplements aren't required, but if you use one we'd rather count it than ignore it.

You tell BetterBowl your dog's weight, age, breed, activity level, weight goal and any allergies or intolerances. Every recipe is then sized in grams to their calorie needs, filtered to exclude allergens, and scored against their current weight trend. Multiple dogs? Each gets their own profile, plan and feedback history.

No. Most recipes take 20–40 minutes and batch-cook for a week. The guided cook-along walks you through one step at a time with built-in timers and portioning weights. The hardest part is deciding to start. We handle the rest.

That works. BetterBowl includes 100+ topper recipes built around single proteins, fresh vegetables and functional add-ins like sardines, eggs, kefir and bone broth, all sized to your dog. You can also cook a balanced BetterBowl meal and serve a smaller portion alongside kibble — half a portion of an audited recipe is still audited food, just less of it. Most BetterBowl users start by topping up their dog’s regular food. Many stay there. There’s no requirement to do full fresh.

BetterBowl is free to try with one dog and one custom recipe. Premium unlocks multiple dog profiles, every recipe scaled to your dog, recipes scaled for batch cooking, unlimited recipe builder saves, ingredient swaps and favourite recipes. $22.99 a month or $69.99 a year (save $205.89). Cancel anytime. Shown in USD — the exact amount Stripe will charge.

The complete meal recipes are currently formulated for adult maintenance. The library already includes 26 condition-specific recipes covering things like sensitive stomachs, weight management and joint support, to help with many common needs. Puppy and senior-specific balanced profiles are on the roadmap; beta testers will help us prioritise. Always consult your vet before changing the diet of a dog with a diagnosed condition.