Good store-bought pet food can be expensive.
And it doesn't look that enticing, does it?
After many years of looking after cats and dogs, I've occasionally wondered whether homemade might be the better - and cheaper - option for them.
To be entirely transparent, this article was supposed to be an, "I tried making my pets' food for X weeks and this is how it went," type piece.
"Vets are often really reluctant to recommend homemade food because it's hard to ensure your pets will receive a complete and balanced diet," Brisbane-based vet Dr Ophelia Li tells me.
"There's also the fact that the process of storage and preparation varies between owners and this can affect the quality of homemade food."
Good quality commercial food, on the other hand, is complete, balanced and subject to quality control.
A spokesperson for the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) told us that any commercial pet food you feed your animals should be compliant with the Australian Standard AS5812.
It's easy to find pet food that meets this standard, and which is designed for different life stages and health issues.
So, making sure your pet gets the nutrients they need can be as simple as buying a bag of the type of commercial food your vet recommends for your animal, checking the label for serving size based on your pet's age, weight and activity levels, and pouring the correct amount into their bowl.
It may not look exciting to us, but it's an easy way to make sure your animal gets the food they need - no frequent shopping for fresh ingredients, supplements or extra cooking required.
The AVA advises against devising a pet food diet on your own, without expert support.
"If feeding home-prepared diets, then careful sourcing of human-grade ingredients is required and diet formulation should be under veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist supervision to ensure it is nutritionally adequate and safe for the individual animal," they shared in a statement.
Dr Li echoes this.
"We always encourage a consultation with a specialist in the nutrition field as they will be able to help formulate a proper diet for you according to your pet," she says.
"We all want our pets to live as long as possible and nutrition is a really big part of that.
"Just giving them meat and rice isn't enough and I can't stress that point enough. That will only give them a partial amount of protein, a partial amount of carbs, the list goes on - there will be a whole lot of essential things missing and it won't be tailored to your animal's individual needs."
When you go for a dietary consult, Dr Li says you can expect your vet nutritionist to ask about your animal's breed, sex and whether they're desexed, age, weight (and whether your goal is maintaining it, increasing or decreasing it), activity levels and whether they have any underlying diseases.
But Dr Li adds your vet nutritionist might not recommend homemade food for your animal, period.
"For animals with underlying renal and other health concerns such as cardiac issues or old age, we often advise against using homemade diets," she explains.
"In these cases, it's best to stick to prescription diets that are specifically made for their needs."
This article contains general information only. You should consider obtaining independent professional advice in relation to your particular circumstances.