Cooked Dog Food Singapore: Pet Parent's Full Guide
Your dog turns away from the kibble bowl. Again. You tip the same brown pellets into the same ceramic bowl, and Bruno gives you that polite, faintly disappointed look that every Singapore pawrent knows. You start Googling at 11pm: is there something better than kibble that isn't raw meat on the kitchen counter?
That's usually the moment cooked dog food enters the chat.
The category has grown fast in Singapore over the last three years, and the terms get muddled: gently cooked, lightly cooked, sous vide, fresh, human-grade. This guide is the long version, written for SG pawrents who want to actually understand what they're feeding (and paying for) before they switch Bruno over.
What 'cooked dog food' actually means
Cooked dog food is a complete, balanced diet made from fresh whole ingredients (meat, organs, vegetables, supplements) that's gently cooked, then chilled or frozen for storage. It sits between raw food and kibble:
- Raw food is uncooked meat and bone, often frozen. Highest nutrient retention, but carries pathogen risk in our humid climate.
- Kibble is extruded at roughly 200°C, which makes it shelf-stable but destroys heat-sensitive vitamins and amino acids. Manufacturers add synthetic versions back in.
- Cooked fresh food is cooked low and slow, usually between 75°C and 90°C, enough to neutralise salmonella, listeria, and E. coli without nuking the nutrients.
If you want the deeper science on the method itself, we wrote a standalone explainer on sous vide pet food.
Why Singapore pawrents are switching
A few things converged here. SG dogs live in HDB flats with limited exercise, eat in tropical humidity, and visit vets who are increasingly comfortable recommending fresh diets for skin, gut, and weight issues. Kibble does the job. It just isn't always the best job.
Common reasons we hear from new customers:
✅ Picky eater finally finishes meals (Sarah L., pawrent to Milo the Beagle: "First bowl of Bon Pet chicken and he actually finished it. 3 weeks in, his coat is glossier and his poops are textbook.")
✅ Dull coat, flaky skin, or itchy paws improve within 4-6 weeks
✅ Smaller, firmer stools (less filler in, less filler out)
✅ More predictable energy through the day
✅ Easier to manage food sensitivities with single-protein recipes
None of this is magic. It's just real food, cooked properly, fed in the right amounts.
The AAFCO question, and why it matters here
This is where a lot of "home-cooked dog food" content on the SG internet falls apart. Cooking chicken and rice for your dog is easy. Cooking a recipe that's nutritionally complete across protein, fat, calcium-phosphorus ratio, taurine, zinc, vitamin E, and a dozen other nutrients is not.
AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) sets the nutrient profiles that define "complete and balanced" pet food. There are two tiers most pet parents care about:
- AAFCO Adult Maintenance : meets needs for adult dogs only
- AAFCO All Life Stages : meets needs for puppies, adults, and seniors, including pregnant and lactating dogs (the strictest profile)
For a deeper read, our AAFCO approved dog food in Singapore post unpacks what the certification actually means in practice (and what it doesn't).
Gently cooked vs traditional kibble
The core difference is heat. Sous vide at 80°C vs extrusion at 200°C is a 120-degree gap, and that gap is where most of the nutrient damage in kibble happens.
At 200°C and above:
- Taurine (critical for cats, important for dogs) degrades fast
- Heat-sensitive vitamins (B1, B6, C, folate) are largely destroyed
- Amino acids deform via the Maillard reaction (the browning that makes kibble smell roasted)
- Fats oxidise, which is why kibble needs preservatives
We broke this down with side-by-side comparisons in gently cooked vs traditional dog food if you want the deep dive.
What goes into a Bon Pet dog recipe
Our dog formulas run on a 70/25/5 split:
- 70% protein : single source per recipe (chicken, beef, kangaroo, fish, or pork)
- 25% vegetables and fruit : pumpkin, sweet potato, beetroot, carrot, spinach, blueberries depending on recipe
- 5% supplements : fish oil, calcium carbonate, taurine, kelp, vitamin E, zinc, and a few others to hit AAFCO All Life Stages
If you want to read the actual ingredient ratios for each recipe, they're public on the formulas page. We're the only SG brand we know of that publishes them this openly. As one customer put it:
> "I actually read through their recipe sheet before ordering. Every gram, every supplement, every ratio, out in the open. Nobody else in SG does this." : Marcus T., dad to Bruno
How much cooked food should you feed?
This is the question that fills our WhatsApp inbox.
The rough rule for adult dogs is 2-3% of body weight per day, split across two meals. Puppies and very active dogs eat more (3-5%), seniors and couch dogs eat less (1.5-2%). So a 10kg adult dog at maintenance eats roughly 200-300g of cooked food per day.
Our packs are 300g, which makes the maths convenient. A 10kg Shih Tzu eats one pack a day; a 5kg Pomeranian eats half a pack. For exact numbers based on your dog's weight, age, and activity, use our feeding calculator.
Three real-world adjustments SG pawrents should know:
1. Air-conditioned indoor dogs burn less. If Bruno spends 90% of his life in 24°C aircon and walks twice a day around the void deck, he's not at "active" calorie needs.
2. Treats count. Half a slice of cheese or a dental chew is 50-80 calories. That adds up.
3. Body condition score beats the scale. You should be able to feel ribs under a thin fat layer without pressing hard, and see a waist tuck from above. Adjust portions every 2-3 weeks based on what you see.
Transitioning from kibble to cooked food
Don't switch cold turkey. Dogs have a microbiome calibrated to whatever they've been eating, and a sudden swap usually causes loose stools for a few days.
Use a 3-5 day transition:
- Days 1-2: 25% Bon Pet, 75% old food
- Days 3-4: 50% / 50%
- Day 5 onwards: 100% Bon Pet
Storage in Singapore's humidity
This is where SG climate actually matters. Cooked dog food has none of the preservatives that let kibble sit in a bag for 18 months. Treat it like the fresh food it is.
- Frozen (unopened): up to 1 year from manufacture date. Every pack has a "Best Before" printed.
- Thawed in fridge (sealed): 2-3 days, max.
- Never refreeze once thawed. Cooked proteins lose texture and the bacterial risk profile changes.
- Don't reheat in microwave or pan. Heat above pasteurisation temperature destroys the nutrients we cooked carefully to preserve. Serve at room temperature: take the pack out 20-30 minutes before mealtime, or thaw in the fridge overnight.
What it actually costs
Let's be straight: cooked fresh food costs more than kibble per gram. A 10kg dog on Bon Pet chicken (the most affordable protein) eats about $9 of food per day. A premium kibble of the same weight might run $3-4 per day.
What changes the value equation for most SG pawrents:
- Fewer vet visits for skin, gut, or weight issues (one customer's vet asked for the link after a yearly checkup showed coat shine, weight, and energy all up)
- Less food waste because dogs actually eat what's in the bowl
- Smaller stools means less litter, less mess, less landfill
- No paying for synthetic vitamins to replace the ones that got destroyed in extrusion
How to try cooked dog food without committing
The biggest mistake new customers make is buying 30 packs of one protein and finding out their dog doesn't love it. Start with a trial.
Our dog trial pack gives you all 5 proteins (chicken, beef, kangaroo, fish, pork) in 300g portions, so you can see which one Bruno actually finishes first. Intro savings apply at checkout. Delivery is free above $100, $4 between $80-99.99, $9 below that, all by Ninja Van cold chain.
If you'd rather browse single proteins first, all the dog recipes are listed by protein with full ingredient and macro breakdowns.
A short note on raw food
Raw food has real benefits and a real fanbase in SG. We're not anti-raw. But pathogen risk in our tropical humidity is non-trivial, and not every household setup (kids, immunocompromised humans, shared kitchen surfaces) is suited to handling raw meat daily. Cooked fresh sits in the middle: most of the nutrient density of raw, none of the pathogen risk. For the longer comparison, read raw vs cooked vs kibble.
The short version
Cooked dog food in Singapore is fresh meat and veg, cooked gently enough to keep the nutrients intact and hot enough to kill the pathogens. A good one is AAFCO complete, formulated by people with credentials, and transparent about what's in the recipe. Fed at 2-3% of body weight, stored frozen, transitioned over 3-5 days, served at room temperature.
That's the whole category, demystified.
❤️ The Bon Pet team
Frequently asked questions
Is cooked dog food better than kibble?
For most dogs, yes, nutritionally. Cooked at 80°C retains heat-sensitive vitamins, amino acids, and taurine that kibble (extruded at ~200°C) destroys and replaces with synthetic versions. Kibble is convenient and shelf-stable; cooked fresh is more nutrient-dense and palatable.
How much cooked food should I feed my dog daily?
Roughly 2-3% of body weight per day for adult dogs, split across two meals. A 10kg adult dog eats 200-300g daily. Puppies and active dogs need 3-5%; seniors and indoor dogs need 1.5-2%. Adjust based on body condition score every 2-3 weeks.
Can I store cooked dog food in the freezer?
Yes. Sealed cooked dog food keeps frozen for up to 1 year from manufacture date. Once thawed in the fridge, use within 2-3 days and never refreeze. Each Bon Pet pack has a printed Best Before date.
Can I reheat cooked dog food?
No. Reheating destroys heat-sensitive nutrients (taurine, B vitamins) that gentle cooking preserves. Serve at room temperature by taking the pack out 20-30 minutes before mealtime, or thaw overnight in the fridge.
Is cooked dog food AAFCO approved in Singapore?
It depends on the brand. AAFCO sets the nutrient standards; reputable cooked dog food brands formulate to AAFCO All Life Stages or Adult Maintenance. Every Bon Pet recipe meets AAFCO All Life Stages, formulated by PhD nutritionists, with full nutrient breakdowns published openly.
