With all of the recent pet food scares, a lot of dog and cat owners have been gun shy about going back to their favorite (or, should I say, their pet's favorite!) brand. But have you ever thought about actually cooking for your dog?
By sheer coincidence, I was watching a Will & Grace episode last night where they got a dog and Will was actually cooking fancy dog food for the puppy. But a lot of people do it in the real world too, because pets are like a member of the family. There's even a beer for dogs!
You have to make sure you're using ingredients that are safe for dogs and that it actually fits into their diet. Here's a link to several recipes, including one for the Rrrruvery Rrrrisotto recipe mentioned in the article. It's probably good to check with your vet too.
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-01-2007 @ 4:12PM
Kent Mackey said...
I do....occasionaly. Shredded, boiled chicken and white rice is as fancy as it gets. Once when we ran out of food, and once when she had the runs.
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6-01-2007 @ 5:41PM
Nicole said...
Cook? My cats are 100% raw meat eating carnivores. You should see the younger one tear into some rabbit!
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6-01-2007 @ 6:28PM
slashfood.acc said...
No cooking "for" my dog, but he gets lots of bits of things as we're cooking for ourselves: lettuce, red peppers, chicken from the grill, etc. Every now and then, if he's really lucky, he'll get the one random leftover egg in a carton. So far the only thing he hated was lemons. Go figure!
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6-01-2007 @ 7:44PM
Steph said...
Thanks to cookbooks from Three Dog Bakery and Real Food for Dogs, my dogs are happy ones with many homemade meals and treats.
We did this before the pet food scare, but do it with more frequency now, and thank God we only feed them top quality food (Innova and Merrick) so were always safe. Raw food is great too!
I'm pretty sure my dogs eat better than I do, and I'm fine with that with all the joy and love they provide me, I'm all too happy to do what I can to keep them healthy!
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6-02-2007 @ 12:07AM
Crabby McSlacker said...
I'm too lazy to cook for myself most of the time, so would I cook for my cat? (Sorry, no dog).
Sigh. Yeah, probably. If I had to. Love that kitty.
Luckily her pricey prescription food wasn't affected by the pet food recall, so I'm safe, for now, anyway...
But sure, I'd cook for her.
(I have a grouchy health blog of my own that I'm tacky enough to mention when I comment on other blogs, my apologies for being obnoxious. If you're bored and surfing, I'm at http://crankyfitness.blogspot.com/)
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6-02-2007 @ 7:44AM
paul said...
I do make my dog one special treat: Ice Cream! It looks and taste pretty close to normal ice cream but I make it with soy milk and tofu so no raw eggs and no cow milk to give him the runs. I flavor it mostly with peanut butter but he also likes the strawberry protien powder.
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6-02-2007 @ 12:50PM
bonho said...
Since my puppy had a seizure, she has a very specific liver-cleansing diet recommended by a specialist. I cook up 1/3 white potatoes, 1/3 yams and 1/3 white fish (like cod, roughy, sole, or snapper). I add chopped parsley to cut puppy's stinky fish breath and throw in stuff like cottage cheese and different random veggies so she doesn't get bored.
I also make chewy yam treats by slicing the raw yams, microwaving them till they're soft, and then put 'em on a nonstick cookie sheet in a 200 degree oven till they feel mostly dry but still flexible (usually takes about an hour or two, depending on how many potatoes you're cooking).
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6-04-2007 @ 11:18AM
MikeB said...
Our dog has quite a few food allergies (beef, chicken, dairy, wheat, etc) so we make her a lot of treats. They mainly consist of baked potato chips for normal treats and a mashed potato mix for giving her pills. She is also our official vegetable and fruit garbage disposal unit. Baby carrots, cucumber, red pepper, and apple are regulars, but she goes crazy for pineapple and peach.
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6-06-2007 @ 1:53PM
wynk said...
I have an 80-lb. lab and a 200+ lb. English Mastiff. I'd be doing nothing but preparing dog food all day. On top of that, the mastiff has a super-sensitive stomach. It took us a long time to find a food he could digest properly that also allowed him to grow like he should. That means no beef, no lamb, and none of that all-vegetarian food. He even threw up chicken and rice.
They get Flint River Ranch for their daily meal, but I often give them people-food treats such as carrots, roasted chicken, and apples.
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6-14-2007 @ 8:06AM
Chuck Coxhead said...
I sure do. My Yorkie has an allergy and, of course, a food trial was recommended. We tried a few different dry foods. No luck. I did some research on pet food and I was disgusted by what I found. Then it occurred to me. The only way to determine what is in the food, is if I make it!
1 - 8-9lb Roasted Chicken
9 cups - Cooked Brown Rice
1 head - Cabbage
8-10 - Carrots
Grind the (picked) chicken, carrots, and cabbage in the food processor. Mix with the rice. Freeze it in 4 cup containers.
I serve 1/2 cup per 10lbs, twice-daily. I add 1 Tbsp Canola Oil, and 1 Tbsp Dried Nonfat Milk. They also get a multi-vitamin each day. Those are about the same price as treats and they love them.
Their weight is perfect and people routinely remark how great my 11yr old Scottie looks and acts. He's slowing down, but awesome for his age.
My dogs love it, my vet loves it, and I feel much better.
BTW. My Yorkie is allergic to clothes detergent and has seasonal allergies.
It occurred to me that I need a backup food in their regular diet in case life gets in the way. I now mix the food I make with some Merrick dry food. It's organic and I'm more confident in the ingredients than any of the typical brands.
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