As home cooking for pets is increasing in popularity, we would like to share with you some basic information, tips, and a few recipes from our own pets’ diet.

Why Home Cooking

For many years pet owners have been advised that eating human food will upset a dog or cat’s stomach and that commercial foods are the surest way to a balanced diet. In recent years it has come to light through many books, publications, and epidemic poisoning cause by dog and cat food that commercial pets foods are actually terrible for the health of your pet. A few of the reasons are that these products are manufactured with ingredients that were deemed unfit for human consumption or cheap products such as cornmeal to which dogs and cats are actually allergic. Then the manufacturers add food coloring, salt, and unsafe chemicals to make the food look healthy and tasty. Dr. Martin Goldstein DVM even states in his book The Nature of Animal Healing that euthanized pets (collars, tags and all) and road-killed animals are sold to rendering plants as meat for pet foods.

Avoiding unnecessary ingestion of chemicals will reduce your pet’s risk of cancer, kidney disease and many other illnesses. When you say goodbye to commercial pet foods, you will at the same time say goodbye to doggy and kitty diarrhea. We also find that odor of dog poo is less offensive when our dogs eat fresh foods.

Weight Management

We have found from experience that pets can eat more fresh food without danger of unhealthy weight gain. Commercial pet foods are greasy and it is difficult for a dog to lose weight even on low calorie dog food such as Iams Weight Management. Our dogs Ludwig and Wolfgang enjoy 2 to 3 large meals a day and frequent snacks. They easily maintain a healthy weight without feeling deprived.

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Tips for managing your pet’s meals

1. Look up a list of foods that are harmful to cats and dogs. (More detailed information available on the ASPCA Website.)
2. You might consult your veterinarian on occasionally supplementing your home cooked diet with vitamins.
3. If you are very busy, supplement with a dog food made from human grade ingredients (we sometimes use Blue Buffalo). There are several brands available nowadays. Read the list of ingredients to check for harmful ingredients.
4. Cook large batches to refrigerate or freeze for later.
5. Buy plain puffed cereal with no additive vitamins or preservatives (rice or wheat—no corn please) and keep a large bowl filled for your pets to nibble during the day. Being able to eat at will keeps them from being fanatical about food. Your dog may scarf several bowls to begin with but he or she will eventually develop a casual attitude about it. These cereals are perfect because they will not rot and can sit out quite long without getting stale. It is plain enough to not encourage pigging out in most cases. We recommend Nature’s Path Organic Rice Puffs or Pure and Simple brand rice and wheat puffs.
6. Some eggs should be included in your pet’s diet. Eggs are the most “complete” food in that it is the only food that singularly contains the nine essential amino acids. These amino acids needed to form proteins are not produced by the body and must be consumed in the diet.
7. Puree green peas in the food processor and pop blueberries before serving to dogs or you will see them again and your pet will miss out on all those precious vitamins. Carrots must also be cooked or they will pass through the dog, but we also use hard raw carrots to clean their teeth.

So here we have compiled a basic list of common foods that are toxic to house pets. Some of these foods may jsut make them ill while others are very poisonous and are downright fatal. Please note that this is not a complete list but just some of the more common items; just because something is not on this list does not mean it is not dangerous to your pet. We recommend visiting the ASPCA Poison Control Center and veterinary websites for more information. We have found that different sites offer different information, and below are the most common items found.

Tip: While many foods are not dangerous, it is a good idea to avoid feeding large amounts of any one food item.

Toxic Fruits and Vegetables

• Stems, leaves and seeds of apples, pears, cherries, peaches, apricots and other fruits (contain cyanide)
• Peels, fruit and seeds of citrus fruits
• Grapes and raisins (cause kidney failure)
• Garlic, Onion & Chives (cause anemia)
• Broccoli
• Tomato stems and leaves
• Pits of peaches and plums
• Mushrooms
• Avocado
• Persimmons

Other Toxic Foods & Beverages

• Salt
• Macadamia nuts
• Cashews
• Yeast
• Chocolate
• Candies, Sweets/Sugary foods
• Nutmeg
• Tea & Coffee
• Alcoholic Beverages

Non-Food Items
Of course, your pet should not be ingesting any non-food items at all, but especially watch out for the following and keep them away from your pets at all times if possible:

• Batteries
• Cleaning agents – detergents, febreze, etc.
• Plants
• Insects
• Vitamins, Supplements and Medication
• Pesticides, Inesecticides & Rodenticides

Use common sense. If you think there is any chance that something may not be good for your pet, keep it out of reach as it is better to be safe than sorry. If you are unsure about anything, ask your veterinarian.

• Frozen peeled bananas
• Refrigerated sliced apples with cores and seeds removed
• Hard boiled eggs (chilled)
• String cheese – Skim milk mozzarella
• Cold salad with a tiny drizzle of oil (keep to the basics – lettuce, tomato, cabbage – no onions)
• Peanut butter sandwich
• Jello— Not the colorful sugary kind, make your own with natural flavoring and Knox gelatin

Tip: Cook your dog’s meals at night—so you don’t heat up your house during the hottest hours—and refrigerate so your dog can have cold food the next day.