Make Your Own Pet Food

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Over the last few years it seems that more and more Americans consider their pets an equal family member, either replacing grown children or taking the place of children altogether as greater numbers of people decide to delay or forgo parenthood. �I know many people who consider their beloved pet their baby.

When something happens to compromise the health and safety of a family member, people take it very seriously. �In the wake of the recent canned pet food scare, many pet owners are turning to a new alternative – to make pet food from scratch. �After all, pets are a valued part of the family too, so why shouldn’t they eat homemade, carefully prepared food like their humans?

I remember visiting my grandmother at her farm when I was little where she bred and raised German Shepherds. �She was not much of a cook, but I do remember that she always had a pot of some sort of (disgusting) chicken liver and gizzard stew simmering on the back of the stove that she would pour over the kibble for her dogs. �I also remember that my mother thought this was a very strange practice. �However, many years later, when my mom adopted a rescue dog that she considered her “baby,” she began to lovingly make her meals from time to time…and not just scraps. �She would make her lamb stew or lightly cooked chicken.

A couple of months ago, I might have thought that the concept of making homemade food for a dog was crazy too. �But then we adopted a goldendoodle and now the concept doesn’t seem so strange. �As a new pet owner, I am here to tell you from the other side that all the outlandish sounding things people will do for their pets become entirely normal once you realize all the love and devotion they give you. �

Sadly, the canned pet food scare has brought the concept of making your own pet food to the forefront of the news. The Internet is teeming with recipes and suggestions on how to make your own pet food. �There are a plethora of recipes being traded online; a whole new community has sprung up in a matter of weeks. �I just recently found out that the Three Dog Bakery published a cookbook. �What used to be the province of those who put their pets on special raw food diets or whose pets have allergies has now come much more into the mainstream.

In fact there are many recipes available right here on CDKitchen, including a category on homemade dog food and treats recipes. �Now that I have a puppy, I have the perfect four-legged friend on whom to test some of them. �But for these recipes I would not recommend too much experimentation. �In fact, feeding your pet a homemade diet (or homemade foods even from time to time) involves a lot of vigilance and commitment to giving your pet exactly what he or she needs.

Talk with your veterinarian first before you begin the project of making food for your pet. �It’s always important to check and make sure that you are meeting your pet’s nutritional requirements and to find out proper portions sizes to meet caloric requirements since they don’t always know when to put the breaks on eating.

Creating a homemade diet for a pet is not the same as feeding him people food, in which you put your pet at risk of weight gain or eating things that are poisonous or harmful to them (such as onions, raisins or cooked bones). �What you make will depend upon if you have a finicky pet or if she will eat anything she can get her paws on, like mine.

So now, I don’t think my mom or my grandmother before her had such a wacky idea. �Your pet will appreciate the smells and taste of slow coking as much as you do. �And just in case you might think I’ve gone off the deep end, in next week’s article, I promise to return to human food again!

Serves/Makes: 1 batch

• beef marrow bones (or chicken or turkey parts)
• 3 potatoes (more if desired)
• OR
• 2 cups rice or barley (pre- cooked, more if desired)
• 4 (or more each) vegetables, from the following list:
• carrots
• kale
• beets
• green beans
• zucchini
• yellow squash
• broccoli
• parsley
• 2 cloves garlic, optional**
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (more if desired)
• water