Julia Chiles - The Pawsitively Wonderful Pet Recipes: An Illustrated Cookbook of Dog Cat Meal Treat Ideas!

Are all DIY pet food recipes good for ALL pets?

• These are not one-size-fits-all recipes. Take your pets aversions or allergies to some ingredients into account when you make his food at home.

Are high calorie homemade foods and treats suitable for ALL pets?

• Some older or more sedentary pets dont need as many calories as puppies, kittens or more active pets. Be sure not to cause your pet to become overweight by feeding him too many calories. Consult your veterinarian with ANY questions about making pet food at home.

All pets have six nutrients they need for maintaining a balanced, healthy diet. They are water, vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates and fat.

• Listed by their importance, heres what your pet food should contain, not including water:
• Protein from meat or fish This helps your pet to maintain healthy organs and grow properly.
• Fat from meats and oils It aids in the absorption of vitamins and helps hair and skin.
• Carbs from vegetables and rice This keeps your pets intestines and organs healthy.
• Vitamins minerals These help your pet to maintain teeth and bones that are structurally sound.

Be sure your pet has access to clean water at all times, not just in hot weather. Water makes up about 60 to 70% of your pets weight. Staying well-hydrated is vital. Together with healthy foods and treats, water helps your pets stay healthy.

Including supplements in your DIY pet food

Some supplements will be helpful to include in your DIY natural pet foods. Here are some that you should consider including in your pets dinner recipes.

Healthy Oils

Most DIY pet meals need you to include oil, to add calories and fat where needed, and to supply specific ingredients. Check the type of oils you use, since each one supplies your pet with different, important nutrients.

• Oils from Plants

If some of your pet recipes dont include much fat from poultry, most often found in skin and dark meat, the levels of omega-6 fatty acid could be lacking. You can supplement these meals with safflower, soybean, corn, hemp seed or walnut oils.

To include these oils, add 1 tsp. oil for each pound of meat or other animal products. If you use sunflower or canola oil, use 2 tsp. Olive oil may be healthy, but it is low in omega-6 acid, so it is not a suitable substitute. Olive oil will add fat to a recipe, though, if you need it. You can add coconut oil to provide saturated fat, but it doesnt replace the other plant oils.

• Cod Liver Oil

This type of oil offers vitamins D and A, in addition to DHA and EPA. If you dont use a lot of fish in your recipes, add cod liver oil sufficient to provide 400 IU daily per 100 pounds and less if youre feeding smaller dogs. You can combine cod liver oil with most other types of fish oils if you desire.

• Fish Oil

Supplementing your pets diet with fish oil, which includes EPA and DHA (see below), helps in the reduction of inflammation and in regulating the immune system. The typical amount given to pets includes 300 mg or so of DHA and EPA combined, for every 20-30 lbs. of your pets body weight. This is only necessary on days youre not feeding fish. Use this guideline for amounts instead of the one listed on fish oil liquid supplements, as those are higher, and may provide too many fat calories for your pet (unless he needs to put on some extra weight).

DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) is helpful in fighting inflammation, and it reduces your pets chances of developing heart disease. It also supports healthy circulation in your pet.

EPA (Eicosatetraenoic Acid) fights high levels of triglycerides in the blood and helps your pet to maintain healthy, normal blood pressure.

• Calcium

If you dont feed your dog raw meaty bones (also called RMBs), you should supplement your homemade dog recipes using calcium. Cat recipes will almost always need calcium supplementation. It is found in mineral supplements and multi-vitamins, but not in high enough amounts.

Supplement your dog or cat with 800 1,000mg of calcium for each pound of pet food youre feeding. Plain calcium can be used, like powdered eggshells or prepared calcium products for pets.

• Vitamin supplements needed for DIY pet foods

Some homemade pet food recipes are lacking in various vitamins minerals, especially if they do not include vegetables or organ meats. If your pets diet is limited, supplements are more important. Even diets that vary highly may be light in some areas of need.

• Iodine

Too little or too much iodine may suppress the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Its difficult to determine the exact amount in recipes. A typical 50-lb. dog requires 300mcg (micrograms) per day of iodine. Consult your veterinarian about your cats iodine requirements. Kelp is a good source of iodine, but the amount included varies quite a bit among different supplements.

• Vitamin E

Most homemade pet foods are low in vitamin E. Supplementing with oil makes your pets need for vitamin E even higher. You dont want to give too much, either. The best dose is 1-2 IU (international units) daily per 1 lb. of body weight.

• Mineral Supplements and Multi-vitamins

Multivitamins mineral supplements are helpful to fill the gaps, so your DIY pet foods meet most of your pets needs. You dont want to over-supplement, either. Consult your veterinarian for resources that tell you what types of foods require supplementation. Your vet will be able to give you the most valuable information.

Ill start out with DIY dog food and dog treats and then head into DIY cat food and cat treats closer to the end of this cookbook