Just what is safe to feed your beloved pets?

At first, the pet food recall by Menu Foods of Canada focused solely on wet food as over 90 brands of "cuts and gravy" style dog and cat food was targeted, products carrying names of major brand-name and private-label products sold throughout Canada and the United States. Now with the revelation that the recalled pet foods contained melamine, a chemical used to make plastics and fertilizer and that the melamine-contaminated wheat gluten was shipped to a yet unnamed company that manufactures dry pet food, many owners becoming even more desperate in trying to insure their pet's health. Many owners are turning to natural and organic pet foods while others are making their own pet foods.

Veterinarians generally warn that table foods will not provide the nutrients needed by dogs and cats.

Cats should not be fed onions. Dogs can eat whatever vegetable they want although vets warn against tomato sauce due to the high acidic content, but cats should not have any starchy vegetables such as peas and corn. Some dogs and cats will even eat fruits. Grains such as Kibble, wheat germ, cooked oatmeal or whole wheat bread should be added to meat dinners for pets. For dogs use 75% carbohydrate foods (grains and vegetables) to 25% meat; for cats use half carbohydrate foods to half meat.

All pet foods should be served at room temperature, not cold from the refrigerator or nor hot from the stove. Cats need to be fed three times a day while an adult dog needs only one meal a day.

Here are several recipes for pet food.

SAUTEED LIVER

Heat 1 teaspoon corn oil in a pan.
Add 1/4 pound beef liver and fry on both sides until cooked but not dry inside.
Add 1/2 cup water to the pan and mix it up with all the brown bits.
For dogs, cut the liver into pieces and serve; for cats, grind the liver in a blender, using the pan juices.

VEAL STEW

Combine 1/2 pound stewing veal, 1 cup water, 1 chicken bouillon cube, 1/2 onion (chopped), parsley and a dash of garlic powder in a pot and simmer. When meat is tender, remove all the bones.

For dogs, cut the meat in chunks, and mix stew with kibble or some other grain; for cats, grind the stew in blender, adding a tablespoon of wheat germ or 1/2 slice of whole wheat bread.

CHICKEN SOUP

Combine 1 chicken liver, 1 giblet, 1 chicken heart, 1 chicken neck, 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley. Cover and simmer until the giblet is tender. Chop all the meat for dogs removing bones and mix with kibble; for cats, you may want to grind the meat in the blender.

LIVER COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine 1/2 cup dry milk and 1/2 cup wheat germ; drizzle 1 teaspoon honey on top. Add one 3 1/3 oz. jar of strained liver baby food or homemade blended liver and stir until everything is well mixed. Form the mixture into balls; place them on an oiled cookie sheet and flatten them with a fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Consistency should be fudgy. Store in a jar in the fridge; freeze if keeping more than a few days.

MACKEREL DINNER

Heat 1 tsp. corn oil in a skillet and fry 1 small mackerel until it flakes apart easily. Remove and cool. Pour 1/2 cup hot water into the pan and scrape the brown bits into it. Remove the bones from the fish and mix with the juice. For dogs, serve in pieces with kibble; for cats, grind with the pan juices.

BEEF COOKIES

Following the recipe for Liver Cookies, using cooked beef puree instead.

FISH COOKIES

Follow the recipe for Liver Cookies but use instead 3 1/2 ounces of mashed and boned mackerel, either canned or freshly cooked.

DOG MORSELS

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups white flour
1 cup skim milk powder
2 eggs
water
1/2 cup melted beef or pork drippings (or lard)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix ingredients together with enough water to make a stiff dough. Roll out and cut into Christmas shapes. Bake on cookie sheet until hard.

BUDGIE BROWNIES

1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. finely ground cuttlebone
1 cup hulled millet
2 tbsp. liquid honey
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp. raw wheat germ
4 egg yolks (for larger birds add 1/2 cup peanuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Pat into a greased and floured baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm (if edges start to get too brown, cover with foil). Cool and cut into small squares.

Other pet food recipes can be found at these websites.
http://www.doggieconnection.net/barf/
http://www.ability.org/pet_food_cooking_recipes.html
http://www.i-love-dogs.com/dog-food-recipes.html
http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/homemade_dog_food_recipes

For a list of retailers of organic and/or natural pet feeds, visit http://www.ecobusinesslinks.com/all_natural_pet_food.htm 3-30-07

© 2007 North Country Gazette