Home Cooking for your Dog

In recent years, a trend has been happening across the scope of pet parents and that is making your fur baby’s food from scratch. Some of this has been brought on by pet food recalls, while others choose to make their own pet food as a healthy alternative that goes hand in hand with their own healthy lifestyle, which includes home cooking. If you are thinking about cooking up some snacks for your dog, take these factors into consideration.

Choose Healthy Ingredients

Just as with a human diet, junk in means junk out. This is so true when it comes to cooking up a treat for your dog. While dogs need protein, they also need the benefit that comes from fruits and vegetables but………pick these wisely. Not all fruits and vegetables are safe for your dog to eat. Ones to avoid include garlic, onion, and raisins. While those listed on the no-no list are healthy, the ones that are healthy and safe for your dog include unsweetened applesauce, pears, broccoli, carrots, summer squash, dandelion greens, celery, strawberries, and even blueberries.

Choose Pans Wisely

Whether you are looking for a container to store your dog’s treats in or a cute mold, avoid any type of container that is made of hardened plastic or BPA. This substance is known to be a cancer causing agent.

Cook until the Ingredients are Done

While you may on occasion thrown your dog a little piece of raw meat as a treat, when it comes to baking snacks and/or food for your dog it is very important that the raw products are done. This will not only aid in the long term storage of your baked goods but also will prevent you dog from getting food poisoning. To completely be safe, make sure that all home cooked treats reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit or well done.

Count Calories

Just as humans, snacks count toward your daily intake total. While there are sites that can help you determine the nutritional value of your recipe, it is better to find reputable sources for recipes that already have the calories calculated for you.

On the same line of thought, also consider the ingredients when your fur baby is on a special diet. If in doubt, either ask your veterinarian or just leave the questionable ingredient out.

While we all love our fur babies and want the very best for them, sometimes we just have the desire to cook something up for them to show our love. Yes, this is a wonderful gesture but just keep in mind that you also want it to be safe.