Do you cook for your pets?s

A lot of people cook for different people, reasons, occasions, etc. However do you cook for your dog, cat or other pet?

All the time. I make them eggs, sunny side up, several days a week because they love them. Several years ago my boxer had half her teeth removed, so I came up with a nutritional muffin recipe that was soft enough for her while her mouth healed.

I probably would, but my cat is both a picky eater and has major digestive problems (malabsorption). Thankfully, he likes the fancy prescription food the vet suggested.

That said, the only people food he really likes is chicken. He'd eat that all day if I let him, but we suspect he is allergic to it. Of course, that doesn't stop him from begging for bites whenever I cook it for myself.

Stephanie Alexander has a recipe in The Cook's Companion for a chicken and rice dog food, very useful if the dog has a tummy upset and a damn sight cheaper than the prescription stuff the vet will want to sell you. We get our dogs from a breeder who disdains commercial dog foods and supplies a recipe for what is no doubt lovely tasty nourishing stew, but we feed commercial dry food supplemented by bones and healthy table scraps.

The cats get dry food exclusively - they are not given the opportunity to be picky.

My cat is picky about people food, not cat food! But if it's cheap cat food, especially with certain food dyes, he gets really, really ill. Even some of the prescription foods he can't tolerate. He'll eat it -- then upchuck it all over the house. I went crazy for years trying to find something that could keep him healthy (at both ends) finally found the fancy vet stuff. It would be easier to cook for him if he'd eat it!

I made my dog some biscuits just the other day! They were peanut butter, banana and parsley (supposed to help with breath and digestive health). I used oat flour because regular flour is obviously not good for dogs; but I have used rice flour before, I think. They also had rolled oats in them. My boyfriend ate one too, but I don't think he found them very appetizing. ;) My dog definitely loved them though. He's half Aussie-shepherd and half Aussie cattle dog (blue heeler) so he gets very energetic and they were perfect for him to do some tricks and get rid of that energy.

>6 SweetbriarPoet: We have the same kind of dog as you, and she definitely gets energetic!

7...aren't they sooo pretty though?!? He's the love of my life (along with my 2 cats) and soo smart. Doesn't like children though.

Ours likes children too much. She wants to hug them. And herd them. But she is gorgeous.

My cat is on special buy-from-vet-only :( food for kidney disease (low protein among other things), but at Christmas I made Pumpkin Dog Biscuits for friends' dogs . . . I think I started with a recipe at Cesar's Way (the dog whisperer guy) but made it gluten-free . . . No complaints from either the dogs or their human companions :)

http://www.cesarsway.com/dog-care/dog-nutrition/Recipe-Ideas-for-Quick-and-Healt...

>10 LucindaLibri: May I offer sympathy on your cat's condition? We have an elderly kitty with about the same problem. Two years ago, when he was 15, the vet gave him 3 months to live. He's still alive, still somewhat tatty.

I find myself cooking for my dogs more because of their allergies. One is allergic to beef, the other is allergic to wheat and corn, so I make them cookies at home with rye flour and vegetable protein.

>11 hfglen: hfglen
Thanks . . . I thought I was losing her around Christmas, but then she rallied. Has become even more clingy and in need of attention than she was before and often doesn't seem to want to eat, but sometimes is peppy-er than she's been in years . . . especially when I bring out the "cat-fishing" pole. My big concern is I need to do some traveling this summer and I'm not sure I'll be able to find a cat-sitter who is willing to feed her the special watered-down-food-mush 3-4 times a day :) Parenthood, it's such a challenge!

I had something instructive to post but then I noticed the for in the thread title. :(