Adding Home-Cooked Meals to Your Pet’s Diet

When considering home cooking for your pets, it is very important that you consult your pet’s veterinarian—just as you would consult your doctor before changing your own diet. Even though I have written this book with Dr. Kevin, we can’t stress enough that every dog and cat is different. Always err on the side of caution and safety.

Even after the pet food recall, I haven’t completely taken my pets off their regular kibble. Some commercially made foods are very good for pets, containing the correct amounts of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. I mix commercial kibble with homemade kibble and supplement with loaves, soups, stews, nd casseroles. Each pet also gets a multivitamin every day. If you are thinking of putting your pet on anentirely homemade diet, you must learn about a dog’s or cat’s specific nutritional and caloric needs and resting energy requirements (also known as RER). Please seek the help of a veterinary medical professional.

When making changes to your pet’s diet, you must do so gradually, allowing his digestive system time
to adjust. I suggest that you take about 2 weeks for the process so that your pet is less likely to have stomach upset or diarrhea.

• Days 1–4: Feed 75% of the old food and 25% of the new food.
• Days 5–8: Feed 50% each of old and new food.
• Days 9–12: Feed 25% of the old food and 75% of the new food.
• Day 13 and on: Feed all new food.

If your pet has allergies, it is especially important to check with your veterinarian before cooking for
your furry friend. Note that all the recipes in this book allow for substitutions. For example, if your dog is allergic to wheat, you can try rice flour instead.

Information for Dog Owners

How Much to Feed Your Dog

When explaining to your veterinarian that you would like to begin feeding some home-cooked meals,
make sure to discuss portion size. The serving sizes in this book are based on a medium-sized adult dog who weighs 25 to 35 pounds. Your vet will be able to help you determine the appropriate portion size for our pet, especially if your pet has weight issues or is very small or large. It is important to take into account your pet’s age, activity level, metabolism, and other health issues.

Although every dog’s needs are different, here are some general guidelines for how much to feed a
healthy adult dog. Remember, 1 cup = 8 ounces.

Feeding Chart for Dry Food (Kibble)
Weight of Dog      Amount Per Day
      0–5 lbs           Up to 3/4 cup
    5–10 lbs           3/4 cup–1 1/4 cups
  10–20 lbs           1 1/4 cups–2 cups
  20–40 lbs           2 cups–3 1/3 cups
  40–60 lbs           3 1/3 cups–4 2/3 cups
  60–80 lbs           4 2/3 cups–5 3/4 cups
80–100 lbs           5 3/4 cups–6 3/4 cups

Feeding Chart for Wet Food
(Loaves, Soups, Stews, and Casseroles)
Weight of Dog      Amount Per Day
      0–5 lbs          3/4 cup–1 1/3 cups
    5–14 lbs          1 1/3 cups–2 2/3 cups
  14–35 lbs          2 2/3 cups–5 1/3 cups
  35–50 lbs          4 cups
  50–75 lbs          7 cups
75–100 lbs          8 cups

Once you know that your pet can tolerate and do well on homemade foods, start weighing your pet. I
suggest keeping track for about 6 months. If he stays in the same healthy weight range, you know you’re doing a good job.

The Nutrients a Dog Needs
Nutrients are important to all living things, and dogs are no exception. Dogs are omnivores—they eat not nly meat, but also grains, grasses, and other foods. They will even scavenge if they have to.
Proteins provide nutrients to a dog’s organs, muscles, connective tissues, and bones. A diet lacking in
protein can affect your dog’s immune system. Proteins are comprised of twenty-three amino acids. The
ten amino acids that a dog’s body can’t manufacture, called essentials, must come from his daily diet.
When cooking for your dog, make sure to use a variety of proteins, such as lean beef, chicken, turkey,
lamb, duck, and even fish.

Carbohydrates provide energy and fiber. Some carbohydrates, like rice, are also good sources of protein. In your dog’s meals, use rice, pasta, oats (usually in the form of rolled oats), wheat berries, bulgur, barley, rye, or millet.

Just like children, most dogs need to acquire a taste for vegetables and fruits. I like to use canned
plain pumpkin because it offers many vitamins and fiber, is low in calories, and is naturally sweet. Other
vegetables to try include alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, corn, green beans, peas, yellow
squash, and zucchini.

The average dog should eat at least three 1⁄2 cup servings of vegetables and one 1⁄2 cup serving of fruit a day. To make sure that my dogs are getting theirs, I give them frozen vegetable/fruit purée. Here’s my basic recipe: Put the following ingredients in a blender or food processor: 4 ounces no-salt-added Italian plum tomatoes, drained; 1 cup cooked drained chopped spinach; 1⁄2 cup plain pumpkin; 1⁄2 cup cooked hopped green beans, drained; 1⁄2 cup unsweetened applesauce; 1⁄4 cup blueberries; 1⁄4 cup mashed bananas; and 1⁄2 cup baby carrots. Blend to a purée, pour into ice cube trays, and freeze. Once frozen about 24 hours), remove from the ice cube trays and store in zippered plastic bags for up to 3 months.

Healthy fats provide energy and vitamins. Fats can also affect whether your dog has a shiny coat.
They are important for the health of your dog’s eyes and brain, for blood clotting, and for reproduction.
Soluble fats provide a dog with vitamins A, D, E, and K. Fish oil is the best source of fat you can give your dog. Choose high-quality vegetable oil, safflower oil, corn oil, sesame oil (great flavor in small amounts), heat germ oil, sunflower oil, flaxseed oil (an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids), or olive oil. Even od liver oil a couple times a week is great for a dog’s coat. Note that cod liver oil, wheat germ oil, and flaxseed oil must be refrigerated, as they can turn rancid if not kept cold.

Vitamins and minerals are the building blocks of any healthy organism, your dog included.
• Vitamin A is used for fat absorption and is necessary for a healthy, shiny coat; normal growth rate;
good eyesight; and reproduction.
• Vitamin B protects the nervous system. It’s also necessary for a dog’s coat, skin, growth, and vision.
• Vitamin C is synthesized in a dog’s liver. It is added to foods because, although dogs can manufacture ome vitamin C in their bodies, they can’t manufacture their daily requirement.
• Vitamin D promotes healthy bones and teeth.
• Vitamin E helps with proper functioning of muscles and internal reproductive organs.
• Vitamin K helps with blood clotting.
• Calcium and phosphorus must be given in the correct ratio to protect bones.
• Copper helps with strong bones and prevents anemia.
• Iodine prevents goiter in dogs, the same way it does in people.
• Iron provides healthy blood and protects against fatigue and anemia.
• Magnesium helps protect against convulsions.

• Potassium helps with a healthy nervous system.
• Zinc helps with normal growth and healthy skin and coat.

Commercial pet food manufacturers add vitamins and minerals to dry and canned pet foods to
ensure a balanced diet. Although the meals in this book are healthy and well-balanced, make sure to add a vitamin/mineral supplement (choose one specially formulated for dogs, made of natural whole-food ingredients, and containing no preservatives or artificial ingredients) to make the meal nutritionally omplete. Your vet can help you determine the proper vitamins and minerals to give to your dog in supplement orm. Never add a supplement before or during the cooking process, or when food is still hot, as doing so will deteriorate its benefits.

Information for Cat Owners

How Much to Feed Your Cat
Although every cat’s needs are different, here are some general guidelines for how much to feed a healthy adult cat. If you have a kitten, a lactating queen, an overweight cat, or an older cat, her nutritional needs will be different; please consult your veterinarian. Remember, 1 cup = 8 ounces.

Feeding Chart for Dry Food (Kibble)
Weight of Cat       Amount Per Day
    0–5 lbs            Up to 1/2 cup
  5–10 lbs            1/2 cup–2/3 cup
10–15 lbs            2/3 cup–1 cup

Feeding Chart for Wet Food
(Loaves, Soups, Stews, and Casseroles)
Weight of Cat       Amount Per Day
    0–4 lbs            3 ounces–3 3/4 ounces
    5–8 lbs            5 1/4 ounces–7 1/2 ounces
  9–12 lbs            8 ounces–11 1/4 ounces
13–16 lbs            10 1/2 ounces–15 ounces
17–22 lbs            15 ounces–20 1/4 ounces

The Nutrients a Cat Needs
In nature, cats make their own choices when it comes to meeting their nutritional needs, but we must
make those choices for our domesticated cats. Cats are carnivores; those in the wild eat 90% protein and 10% carbohydrates and greens.

A cat’s dietary needs are very different from a dog’s, and a cat will not do well on a diet made for dogs.
Cats need wet food because 70% of their water intake comes from wet food. Cats also need more protein and fat than a dog might. Felines require certain vitamins, like retinol and niacin, and certain amino acids, such as taurine, daily. Taurine, found only in animal tissue, is essential for good eyesight.

Protein, which is made up of amino acid chains, is the backbone of all growth and tissue repair in a cat.
Cats need a high-protein diet, as protein is their primary source of energy. Protein is also used in the
processes of circulation and kidney function and to maintain the support structure of the cat’s body (tendons, bones, muscles, and ligaments). The best sources of digestible protein for cats are chicken, beef, fish, eggs, and dairy products like cottage cheese and yogurt.

Cats don’t have the same need for carbohydrates as dogs because they get a lot of the calories they
need from other sources. This doesn’t mean that you have to stop feeding carbohydrates; your cat just
may not need as many.

Since a cat’s diet consists mainly of protein, fat, and water, vegetables and fruits are not as necessary
as they are for dogs. However, they are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Fiber helps keep a cat regular and prevents hairballs, which, if not taken care of, can cause an intestinal blockage. Therefore, fruits and vegetables can be added to your cat’s daily diet and will only benefit your pet.

Fats are the most concentrated source of energy for your cat. Fat is an excellent source of linoleic and
arachidonic acids, which are essential for a healthy skin and coat. Fat also provides vitamins A, D, E, and K. Cats’ livers metabolize fat for energy. What fat the body doesn’t use is stored or released through urine. A cat with a fat deficiency will not grow well and will have dandruff and dry hair. She may become listless and can be more susceptible to disease or infection.

A cat’s vitamin and mineral needs, while basically the same as a dog’s, can be more challenging to meet. Here is a list of the vitamins and minerals that are essential to a cat’s good health:

• Vitamin A is used by the eyes, reproductive organs, and skin.
• Vitamin B: As there are several B vitamins, I have listed them separately. Vitamin B-12 and niacin
are used for the functions of enzymes in the body. Pantothenic acid is used to metabolize energy.
Riboflavin is used for the functions of enzymes in the body. Thiamine (vitamin B-1) is used for
energy and to metabolize carbohydrates.
• Vitamin D helps maintain mineral status, phosphorus balance, and skeletal structure.
• Vitamin E defends against oxidation damage.
• Vitamin K helps with blood clotting, bone protein, and other proteins.
• Folic acid is used to metabolize amino acids and helps synthesize protein.

• Calcium is used in the formation of bones and teeth, muscle contraction, transmission of nerve
impulses, and blood clotting.
• Chlorine helps with the acid/base balance in the body.
• Copper helps the body metabolize iron and form blood cells and connective tissues.
• Iodine aids in thyroid hormone utilization, growth and development, and metabolic rate regulation.
• Iron helps with metabolizing energy and utilizing hemoglobin and myaglobin.
• Magnesium assists with the structure of bones and teeth, is used in enzyme functions, and helps
with hormone secretion and function.
• Manganese acids in neurological and enzyme functions and the development of bones.
• Phosphorus assists with DNA and RNA structures, locomotion, and metabolism of energy and
balances the acid/base ratio.
• Potassium helps with transmitting nerve impulses and enzyme reactions.
• Selenium helps the body’s immune response and defends against oxidation.
• Sodium helps balance the acid/base ratio and helps with the generation and transmission of
nerve impulses.
• Zinc promotes healthy skin, healing of wounds, and utilization of proteins and carbohydrates.

Commercial pet food manufacturers add vitamins and minerals to dry and canned foods to ensure
a balanced diet. Although the meals in this book are healthy and well-balanced, make sure to add a
vitamin/mineral supplement (choose one specially formulated for cats, made of natural whole-food
ingredients, and containing no preservatives or artificial ingredients) to make the meal nutritionally
complete. Your vet can help you determine the proper vitamins and minerals to give to your cat in supplement form. Never add a supplement before or during the cooking process, or when food is still hot.