Would your dog or cat benefit from a healthier diet more like your own? The pet owners profiled in a recent New York Times’ story on home cooking for pets say yes, illustrating a growing trend that, like anything else, has its pros and cons. Here’s what you should know.
It’s a business with a conscience. Barbara Laino feeds her pets a diet comparable to her own, full of unprocessed, organic meats and produce. She’s one of many people behind the growing number of workshops and classes designed to teach people how to cook unprocessed organic food for their pets.
If you’re already buying organic pet food (the article reports sales have grown tenfold since 2002), the DIY method Laino advocates may interest you, especially once you learn a 3-week batch costs about the same as commercial food. Check out one of Laino’s standard recipes here.
Home cooking could mean better health for your pet, but the bottom line is that if you don’t get it right, it’s really not worth it at all. Pets who don’t receive the right balance of nutrients can acquire serious health problems, and suffer the same conditions their human caretakers would if malnourished (read: anemia and calcium-related bone disorders).
To hear about other pet chefs and what experts are saying about homemade pet food, read: A Sniff of Home Cooking for Dogs and Cats.
Source: Reader’s Digest
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