This or That? Or Somewhere in Between? Home Cooking for Canines

WRITTEN BY JEANNE TAYLOR Contributing Writer

Any diligent pet guardian knows the challenges associated with diet and nutrition. We are routinely bombarded with commercials, marketing, and hard-sells (i.e., “prescription” food that doesn’t contain ingredients requiring a prescription!) – it can be overwhelming. The bottom line is we want what’s best for our pets and that which we can comfortably afford. Unfortunately for some, those two factors are not necessarily the same.

Several years ago, I undertook some research for my local humane society to force the realization that sub-par food and treats have long-lasting negative impacts. In doing so, I began to really read labels and admit that I, like many others, had been conned by slick packaging and ad wording on a particular brand that, when I really read the ingredients, found I had been feeding my sweet dogs kibble laden with tumor-genic and cancer-causing preservatives – A PREMIUM BRAND! I immediately changed their food and that deep dive down a rabbit hole kicked off a desire to purposefully pursue better and not believe everything I read.

Like all of you, I’m sure, I want to keep my dogs healthy so they will be with me for many years to come and have a great quality of life for as long as they can! They are exercised daily, receive excellent vet care, have high-quality food, and a large part of their treat diet is either humangrade or otherwise stated as natural or organic. But guess what else I have learned? “Natural” and “organic” as definitions are not what you

may think when it comes to pet food and, sadly, manufacturers are not held accountable. For families who want to do better but don’t feel they have the time to cook, Jennie Dudley, owner of Hairy Winston Pet Boutique in Mount Pleasant and trusted local pet care resource, goes on to say, “We carry a variety of fresh, gently cooked options for dogs and cats - high quality, human grade ingredients that are completely balanced without the hassle of home prep. Just thaw and serve.”

We have all seen references to AAFCO – the American Association of Feed Control Officials – on our pet food packaging. It certainly sounds official and trustworthy – but the number one takeaway from their own website is, “In short, AAFCO does not approve, certify or otherwise endorse pet foods. There is no AAFCO-approved pet food.”

So, who can we trust when it comes to quality ingredients and truthful marketing?

Knowing what is going on behind-the-scenes is disheartening and frustrating since kibble is generally a preferred feed option. Brands range from lower to high-end in quality of ingredients as well as price so that decision is often driven by economics. But rather than lament what CAN’T be done, let’s look at what we CAN do to improve our pets’ diets every day!

Did you know that simply adding fruit and vegetables to your pet’s kibble can have remarkable health benefits? That’s right, just like humans, the smallest positive adjustments to our diet can yield big improvements! And here’s another fun fact: fresh produce is relatively inexpensive – and often less costly than adding canned pet food every day. Not convinced or don’t have ready access to fresh produce? Even canned or frozen vegetables without salt or other additives work well and are also inexpensive. While I recently started cooking stews in our migration toward a fully home cooked diet, you don’t need to go that far. I’ve spent the last couple of months transitioning with meals that are ½ to ¾ small batch kibble and the remainder homemade stew. Thankfully, neither of our dogs has any allergies so we can change the proteins with each batch, and this helps keep them engaged at mealtime too. If your dog has food allergies, you will want to consult your veterinarian before making any diet change.

Portioning can feel tricky at first when you begin to add home cooked food but monitoring your dog’s appetite and weight should help you arrive at the right serving per meal. When asked about portioning, Annette Dumont, founder of The Brindled Dog (and dog-mom to 17-year-old Brutus, who is the canine face of her brand!), remarked, “For portions, I monitored Brutus’s weight and came to a good place with it. To my recipes, I add a vitamin mix that helps with micronutrients too. From your baseline, adjust the portions as needed to suit their hunger and how they LOOK - it’s all better than just kibble, so don’t stress the details too much.”

And for those who are ready to make the leap to fully home cooked meals, ensuring they receive their micronutrients is also key. You can find commercially available supplements and even resources like BalanceIT to help you identify any areas where your home cooked diet may be nutrient-deficient. Thanks to the internet, you can also find quick access to pet food recipes if you aren’t a fly-by-the-seat-ofyour-pants kind of chef! Local dog-mom Rachel Kiser switched her dogs to a home cooked diet and shared, “Their energy has been way up since we switched, and Milli lost a bunch of weight eating a larger volume of food and they both LOVE it.”

Once we bring an animal into our home and our family, we are charged with providing them the best care we can and that includes their diet. They can’t read labels or cook for themselves – it’s our responsibility to give them their best shot at a long and healthy life. Adding vegetables and stews as a supplement to their kibble is a simple way to show them how much we care.■