November 1st is National Cook For Your Pets Day! Odds are your pet will enjoy having some home-cooked food. Nonetheless, there are both benefits and drawbacks when cooking for your furry buddy. A vet discusses cooking for your pet below.
Pros
You can monitor and ensure the quality of your furry buddy’s food, which is one benefit to cooking for your pet. This can also be a good option for animals with specific nutritional needs and/or allergies. You can also customize your pet’s food to satisfy their tastes.
Cons
On the other hand, figuring out the percentages of fat, protein, and specific nutrients yourself can be tricky. This may not sound like a big problem since, if you have a dog, he’ll likely just chomp down whatever you make him. Albeit so, pets have very specific nutritional requirements. Your canine companion needs about 40 essential nutrients, each of which fills a unique need. Likewise, both cats and smaller pets have specific needs. Not meeting these needs can cause imbalances, which lead to nutritional deficiencies that cause or contribute to medical problems.
Another issue is that people often turn to internet recipes, which may be the wrong option for their pets. Our advice? Talk to your vet about your pet’s nutritional needs, and any concerns you may have about homemade food.
Unsafe Foods
One important thing to keep in mind is the fact that many things just aren’t safe for our four-legged friends. While each type of animal has their own list of unsafe foods, some things are bad for almost all of them. That list includes alcohol; garlic; caffeine; chocolate; raw dough or yeast; and anything that contains salt, fat, or xylitol and/or a lot of sugar. For dogs and cats, this list also includes grapes, currants, raisins, avocados, pitted fruits, as well as meat on the bone. Ask your vet for more information.
Treats
While there are a lot of grey areas involved with cooking your pet’s regular meals, making treats are a bit safer. You’ll find lots of great recipes online. You may even want to try your hand at making your own. Just make sure that you are sticking to ingredients you know are safe for your four-legged pal. Do your research, and ask your vet for specific advice.
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