How to make homemade pet food

JamieTurner

Mar 22, 2008

Pets

As a responsible pet owner, you want to give your dog or cat the best care possible. Caring for your pet means feeding him the best diet you can. It may be easier to open a can or bag of pet food bought from the store, but it’s not always better than homemade meals prepared by their owner or caregiver. Also, store bought food usually costs more. Combining the best of both worlds can be a easy and inexpensive way for you to show your love for your best friend’s health and happiness. And a happy pet makes for a happy pet owner. Here’s how to make pet food…Bon appetite!

Things you’ll need

blender or a food processor
mixing bowl
sharp French chef’s knife
cutting board
plastic storage bags for freezing
cookie sheet
frying skillet

Procedure Steps

Before you make pet food, it’s important to understand what dogs and cats like to eat. Because animals are color blind, they choose their foods by smell. Most dogs like gamy flavors best (meat from older animals), as well as, liver, fat, garlic, onions, horse meat, lamb, beef, cheese and fish. Cats enjoy chicken, liver, fish, turkey, lamb, and yeast, and prefer fresh to aged flavors.
Here are some more tips about what your pet needs to eat. Dogs may eat any vegetable they want, but cats should not have any starchy veggies, like peas and corn. Some dogs and cats even enjoy fruits! It's a good idea to always add a grain to meat dinners, such as, dry store-bought pet food, cooked rice, wheat germ, cooked oatmeal or whole wheat bread. For dogs, use 75% carbohydrate foods (grains and vegetables) to 25% meat; for cats use half carbohydrate foods to half meat.
Here are some pet food recipes you can make at home. Sautéed Liver: Heat 1 tsp. of corn oil in a pan. Add ¼ lb. beef liver and fry on both sides until cooked but not dry inside. Add ½ cup water to the pan and mix it up with all the brown bits. For dogs, cut the liver into pieces and serve. For cats, grind the liver in a blender or a food processor, using the pan juices.
Chicken Soup: Combine the liver, giblet and heart from 1 chicken into a pot. Add a chicken neck, 2 cups of water and 1 tbsp. dried chopped parsley. Cover and simmer until the giblet is tender. Remove all bones, then chop all the meat for dogs and mix with dry store-bought food or grains; for cats, you may want to grind the meat in the blender or food processor.
Veal or Lamb Stew: Combine ½ lb. stewing veal or chunks of lamb, 1 cup canned tomatoes, 1 cup of water, 1 chicken bouillon cube, ½ onion (chopped), parsley and a dash of garlic powder in a pot and simmer. When meat is tender, remove all the bones. For dogs, cut the meat in chunks, and mix stew with dry food or some other grains; for cats, grind the stew in blender, adding a tablespoon of wheat germ or ½ slice of whole wheat bread.
Liver Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ½ cup dry milk and ½ cup wheat germ in a mixing bowl. Drizzle 1 tsp. of honey on top. Add one small jar (about 3 oz.) of strained liver baby food or homemade blended liver and stir until everything is well mixed. Form the mixture into balls, then place them on an oiled cookie sheet and flatten them with a fork. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Consistency should be fudge-like. Store in a jar in the fridge; freeze if keeping more than a few days.
Mackerel Dinner: Heat 1 tsp. corn oil in a skillet and fry 1 small mackerel until it flakes apart easily. Remove and cool. Pour ½ cup hot water into the pan and scrape the brown bits into it. Remove the bones from the fish and mix with the juice. For dogs, serve in pieces with dry food or grains; for cats, grind with the pan juices.
Doggie Treats: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the following ingredients together in a mixing bowl: 2 cups whole wheat flour, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 cups white flour, 1 cup skim milk powder, 2 eggs, ½ cup melted beef, bacon drippings or lard. Now, mix everything together well, adding enough water to make a stiff dough. Roll out and cut into different shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet until hard.
Kitty Treats: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the following ingredients together in a mixing bowl: 1½ cups cooked oats, ¼ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup flour, ½ cup tuna or fish oil, chicken or beef broth. Now, mix everything together well, adding enough water to make a stiff dough. Dust your hands with flour, and form small round "biscuits," about ½-inch thick. Set on a greased cookie sheet. Bake until biscuits are slightly browned, about 30 minutes. Cool 30 minutes before serving.

Tips

Animals do not need salt added to their diet as the natural salt in the food is enough for them.
Since cats are fussy eaters, it’s not wise to continually feed them their favorite foods as they’ll soon refuse to eat anything else. Be sure to feed your cat a balanced diet.
All pet foods should be served at room temperature; don't serve food cold from the refrigerator nor hot from the stove.
Cats should be fed three times a day, while an adult dog needs only one meal a day.
You can make larger batches of pet food and freeze them in storage bags. You can also do the same with cooked rice, keeping large batches of it in the freezer to be used regularly in your pet’s diet.

Warnings

Be sure to remove the food dish after feeding time, even if there’s some food still left. Most animals will only eat fresh food, and leaving it out can cause the food to spoil and make your animal sick if they eat it later.
Never feed a dog chocolate…it can make them very sick.