All Natural, Homemade Pet Food

Myotis, aka Otis, king of his castle.

I recently decided to go to an all natural, homemade diet for my cat and dog. I've thought about it before as a way to provide healthier foods and reduce the consumption of processed foods. Heck, if it isn't good for people to eat all processed foods it can't be good for my pets either. This idea is also on the heals of a few food recalls that were kind of scary. Add to that, Luna, my black lab, has been off her feed the past two weeks. She's super active and healthy otherwise but I noticed she just wasn't interested in her food anymore. Then she got an awful ear infection. Maybe she's allergic to something in the food. Maybe not. Either way, I have been inspired to provide her and my little Otis with a healthier diet. I've done some internet research to see what folks out there say about preparing homemade pet food and there is a wide spectrum of philosophies.

Some prefer the BARF diet - Biologically Appropriate Raw Food - in which you feed raw meat with organs, skin and bones. If bones aren't cooked they do not cause problems for pets and are easily digested. It's the cooked bones that get brittle and splintery that cause problems. BARF feeders also believe cooking reduces the quality and quantity of nutrients in the food. Cats and dogs in the wild don't cook their food and their guts can handle the bacteria that humans cannot. Those that prefer to cook the food argue that the preponderance of bacteria from the butchering process in large slaughterhouses should be killed as they aren't naturally found in animals.

A lot of the recipes I have found for dogs include vegetables and no grains (except rice or oats). Biologically, they don't need the veggies but feeding a 75 pound dog all animal parts could get pricey. A few veggies for filler can't be all bad and wild canines do consume a fair amount of vegetation. But cats on the other hand are obligate carnivores and only eat meat. There are actually companies you can find online that raise, process, and sell rabbits purely for pet food. The food includes all the parts of the rabbit, except hair and feet, ground up course or fine to suit your fickle cat's needs. Other sources for organ meats is the local butcher. I'll have to make friends with the local processing plants, especially during hunting season, to get low cost meat trimmings and organs.

A couple of my good friends have been cooking for their dogs for more than a decade and they've got very healthy pets. They believe they've also been saving money on food. I will keep track of my expenses to see if this turns out to be true for me. I've been feeding both of my furbabies high end, expensive dry food that works out to between $2 and $3 a pound. I can't imagine preparing meat focused meals at home will be any more expensive.

The naysayers I discovered always talk about the need to craft a whole diet that has all the nutrients a pet needs. The implication being that the pet food manufacturers are doing a great job of it. Read the ingredients in a bag of pet food and you tell me if it sounds healthy. The hardest part seems to be that people may have an aversion to using all the organs and bones that will provide the complete diet. Not me. I think following the tried and true recipes of experienced pet food chefs will be just fine. I won't be scared into staying with the processed kibbles.

Tonite was the first non-kibble meal Otis and Luna got. It was simple and just a start but they both gobbled it up fast. I think weekly or monthly cooking of pet food and freezing it in small portions is in my future. I'll do more posts as I learn more. Have any of you made the food for your furbabies? How'd it work out? Share your experiences in the comments.

Some sources:
Making Cat Food - written by a veterinarian 
Dog Food recipes
Advice about preparing pet food at home

I also discovered that November 1st is National Cook For Your Pet Day. How 'bout that?