Food for thought…and your dogs.
The pet food market is a $26 billion industry and growing. It used to be that your only choice was store bought pet food, but not anymore. From home cooking to home delivery options, seems people will stop at nothing to spoil their pooches these days, and we can’t blame them.
In this post we’ll discuss what’s good and bad to feed your dog “from the table”. We’ll also share a couple of recipes from one of our volunteers for ‘crock pot doggie dinner’ and ‘doggie cookies.’
It’s important to know what you can and can not feed your dog. Some people food can be toxic to a dog or cause digestive issues or severe discomfort. On the flip side, as long as you know the good from the bad, there are plenty of people food options you can share with your pooch. Just remember, the same rule of thumb goes for dogs…everything in moderation.
THE GOOD: Healthy foods you can share with your dog:
- Pasta/rice/quinoa
- Lean meat
- Vegetables
- Whole wheat bread & unsalted pretzels
- Fruits such as blueberries, apples, banana, watermelon
- Peanut butter
- Yogurt
- Cheese in small amounts
- Salmon
THE BAD: Avoid feeding your dogs any of these foods. If you think your dog may have ingested any of these foods, contact your veterinarian immediately.
- Grapes/raisins
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Avocado
- Ice Cream Chocolate
- Coconut
- Nuts
- Onions/Garlic/Chives
- Cinnamon
- Raw or undercooked meat, eggs and bones
- Salty foods such as snacks, meats
- Artificial sweeteners
- Raw dough
What you feed your dog will depend on a number of things, like weight, age, allergies, activity level, etc. So, always check with your veterinarian before starting a home cooked routine to make sure your pet is getting all the nutrients he or she needs.
Try one of these recipes: One of our volunteers recommended these recipes and says her dog just loved them.
Crock Pot Doggie Dinner
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
½ LB frozen carrots, peas, green beans
1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
2 LBS lean ground chicken or beef
It’s easy. Start out by cooking the ground meat in a pan, just until pink is gone. Rinse cooked meat in a strainer to remove any excess grease and oil. Place all ingredients into a crock pot. Cook on high for 3 hours.
Doggie Cookies
3 cups oats
½ cup peanut butter
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ banana
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
Place the oats into a food processor and pulse until it resembles course flour.
In a large bowl, add oatmeal flour, pumpkin, peanut butter, banana, baking powder and eggs and blend with a hand mixer on medium until everything is incorporated.
Sprinkle flour on a cool surface, roll out the dough to about ¼” thick. Cut into any shape you like. Note: Our volunteer purchased a bone shaped cookie cutter on Amazon.
Bake at 375 degrees, on the middle rack, for approximately 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.
Place in airtight container in the refrigerator. Note: Our volunteer actually stored hers in the freezer so they’d last longer; her dog loved them cold right out of the freezer. Just place in a zip lock freezer bag. They won’t be frozen solid, they’ll still be a little soft.