Canned Food Sometime between parting with $80 for dubious pantry staples, discovering the scent of baking cat food to be something less than potpourri and nursing a blister earned trying to carve pounds of kibble into kitten-sized morsels, it sunk in: I'm a buyer, not a maker, of pet food.And that's not even counting the kitty's disparaging review of my labors on his behalf.Yet after a number of dogs and cats died last year from contaminated commercial pet food, more animal owners are consulting cookbooks, scouring the Internet for tips, investing in odd ingredients and devoting hours of free time, all to serve their furry companions homemade casseroles, soups and stews.Wendy Nan Rees, a Los Angeles pet enthusiast with a radio show called Wendy's Animal Talk, started cooking for her dogs more than 20 years ago when she realized salt and preservatives didn't agree with her sensitive Shar-Pei. She invented a doggie cookie that she still swears tastes just like a graham cracker. Late last year, she published The Natural Pet Food Cookbook.Rees devotes one day a month to cooking and baking for her three dogs, and freezes the various dishes. She supplements her homemade efforts with store-bought dry food - "half kibble, half mommy food," she says.The American Veterinary Medical Association says it's safe to feed your pets commercial pet food, but Rees talks about canned pet food as if it were atrocity in a tin, as if she'd sooner feed her animals household cleanser."You could never sell me on a canned food," she says. "Dogs and cats offer absolute, unconditional, unbiased love. They're part of the family. You take care of your pets the way you take care of yourself."TV chef Rachael Ray, famous for making 30-minute meals, also wants people to devote some culinary minutes to their animals. In her magazine, Every Day With Rachael Ray, a standing feature called "Pet Friendly" includes recipes designed for dogs and people to share.It isn't clear if Ray, a well-known dog lover, cooks for her red-nosed pit bull, Isaboo. "She's a very busy lady," says Casey Flaherty, a publicist for the magazine. But the idea, Flaherty adds, is to make dishes that the whole family - two- and four-legged members - can enjoy together.Recent recipes have included Mini Muttballs and Ditalini, Real Dogs Eat Quiche and Arroz Con Pollo Para Fido. The April issue showcased a Carrots-and-Peas Orzo that, judging from the photo, looked at least as appetizing as a microwaved frozen dinner.So, because my affection for Leo Sesame, an exuberantly adorable 5-month-old kitten, should not be outdone by the likes of Ms. Ray et al., I thought I could invest a little kitchen time on his behalf.So I consulted Rees' book and headed to the Whole Foods store, where it didn't take long to realize I had no idea where to even start looking for certain things. Brewer's yeast? Is that a baking product? A spice? A vitamin? And cod liver oil? Fish flakes?Finally, $78.30 poorer, I headed home to experiment with Champion Cat Turkey Kibble, a dish I needed to start early because the recipe required an overnight oven stay.Mixing the dough and rolling it onto cookie sheets seemed no harder than making cookies - smelly cookies. As I closed the oven door with satisfaction on my sheets of kibble, the dough separated into bits when scored with a pizza cutter, I didn't notice my tragic error.But it was clear enough the next morning when I pulled out the trays, sifted the hardened squares and realized the kibbles, though rather small, were gigantic next to Leo's Purina. So I tried cutting it smaller. Piece by piece by never-ending piece, I knifed that kibble, as Leo walked by periodically, shooting me what seemed to be disdainful glances. After about an hour, I began doubting both my sanity and humanity.Anyway, I ended up with a huge blister and piles of kibble that Leo was thrilled to bat across the floor, but less than enthused to actually put in his mouth.I decided the flat reaction was just Leo's lack of sophistication showing, and brought the kibble to a few of my favorite area cats.Gypsy, an 8-year-old dainty eater who subsists on store-bought dry chow - whatever's on sale, her owner says - essentially decided she'd rather starve than eat homemade kibble. It sat untouched in her favorite bowl for an entire day.Next came Mookie, an orange, long-haired lion of a cat who, over his 21 years, has cultivated a refined palate that, his owner believes, can be satisfied only by Fancy Feast. He sniffed the kibble - an unimpressed sniff.Joining the growing chorus of boos was Bobbi, a 5-year-old cat with a stump for a tail.Some of the cats gave the next dish - Salmon Casserole - a fairer shake: Leo enthusiastically ate his portion while Mookie, offered a bit on his dinner plate, sniffed it, took a little lick, perhaps even a bite, and then walked away. For good.Despite the recipes being clearly identified as cat food, Bobbi's household frenemy, Spud, a fluffy, white terrier, wolfed down both the kibble and the salmon loaf - in their entirety.And when presented with an actual dog recipe - Bandit's Beef Casserole, a concoction of lean ground beef, vegetables and heaps of cheese - Spud ate with gusto, licked the bowl and looked up as if to say, "More!"Dr. Tony Buffington, a veterinarian and a professor at Ohio State University who specializes in pet nutrition, isn't the homemade pet-food movement's biggest fan. In fact, he thinks there's inherently less risk in serving commercial pet food, designed by scientists for animals' specific nutritional needs, than people mixing up dishes willy-nilly in their own kitchens.Even so, though he feeds food from the store to Stormy, the kitty he's had for 17 years, Buffington has no problem with people cooking for healthy adult dogs and cats. (Buffington recommends people interested in trying homemade pet food start by consulting with either of two Web sites: bal anceit.com or petdiets.com.)He does not want people cooking for baby or geriatric animals because of their specific dietary needs. And he insists potential animal chefs check with their veterinarian, use pet-specific recipes and then monitor their pet's health after introducing the new food.As an animal lover and an academic, Buffington says he suspects people's desire to bake and braise for their pets is more about anthropomorphism than any lingering danger in commercial pet food."It's just not the only way to love your pets," he says. "We as an American culture tend to express love through food. ... Dogs and cats, in my experience, don't care."
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7 comments
1. Lyn Henderson (anonymous), May 31, 2008 6:03:42 PM #
It is apparent that this reviewer doesn't have a clue of what are basic cooking ingredients, as well as supplements. I don't even cook, but I not only know what brewer's yeast is, but what aisle to find it in.
Wendy Nan Rees's books are meticulously researched and written. She has few rivals in the pet food world, and is a well respected pet authority.
Do your homework before criticizing!
2. Paula Turner (anonymous), May 31, 2008 10:05:29 PM #
There is no question that fresh ingredients are better for any pet - mainly because there are no preservatives or by-products. High preservatives can lead to vital organ issues. Try reading a food label on Science Diet, Nutro, Eukanuba, and especially Fancy Feast, etc. - By-products can be listed generically as "chicken" which could include intestines, feathers, nails, beaks, and any other crap they decide to get in there....also, most of the ingredients are not even pronounceable let alone understandable. You have absolutely no idea what has been put into this food. When you give your pet unprocessed food, they will eat less primarily because there are no fillers, will have firmer and less smelly poop, and fewer visits to the vet! There isn't one food for every pet...just like humans, they have to have favorites. Experiment and have fun. That is one of the greatest things about Wendy's book...choices. She gives guidance on tried and true recipes. Some ingredients can be harmful to dogs and cats that people don't even know about when they are cooking for their pets. Wendy knows. She has had so many years of experimenting, experience and cooking for her dogs. If a pet has been given crappy, cheap foods, such as those found in the supermarket, then obviously it would be a slow transition to a more healthy line. Just as if we were hooked on MacDonalds' high fat, high salt burgers. Do you think it would take us a couple of days to enjoy eating better quality and healthier foods? Of course not. Same for your pets. I got a chuckle out of the first person's comment about "smelly cookies". Have you ever taken a whiff from a can of cat food? Now...that's smelly!!! This person also did not take the time to slowly add Wendy's recipe into the existing kibble.... naturally the cats didn't take to it because their crappy food was all of a sudden gone! She should try some of Wendy's other recipes - especially now that she has plenty of brewer's yeast!
3. Lynne C. Schulthess (anonymous), May 31, 2008 10:50:03 PM #
I was shocked to read your review. If you spent as much time cooking and preparing the food for your animals as you did writing this they might have been happy with the food. It is obvious that you are not skilled in the kitchen so why would you think animal food would turn out better than regular food.
My dog Sabrina has special dry food from the vet but she loves the recipes that I make from Wendy's cook book. She is worth the time and effort.
Lynne C. Schulthess
4. Faye Garrow (anonymous), Jun 1, 2008 6:58:47 PM #
I found this article to be a bit harsh as I love to cook for my dog with recipes from Wendy's book. I love to cook and am surprised that author of this article would have such little experience cooking and grocery shopping and feel qualified to scorn the talents of a pet authority as well as renowned television chef. Maybe the author should start over with the right attitude; one of love and patience rather than being cheap and bitter.
5. Mary Thompson (anonymous), Jun 1, 2008 10:28:32 PM #
The author of this critical piece fails to mention that Wendy Nan Rees co-wrote the book with Kevin Schlanger DVM. Although the everyone is entitled to their own opinion... failing to mention this vets inclusion in the book is worth mentioning. The recipes are not only found to be tasty be all my four-legged friends, they are also nutritious and found to be sound by the co-author, a DOCTOR...
In my opinion this reviewer felt the need to discredit the work of pet lifestyle expert, a celebrity chef and a doctor, but doesn't even know what yeast is... I guess anyone can write a blog these days regardless of experience talent, knowledge or research..
6. Russell Louie (anonymous), Jun 2, 2008 5:46:12 AM #
Before commercial pet food (50+ years ago), pet lovers went to the butcher to get bones/scrap meat and fed table scraps to their pet. Before commercial pet food, pets lived to be 15-20+ years old and rarely got the degenerative diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, chronic renal failure, auto-immune disease and cancer) they get today. It was not uncommon for cats to be 20+ years old and still be relatively healthy. Now that we have 50 years of feeding commercial pet food, what do the statistics show? Our pets are living to half what they did 50 years ago. The average life of a Golden Retriever is just 7 years. 50% of older pets WILL GET CANCER (Morris Animal Foundation). Older pets are confronted with an epidemic of “human” degenerative diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes, chronic renal failure, auto-immune disease and cancer) they rarely got 50 years ago. So, if you’re happy with your pet living to be only half of its expected life and you don’t mind the expense and suffering (by pets and people) of modern day degenerative diseases, then by all means do what everyone else does by feeding commercial pet food.
I would agree with Dr. Tony Buffington that there’s inherently less risk in serving premium quality (not cheap generic) commercial pet food, than people mixing up dishes willy-nilly in their own kitchens. Feeding straight ground meat is not balanced and lacks calcium, minerals, enzymes and critical amino acids pets need. But that’s why we need experts like Wendy Nan Rees to educate us on balanced homemade food options for those that love our pet like members of our family. I personally would not feed my child vegetable- and fruit-flavored cookies for ten years and expect it not to be obese, have diabetes and other health challenges. Cheap commercial dry kibble is nutritionally equivalent to meat-flavored cookies to a carnivore with its 50-80% carbohydrate, sugar, filler fiber, synthetic vitamins and chemical preservatives. It is a far cry from the 60-90% meat protein biologists say are in a carnivore’s native diet.
If one fed a child hot dogs, potato chips, French Fries and ice cream every day for ten years, what is the likelihood of putting down carrot sticks and a salad in front of them and getting them to eat it? To expect a cat to accept new food cold-turkey, shows a lack of knowledge of feline behavior. Dogs, who are scavengers, might accept new food but not a cat. Feline experts, animal behaviorists and holistic vets will tell you not only to slowly transition a cat to new food for the sake of success but also as a health precaution. Any pet that is fed the same flavor, same brand of food every day will not have the necessary enzymes or friendly bacteria (probiotics) in their gut to be able to properly digest any new food. So, the fact that Leo, the cat, batted the newly introduced homemade kibble around the floor is more a lack of understanding of proper feline behavior than an editorial comment about the recipe.
As far as dogs and cats caring about the quality of food, a child will happily eat hot dogs, potato chips, French Fries and ice cream every day for ten years if that is what we put on the table for them. But I care too much for our pets (and children), to subject them to the epidemic of degenerative diseases that will prevail after ten years of feeding generic commercial pet food. I treat our pets as members of our family and am willing to take the time to research what their nutritional needs are and how to give them a healthier, longer life. If you think spending $80 for nutritious home-made ingredients is too much for your wallet, what will you think when you have to shell out $$$ for a month’s worth of diabetic insulin, chemotherapy or radiation treatment for your hyperthyroid cat before the age of 15.
7. Ruthie Bently (anonymous), Jun 3, 2008 12:28:33 AM #
What I find very interesting about this blog, is that this was originally an article that was run in the Baltimore Sun-Times. What I want to know, does the article's author own this blog; and if not, do they know it is on the Internet somewhere else? There is a problem with plagiarism if not. It is sad, because this means to me that the person who owns and writes this blog, if not the author of the original article, has probably not even tried any of Wendy's recipes for their own pets. Not only would plagiarism come into play, it seems to me that there could be a case of fraud involved here as well.
Does this person realize that over 75% of American consumers are no longer feeling safe about the products they buy. This isn't just due to the pet food recall either, this is due to all the recalls in the last several years. I know I feel better cooking for my dog and cats, because I know what is going into their foods. I have control over how much "junk" and by-products are going into their food, because I am making it. Not only that with corn prices soaring and everything else going up, pet food prices are going up as well because of all the grain that is routinely used for ingredients. So the argument about cooking for your pet being too expensive is about to go out the window as well.
As an owner of multiple pets, it is easy to cook one day a month and just freeze what I make until I need to use it. As the ingredient prices used in pet foods go up, the manufacturers will begin trying to change the ingredients they use. A pet food manufacturer can alter their formula by as much as 25% without changing the bag labels. So, although the bag says one thing, you could actually be feeding something completely different. You can bet your bottom dollar that Proctor & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive and the other large conglomerates are doing just that.
With all this information in front of you, how could you not try to make the life of your four-legged friends better, by cooking their food yourself?