Pet Food & Treats

What could bring more pleasure to your senses, having your feline and your Fido gobble up a delectable, savory, treat that you made just for them? Somehow, this is one of life's great pleasures, bringing happiness to your pet. We love to see them gobble up their pet food and enjoy every last delicious lick from the bottom of their bowl.

As responsible, and health conscious pet owners we want the best for our pet friends. However, allowing them free range to eat all they "quest" for is not always the best policy. Many mammals, domestic animals, birds, fish...etc can not eat the same foods as their human counterparts.

Join in the discussion and follow along as we together discover what types of foods and treats are best for our "best friends."

Andi

And here is a good way to get started. Browse through some of the recipes that Zaar has to offer.

Pet & Novelty Recipes

Many foods that we consider treats for our animals, are sometimes very toxic to their system. Here are a few that The Humane Society of the United States has listed as food items that should be avoided. Please share any others that you know of that could potentially harm our beloved pets.

Foods Potentially Poisonous to Pets
Some foods that are considered good for people can be very dangerous for pets. The list below highlights some of the most common foods that can be dangerous to animals. This is not an exhaustive list and any decision to provide your pet with food not specifically intended for animals should be discussed with your veterinarian or pet nutritionist.
The following foods may be dangerous to your pet:

Alcoholic beverages
Apple seeds
Apricot pits
Avocados—toxic to birds, mice, rabbits, horses, cattle and dairy goats
Cherry pits
Candy (particularly chocolate, which is toxic to dogs, cats and ferrets, and any candy containing the sweetener Xylitol)
Coffee (grounds, beans, chocolate covered espresso beans)
Grapes
Hops (used in home beer brewing)
Macadamia nuts
Moldy foods
Mushroom plants
Mustard seeds
Onions and onion powder
Peach pits
Potato leaves and stems (green parts)
Raisins
Rhubarb leaves
Salt
Tea (caffeine)
Tomato leaves and stems (green parts)
Walnuts
Yeast dough

Reserved

Love the new forum.
My dog food recipe didn't make it into your cookbook.
Could you please add Dog Food for Normal, Fussy, Fat, Thin and Diabetic Dogs?

I've found some great recipes on here to help my little pup Libby. I hope you will consider discussing allergies that dogs are encountering due to the by-products found in most dog foods and treats and also the rise in allergies to wheat and corn. My dog cannot tolerate any of these 3 - she was having seizures for almost a year and the vet could not figure out why and we were close to putting her down since she kept falling down stairs, etc. Then one day I happened to speak to a vet technician and she recommended changing Libby's dog food to something "not normal" as in something that contained a meat not normally found in any dog food or treats. We switched her to a dry venison dog food and changed her treats to non-wheat/corn/byproducts and within a month no more seizures! She has been seizure free for over 2 years now!

Sorry to have gone on - it is just dear to my heart. Companies are putting so many by-products in dog foods and using more wheat & corn as fillers that many dogs are encountering allergies, which are minor as in skin disorders and ear infections to the more serious as we discovered.

Thanks for a great forum & thread!

Remimber, most dogs should not eat corn, wheat or soy. Some can not handle any gluten. If they scratch, have tear stains or "drooly" eyes or lick their paws than they probebly have a gluten allergy. For this reason we cook a lot of our dogs' food and all their treats. I have just started posting their treat recipies on here. Here is the only treat I have on here so far Grain-Free Fish Treats for Dogs or Cats I hope you guys enjoy![/recipe]

I posted my story and another treat below to help some of you out!

Breah loved Dreamer in Ontario's German Shepherd Casserole #225115. She licked her plate clean!

Nimz I will apologize now for hijacking your thread but Breah does scratch, has one eye that has tear stains, and she has been licking her paws a lot lately. The vet did say she has allergies and she has had allergy shots but we arent to the stage where the blood work and all the expensive treatment needs to be started. I will have to mention a gluten allergy to the vet, thank you for mentioning this Fudge Lady!

We are working on allergy threads to help out.

Please add any recipes that you find that are not in the data base. We can get a great cookbook going and get the data base updated. Just post away. After the crazy Holidays we'll be working on this, so get them added here.

We thought that dogs had gass and that it was normal. Sometimes my dog would throw up (about once a week) I took him to the vet and the vet told me that he had "a sensative stomach." So for the better part of 2 years I went around cleaning up dog vomit every 3-4 days. I also thought that dogs just scratch. I assumed like most people they did it because they are bored and have nothing else to do.

So I started college in 2004. My major was pre-vet biology and my minor was animal science nutrition. After taking my first animal nutrition class I was changed forever. I had been feeding my dog beniful healthy weight even though at the time he was only 12mo old because the vet said he was 20% overweight. In my first nutrition class I did a project were we were told to take our pet's food label and define every ingredient and give a reason for why the manuafacuterer used it and whether we agreeded with it's usage. I was stunned. That night I changed him to a locally produced food (i lived in greyhound breeding country). After a bit more study I have learned to make my dog's food and I have found many companeys that make very good foods that are not too expensive.

I chose not to become a vet because the vet school in my state is run by Hills Science Diet. I can not afford to go out of state. Instead I have switched to a diffrent school to study exotics.

My dogs eat all grain free food most of which I make in my kitchen and the ingredients come from my local farmer's market. Our monthly allergy vet visits have stopped and he never scratches anymore. He has a healthy coat and shines so well all the other moms at the dog park ask where I get him groomed (in our tub at home is always my reply). He has only thrown up once in the past 3 years and that was when I gave him heartgard (which I latter found out has corn, wheat, soy etc). He is now 5 and wears out the puppies in the neiborhood.

My parent's beagle was put on a grain free diet about 3 years ago too. He is now 8 and plays harder than my 4 year old nieces. He has pearly white teeth and has never had a dental. He has not had a problem with his weight either since the switch. Also he had tear stains and ear infections that have not been seen since!

If you would like some good treat recipes start here: Gluten-Free Dog Biscuits If you have any questions about dog and cat nutrition send me a message!

I am learning so much from reading posts here!
I have one recipe to add:

Cat Nips

Could you make the cat nips with no soy or wheat? Cats are even worse when it comes to grains as they are a true carnivore. This is a fun treat that my friends like Grain-Free Fish Treats for Dogs or Cats

Could you make the cat nips with no soy or wheat? Cats are even worse when it comes to grains as they are a true carnivore. This is a fun treat that my friends like Grain-Free Fish Treats for Dogs or Cats

Could you make the cat nips with no soy or wheat? Cats are even worse when it comes to grains as they are a true carnivore. This is a fun treat that my friends like Grain-Free Fish Treats for Dogs or Cats