Pets provide companionship, friendship, consistency and humour to our lives. We would like to hear stories about your pets, past and present. All of the stories that are submitted by June 30 will be included in a draw for several prizes.
Atco Gas Blue Flame Kitchen is donating its all-new cookbook titled Everyday Delicious and some insulated shopping bags. There are some pet products from Hills Petfood and The Western Producer is providing four subscriptions to its Acreage Life magazine.
Please submit your stories to team@producer.com or mail them to TEAM Resources, c/o The Western Producer, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4.
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Feeding your pet
There have been concerns in recent years about the quality and safety of some manufactured pet foods. As a result, some pet owners have started to make food for their pets. There are other ongoing debates about whether to feed leftovers to pets or if pet food should be cooked or raw, whether commercially made or homemade.
Veterinarians’ concern is that pets are getting a nutritionally balanced diet and that the food not be contaminated with bacteria, chemical contaminates or human foods that are poisonous to our animal friends.
If you choose to prepare your own pet food, get recipes that are designed for the age, size, breed, fitness level and health of your pet. Ask the vet to recommend a recipe designed for your pet.
There are also websites that will do this. You submit the details about your dog or cat and, for a price, they will provide a custom designed, veterinarian-recommended, nutritionally balanced recipe for your pet. Additional food supplements are usually recommended. One such website is www.balanceit.com.
Foods to avoid
There are a number of foods that people enjoy that are toxic for dogs. Chocolate is a classic example. The toxicity of chocolate increases with the darkness of the chocolate. White chocolate is almost nonpoisonous while bittersweet baking chocolate is toxic. Other foods dangerous to dogs include raisins, grapes, Xylitol (a sugar substitute used in baking), coffee, onions, onion powder, avocados, mushrooms, walnuts, alcoholic beverages and salt. Leftover pizza, luncheon meats, fast food or any food with a lot of spices and onion are also not good. When giving your pet leftovers, consider if it is spoiled or not. If it would make you sick, it will probably make your pet sick.
Food your dog will enjoy
Some animals can’t tolerate vegetables, which could cause them to suffer from diarrhea or constipation. But if your pet can handle them, they will enjoy celery, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower. They all make healthy treats. Milk is often hard for a dog to digest, but cheese or yogurt are fine for most.
Making occasional nutritious treats for your pet is probably easier than trying to make homemade pet food each day. There are a number of books available that have pet treat recipes and some even come with bone shaped cookie cutters.
Peanut butter pooch cookies
21/2 cups whole wheat flour 625 mL
1/4 cup white flour 60 mL
1/4 cup oatmeal 60 mL
11/4 tablespoons baking powder 19 mL
1 tablespoon honey 15 mL
1 cup peanut butter 250 mL
1 cup milk 250 mL
Combine flour, oatmeal and baking powder. Combine milk, peanut butter and honey in a separate bowl and mix well. Stir peanut butter mixture into flour mixture. Knead dough and roll out on a floured surface to a quarter inch (0.5 cm) thickness. Cut out treats using a cookie cutter. Place aluminum foil on cookie sheet and bake in a 400 F (200 C) oven for approximately 15 minutes.
Cool summer doggie treats
On hot summer days we love a cool drink or a popsicle. The same is true of pets. A cool drink or cold treat will help to lower their body temperature and provide the liquid they need. Commercial frozen dog treats are available but this is an area where it is easy to make a frozen, nutritious treat at home. Some simple suggestions are a frozen banana, chunk of cheese or wiener. Treat cubes with a strawberry, banana slice or a cheese chunk in the centre are good for small dogs. For larger dogs, add several different treats and freeze in disposable cups.
You could blend the cubes with some fruit juice or yogurt to create a slushy drink. For a meaty taste, freeze chicken or beef broth, or even thin unsalted gravy into cubes and add a piece of milkbone, meat chunk or a cheese bit into each cube before freezing.
Red “wine” canine style
After roasting beef, lamb or pork, remove the roast and half fill the roaster with water. Warm for several minutes and add a sprinkle of garlic powder. Stir and scrape the roaster bottom to lift off any meat. Pour into a container to be used as a cold or warm drink later for your dog, or freeze into ice cubes.
Cat treats
Cats need as much water as possible to maintain healthy kidneys. The gravy recipe above is also good for your cat. Roast turkey or chicken pan drippings are especially appealing. These can be frozen and then allowed to melt and given to your cat to encourage it to take more water.
Fur balls are another cat concern. Encour-aging your cat to lick a little Vaseline off your fingertip each day will often help reduce the problem. An easy kitty treat is a small piece of cheese slice or bread dipped in salmon juice.
If you make changes to your pet’s diet do it slowly so its digestive system can adapt to the changes. An indication that your pet has a good quality diet and well functioning digestive system is a small amount of firm, well-formed dark brown stools.
Sources: Let’s Cook For Our Dog by Edmund and dog-care.suite101.com, canadianliving.com.
Correction: The link in the May 22 TEAM column to Environment Canada’s information on indoor air pollution is incorrect. The correct link is www.ec.gc.ca/cleanair-airpur/Indoor_Air_Pollution-WS1280FDA8-1_En.htm.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or email team@producer.com.
