Confusion

I spent the last two hours trying, once and for all, to figure out what people food can be included in my dog food recipes. Some sources forbid garlic, while others say garlic is a good flea treatment. Some say garlic is OK if cooked in food, while others say never feed anything with garlic, even cooked.

Onions seem to be more of a problem, cooked or raw. Food cooked with wine is really confusing. The alcohol in the wine evaporates when it is heated, but the wine is still made from grapes, a serious no no.

Tomatoes are mentioned as a problem, but some sources specify tomato plants. My conclusion is that cooked tomatoes pose no problems.

So…Can I feed my dog everything I cook? Do I have to adjust my favorite recipes so I can include the food in my dog food recipes?

No and yes.

When I intend to make dog food from the same ingredients as my people food, I’ll make some adjustments.

·        Tomatoes and tomato sauce won’t be a staple, but, in limited quantities, they will go into the dog food.

·        Garlic and onions will be added to the recipe after the portion for the dog food has been separated. If the garlic and onions are sautéed prior to assembling the recipe, they can be added later.

·        Wine won’t be added until the last few minutes of the cooking—just continue cooking until the alcohol evaporates or the food may taste bitter.

·        Nothing will be cooked with raisins, macadamias, avocado, or any of the other forbidden foods.

·        Dog food will contain only a small amount of sugar and salt.

None of this is very complicated or difficult.

We can feed our pets people food with the same ingredients with only a few exceptions.