Cooking for Dogs While Cooking for People

Before adding the spices, put a little aside for Fido

MetPet.com Staff Writer and Fido

Yes, Fido and Rover and Max can all smell what we're cooking for dinner tonight. In fact, we're sure they can smell food all the way from the grocery store, to the car, to the kitchen, to the refrigerator and even through the plastic wrap in the deep freeze. They undoubtedly know what you had for lunch at the office today and they would definitely like a taste.

The major objection to dogs eating 'human food' is the lack of nutritional balance from what are seen as 'leftovers' and 'table scraps'. We're not advocating giving dogs the random remains of our meals, we're talking about setting aside some of what we enjoy as supplements to their regular food.

Some foods that many humans enjoy can cause adverse reactions in dogs and there are some human foods that dogs simply will not eat. We do have to make some dog-appropriate choices but this isn't very difficult and it provides variety and interest for our dogs. After all, would you want to eat the same food twice a day everyday?

By keeping portions snack-sized, spices to a minimum and suspect foods like dark chocolate and raisins out of the mix, dogs can have a bit of what they can smell in the kitchen and in the dining room. This is easy to do by making their snacks first and setting them aside to cool.

When making spaghetti, for instance, dogs can have the pasta and the cooked meat and tomatoes before the addition of heavy spices. Cook the pasta, add a bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking and set aside some to cool. Brown the meat, add the tomatoes and set aside some to cool. The pasta, meat and tomatoes can be a meal in itself or added to a smaller portion of regular kibble.

When stir frying, lightly cook the vegetables and meats and set some aside before adding in heavy spices like pepper. Broccoli is a great favorite along with cabbage, carrots and celery. While your dog may be suspicious of raw vegetables, he will have a very different opinion of them when they're cooked in a little oil with a touch of soy sauce.

You can make some meatballs without the chopped onions, salt and pepper. If you make them smaller or a different shape (make a small hole with your thumb) you can tell them apart even if they end up in the same saucepan. You can even make a small meatloaf in a separate ramekin to cook in the oven at the same time as the regular meal.

'Treats' or snacks such as these are wholesome, tasty, nutritious, reasonably priced and easily available since they're simply smaller, more basic, cooled down off-shoots of your regular meals. Just remember to introduce new foods slowly and in small quantities as dogs tend to develop intestinal problems with drastic changes in food.

Bon appetit.