Do you ever feel like your pet may be eating better than you are? With some of the prices of pet food, it may seem that way. But nutritionist and chef Gayle Pruitt has now released a new cookbook that shows it's easy to prepare meals not just for yourself--but also your pets. The pet-inspired meals may just cut down on your spending, and could actually be healthier for your dog.
The book is titled "Dog-Gone Good Cuisine: More Healthy, Fast, and Easy Recipes for You and Your Pooch." It offers recipes for 100 different human and dog meals, including spinach kale lasagna and curried beef sliders, according to ABC News
While home cooked meals can certainly help, though, not everyone has the time to create a meal for themselves and their dog. If you're in that boat, then take a few extra steps when choosing pet food from the store. Make sure to observe how your pet does on a particular diet; price doesn't necessarily matter. In addition, stay away from food with too many ingredients. Instead, food should have a good protein source and few ingredients, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette.
In addition, Amy Farcas, a small animal clinical nutritionist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, voiced concerns about dogs eating the same food as people in an interview with ABC News.
"The nutrient requirements of dogs are somewhat complicated-there are approximately 40 different essential nutrients-and are different than human nutrient requirements," said Farcas. "When pets are fed the same meals that their owners eat, the result is usually-every time I've evaluated diets like this-lacking in essential nutrients for dogs."
So is cooking for your dog a bad idea? Not necessarily, but it is important to take their nutrition into account. Talking with your veterinarian or assessing how well your dog seems to be doing on a particular diet are good ways to see what works for your pet.
