Fretful Owners Whipping Up Own Pet Food, Pet discussion

[Kellie19891992]

ATLANTA - Some worried pet owners are grinding up meat in their kitchens and making their own dog and cat food because of the contamination scare blamed for numerous animal deaths.

Sales of pet food recipe books have also shot up since the nationwide pet-food recall began two weeks ago.

Amy Parish, 40, stopped giving her two aging chow chows canned food. Instead, Parish mixes dry food with a mash of chicken, rice, oatmeal and cottage cheese that she prepares twice a week.

“I’m very suspicious of any large-brand manufactured dog food,” said Parish, who lives in the Atlanta suburb of Tucker.

But veterinarians warn that making balanced meals for pets can be complicated and should only be a temporary remedy until the scare passes.

Nearly 100 store and major-brand pet foods were recalled by manufacturer Menu Foods Inc. on March 16. Three other companies have recalled some foods since then.

Wheat gluten contaminated
Food and Drug Administration testing found that wheat gluten imported from China was contaminated with a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics. The FDA has confirmed about 15 pet deaths, and anecdotal reports suggest hundreds of cats and dogs may have died.

Some pet owners are not taking any chances.

After Hills Pet Nutrition Inc. recalled one of its cat products, John Slavens, 41, of San Diego, started making homemade food for his two border collies.

He spent five hours in the kitchen Sunday, grinding beef and boiling potatoes and pasta for a week’s worth of stew, supplemented with an all-in-one vitamin-mineral powder.

“These dogs are my family,” Slavens said.

Common foods can be dangerous
The FDA and the American Veterinary Medical Association are urging pet owners to switch brands if they are worried. The veterinarian group also warned that many common foods are not safe for pets, including salt, garlic, onions, grapes and chocolate.

Making pet food at home is “kind of like canning: You have to think about bacterial contamination. And how do you make sure it’s nutritionally appropriate and balanced for the animal?” said FDA spokeswoman Julie Zawisza. She added: “We wouldn’t object. We’d say be knowledgeable about what you need.”

[DisneyDame]

Last night I cooked up some homemade doggie stew, enough for almost 2 weeks, and froze it in individual serving sized containers. My dog usually eats about 2 cups dry food mixed with half a can of wet, and now her wet food was added to the recall list (Alpo - only a few lots, but until this thing gets straightened out, I'm not risking it). So I'm not as concerned about the 'stew' having all the nutrients (the dry food will take care of that), just that she eats.

Garlic being toxic to dogs is a new one to me, though (onion, chocolate are, I know, but garlic? internet research shows a big split on that). There was a little used, but next time I'll leave it out.

[MandaBella]

I didn't know about onion either, but if onion is a problem then I can easily see why garlic would be too since they are very closely related species. I suspect shallots and leeks could be problematic too.

Although why I can eat raw garlic but refuse raw onion is beyond my comprehension...

I hope everyone's furry family members are doing ok!

[crashbunny]

i have been making homemade food to supplement what the Kitties get
along with feeding baby food also

The oldest one had been eating stuff that was on the recall list - the others turned their noses up at it - i swear they knew something was wrong with it - the old coot got tested and he had some kidney problems but we caught it in time..

now all he wants is the baby food...