Have you noticed your pet getting perky and overly attentive when the scents of the dinner you’re making start wafting through the kitchen? Does your pooch sidle up to you when you’re chopping vegetables and offer its best “I’m cute so give me a carrot” grin? Does your kitty imply you could be the world’s greatest pet parent if only you would share a little of the roasted chicken you just pulled out of the oven? Perhaps your pets are not-so-subtly suggesting you start cooking meals for them just like you do for people.

Cooking for pets is not for the faint of heart. It is more time consuming than pouring kibble from a bag or opening a can. It requires adding appropriate supplements for nutritional balance, and it could test your math skills. However, the benefits can be fantastic.

Dr. Kristin BeVirt Patenaude, who specializes in integrated health practices for pets, sees animals with allergies, sensitivities to certain ingredients in processed pet foods or even digestive troubles. “Cooking for pets doesn’t need to be intimidating, though, and it sure can make a positive difference in a pet’s health,” she said. “There are so many resources available to help pet parents choose the right ingredients, find yummy recipes and even calculate calories for pets who need to slim down.”

Fresh food variety not only makes home cooking rewarding and healthy, but with fruits and vegetables, for example, it can also increase how many natural vitamins and minerals pets will retain from their foods. “Compared to supplements, natural vitamins and minerals in whole foods are much easier for the body to use,” said Patneaude.

How do I begin?

A good starting point might be visiting the website Balance It, she said. “The website was developed by a certified veterinary nutritionist and has three main resources: recipes, products and support.

“I like the variety of recipes, but what’s also impressive is the easy calculator that helps you determine how many calories your dog or cat should consume based on gender, weight, age and spay/neuter status. Another unique feature is the recipe builder allows you to consider special conditions like kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease, food allergies and more. The recipes you get will be those that have a nutrient profile that supports those conditions.”

Patneaude said the recipe section offers ingredient choices when owners are deciding what to cook. “Does your pet have favorites? Are you harvesting from your garden or picking up fresh foods from the farmers’ markets? Plug in the ingredients and see what you’ll get,” she said. “The recipe section is also a good tool to test whether the recipe is complete and balanced,” Patneaude said. “While it may seem harmless to cook up a big batch of lean unprocessed meats, organs, and colorful fruits and vegetables, when you check your ingredients with the calculator, you might discover you’re missing key vitamins, minerals or healthy oils.”

The recipe section also has an option of how to omit certain ingredients that might not work well for the pet, such as grains that aggravate allergies. “This is especially helpful when conducting a diet trial, because cross contaminations can occur with processed foods, and it can take up to two months to see full effects in your pet after removing certain dietary agitants.”

What about supplements?

If your recipe falls short of nutritional balance, the Balance.it website sells supplements. “You don’t have to buy supplements to avail yourself of the other resources, though, and pet cooks can also opt for using human supplements only, which might be more affordable,” she said.

Most people aren’t aware that some supplements are sensitive to heat, which causes them to break down and lose their potency during cooking. Balance It offers heat-stable options and those that should be added after cooking. “There are also mixes for certain health conditions like low phosphorus for kidney disease or fiber blends for digestive support,” said Patneaude. “This can make cooking for finicky pets with chronic kidney disease so much easier and safer.”

She said she also likes other support tools the website includes, especially for those just getting started with cooking for their pets, because it makes comparing different foods easier. “I especially like the calorie counter,” she said, “because you can check the calorie content database to figure out the total intake for an average day.”

“What’s important about cooking for your pets is not to avoid it because it seems too complicated,” she said. “It doesn’t need to be. With the volume of good resources available, pet parents can include their pets when they are preparing foods.” Then, with grin from someone who knows: “Of course another advantage is the same as it is with cooking for human loved ones. Home cooking is an act of love, and your dogs and cats know that.”

For more information or to make an appointment, call 414-421-1800 or visit https://greendalevillagevet.com/