Chapters 5 and 6

Chapter 5 starts out with the mention of recipe sizes and organ meats.  I was a bit surprised at the addition of organ meats, I suppose because in this country not many eat them.  Sure, some folks eat liver, but I think it safe to say more do not.  I've made homemade liver treats for my dogs but never thought to add it to their daily meals.  

Ok, so as I read on, I'm again getting excited to reach the recipe stage of the book - I want meals for my dogs!  Then I read that there are separate recipes for "lightly" cooked - I really want to feed only cooked foods to my dogs.  After all, my biggest fear with commercial kibble is E Coli or Salmonella - raw meat would be very easily contaminated in my opinion.  I read on so I can learn, and discover that the authors have you make "batches" of food that mixed together at meal time equals an entire meal.  The batches include meat, organs and vegetable/fruits.  You make these batches separately then either mix all together, or store separately and mix for each meal.   This makes sense since in a frozen state, meat keeps better long-term  than vegetables do.  So we end chapter 5 knowing that each meal includes meat mix, veggie/fruit mix, bone meal or bone, mineral and vitamin supplement, and fatty acid supplement (may not be every meal).  On to the recipes!

The recipes are divided into sections for species, as well as type and whether cooked or uncooked.  The recipes themselves aren't too difficult and there are portion sized recipes as well which makes it easier when making food for tiny animals. This area is where you understand why you need a grinder.  Some of the recipes call for ground turkey (large, heavier duty grinder) or whole chicken.  Whole means just that - you grind the bones with the meat.  You do not cook the recipes that include the ground bone.  

The authors also give a couple recipes for a homemade mineral/vitamin mix, 2 each for dogs and cats, depending on how you choose to feed.  

This book is full of information - for me, too full.  While some may really get into the scales, ratios, and charts, I simply want to read a recipe that is nutritionally sound, and make it.  If you're the type of person that wants to know the "why" of what you are adding and blending, this book will be right up your alley.  There is in-depth explanations, and charts galore.  On the other hand, if you're the type that just wants to follow some easy directions and make your dog or cat a meal that is healthy, wholesome and tastes great to them - this may not be quite what you were looking for.  As with most things, the appeal will vary.  For this reader, it was simply TMI  when I wanted KISS.

Reading on,

Deb

Chapters One Through Four

The first four chapters of this book are purely informational.  The why's of making your own pet food, the cost comparisons, and the nutritional value.  I went into the first pages thinking "YES!  I want better tasting, wholesome food for my dogs, YES! I want to save money!  YES! I want to be assured that my dogs get the most nutritious food possible!"  I was excited, and a bit smug in the fact that I do feed the two little guys homemade food.  Then, in 13 short pages,  the reading got a little more intense, with charts,  percentages, weights and calorie counts.   My brain started to shut down,  I'm not a math person, I don't want to have to figure things out - I just want to cook healthy meals for my dogs.  I don't have to do all this "figuring" for my family meals!
At this point, frankly, I had to force myself to keep reading and not cheat again.  Really - I got this book because I want to COOK not become a scientist!   I persevered, not overly enthused, and continued to read on into chapters 5 and 6.  They discuss   preparation, equipment, storage and recipes.   I'll cover that here next time.


Reading on,


Deb

Book - "Dr. Becker's REAL FOOD for Healthy Dogs and Cats: Simple homemade food "
Authors - Beth Taylor and Karen Shaw Becker, DVM



Since I am so afraid of commercial dog foods after all of the repeated recalls in recent years, I started this book totally enthused and ready to start a new way of cooking for my dogs.   (Remember - I already do cook for them, and the two small dogs don't get any dog food).  I've been careful to rotate protein sources, change veggies, add flax seed, etc., etc..

I started reading the book and first thing it says is to read all the text, don't jump right into the recipes.  Fair enough - I shall read!  Then of course, I cheated and peeked at the recipes.  EGADS!  My quick peek showed micronutrients, different types of fat, (the likes of which I'd never heard of), Copper, and more.  Whoa - I felt like I might need to be a chemist to pull this off!

Back to the beginning I quickly went, which is where I was supposed to be before deciding to cheat - no more of that.  So, I began to read.

Next time, I'll discuss what I learned in the first few chapters.

Reading on,

Deb

As I'm sure most pet owners know, there has been another huge recall of various brands of pet foods recently.  Scary stuff to say the least.  Are we killing our pets with processed foods?  Should we gamble with the life and well-being of our beloved four-legged family members by feeding these things? 

During the prior pet food scare I started wondering about all of this, and now feed my two small dogs only human foods.  I add a vitamin every couple of days to ensure that they are getting proper nutrition .  Unfortunately the cost seemed prohibitive for feeding a very large dog the same way, so our large dog gets all the "goodies" I make in addition to his kibble.  I've felt comfortable with this method of feeding until now.  Another recall increased my fear level about the health of my dogs, which lead to more research and a new book on the topic.

My first review is a result of all this, and I'll let you all know what I've learned.  The book I will be reviewing is:

"Dr. Becker's REAL FOOD For Healthy Dogs & Cats: Simple Homemade Food"  (3rd Edition)

Authors: Beth Taylor & Karen Shaw Becker, DVM

ISBN: 9780982533116

2011 Natural Pet Productions

I'll let you know what I think in a few days!


Reading on,

Deb

Hello everyone!  I'm excited to be starting this new blog, and hope you will enjoy visiting.  I'm going to be reviewing books about animals.  There will be books about both domestic and wild animals; so there will be something for every animal lover.

I'd love to hear what animal books you've read and enjoyed, and might review some of your choices.  I plan on reviewing older books as well as newer books. 

Please feel free to comment, and if you've read the book I've reviewed, I'd love to hear your opinions - even if they differ from mine.

Looking forward to hearing from all of you..


Reading on,

Deb