Product Description

Lots of people enjoy making or buying treats for their pets, but wouldn't it be wonderful to cook a real meal for the four-legged member of the household? Quirky yet practical, these cookbooks provide recipes that are nutritionally balanced and veterinarian-approved. They even include sections on "tandem" recipes - recipes for humans that, with slight modifications, can also be served to pets.

REAL FOOD FOR DOGS is written by Arden Moore, the first non-veterinarian to write the pet column for Prevention magazine.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56133 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

From the Back Cover
Your dog will howl for more

Instead of scolding your dog for begging at the table, pull up a chair and invite him to sit down! With these 50 vet-approved, easy-to-prepare recipes - from Pooch Pancakes to Gobble-Down Goulash - you can make nutritious and delicious food for your dog, and you'll laugh out loud at Anne Davis's delightful illustrations as you cook. You'll also learn "Canine Nutrition 101" and pick up helpful tips on dog care. A section on prescription diets is included for dogs with special needs.

About the Author
Arden Moore is the author of 50 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Dog, 50 Simple Ways to Pamper Your Cat, and The Kitten Owner's Manual. She is a columnist for Prevention, Dog Fancy, and Cat Fancy magazines, as well as Petsmart.com.

Anne Davis is an award-winning artist whose illustrations adorn the greeting cards produced by her company, Anne Made Cards. Davis's special relationship with animals inspires her art, and her commissioned animal portraits appear in many private collections.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Munchy Pup-cakes

Coco, a black Poodle, looks forward to her birthday each year. That's because her owner, Susan Baker of Atlantis, Florida, loves to usher in the special day with this cupcake recipe. "Coco is very good about eating her commercial dog food, but her whole body tarts wiggling with delight when I pull these cupcakes out of the oven," says Baker. You, too, can celebrate your dog's big day. Invite a few of his four-legged friends over to help him gulp down these goodies.

3 cups water

2 carrots, shredded

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons honey

2 ripe bananas, mashed

4 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, blend the water, carrots, egg, vanilla, and honey. Add the mashed bananas.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

4. Pour the flour mixture into the carrot mixture and mix thoroughly.

5. Spray a 12-cupcake pan with nonstick spray.

6. Fill each cup about three-quarters full.

7. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.

8. Cool before serving.

Fido Thanksgiving Feast

Allow your dog to participate in the Thanksgiving festivities with this special dish.

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup mashed potatoes

1 egg

1/2 cup diced cooked turkey meat

1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the potatoes and egg.

3. Pour the potato and egg mix into the pan. Add the turkey and broccoli.

4. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the egg is cooked.

5. Top with the grated cheese and let it cook for a few minutes longer to allow the cheese to melt.

6. Let cool before serving.

Beans and Bacon Stir-Fry

Beans and bacon. Your first reaction may be "ugh," but your dog will bark out, "Bring on the B&B!" Use this dish to celebrate very special occasions - birthdays, the successful end of housebreaking, a return home from a stay at the vet, and so on.

3 strips bacon

1 16-ounce can kidney beans

3 carrots, peeled and diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 celery stalks, diced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh or

3 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon apple vinegar

Pinch of black pepper

1. Cook the bacon strips in a large skillet. Do not drain the grease. Break up the bacon into little pieces.

2. Warm the kidney beans in a separate pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir often.

3. Add the carrots, garlic, and celery to the skillet with the bacon. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the beans, parsley, apple vinegar, and pepper to the mix.

5. Cool before serving.

"Go Fetch" Stew

Your dog may never tire of retrieving that beloved tennis ball - at least not before you do - and he won't get tired of eating this tasty dish, either.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 pounds lamb (remove the fat and cut into 1-inch cubes)

1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon allspice

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 6-ounce can tomato paste

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup apple vinegar

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the lamb and brown on all sides.

2. Remove the lamb from the pan and add the apple, paprika, allspice, cinnamon stick, and cinnamon. Stir slowly over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Put the browned lamb back into the pan and add the tomato paste and water. Bring to a simmer.

4. Reduce to low heat, cover the pan and let the ingredients simmer for 1 hour. Then add the apple vinegar and simmer for 15 minutes longer.

5. Cool before serving.

Customer Reviews

This book came to the rescue!
When my dog was diagnosed with Kidney disease, my vet said I needed to look for natural options for giving him treats. Milkbones and all of his favorites would only help the disease get worse. So after watching him getting sick of eating applesauce, I found this book, which the vet says is an awesome alternative to the over-the-counter biscuits. At first I was hesitant, because the big guy is picky, but he loved almost all of the recipes in there (turns out he hates liver too,) and it helps that they are pretty fun to make. If your dog has allergies or Kidney disease, I would highly recommend this book.

for fun only
This is an adorable book with cute recipes, but it states at the outset that they are intended to be fed once a week as a change from kibble (later it says 2 or 3 times a week). There is no nutritional information and there is no attempt made to show you how to feed your dog a solely home-cooked diet, which is what I was looking for. I got a lot better guidance from "Barker's Grub" and Dr. Pitcairn's book in switching my dogs over from commercial food.

A GREAT starter book for a beginning canine cook...
I bought about four dog food cookbooks at once, after the big dog food scandal, and this was the simplest and the most clearly understood. It made cooking for the dog fun, which is important, since you will be doing this a LOT! I've learned about all the various things they can and cannot eat from the internet, and I've labored through the charts and graphs in other books, but when the food bowl is empty and I'm getting the *big stare*, this book is where I run to for inspiration. Check in the freezer section of your meat department for ground turkey. Also, throwing a pound or two of hamburger in the slow cooker with a bag of frozen vegetables and some brown rice is a definite time saver, plus much safer than some nasty ground who-know's-what from an unregulated factory. I've been getting complaints that the dog food smells better than the people food. Cooking for your pets will be one of those life-time long learning experiences, but this is a great place to start.

P.S. My dog is healthier now, and knows I love him, as well...

A LATER REPRISE!...


After the late canned and dry dog food poisoning scandal, I tried to put my dog on a home cooking diet, but afer a year or so, got this massive lecture from the vet about how my German Sheperd was too fat. So I had to give up the whole daily cooking thing. He said feed her a mere half cup or two of dry food daily. We have lost some weight now, but I fear this diet is too strict, and I don't trust the safety of factory food. So I still use this book, as a weekly additive. My dog is now relatively slim and trim. But the whole 'feed your dog safely' thing is difficult.

I think buying the occasional liver or kidney will still be a better for your pet than some mystery chew from an unknown country. ;)