Reward Your Pets With Dog Treats

There are a lot of dog treats which we could give our pets. There are those which we can purchase from the marketplace or alternatively, we can choose to make them ourselves. If we personally prepare our dog food, it has many built in advantages. The biggest advantage is that we are able to monitor what our dogs are actually taking.

Creating our own dog treats will grant us peace of mind about the safety of our pets' food. This is something that no manufactured dog food, regardless of the price or reputation, could give us. We simply want the best for our pets since we love them as our family members. We do not want a scenario where our dog's health is compromised by gastrointestinal disorder due to inferior manufactured dog food.

In feeding dog treats to our pets, there's only one standard - can we actually eat the food ourselves? If yes, then we're behaving as responsible pet owners towards our dogs. Still, if the answer is no, then we may be acting irresponsibly and perchance we should rethink what we are feeding them. Our great love for our dogs demands that we only feed them food that we ourselves would actually eat.

In cooking homemade dog food, we must only utilize organic foods. By doing so, we are preserving the health systems of our pets which could as well lengthen their lives. Utilizing organic foods has been proven to escalate the stamina and the health of our pets. They will end up sounder, and livelier in their activities.

It would be ideal if we employ lamb meat as our homemade dog food. In the alternative, we can also use beef or pork so long as we avoid the fattiest portions. We ought to also make a conscious effort to avoid additives and preservatives such as MSG or those which may induce an allergic reaction for our dogs. We must also be very careful to leave out any bones since they are potential choking hazards for our pets.

All of us love our dogs and it is no empty rhetoric that dogs have lived up as man's best friend. They are always by our side to give us companionship and give us solace. They shower us with love, fondness, and companionship despite the moments when we turn them away. Would it be humane to give back this loyalty by feeding them substandard dog food that is commonly full of extenders, or can we find it within our hearts to express our love by making them their personal home made dog food?

Providing homemade dog food and dog treats to our pets reap both owner and dog good benefits as compared to feeding them commercially available ones which are loaded with extenders. Creating home made dog food is easy to make and is a good expression of our love to our pets, befitting the loyalty, affection and companionship they bring us about.

Concerned About What's in Your Commercial Pet Food? Try These Homemade Cat Food and Treats

Every day lately, it seems there is another pet food recall, warning dog and cat owners not to feed their pets different brands of foods. This is getting scary. Who knows which pet food will be recalled next. Though I am still using the kibble my cats normally eat, I am now supplementing my pets with a few homemade recipes. These are not meant for feeding your pets forever, since I"m not a vet or nutritionist but they are good for filling their furry tummies while we wait out the lowdown on the canned foods, which seem most affected by these pet food recalls. Here are the basic recipes I am using, don't add other ingredients unless you know for sure that they don't hurt your pets. We all know chocolate is off-limits to pets, as are other foods such as onions. Stick with these ingredients, which seem to be pet safe, according to pet experts I've read about.

Homemade Cat Food

2 cups ground chicken, lean beef or turkey, thoroughly cooked and diced;

4 cups rice, cooked in chicken or beef broth;

1/2 cup potatoes, ground;

1/4 cup spinach or carrots, ground;

1/4 cup green beans, ground;

2 tbsp melted butter;

dash of garlic powder

Mix everything together in large pot or bowl. Make sure it is completely cool before feeding to your cat. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Homemade Cat Treats

1 1/2 cup oats, ground;

1/4 cup butter;

1/2 cup flour;

1/2 cup chicken broth;

1/4 cup cubed or shredded American or mild cheddar cheese -or- shredded chicken

Mix all ingredients together, form small cookies and bake on greased cookie sheet until done at 350 degrees. Roughly 25 minutes but check as ovens vary. Do not overcook.

Our pets deserve food that is safe, so hopefully, this current pet food crisis will alert the authorities to make sure they buy quality products and be more careful of what they put in their pet food recipes. Cats have specific nutritional needs so don't feed them any of these recipes on a long term basis, as I do not know the breakdown of nutritional value for them. But, by using fresh, healthful ingredients, cooking the meat thoroughly and storing the food you make in the refrigerator, it can help to tie your kitty over until it is safe to go buy food at the store again. Enjoy.

Carolyn McFann is a scientific and nature illustrator, who owns Two Purring Cats Design Studio, which can be seen at: http://www.zazzle.com/twopurringcats. Educated at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, Carolyn is a seasoned, well-traveled artist, writer and photographer. She has lived and worked in Cancun, Mexico, among other interesting professional assignments in other countries. Clients include nature parks, museums, scientists, corporations and private owners. She has been the subject of tv interviews, articles for newspapers and other popular media venues.

Treats for Your Pet Pigeon

People spoil their pet cats and dog with treats, so why not spoil your pet pigeon too? Well, you may be asking yourself, "What kind of treats do pigeons eat?" The number one thing you can do to find this out is to experiment and see what your pigeon likes. But I'll get you started on the right track with a few basic suggestions.

Bread

Bread makes a good snack for both people and pigeons alike! However, young pigeons may need you to wet the bread before they eat it. Give this treat to your pigeons in moderation since it is not the most nutritious thing for them.

Tuna

People have mixed feelings on tuna. Some can't get enough and others stay away from it. Your pet pigeon is the same way. Try giving tuna as a treat to your pigeon sometime and see how they like it.

Healthy Cereals

Cereals like Cheerios or Chex may be tasty for your pet pigeon. If you think the pieces are too big then crush it up for them. Once again, you may want to wet the cereal for the young pigeons. Obviously, stay away from sugary cereals.

A boiled egg

While it may seem odd to feed an egg-laying creature an egg, go for it. Pet pigeons love a good boiled egg. Don't be wasteful though -- feed them the eggshell too. The shell contains calcium which is good for your pigeons, especially the females. Warning: avoid feeding them raw eggs. They may start eating the eggs they lay if you do. That is a recipe for some very unhappy momma pigeons.

Nuts and seeds

If you know much about pet pigeon care, you are already giving them a balanced feed. Try feeding them nuts and seeds that aren't in their regular seed mix. They will appreciate the change. Crush up the nuts that are too big for them to eat whole. Pigeons love raw peanuts, but you should experiment with other nuts too. Make sure to only feed the raw, unsalted nuts and seeds. If you can't find any unsalted, just wash them off in the sink.

Especially sunflower or safflower seeds

Your pigeon will have not lived until it tries sunflower seeds. My pigeons scarf them down as fast as they possibly can and then want more. They just can't get enough. Make sure the seeds are unsalted, salted ones may hurt your pigeon. Look in the bulk foods section of the grocery store to find unsalted sunflower seeds.

Vegetables

Pigeons love to eat vegetables such as kale, lettuce, peas, spinach, and sprouts. Experiment some to find exactly which ones your pet pigeon like. However, it is safer not to feed them any potatoes, some parts of a potato can be poisonous to birds.

Fruits

Cut some grapes in half and they will make for an all-time favorite pigeon treat. Almost any fruit will work though. This is another time when experimentation is a must.

Don't give up!

Some birds can be picky, so if you don't find what they like right away don't be discouraged. Just keep trying different pigeon treats until you find the right one.

Zach Varnell is a pigeon fancier and blogger for ThePigeonNest.com where he writes about the very best ways to care for pet pigeons.