Longtime and faithful Forum contributor (not to mention our own personal pet-treat guru) Rosemary Barrett, over there in Freeland, writes, “I know it has been quite a while since I gave you any input, but I couldn’t resist my input on the animal-food crisis.
“So I went back to my textbook from a correspondence course at Colorado State University in 1994.”
Rosemary says the following information, as well as the recipe for Fido’s liver brownies, is taken from her copy of “The Waltham Book of Dog &Cat Nutrition, Waltham Europe’s Leading Authority on Pet Nutrition.”
According to the “rules regarding cats” segment:
“Never include table scraps or meat scraps in excess of 15 percent of the diet.
Cats are not primarily fish eaters. This began as a marketing pitch by tuna fishermen, and it worked. Never feed tuna or any other fish on a consistent basis. Some fish, primarily saltwater fish (carp are included) have thiaminase activity that can create thiamine deficiency in your cat. This may result in encephalitis convulsions, polyneuritis or pansteatitis.
Do not feed liver on a regular basis to your cat. Liver contains high levels of vitamin A and if fed frequently, could cause a vitamin A toxicity. Liver can also create a laxative effect.
Be careful when allowing your cat to eat bones. Chicken or pork bones splinter more easily than beef. A bone splinter could choke your animal or become lodged in its gastrointestinal tract.
Milk is a food and not a substitute for water in a cat’s diet. In fact, it has been found that it acts as a laxative for some adult cats as they have lost the enzyme to digest the sugar in the milk.
Frequent grooming of cats is necessary, particularly long-haired cats, to prevent the incidence of hair balls.”
Next up, from a separate segment of the Waltham book, we have the following recipe for the liver brownies. Canine cooks will notice it calls for crushed garlic – an ingredient some veterinarians say is allowable in small portions, but it’s an ingredient other veterinarians feel is potentially dangerous and possibly lethal if included in a dog’s diet. So, as always, before you whip up a treat for your pets, check with your own veterinarian if you have any questions about ingredients.
And then, to wrap things up today, we have a tasty treat taken from the delicious, delightful pages of “Culinary Tails,” a cookbook compiled and published by the nonprofit pet organizations FETCH! and Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation on Whidbey Island.
This frozen canine concoction is named for an awesome (photogenic too!) big fella named Barnacle, whose person noted, “Barnacle loves ice cubes! Just the twist and crack of the plastic ice-cube tray sends him running to the freezer. These frozen treats are a great way for him to acquire added nutritional benefits, and produce a perfect ‘Good Boy treat!”
1 pound raw beef liver
1 package (16 ounces) cornbread mix
1 egg
2 tablespoons crushed garlic (OMIT, or check with your veterinarian before adding this ingredient)
Puree liver and turn into a large mixing bowl. Add cornbread mix, egg and, if vet approved, the garlic. Mix ingredients together thoroughly, then spread mixture on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool thoroughly, then break into pieces. Store in plastic bags, or bag and freeze for longer storage.
1 quart (32 ounces) vanilla yogurt
1 banana, mashed
2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
Blend all ingredients together and freeze in ice-cube trays. Bring them out for a special doggie treat.
The Forum is always happy to receive your contributions and requests, so send them along to Judyrae Kruse at the Forum, c/o The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206. Please remember that all letters and all e-mail must include a name, complete address with ZIP code and telephone number with area code. No exceptions and sorry, but no response to e-mail by return e-mail; send to kruse@heraldnet.com.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
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