Cooking for your pet (Flickr user: TheGiantVermin via CC 2.0) |
The Frugalista takes a dim view of products marketed for a specific family member. The more narrowly targeted the food, the more it usually costs.
When my babies started eating solids, I wasn't willing to pay $1 for 4 ounces of "baby food," when the same amount of fresh, mashed produce cost less. Now that two cats have joined our household, I've noticed that a can of high-end cat food costs more than the sale price for the same amount of canned tuna or fresh meat. Cheaper brands of cat food cost less, but I didn't like the ingredient lists on the package. I want high-quality foods — I just don't want to pay more than I have to.
According to veterinary nutritionist Susan Lauten, home cooking can be better and cheaper than buying high-end pet foods — but you have to know what you're doing. She estimates that she spends $100 a month feeding her 65-pound dog a diet of oatmeal, turkey and vitamin supplements. This diet is more nutritious than even the most expensive store-bought kibble, which would cost as much as $135 per month, she said.
The catch? Lauten and other vets say pets need a diet tailored to their species, size and age. For a fee, she creates custom recipes based on standards from AAFCO, the Association of American Feed Control Officials. On her website, petnutritionconsulting.com, you can order a recipe containing precise measurements of meat, vegetables, grain and vitamin supplements. (A competitor, petdiets.com, is also run by a respected veterinarian.)
Wait. I can feed my three little humans whatever I want, but I need expert instructions to feed the pets?
Lauten points out that human nutritional knowledge cannot be simply transferred to animals. Their nutritional needs are different from ours, and unlike us, pets usually eat the same meal daily. That's why it's so important to get the nutrient balance correct for that one recipe, Lauten said.
Lots of pet-food recipes are available in books or online, but Lauten warns that the ones she has reviewed don't include every essential nutrient.
In the Frugalista home, we've been taking a halfway approach. We rely on a midrange kitty kibble to give our felines the recommended nutrients. To make up for not spending the big bucks on a higher-protein, high-end dry food, I feed them an evening meal of meat scraps, canned tuna or even fresh meat — only if it goes on sale for 50 cents or less per 5 ounces. This has been costing us $2.32 or less per cat, per week: $1.62 for about 0.75 pounds of kibble and 70 cents or less for 7 ounces of meat. If I wasn't feeding pure meat, I'd feel obligated to buy a more-expensive kibble, which costs $3 a pound or more, and high-protein canned cat food, which can surpass $1 for a 5-ounce can. That would bring our weekly per-cat cost up to at least $3.65.
I expected Lauten to condemn my jury-rigged feeding plan. Actually, she said, mixing table scraps or tuna with commercial food is fine, within limits.
"If you're feeding a commercial pet food that is AAFCO-tested, you could add a little bit (of human food). But if you exceed 10 percent, you have unbalanced the diet," she said. That's more of a concern for dogs than cats, she said. Because cats are true carnivores, adding pure meat to their diets isn't likely to cause a problem. Dogs' diets tend to be more complex.
Pet cookbook author Arden Moore recommends stretching dog food and adding nutrition by mashing up leftover vegetables. Her book, "Real Food for Dogs" (Storey Publishing, $10.95) contains recipes to be fed in addition to, not instead of, commercial dog foods.
Carrie Kirby is a mom and the self-proclaimed Frugalista. Write to her at ckirby@tribune.com.
When my babies started eating solids, I wasn't willing to pay $1 for 4 ounces of "baby food," when the same amount of fresh, mashed produce cost less. Now that two cats have joined our household, I've noticed that a can of high-end cat food costs more than the sale price for the same amount of canned tuna or fresh meat. Cheaper brands of cat food cost less, but I didn't like the ingredient lists on the package. I want high-quality foods — I just don't want to pay more than I have to.
According to veterinary nutritionist Susan Lauten, home cooking can be better and cheaper than buying high-end pet foods — but you have to know what you're doing. She estimates that she spends $100 a month feeding her 65-pound dog a diet of oatmeal, turkey and vitamin supplements. This diet is more nutritious than even the most expensive store-bought kibble, which would cost as much as $135 per month, she said.
The catch? Lauten and other vets say pets need a diet tailored to their species, size and age. For a fee, she creates custom recipes based on standards from AAFCO, the Association of American Feed Control Officials. On her website, petnutritionconsulting.com, you can order a recipe containing precise measurements of meat, vegetables, grain and vitamin supplements. (A competitor, petdiets.com, is also run by a respected veterinarian.)
Wait. I can feed my three little humans whatever I want, but I need expert instructions to feed the pets?
Lauten points out that human nutritional knowledge cannot be simply transferred to animals. Their nutritional needs are different from ours, and unlike us, pets usually eat the same meal daily. That's why it's so important to get the nutrient balance correct for that one recipe, Lauten said.
Lots of pet-food recipes are available in books or online, but Lauten warns that the ones she has reviewed don't include every essential nutrient.
In the Frugalista home, we've been taking a halfway approach. We rely on a midrange kitty kibble to give our felines the recommended nutrients. To make up for not spending the big bucks on a higher-protein, high-end dry food, I feed them an evening meal of meat scraps, canned tuna or even fresh meat — only if it goes on sale for 50 cents or less per 5 ounces. This has been costing us $2.32 or less per cat, per week: $1.62 for about 0.75 pounds of kibble and 70 cents or less for 7 ounces of meat. If I wasn't feeding pure meat, I'd feel obligated to buy a more-expensive kibble, which costs $3 a pound or more, and high-protein canned cat food, which can surpass $1 for a 5-ounce can. That would bring our weekly per-cat cost up to at least $3.65.
I expected Lauten to condemn my jury-rigged feeding plan. Actually, she said, mixing table scraps or tuna with commercial food is fine, within limits.
"If you're feeding a commercial pet food that is AAFCO-tested, you could add a little bit (of human food). But if you exceed 10 percent, you have unbalanced the diet," she said. That's more of a concern for dogs than cats, she said. Because cats are true carnivores, adding pure meat to their diets isn't likely to cause a problem. Dogs' diets tend to be more complex.
Pet cookbook author Arden Moore recommends stretching dog food and adding nutrition by mashing up leftover vegetables. Her book, "Real Food for Dogs" (Storey Publishing, $10.95) contains recipes to be fed in addition to, not instead of, commercial dog foods.
Carrie Kirby is a mom and the self-proclaimed Frugalista. Write to her at ckirby@tribune.com.
