Should You Cook for Your Dog?

Here’s a funny coincidence. Shortly after I got the idea yesterday to try out dog treat recipes and write about them, I was driving around doing errands. I turned on the radio and tuned into WAMU’s (88.5 FM) weekly program The Splendid Table, “the show for people who love to eat.” (It’s basically all about food, cooking and wine and has a call-in segment for questions.) The host, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, was just beginning an interview with a veterinarian on cooking for pets! Now, I’ve been listening to this show for years, and this is the first time I ever heard a discussion on cooking food for pets. Was this a sign?

In the interview, Lynne asked Dr. Gary Weitzman, the animal advisor for WAMU's The Animal House, “Should I cook for my dog?” His answer: “It’s not what you should do, but what you could do.” Animals like variety, tasty foods, and surprises as much as we do.

You can listen to the program by going to the site’s Podcasts page, and clicking on February 26, 2011. The segment about pets runs from about 15:30 –22:00.

The site also has a recipe posted for Cheese, Please! Dog Biscuits (“loved by kids and dogs alike”).