Utility Bar

  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V

Celebrating the truth that pets make people better.

  • RSS
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Google +
  • Goodreads
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Home
  • About
    • Bio
    • FAQ
  • Speaking
  • Pet Expert
  • Writing
  • Books
    • All Dogs Go to Kevin
    • Press
  • Blog
    • Picks of the Litter
    • Popular Posts
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Health / Cats / Take a bite: Home Cooking and a BalanceIt Giveaway!

Take a bite: Home Cooking and a BalanceIt Giveaway!

November 16, 2011 by Dr. V

Lots of people like to cook for their pets, but most people don’t do it every single day. Of those who do, most do so because they have to, a pet with kidney disease who also has food allergies and diabetes, that sort of thing. Occasionally there is the person who just likes to do it, like the chef who makes seared sea bass for his two incredibly spoiled schnauzers every day. I admire that dedication, which is significant.

More common are people like me, those who do it every once in a while for giggles at times like Thanksgiving- and yes, I’ll be coming up with something for the dogs because why not, it’s a holiday. And then they will go back to their regular food until Christmas, when I make them gingerbread. Because cooking is a show of love, even if you only do it twice a year.

Gingerbread 2010

(Yes, I made those both last year in a peppermint induced fit of insanity.)

For those sorts of occasional treats, balance isn’t a big deal. But when you are making a maintenance diet, a complete and balanced diet is vital.

I recently wrote an article on the topic of home cooking for Good Dog Magazine, and rather than re-invent the wheel I’ll just give you the link because I worked on it for quite a while, and I’m very proud of it, and it has tons of information about how to go about the process if home cooking is something you’re interested in. I had to interview a bunch of people for it, which as you know is a show of journalistic effort I don’t undertake on a regular basis, so you know it’s something special.

For the article, I interviewed Dr. Sean Delaney of BalanceIt.com. Dr. Delaney is a board certified veterinary nutritionist who just happened to be a resident in training when I was a senior student at Davis, and he remains just as friendly and knowledgable and excited about nutrition as he was that day one hundred million years ago when we were in a cramped room in the hospital annex with some Flintstone-era nutrition software doing nutrition consults.

We talked about food. We talked about online recipe sites and books. We talked about kabocha squash (did you know it caused neurologic signs in a group of labradors? Brand new info here, guys. You heard it here first.) I kept the poor doc on the phone for an hour but it was so interesting, and I love nutrition topics, and I know you do too.

Dr. Delaney has since developed newer web-based versions of nutrition software that creates custom recipes for veterinarians as well as for consumers. BalanceIt has about 500 recipes to choose from, all designed by a board certified veterinary nutritionist and best of all, balanced. When clients tell me they want to cook for their pets, this is where I send them because I know they’re getting information from a trusted source. After the melamine fiasco, I’ve been mentioning this site more times than I can count.

It’s a neat site because, as you can see above, you can really customize your options. You select the protein source and the carbohydrate source, enter your pet’s age and weight, and out comes a list of choices that fit your criteria. If your pet has a medical condition, you can ask your vet to create an appropriate recipe on the section of the site that is just for veterinarians.

So here’s their gift to you all: with the holidays bearing down, perhaps you are looking for a little something special for your dog or cat’s festivus plate. Dr. Delaney is offering all pawcurious readers one free recipe from the Pet Lovers BalanceIt site– a $20 value! The diets can be made using BalanceIt supplements or human supplements- you’ll get options for both.

Just enter the code “pawcurious” at checkout. And don’t forget to give them a like over on Facebook and tell them I said hi!

Will you get the English dinner? The Surf and Turf? Which recipe are you going to try? Have you ever cooked for your pet?

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Cats, Cooking, Dogs, Fit Life, Giveaways, Health, Lifestyle, Pawcurean Tagged With: BalanceIt, nutrition, recipes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle Maskaly says

    November 16, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    The nutrition thing fascinates me, too. There are so many different opinions on the topic! Heading over to read your article and I’m going try the BalanceIt website. Thanks for the info.

    ps — those gingerbread houses are amazing!

    • Lisa W says

      November 16, 2011 at 6:28 pm

      +1!

  2. Annette says

    November 19, 2011 at 9:59 pm

    I put all of Lambchop’s meals through a nutrition calculator too – to balance his meals.

  3. Anonymous says

    November 20, 2011 at 6:51 am

    What a great site! Before we switched to raw, I used to cook all the pups meals, due to Felix’s insane allergies and so I know just how much work goes into it. It was what inspired me to study canine nutrition, in fact – the fear that I might not be feeding the “right”. There is definitely a market for a site that helps take the guess work out of it. I’m excited to check it out.

Primary Sidebar

Picks of the Litter

Popular Posts

  • Why I Hate That Stupid Mom Pie Quote
    Why I Hate That Stupid Mom Pie Quote
  • Much Love to the Cat Guys
    Much Love to the Cat Guys
  • World's Most Adorable Degenerate Produce
    World's Most Adorable Degenerate Produce
  • Grand Opening: The Pawcurious Surgical Training Centre
    Grand Opening: The Pawcurious Surgical Training Centre
  • A breath of fresh air: World Vets in action
    A breath of fresh air: World Vets in action
  • Flash Mountain
    Flash Mountain
  • Why I Tell People I Sell Life Insurance
    Why I Tell People I Sell Life Insurance
  • Giveaway Tuesday: Eye Charts for Dogs and Cats from Local Paper Studio
    Giveaway Tuesday: Eye Charts for Dogs and Cats from Local Paper Studio
  • Spay's Anatomy (featuring Pet Doctor Barbie and a special guest star)
    Spay's Anatomy (featuring Pet Doctor Barbie and a special guest star)
  • Animal Use in Pet Food Research: The Hill's Approach
    Animal Use in Pet Food Research: The Hill's Approach

Posts by Topic

Posts by Date

Footer

On Instagram

No images found!
Try some other hashtag or username

On Facebook

On Pinterest

  • Game of Thrones Houses
  • Is It OK To Text a Vet Friend For Free Advice? – Pawcurious: With Veterinarian and Author Dr. V
  • How Not To Kill Your Cat This Easter
  • Infographic: "42 Funeral and Burial Rituals from Around the World"
  • Throwing a dog friendly Bark Party is the best way to meet new neighbors! Check out my tips for a successful dog meet-up and giveaway, sponsored by @StateFarm!
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • PR, Giveaways, and Brands
  • © Copyright 2009-2025 Pawcurious, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
  • Web Design by Moxie Design Studios
Scroll Up