The Healthy Hound Cookbook Review

By: Andrew
Time to read: 15 min.

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Dogs are a man’s best friend and deserve the best. The Healthy Hound Cookbook provides just that, through a list of simple, all-natural recipes that you can refer to create more healthy meals and even dog treats for your furry friends. Apart from the recipes, it is also inspirational and will give you many reasons to go looking into your kitchen cupboard, prepare homemade meals and treats for your dog, and bond with them.

The Healthy Hound Cookbook is an excellent book and is a great value for your money. The book has over 125 recipes that you can cook using simple pantry items from your kitchen. These recipes are healthy, made from fresh and nutritious ingredients, and your dog will love you for it.

This book is for ardent animal lovers who like to cook for their pets. This book not only includes recipes for your dog’s mealtimes but also includes many dog treat recipes as well. Keep on reading to find out more about the book and what makes the book so special.

Table of Contents

About the Authors

The book, The Healthy Hound Cookbook, is authored by Paris Permenter and John Bigley. They are a husband and wife team of the DogTipper website fame. They are professional pet and travel writers with over two decades of experience writing award-winning books, magazines, and custom projects.

Apart from the fact that they are veterans in writing books, Paris and John also maintain this website where they frequently share tips on dog walking and dog food. They are proud owners of two rescue dogs, Tiki and Barli.

Their website, DogTipper, is very carefully designed and includes separate tabs for dog treat recipes, dog walking tips, and even an online shop. You will also find a Freebies tab on their website. This mostly includes materials that you can either read online, or download for reading later. It includes e-books such as, “Dog Ice cream Cookbook,” “2020 Pet Holiday Calendar,” “The Holiday Treat Cookbook,” and “The Dog Treat Travel Cookbook”.

The online shop sells the Yucky Puppy Poop Bag holders which are wet bags useful for picking up after your dog has done his business. These colourful bags are very light and are uniquely designed to snap onto a leash or a bag or even a pet stroller and no one will be the wiser in knowing what is inside these bags. Each Yucky Puppy can hold multiple filled bags and has a waterproof PUL lining that helps keep the odor within the bag.

Both the authors are based in Austin, Texas, and are devoted pet parents. Having the expertise of travel writing and the experience from owning and living life with four-legged friends, Paris and John have shared their home and hearth with dogs for many years now. They take them out to travel and on regular everyday errands as well.

Along with the travel guidebooks, the couple has also written over 2000 magazine and newspaper articles covering various travel destinations and many travel guides for their home state in Texas. There are many e-books as well that they have written on dog food including the Healthy Hound Cookbook. Many of these books are available for free download online.

They have written for various papers, including USA Today, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Men’s Health, and The Huffington Post, among other major media houses. Paris speaks at various events held by Amazing Pet Expos across the country in the capacity of a certified dog trainer and as America’s Pet Economist.

The Healthy Hound Cookbook is one of their recent publications from the publishing houses Adams Media and Simon and Schuster. They have also written another book called Texas with Dogs, which is published by Open Road. The two authors have been working relentlessly in helping find homeless dogs and cats their forever homes. Alongside DogTipper, they are also the founders of CatTipper and PawZaar.

Book Synopsis

This book has over 125 recipes that are healthy and nutritious and can be easily made from the ingredients found in your kitchen cupboard. The book aims at encouraging its readers to cook more often for their dog and sees it as a tool to create a special bond with their dog. You do not need fancy items or run to a super speciality store to bring in the ingredients to cook the dog food, but the usual run of the mill pantry items will suffice to create these dishes.

Most commercial dog food contains harsh chemicals and preservatives that are not good for your canine friend’s health. There are also animal byproducts and fillers and chicken and beef meals made of wastes in the butcher house and many other unappetizing and unhealthy ingredients. Any dog lover would agree that man’s best friend deserves a lot better than this.

The recipes in The Healthy Hound Cookbook have simple recipes that make use of natural ingredients to create healthy and nutritious meals for your dog. Readers of this book are not just equipped with a host of recipes, but the book also provides them with other key information on portion sizes and cooking techniques.

Authors Paris Permenter and John Bigley have designed the recipes to ensure that your dog gets everything he needs to be strong, healthy, and full of energy. The recipes use whole food ingredients such as potatoes, carrots, chicken, and beef. So, you will not have to worry whether your dog is getting a nutritious diet or one that is spiked with preservatives and other harsh chemicals.

Made from naturally occurring food ingredients, the recipes mentioned in this book will provide your furry friend with a healthy and balanced diet. Additionally, this book also includes recipes for dogs with special diet restrictions and requirements and has grain-free recipes. It also comes with a portion calculator that will help you measure and adjust the serving size of food according to the breed you have.

All in all, this book has recipes that will help your dog live a healthier and happier life without compromising on its food and flavor. It is a handy book when your pooch shows signs of saturation from store-bought food and equips you with all the information you will need to make your foray into a world of cooking for your dog.

There are lots of healthy homemade dog food recipes available online today, as you can see in this video:

The advantage of having a dog food recipe book is that you do not need to turn on your phone to refer to it all the time. Sometimes videos are also taken down from the internet, which may result in your scrambling for the recipe elsewhere.

This is where having a recipe book such as The Healthy Hound Cookbook will come in handy. All you will need to do is refer to the book-marked recipe page in the book to view and cook from the recipe instructions.

The Book Relies on Easily Available Recipe Ingredients

Most company-manufactured dog food contains a lot of chemicals and preservatives. Some claim to be made from whole foods, but the preservatives have a more pronounced negative impact on the food. It is always better to give them fresh dog food that is low in preservatives and other chemicals that are not good for them.

The Healthy Hound Cookbook understands this need and offers recipes made from fresh ingredients that can be given to your pet without adding in any preservative. Cooking for your dog means you can give them food straight from the hob. It will be clean, fresh, and most likely made from natural ingredients.

Some recipes are oatmeal turkey dog biscuits and peanut butter and banana ice cream in this book. These dishes are made from whole ingredients that are not processed or preserved, making it ideal for your furry friends. They will be getting healthy, nutritious diets without having to gulp in empty calories or harmful ingredients.

Most of the dishes in this book are made from healthy whole-food like chicken, potatoes, beef, peanut butter, and oats. All of them are rich in nutrients, and they help your dog get a balanced diet as these foods contain a good measure of fiber, fat, and carbohydrate, the key ingredients to ensure your dog’s well-being.

This book also caters to dogs of different breeds, and so it naturally takes care of your dog’s dietary needs, whether it is a growth spurt or when an adult dog has certain dietary restrictions, etc.

Another positive impact of using whole foods is that they can be just as flavorful as nutritious foods. Your dog will love you for cooking them a dog treat. It is also considered a great way to bond with your dog.

You are already the best cook in the whole world in your dog’s eyes. Cooking up a meal from this book for your dog will only take it up a notch. Not only will your dog be getting healthy and tasty food, but they will also get more time to bond with you.

Cooking Techniques for All Kinds of Diet

No cookbook is complete without instructions on the cooking technique for the recipe. The backbone of any recipe book and The Healthy Hound Cookbook is brimming with recipes and information on cooking techniques to make your experience as a dog food chef easier.

If you are new to cooking, these techniques will act as a guiding hand in the kitchen for you. It is not just a set of instructions but the key to making the most with the ingredients available and most of your time in the kitchen. The Healthy Hound Cookbook gives many ideas for the cooking techniques that are effective, time-efficient, and enhances the flavor of the food you are giving your dog.

The book also has recipes for pets who are on a restricted diet. Some pets are on a grain-free diet for health reasons, raw or Paleo diets. This book takes into consideration all of these diets in the many recipes that it offers. You will not be lost looking for recipes that suit your dog’s needs as this book has you covered.

If your pooch is on a Paleo diet or a raw diet for that matter, your worry would be to figure out a way to put enough ingredients so that the dog gets the basics every day. The basics being fat, fiber, and carbohydrate.

The recipes in this book were developed after thorough research that goes on to ensure just that. If you follow the Paleo or raw food recipes for your dog from this book, rest assured that their regular dietary requirements are fulfilled.

A similar worry may sprout if you are required to feed your dog a grain-free diet. The biggest concern with a grain-free diet is the possibility of lack of fiber in your dog’s food. If there is less than optimum fiber levels, then your dog’s gut will have to pay the price for that.

It will also lead to less absorption of vitamins and minerals as fiber helps with the absorption of essential vitamins in the body. Here again, the recipes will come to your rescue and provide alternatives.

Serving Sizes

When providing your dog with food, you do not just need to be mindful of the ingredients in that food, the nutritional content, calorie count, and serving size. Portion control is also applicable to dogs. The right portion of dog food is vital for your dog’s health and well-being.

Not all dogs need the same quantity of food, just like not all humans eat the same amount. The requirements vary depending on the breed, size, age, and if any, medical conditions. Feeding a puppy the same amount of food that an average adult dog eats will lead to health issues.

Similarly, feeding an adult dog the quantities that puppies eat may lead to malnutrition and weakness. Therefore, it is important to get the serving size right. Here are a few key takeaways from the book:

The Healthy Hound Cookbook gets this spot on. They guide you regarding the amount of food that will be healthy for your dog, keeping in mind the pooch’s age and breed. This book does your work for you. The book also has a tool called the portion calculator. You can use this portion calculator to adjust the serving size according to breed.
When the book is taking over all the work that was initially cut out for you, it makes life simpler. All you will have to do is follow the cooking instructions to make the dishes and the guidelines and serve the right quantity for your dog. This also means that any excess food can be stored in the freezer for a future day. All in all, it is a win-win situation.
Another very important use of the portion calculator tool is that it can be adopted at any time. You need not use it right from the start, and it is okay if you have been getting the portion size wrong so far. You can pick it up and implement the measurements, no matter what stage your dog is in life. The idea is to correct and provide your dog with the right amount of food to help him with his health.
Adjusting the serving size as per the calculation results from this book is a rather simple process, but it is recommended that you do not make any abrupt changes to the portion sizes. If the ideal portion size is 100g (3.25 oz) less than what you are serving him currently, start by reducing 25% in the first week, and once your dog has adjusted, reduce another 25% and so on till you reach the optimum mark.
Abruptly reducing the portion size will not only make your dog go in shock, but it will also have adverse health effects on your dog. You will need to reduce the quantity slowly and gently. Remember that your dog cannot think for itself when it comes to portion sizes and so you will have to take up the job responsibly and achieve the right size.

The book will be with you every step of the way in this journey and help you with arriving at the correct serving size.

Benefits for Your Dog

The book was designed to provide the maximum benefits for your dog through nutrition. It makes extensive use of whole foods. Whole foods that are sourced directly from farms and contain minimal to no additives and preservatives are good for any life form, be it humans or dogs. Including it in your dog’s food recipe only makes it healthier and more nutritious for your dog.

Using whole foods such as root vegetables and chicken and beef will make your dog’s gut healthier and lead him to live a happier life. Gut health is very important for the well-being of your pooch. To a large extent, it will impact every other sphere of your dog’s life. A healthy gut is a healthy body when it comes to your fur babies.

This book, The Healthy Hound Cookbook, understands this basic principle and offers recipes that will ensure good gut health in your dog. The recipes mentioned here are easy to make at home and will give you a reason not to reach out to the store-bought tins and other alternatives every time.

When you buy dog food from the stores, you encourage more dog food manufacturing industries to continue making dog food that is high in preservatives.

While many pets live their entire lives on store-bought food, it does impact their health and happiness. Nothing compares to homemade food, even for dogs. If you are a dog lover, you might want to give your dog wholesome, nutritious, and energy-producing food.

The recipes in The Healthy Hound Cookbook will give your dog all the nutrients it needs through a balanced diet and ensure that it lives a healthy and happy life eating food that is not just good for him, but also tasty and flavorful.

The Spinach Omelet Recipe: The Healthy Hound Cookbook

One of the recipes from the Healthy Hound Cookbook that is publicly available is the spinach omelet recipe. It is a simple recipe that your dog will love and is as easy to make as it sounds. Think of it as whipping up some breakfast in a hurry. The only thing is that here you are using spinach as an ingredient in the recipe.

It is also important to note that the spinach omelet recipe is a grain-free recipe that also qualifies as a paleo diet. Just like us, perhaps even our dogs might like to start their day with an omelet, and this recipe is perfect to know whether they like it or not. It is made with spinach and packed with nutrients. The green from the spinach gives that added color, making it look interesting for your dog.

It is a fairly simple recipe that requires only three major ingredients and a few minutes of your time. The recipe details below will yield one omelet, but you can double or triple the ingredients and make the omelets in batches to increase the amount. If made in excess, you can freeze the extra omelet and heat it before serving later.

To make this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 cup of torn baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese

Follow these easy steps to make the omelet:

Take a small bowl and crack open the eggs.
Beat the eggs with a whisk till they are runny.
Add the torn baby spinach leaves and the grated parmesan cheese and give it a mix with the eggs.
Heat a non-stick skillet and coat it with cooking spray.
Once the skillet is hot, pour in the egg, spinach, and cheese mixture into it.
Cook the mixture in medium heat until the omelet is almost set. It should take around 4-5 minutes.
Next, flip the omelet with the help of a spatula and cook until it is fully done.
Let the omelet cool a little bit before you serve it.

You can make more omelets just by multiplying the amount of ingredients and refrigerating any unused portion. The omelet will last up to three days in the fridge. This is guaranteed to be a favorite with your dog. Due to the overpowering taste of the eggs, your dog will not realize that it is also eating spinach. A win-win, truly, for both you and your dog.

The Book Is an Inspiration That Will Motivate You to Cook More Often for Your Dog

The Healthy Hound Cookbook, will provide you with the motivation you will need to give your dog the regular homemade food they deserve. The recipes are easy to follow, like the spinach omelet recipe listed earlier. It gives you a ton of reasons to cook for your dog.

The Healthy Hound Cookbook goes an extra step and lists foods that you should refrain from giving your dog and those you should never give your dog. Despite these restrictions, the book manages to churn out more than 125 recipes for your pet.

The Pets Weekly has reviewed The Healthy Hound Cookbook and said, “You won’t want to miss this one from Paris Permenter and John Bigley. We are sure you’ll love this book, and your pets will love you for caring enough to give them the very best.”

The book has a quick guide on dog nutrition that will help you self-educate even if you are new to the world of having dogs as pets.

The Healthy Hound Cookbook is a book that understands that your dog deserves only the best, and simple and all-natural recipes are the best way to give your dog healthy treats and nutritious meals that are good for your dog’s health and well-being. The book values homemade recipes and makes an effort to make its readers value the same.

Published by Adams Media, this book first came out in the Spring of 2014 and is still being printed. It is available for purchase online and ranks in the top half of 1000 books on Pet Food and Nutrition that Amazon has. It is not just a book on dog recipes but also shows in many ways how you can care for your dog better.

Conclusion

You do not have to inconvenience yourself to the point of frustration to feed your canine, nor do you need to run to a specialty store every time you cook something for them.

This book, The Healthy Hound Cookbook, makes a case for cooking for your dog that is simple and easy and can be done with items lying in your kitchen cupboard. There is that added advantage that no matter what you cook, you are the best chef in the world in your dog’s eyes.

Sources

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