We all know that homemade food is better for you than processed food and it’s no different for animals. However, dogs and cats have specific nutritional needs quite different from people and making homemade food for pets is not as simple as opening a cookbook and following a recipe.
That’s why I started AOKpets: to provide homemade pet food that meets the nutritional requirements of board certified veterinary nutritionists and is tested appropriately. Your pet can experience the benefits of homemade with the reassurance the food is complete and balanced.
ABOUT AMY
A meal disguised as dessert was a trick I always played on my kids on April’s Fools Day. Applying this culinary slight-of-hand, I decided that the same trick could be played by people with their pets. Why give your pet a “cookie” when you can give them healthy food that just looks like a decadent dessert?
I have been making homemade food for my pets since 2010. My choice to start cooking initially arose out of a necessity when my cat was not responding to the prescription diets recommended by my vet.
Being a molecular biologist, I turned to the internet to read the latest scientific research, scoured over many books written by vets, until I came up with a dietary plan that seemed to help his condition. After an initial pilot recipe stopped my cat’s chronic diarrhea, my impressed vet was willing to work with me to ensure the formulation included all the necessary vitamins and minerals. I have since discovered veterinary nutritional services that will work with patients and their vet to create customized recipes and recommend this faster approach to anyone with a pet that has a medical condition.
When I am not cooking for animals, I teach biology part time at a local community college, volunteer my time with the local 4H, support the animal ministry at my spiritual center, make dog toys from recycled t-shirt yarn, sew, paint and do other crafty things by repurposing just about anything. AOKpets nourishes my creative spirit and my love of cooking and animals.