The vet cook – Delicious recipes… | Recipes to share with your dog, with peace of mind

Who has never slipped a crust of cheese, a piece of sausage, or even some holiday foie gras under the table, just to serve a little treat to the greedy dog ​​in the house? But be careful with those who want to treat their doggie very carefully, because certain ingredients (well, onions!) can be harmful to the health of our companions. This is why veterinarian Lucie Hénault has put together a book of recipes that can be shared without danger with them.

It’s hard to say “Hands off!” » facing his gentle and imploring looks. So we sway and place a piece of biscuit on his tongue. Is this really good for him? As a layman about the ideal canine menu, you can never be too sure. This is where the D^D Lucie Hénault, a veterinarian for nearly 25 years, brings her insights, not in the form of indigestible scientific articles, but of compilations of family recipes that are safe for the health of dogs.

The author, who is writing her first work here, cannot emphasize enough: the dishes and desserts presented are primarily intended for humans, but can be shared with animals. “It’s not a book for feeding dogs, but for people who put a little of their food on their kibble or, when they eat, give them a little bit,” she explains.

An adapted habit that the veterinarian has developed since raising her children alongside Dragon, a very cute Boston terrier. “With young children, there are very often leftovers. I emptied their plates on Dragon kibble, and that’s when I started to adapt my recipes, because I didn’t want the dog to eat ingredients that were toxic to him, like garlic,” recalls the D^D Hénault, who also observed his children sneakily offering bites of their meal to the insatiable Dragon.

No fuss and no worries

On the menu of The vet cook, around fifty starters, salads, soups, main courses and desserts from which risky or non-ideal foods for canines have been excluded. Aside from chocolate, whose toxicity is well known to the public, do you know the other ingredients to avoid? We give you one, garlic, omnipresent in our kitchens; discover the others by taking our quiz!

All this results in no-fuss recipes for everyone and for doggies, such as vegetarian burritos, pear oatmeal, lettuce, strawberry and apple salad, meatballs and croquettes, fish with spices, biscuits with maple and peanut butter (chosen without the sweetener xylitol, this is important)…

Everything is sprinkled occasionally with personal anecdotes or veterinary advice (for example, is cranberry good for treating a urinary infection in dogs?). Could we still adapt the proposed recipes, if by chance one of the components did not appeal to us? Certainly, agrees the D^D Hénault, as long as we do not draw on the list of foods to be avoided drawn up in the introduction to the book.

“We did many, many tests, including a culinary critique so that, even when tasty ingredients like those from the onion family were excluded, it remained tasty and we wanted to eat these recipes . But we can certainly adapt them, I’m not Jean Soulard either! »

That said, one of the most important ingredients is undoubtedly moderation. “Ten percent of a dog’s diet should come from treats, and the remainder from specific food. We have a problem with canine obesity in North America, our eyes have difficulty perceiving excess weight in the animal,” warns the veterinarian, who would like, for example, a ban on ice cream treats, which are too rich. in sugar and fat.

If success is achieved, the “vet cook” does not rule out resetting the table with future opuses. Like a recipe book for cats? Maybe not, the latter focusing more on a specific type of food, she emphasizes, but the menus for dogs would be well developed.

“I have lots, lots, lots of ideas. We could go by themes, by seasons, by activities… It’s a beautiful concept that I’m proud of, especially since you can’t find it anywhere else. We looked in France, in the United States, on the web… There are certainly plenty of homemade recipes for dogs, but not to share with them,” she says.

Red light or green light?

Can the following foods be harmful to dogs? It’s up to you to answer.

1. Leek

Red fire. Just like onion, garlic and chives, leek destroys red blood cells in a dog’s blood and can seriously harm him.

2. Coffee and tea

Red fire. A little coffee to lick? No ! Dogs are hypersensitive to caffeine and should not ingest it. Be especially careful with latte drinks lying around, which are very attractive to them, warns the D^D Hénault.

3. Celery

Green light. That’s yes, just like carrots and parsley. We find it in several recipes in the book, such as “La salad trop chou”.

4. Macadam nuts

Red fire. If nuts in general should be strictly limited, especially if the animal has health problems, Macadam nuts should simply be avoided.

5. Cooked eggs

Green light. If it’s cooked, it’s yes. On the other hand, raw eggs are not recommended, due to the risk of transmission of salmonellosis, but also of skin problems in dogs.

6. Grapes

Red fire. Whether fresh or dried, grapes will be among the banned foods. Lucie Hénault suggests replacing the raisins with dried cranberries.

7. Salmon

Green light. Cooked with or without the skin, salmon passes the test for gourmet dogs.

8. Tofu

Green light. The veterinarian also suggests a recipe for Asian-style tofu strips with breadcrumbs, soy sauce and ginger.

Baked chicken “coquettes”

In this recipe from the book The vet cookthe little chicken “coquettes” are in the spotlight, a nod to the popular animal name Coquette, which the veterinarian comes across at regular intervals.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 125 ml (1/2 cup) unbleached flour
• 2 eggs
• 250 ml (1 cup) breadcrumbs
• 250 ml (1 cup) crumbled corn flakes
• 25 ml (5 tsp) toasted sesame seeds
• 25 ml (5 tsp) ground flax seeds
• 10 ml (2 tsp) dried oregano
• 5 ml (1 tsp) pepper
• 5 ml (1 tsp) chili powder
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
• 2. Cut the chicken breasts into pieces approximately 3 cm long (1 1/4 inches). Salt and pepper.
• 3. Prepare 4 soup plates. In the first, put the flour.
• 4. In the second, beat the eggs. In the third, mix the breadcrumbs and crumbled corn flakes. In the fourth, mix the sesame and flax seeds, oregano, pepper and chili powder.
• 5. Coat the chicken pieces in flour; dip them in egg; coat them in the mixture of breadcrumbs and corn flakes, then in the mixture of seeds and spices.
• 6. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray (or place a reusable baking sheet on it), then brush with a little olive oil. Place the coquettes on the plate.
• 7. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, turning the coquettes halfway through cooking.