Pet Food Recipes for Lockdown: Simple Dishes to Feed your Dog or Cat during the COVID-19 Curfew

As India goes under lockdown due to COVID-19, pet-parents have one more thing to worry about, the well-being of their pets. When you are facing a shortage of goods and services, and only the essentials barely make their way to your home – you may need to resort to cooking for your pet and making the best of the available ingredients at hand.
 
The good news is, as long as you have the supplies to feed yourself and your family, you will also be able to make something for your pet. Following are some dishes you can cook up for your pet. While we’ve tried to put down the best you can make from what you have, these recipes are not a balanced wholesome diet, Thus, they cannot replace their staple meals in the long run. They are temporary emergency recipes to help them get through the lockdown safely.

The three recipes below (green, yellow, red) are based on the availability of food items and in the order of preference for your pet. Green is the best-case option, while Red is for the worst-case scenario. They are all easy one-pot recipes, that you can easily make and even store in your refrigerator for future meals.
 

01. Meat & Vegetable Stew

This is the best case scenario, when you have fresh greens and meat available.

Ingredients:

• Chicken, Mutton, Fish or any other meat that you can find
• Green Beans
• Pumpkin
• Sweet Potato or Potato
• Rice
• Coconut Oil, or any available vegetable oil
• Turmeric Powder

Recipe:

• Clean and chop all the vegetables (green beans, pumpkin, sweet potato) into small dices.
• Cut the meat into small pieces too. Use boneless meat, as far as possible. Otherwise, debone after cooking.
• Add all the ingredients to a pot with water.
• Cook on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.
• Refrigerate in a clean container for future use. Serve warm as per your pet’s mealtime.

DO NOT feed cooked bones to your pet. They can be a potential choking hazard and may cause internal injury.

 

02. Egg Pasta

This is a fallback option, when availability of ingredients is limited.

Ingredients:

• Whole Eggs
• Sprouts
• Pumpkin
• Potato
• Pasta of choice (or Rice, if pasta is unavailable)
• Coconut Oil, or any available vegetable oil
• Turmeric Powder

Recipe:

• Cook pasta with sprouts, pumpkin, potato, oil, and turmeric (do not add salt).
• Refrigerate the pasta mix for future meals (always serve warm).
• Add whole hard-boiled eggs before serving.

Avoid feeding raw eggs at this point, or feeding only egg whites. These may have dire consequences on your pet.

 

03. Soya Khichadi (not suitable for Cats)

This should be your worst-case option, when the ingredients are only sparsely available.

Ingredients:

• Soya Nuggets
• Lentil (Dal) of choice
• Rice
• Pumpkin, Potato or other available vegetables
• Curd
• Turmeric Powder

Recipe:

• Boil dal and rice with soya nuggets, potato, and turmeric.
• Refrigerate the mix in clean containers for future meals.
• Add curd before serving. Serve meals warm.

As pet parents, we understand that the well-being of your pet is of importance to you even in conditions like lockdowns. The above recipes should help you provide your pet with fresh homemade meals until the situation normalizes.

ALSO READ: Pet Care during Lockdown: Parenting your pet dog or cat during the COVID-19 Curfew

When situation worsens, you may be tempted to feed Rotis or Chapatis to your pet. While it is acceptable to feed them during a crisis, Rotis are not suitable for your dog or cat.

Food is at the heart of your pet’s health. A pet that feeds on a balanced, wholesome, natural diet is healthier and better physically, mentally, and behaviorally. He or she is also better prepared to get through a stressful situation or health issue than a pet feeding on packaged processed food. Incorporate a healthy diet in your pet’s daily routine so they are better prepared for life events like moving cities, old age, or even lockdowns.