Upon seeing this book, you might scoff at the idea of feeding an animal anything other than the food you see in the pet aisle at the supermarket. You’re probably imagining this book is aimed at the person carrying their dog around in a designer handbag, or the person who dresses up their dog in the same outfit they are wearing (shoes and all), which movies taught us to laugh at for the ridiculousness of it all. Yet, this persona has created more harm than good in regards to looking after your pets the correct way. Yes, some dogs need to be carried if you’re going to be out all day; yes, your dog needs to wear a jumper because it lacks fur other breeds have; and yes, you can feed your dog human food and it will benefit from it (please don’t try this with chocolate—that one is still true).
And this is where The Dog’s Table comes in.
Dog owners Joelle Jay and R. A. Young have always questioned the nutritious value of the kibble given to dogs and reserved concerns for their own dogs’ health. Once they saw the phyiscal effects of dogs eating “real food”, they never looked back. Now, with their incredibly popular social media platform where they show their dogs enjoying their homemade meals, they are releasing a cookbook for anyone else who wants to improve their dog’s health and appetite too.
I will admit, I had my own prejudices when I laid eyes on this cookbook for the first time, but it only took reading the introduction for me to shake off my bias around it. Thorough research has gone into creating this book, detailing the different micro and macro-nutrients dogs benefit from. Co-author R. A. Young rivals most veterinarians when it comes to dog nutrition (it is important to note they are only trained to know the basics of animal nutrition with no specifications) and has worked out how to get the best nutrients for every recipe provided—no calculations are needed. A lot of food myths are debunked in this book, along with tips for how to store food safely, and how the recipes meet pet food regulations from AAFCO. This cookbook has every dog owner in mind—with basic meals for the ultimate beginner cook, through to supermeals for the advanced chefs among us. It’s also divided into segments for what type of dog you have, whether it’s an adult dog, a working or competition dog, or even one expecting puppies. There’s even a section containing sweet treats for special occasions!
Each recipe gets a two-page spread with a photo of the finished product provided (usually of the meal being gobbled up by the authors’ two dogs Ced and Ed), and a description detailing what take the doggy meal is based on. Recipes vary from ‘Hot Pawt’, ‘Japanese Dogsu Curry’, ‘Seafood Pawella’, to ‘Shepup’s Pie (for Athlete Dogs)’ and ‘Easiest Pupcakes’. The calories, nutrition, and heath benefits provided by the meal are listed for each one along with detailed step-by-step instructions.
I admire what Jay and Young have started here, and it’s clear from this book how much they love their dogs. They have used their internet sensational videos to highlight how looking after your dog doesn’t have to be standard kibble, but a nutritious and decadent meal. Ultra processed foods vs whole foods is a topic which is becoming more openly spoken about, so it seems sensible to be more aware of what we are feeding our pets and making sure they get to stay in our lives even longer.
Owning a cat makes testing these dog-friendly recipes hard to do, but 1.4 million followers on Instagram know two dogs are well looked after with these recipes, so why not try The Dog’s Table out for your best friend? 🐾
