You cook for the special people in your life. Recently, you may have started thinking that maybe it's not a bad idea to cook for your pets, too.

The widespread recall of dozens of brands of dog and cat food — caused by the contamination of a common ingredient, wheat gluten, supplied by a Chinese manufacturer — has prompted a sudden burst of interest in homemade pet food. But pet food preparation presents a particular challenge that is not usually a concern in human recipes, say veterinary nutritionists.

Imagine choosing two, three, maybe even four dishes that you will eat exclusively for the rest of your life. What are the chances that those recipes, no matter how healthful they might be, will meet absolutely all of your nutritional needs? That's exactly the expectation we consumers have of commercial pet foods — and that is the responsibility that pet owners take onto themselves when they decide to make their animal's food at home.

"Some people have the desire to cook for their own animals and get great satisfaction in doing that," said Sherry Sanderson, an assistant professor in the physiology and pharmacology department at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine. "But the problem is, there is no homemade recipe that has undergone the scrutiny that we have for commercial diets."

The main danger comes from people who concoct their own recipes or use recipes from unreliable sources, said Sanderson, who studies nutritional management of diseases. Their pets are at risk of becoming malnourished, or even poisoned, by well-intentioned but misinformed owners.

"I think it's fine if you are vigilant in following a reputable recipe on a consistent basis, and you don't take shortcuts," said Susan Lauten, clinical instructor in nutrition at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville's College of Veterinary Medicine. "As long as you're very careful and consistent, it's probably better [than commercial pet foods]."

The advantages to homemade pet food are that you can choose the very best ingredients; you can customize recipes to suit your pet's individual needs or preferences; and you discover a whole new way of spoiling your furry friend. "There are things that homemade diets offer that you can't get from commercial diets," said Susan Wynn, a holistic veterinarian at Bells Ferry Veterinary Hospital in Acworth. "That includes potential nutrients that are contained in vegetables. It's also high-quality meats. It's ingredients you can't get in commercial diets; for instance if [animals] have food allergies."

Switching to homemade has made all the difference in the life of Atlantan Laura DeHaven's pet. Before going homemade, Howard the Yorkshire terrier spent much of his free time at the vet's office, suffering from diarrhea and other ailments caused by severe food allergies. Since making the switch, DeHaven said, "He's not having those kinds of issues."

But there are disadvantages, too: time, expense, inconvenience (homemade food doesn't travel well) and risk. Risk of overfeeding (pets know a home-cooked meal when they try it, and they tend to want more). Risk of quality control ("Gosh, I know my dog is supposed to get lean meat, but the ground chuck is on sale today ..."). And risk of malnutrition or even toxicity.

"All of these recipes are one-off. They haven't been fed to any other animal," said Sean Delaney, a board-certified veterinary nutritionist and founder of Davis Veterinary Medical Consulting, PC, in Davis, Calif. If there's a problem with a commercial food — say, just for example, that some contaminated wheat gluten gets mixed in — then the symptoms are likely to show up in multiple pets, and that commonality will ultimately help veterinarians identify the source of the problem. But if you're feeding your pet a unique diet, and the animal starts showing signs of a mysterious illness, the vet has a harder diagnostic road ahead.

"I think there's always a concern about that," Delaney said. "That's why, if you decide to make a homemade diet, your pet should be checked on a regular basis to make sure it's remaining healthy."

But don't get Delaney wrong. His company owns and operates a Web site, www.balanceit.com, that calculates and sells balanced home recipes customized to the age, weight and reproductive status of dogs and cats. He is simply advocating what any member of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition is likely to say: If you're going to make food for your pet, for its health's sake, make sure the recipe is nutritionally complete and balanced.

That turns out to be easier said than done. Last year, Lauten conducted a review of more than 100 pet food recipes found in books written by veterinarians. She compared those recipes to standards established by the National Research Council Committee on Animal Nutrition and the Association of American Feed Control Officials and determined that although most were nutritionally complete, about 70 percent of them were not balanced. In most cases, the culprit was a shortage of calcium, she said. "The minerals were the issue. They are so important."

And those are recipes written by veterinarians. Her survey did not take into account the untold number of pet food recipes found online and in cookbooks that come from unknown or noncredible sources.

Owners should take care to distinguish between recipes intended as occasional treats and recipes intended for perpetual use. For ongoing use, owners also must verify that the recipe is designed for the age and size of their pet.

"If you get a recipe that's OK for a 50-pound dog, you cannot just give one-fifth of that to a 10-pound dog. The requirements are not linear," Wynn said.

Rotating recipes helps, too. "In a homemade diet, variety is protective in a nutritional sense," she said.

Despite the complications, for pet owners like DeHaven, becoming Howard the Yorkie's personal chef has been well worth the effort.

"Since we've had him, he's always had stomach issues," she said. "We went through every kind of food we could try. They said, maybe you should try hypoallergenic foods. He went through those, too."

DeHaven turned to Wynn for help. Wynn consulted with Lauten to develop recipes that Howard could stomach. DeHaven will have to rotate his foods and hunt down exotic protein sources, like emu, to keep Howard healthy.

"It's a huge commitment, but we didn't have a choice," DeHaven said. "He's just a rascal, and definitely worth all the trouble."

For other owners, just making occasional treats for their critters is enough. Stone Mountain resident Elaine Groves enjoys whipping up a weekly batch of doggie biscuits for her bull mastiffs. But she has no interest in switching to an all-homemade diet.

"The food I feed them is all-natural food, and trying to feed four of them, I couldn't do that anyhow," she said. "They're happy with the meals they're getting, and I know they're all healthy with the food they're eating, and I don't want to change that."

Some owners may decide to tuck away an emergency home recipe, just in case there's another commercial pet food crisis. Others may want to give home cooking a try.

"I think more and more people are cooking now, but I think this scare will do a lot to clean up the pet food industry — I think companies will be more wary of what they are buying," Lauten said. "I'd say if people home-cook, then please, please balance it."

Foods to avoid

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, these foods are not safe for dogs and cats:

• Alcoholic beverages: Alcohol poisoning can be fatal in dogs and cats.

• Chocolate (baker's, semisweet, milk chocolate): Theobromine, a chemical in chocolate, can be lethal to dogs and cats.

• Coffee (ground, beans, chocolate-covered espresso beans): Dogs and cats lack the enzyme to process caffeine.

• Moldy or spoiled foods: Can contain toxins causing diarrhea and vomiting.

• Onions and onion powder: Can cause Heinz body anemia.

• Garlic and garlic powder: To a lesser extent than onions, they can cause Heinz body anemia.

• Excess salt: Can cause renal problems.

• Raw yeast dough: Dough can "rise" in animal's stomach, causing bloating and possibly damage to internal organs; can also lead to alcohol toxicity.

Raisins and grapes: Can cause renal failure.

• Hops (used in home brewing): Can cause seizures or death.

• Fatty foods: A diet too high in fat, especially in dogs, can cause pancreatitis.

• Bones: Bones are a choking hazard to dogs and cats; use bone meal in recipes that call for it.

• Milk: Many cats are lactose-intolerant.

• Raw egg: Can inhibit B vitamin absorption; lead to skin and coat problems.

• Raw or undercooked meat: Raw meat can carry salmonella and E. coli, which can sicken cats and dogs and the people who care for them.

— Staff and news services Associated Press

Chef's tips

• Treat your pet's body like you'd treat your own — on a good day. Avoid highly processed foods and those loaded with preservatives, artificial flavorings and artificial sweeteners.

• Cook the meat. Although it may seem more "natural" for Fluffy to eat raw meat, "If Fluffy lived in the wild, she wouldn't live to be 15," said Sherry Sanderson, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine. Besides, you'll most likely be feeding your pet meats that have come through very human methods of distribution and processing, and those meats are meant to be cooked.

• Take care to avoid "hidden" toxic foods, such as onion powder in human baby food. You'll find a list of dangerous foods in the box above.

• Avoid especially fatty foods, such as chicken skins. "Especially for dogs, foods that are really high in fat, a lot of dogs can develop a condition called pancreatitis, which can be a potentially life-threatening condition," Sanderson said.

• Follow the recipes carefully. Foods that might constitute reasonable substitutes or nutritional sources in a human's diet will not necessarily work for pets. For instance, cats cannot utilize beta carotene, so carrots are not an acceptable source for vitamin A. As true carnivores, cats also require taurine and other amino acids derived from animal sources.

• Use human nutritional supplements (in the quantities provided in pet recipes) or a pet supplement formulated specifically for use with homemade diets. Commercial pet supplements are designed to be used in conjunction with commercial pet foods, which already include essential vitamins and minerals. When buying human supplements, look for the USP (United States Pharmacopeia)-certified symbol on the package.

• Just like with commercial foods, do not feed a puppy or kitten food meant for adult animals. They have special dietary needs.

Online sources

http://www.balanceit.com — Since December, this Web site operated by DVM Consulting has offered about 400 different recipes for dog and cat food that can be customized to the weight, age and reproductive status of individual healthy, adult pets. Recipes are $20 each and include two versions, one using human supplements purchased over the counter and one using a special formulation sold by the company. That supplement, also called Balance It, can be purchased on the same Web site (the cat formulation lasts about three months; the dog formulation lasts about a month; and each is around $20). DVM is offering pet owners one free trial recipe. Type in the code "homemade" and click "apply" during checkout.

http://www.petdiets.com — This site, operated by American College of Veterinary Nutrition diplomate Rebecca Remillard, sells recipes for healthy adult dogs and cats for $50 each. Remillard also offers personalized pet nutrition consulting services.

http://www.petnutritionconsulting.com — Through her Web site, Susan Lauten offers pet owners nutrition consultations, diet analyses and customized recipes. Formulations (including ingredient sources) for healthy pets are $100; formulations for pets with special medical needs are $125.