You wouldn’t want to eat cereal every day, would you?

Imagine how it feels for your pets who are fed dry kibble every day and nothing else.

We see our pets as family and we want nothing but the best for them, and maybe that should include providing them with consciously prepared food, as well.

We admit that home-cooked meals take much time and effort to do and picking up that bag of commercial dog food is more convenient and easier.

We shouldn’t be out of options, though, as there are a number of pet parents who have decided to put up shop, making their fresh, human-grade, homemade meals and treats easily available to fellow hoomans and their doggos—and even cats.

Whole Pet Kitchen

Whole Pet Kitchen (WPK) started as a small home-based bakery in 2011. They create all-natural pet cakes, treats and meals which are free from preservatives, artificial colors and flavors. They also see to it that each item contains at least one superfood for every pet’s well-being.

If you’re the type who throws birthday parties for your “furbabies,” the pioneer in all-natural pet food and treats in the country has cake bases made for dogs and ones for cats. We’re talking about real birthday cakes—with frosting, trimmings and all—which your pets can consume without you worrying about anything. These are 100-percent free from preservatives and made with pet-safe ingredients, down to the colors used on the cakes. Juices from pet-safe herbs, vegetables and flowers are used instead of artificial food coloring.

WPK also makes Good Dog Grub which has become popular with pet parents looking for healthier options to canned food or kibble. The all-natural pet food come in Beef and Liver Rice; Grain-free Buffalo and Veggies Simple Meal; Grain-free Tubers and Beef; Grain-free Chicken and Squash; Chicken, Veggies and Rice; Grain-free Whitefish and Veggies Simple Meal, Beef and Rice, and Eggs and Rice.

What’s a pet deli and “barkery” without treats, right? WPK offers handmade biscuits, muffins and chews. Some pet parents are even able to share the biscuits with their “furkids,” given the subtle taste and human-grade ingredients.

Right now, WPK has a new service for creating customized clinical meals for dogs with diseases that require nutritional management and support.

Tel. 0908-862335; @wholepetkitchen on Instagram.

Ruff Treats PH

The usually sprightly 1-year-old Pembroke Welsh Corgi Rokku developed a very sensitive stomach, making him lethargic. After a number of vet visits, paw parents Angela Sanares and Raphael Angeles decided to switch Rokku to an all-natural diet—real meat, real veggies and no preservatives—his treats included. The change in diet brought Rokku back to his playful self.

The couple then decided to start Ruff Treats, so they could share healthier diet alternatives to other paw parents and also promote a special bond between them and their furbabies.

Savory and sweet treats make up Ruff Treats’ menu. Pets—through their hoomans, of course—can choose from Foie Strips (dehydrated pork liver strips), Chicken Fingers (dehydrated chicken breast strips), Fillet “Minions” (dehydrated lean beef brisket cubes) and Char Siu Chips. For “dessert,” there’s Banana Peanut Butter Pup-Pudding which is made from pureed banana and peanut butter pudding made with agar-agar, and Pumpkin Spice Pup-Pudding, cinnamon and pumpkin agar-agar pudding. There’s also Alpha Bites, baked alphabet-shaped biscuits made using whole wheat flour, pureed peanuts, carrots and their homemade applesauce.

Ruff Treats believes that what’s good for humans is also good for our pets. All their treats are made from locally sourced, high-quality ingredients and inspired by the delicious dishes that humans enjoy. They work in small batches for both dehydrated meats and baked biscuits to maintain the quality of their treats.

@rufftreatsph on Instagram.

Heckin’ Raw!

As the name suggests, Heckin’ Raw! offers whole raw meals which are balanced, fresh and biologically appropriate for your dogs. The meals are home-prepared and use only human-grade ingredients, making them completely safe to store in the freezer with your own food.

The shop offers both premade raw meal tubs in 350-gram containers and custom meal plans. Meal tubs come in beef, pork and chicken to make sure that dogs get a variety of meat. Heckin’ Raw! has a monthly meal plan which they tailor according to the dog’s breed, size, age, weight, allergies and even the fur parents’ lifestyles.

@heckinraw on Instagram

Woof Eats Home-cooked Dog Food

Woof Eats’ Dan and Ann dela Cruz have been feeding their furkids home-cooked dog food for several years already. But it wasn’t until recently that Ann decided to make the meals she makes also available to other pet parents who want healthier options for their pets.

“The idea of selling this online came up when we lost our Misha due to ehrlichiosis. I was truly devastated and I needed to keep myself busy,” said Ann. She turned to preparing home-cooked meals for dogs since it makes her happy as well.

Home-cooked dog food solved a handful of issues in their furkids from encouraging a picky eater to addressing allergies and urinary tract infections. Their home-cooked Pork and Veggies is 100-percent free from preservatives, fillers and artificial flavoring, and they guarantee the use of only human-grade, fresh ingredients.

“We cook in small batches on a weekly basis to keep it fresh and to avoid freezing it over for months,” said Ann. Watch out for Woof Eats’ two new flavors which they will be introducing soon. @woof.eats on Instagram

Balanced Pet Meals & Wellness

Balanced Pet Meals offers gently cooked meals with premium and grass-fed meat sources, local veggies and superfood supplements. They’ve also recently introduced Frozen Kefir Treats, made with milk kefir (fermented milk of locally raised cows and goats) that promotes a healthier gut in your pets.

The pet parents of Balanced Pet Meals believe that good food is the best medicine to achieve overall wellness in our pets, giving us more years together. They highlight the importance of informed nutrition and the huge role it plays in the long-term health of pets. They also taste test every single thing they create before having their own pets try it.

Aside from looking after the well-being of pets, Balanced Pet Meals aims to be kinder to the planet, too. Their meals are packaged in compostable containers, their secondary packaging is biodegradable and recyclable and their deliveries are shared to lessen carbon footprint. Their ingredients are ethically sourced as well, with the team spending much time and effort in finding only those that are of premium quality, locally grown and sustainably sourced.

@balancedpetmeals on Instagram

Bon Apawtit

For those looking for all-natural treats for their doggos, Bon Apawtit has a full range of goodies to choose from. The shop offers preservative-free treats, chews and meal toppers in beef, chicken, pork, duck and even seafood.The treats and chews are washed with organic vinegar and hand-trimmed before undergoing a meticulous dehydrating process. Their premium-grade dehydrator even has a UV disinfection to make sure that bacteria and pathogens commonly present in raw meat are eliminated.

Bon Apawtit also accepts made-to-order or customized treats according to a dog’s size, age and chewing power.

@bonapawtit.ph on Instagram

Pet Alley

Pet Alley was cooked up out of the desire to feed healthy and homemade food to two very picky Pomeranians. Cooking fresh batches of dog food regularly made the humans behind the brand realize that they might as well offer their gourmet pet food to those who struggle with picky eaters.

The three variants are Porky Pet Party, Beef Bow Wow (its bestseller) and Chicken Chow Chow. Each 500-g pack is guaranteed grain-free with zero salt and preservatives. The meats are mashed in squash and various steamed veggies for an added boost of nutrients. All ingredients are human-grade, locally sourced and freshly cooked.

Although it was initially intended for dogs, the home-cooked meals can be enjoyed by cats as well. According to Pet Alley, their recipes have at least 50-percent meat-to-vegetable ratio so both cats and dogs could get all their daily protein needs met.