Celebrating Passover with Your Pet

As Passover approaches, many Jewish pet owners wonder how to feed their pets without breaking the laws of Passover. As Passover approaches, many Jewish families have started cleaning their kitchen cabinets of any chametz, leavened bread or anything made from the five major grains (wheat, rye, barley, oats and spelt).

They put away the challah dough and spaghetti for themselves, but how about the food for their pets? Since most pet foods contain chametz, Jewish pet owners often wonder how to feed their pets without breaking the laws of Passover.

Kosher households can feed their pets non-kosher food year-round, unless the food is a mixture of dairy and meat or during Passover.

An easy solution is to give your pet a mini-vacation at a non-Jewish friend's house for the eight days of Passover. However, if you want to celebrate with your pet, the Chicago Rabbinical Council has compiled a list of Kosher for Passover pet products. If you cannot find these in your neighborhood, KosherPets is permissible or your pet can eat Kosher for Passover human food.

Also, although Ashkenazi Jews (Eastern European or German descent) do not eat kitniyot (rice, corn, peas, beans, etc) during the holiday, it is permitted to feed pets this type of food.

But do pets need separate Passover dishes like humans? No. Your pet can use his regular bowl or this bowl acts as an appropriate alternative.

With these simple alternatives, every member of the family will love Passover, especially those with four legs.

For tips on staying Kosher with your pet all year round, click here.

To find the best Passover gift for your pet, click here.