Does your dog eat better than you?

Saw these recently at Costco in the snack aisle for your dog: Duck breast jerky made with "100% premium duck breast fillets"... I was wondering:

1) Where is this surplus of duck breasts is coming from?
2) Can I eat them?

HI,

I didn't see those, though I did buy the chicken breast jerky for the dog nephews Max and Teddie. I wrapped their gift in a pizza bag. They should have fun tearing the wrapping apart.

I probably should run out to get them a Dairy Queen gift certificate to go with it. If they hear the word 'Queen,' then they run in circles with joy a soft serve cone is in the near future.

Thanks for the heads up on the duck. Maybe it can be their Valentine's gift.

Regards,

On some nights, probably. My pups do the "raw" diet, which means 50% raw meaty bones like chicken or turkey wings, chicken legs or necks, and 50% meat meals consisting of ground beef or turkey mixed with vegetables. On those days when dinner unfortunately consists of a lean cuisine in the microwave, they do eat better, I guess.

Amazing dog treats they've got at Costco right now. Almost makes me want to get another dog.

The last two years of my Boston Terrier's life were spent thinking she was going to drop dead at any moment from heart and neurological problems. She became emaciated and we had to feed her up. I cooked for her every couple of days, stuff like braised ostrich, duck, chicken liver. (I found out on this board that feeding liver is dangerous, although the vet hadn't said anything against it, presumably figuring that she didn't have long anyway.) The night before she died she had a ton of New York strip steak.

I'd been pretty strict before about dogs eating dog food, and she couldn't believe her luck. Her eyes would just bug out of her head whenever she was presented with something new. One day we shared a homemade sashimi platter. She snapped up a piece of everything until we got to the seared bonito. Then she got a look on her face like, "What is this s***?" and spat it back out at me.

I know, feeding an animal this kind of stuff is almost obscene when you think how many people are starving. What can I tell you? She was an honored member of our family and a noble old dowager.

HI,

Over the last ten years, I inherited a cat. We loved it so much, when he died we got another.

First cat always desired our dinner. It was a real showdown at meals when he would connive to get the good stuff. While his diet was IAM's dried food and 1-2 cans of Fancy Feast. He was eternally angling for our food. Once at Thanksgiving, I saw him sitting on a dining room chair surveying the table. I went out to the kitchen cooked him some chicken livers. I then went back to the dining room to advise him dinner was served. He followed me, ate his full and was fast asleep when our dinner was served. Ha! I, too, can be conniving!

This particular Thanksgiving Day was also the day he decided to live with us. He jumped out of my sister's arms and hid. A week later, my sister dropped off his kitty litter supplies and suddenly we had a cat. I often wonder if his decision to be our resident cat was based on my cooking for him.

The current feline resident pretty much confines her interest to IAMs and 1-2 cans of Fancy Feast. I buy maybe 150 cans at a time, pack them randomly into a box to avoid any repetition and she is fine. She does eat the occasional piece of bread with butter, will attack a potato chip package and brings home the occasional mouse. We are quite relieved she is not very interested in our food. It was really quite a hassle with her furry ancestor.

Fed, well maintained and loved without having to do too much in return. What a wonderful life she leads.

Regards,

While dog sitting last weekend for our beloved friend's Boxer and Great Dane, we ran out of their regular dog food. Mostly due to laziness, we decided to skip a trip to the store for more dog food and began looking around the kitchen for ideas. We decided on pasta with scrambled eggs and sausage. Needless to say, they were two happy boys.
We're like the cool Aunt and Uncle that feed the kids junk food, let them stay up late and listen to rock music. They love us.

Our last dog (before the current dog) passed away at the ripe old age of 15 1/2. He was old, arthritic and incontinent, had a heart murmur and my husband could not bear to have him put down. Monroe was a premarital dog and my husband adored him (Randy came with a daughter, a dog and a motorcycle -- it was a package deal). It got to the point where he couldn't walk the stairs to our bedroom any more, and spent most of his time on the first floor. My husband would sometimes have to carry him outside in the morning so he could relieve himself. We spent thousands of dollars on several surgeries to keep him alive that last year.

This dog was a food thief. He would put his head on the table while you were eating and attempt to snatch food off of your plate. It got so bad that we had to lock him up during meals. He chewed the seats off my kitchen chairs because my toddlers spilled so much food on them. If we were eating something -- anything -- he wanted some of it.

The last New Year's Eve of Monroe's life, we purchased prime steaks and grilled them for dinner. We misjudged the kids' appetites and there was one steak left. I put it in the center of the dining room table while we watched a movie and planned to wrap it up before retiring for the evening. We still have no idea how he did it, but that crippled old dog got up on the dining room table, devoured the steak and got down without us hearing a thing in the next room. My husband was pretty upset about it because he was planning on bringing the steak for lunch the next day.

We lost Mighty Monroe the Wonder Dog about a week later, so at least we know one of his last meals was a really good one.


Suzy

My dog died the day I moved to Chicagoland. The day before, we attended a pig roast in honor of my father's 70th birthday. My wife claims that EVERYONE was feeding the beagle ... including me. He died at 12 yo which was old for an outdoor dog in Cleveland.

jlawrence01 wrote:My dog died the day I moved to Chicagoland. The day before, we attended a pig roast in honor of my father's 70th birthday. My wife claims that EVERYONE was feeding the beagle ... including me. He died at 12 yo which was old for an outdoor dog in Cleveland.

Oh my god, you win!

I thought I did a lot of nice stuff for my old dog, but a pig roast! What a nice memory. (My dog would probably have tried to jump inside the pig and eat her way out.)

Let me say, I have never seen my dog more excited for a treat than he was for the duck jerky we picked up today at Costco. He is scooting around the house in a perpetual sit when we have jerky in our hands, just so he can show us what a good dog he is.

The best part is the cats love it, too, so we can taunt three pets with one piece of jerky.

Do my dogs eat better than me? On many days, yes.

Their daily dinner is assembled from 8 different components including two types of dry food, vitamins, yogurt, bulk cheese from costco, a smattering of expensive frozen food and - my favorite - portions of homemade 'dog loaf' made quarterly in giant batches and frozen for future use.

gastro gnome,

Do your dogs eat meat or are they on a vegetarian diet? Maybe Dog loaf is the meat element, I just wasn't sure.

Obviously well cared for animals thanks to your efforts.

Regards,

My cats are, truly, like my children, and even though I intend to have "real" children sometime in the not-too-distant future, they will remain the true rulers of this household.

I try not to feed them "people food" too often--our 5 year old male Oliver has always been prone to big-bonedness and our little one, Emma, would pretty much eat anything I put in front of her. However, I do give them roast chicken on occasion and Emma, a girl after her mother's own heart, loves refried beans and anything spicy--she once attempted to pilfer and drag away an entire buffalo wing. Oliver also loves salmon sashimi, and used to go nuts for plain yogurt til he got sick one year and I had to force feed him the stuff.

They also get special treats a few times a year: after we come home from vacation, on their birthdays, Xmas, and on their "Gotcha" Days--the anniversaries of the days we adopted them.

Some of my friends think I'm crazy, but they can, respectfully, kiss it.

Bananasandwiches,

I once had a friend who declined a date because it was the dog's birthday. It wasn't a line, it was true! It should come as no surprise the guy never asked again.

***

I once force fed a cat who hadn't eaten in several days due to illness. I swaddled it, then dragged the food so it clung to the cups on its tongue. Neither party in the transaction was having any fun. I was rewarded a few hours later, when the purr machine turned on and he began eating on his own again.

Regards,

Are those duck breast dog treats from China? The Petco/Petsmart chicken ones that I give my dog are. I'm guessing the meat sells for far more in the US than in China - and dehydrating it makes it easier to export than fresh.

BTW does anyone know what happened with the dog outdoor dining ordinance? I thought it was supposed to come up for a city council vote last July but it seems that it was still up for debate in August.

Cathy2 wrote:Bananasandwiches,



I once force fed a cat who hadn't eaten in several days due to illness. I swaddled it, then dragged the food so it clung to the cups on its tongue. Neither party in the transaction was having any fun. I was rewarded a few hours later, when the purr machine turned on and he began eating on his own again.

Regards,

Yes, the swaddling is also a good technique for pilling a cat: we call it the "kitty burrito" in my house. And, if you ever have to force feed again, you can ask your vet to give you a special syringe with a large barrell and a diagonal tip: you can just squirt the food right in there. Poor Oliver was so sick when I had to force feed him that he just kept giving me this pathetic look of "Why?Why are we doing this?"


My friends like to say I am the world's only married, non-insane and socially functioning crazy cat lady.

HI,

For pilling, I open her mouth and throw the pill to far reaches of her throat. Too far for her to drag it back. She accepts this rather complacently.

By contrast in the vet's office she jumps off the table, gets into a corner and is ready to take on everyone. All this while under the influence of a tranquilizer taken 90 minutes before.

She trusts the small group who feeds and takes care of her needs. Everyone else can just disapeer!

Regards,

For giving pills to dogs, nothing beats peanut butter.
I'm convinced that dogs have directed human evolution and education toward the creation of the frisbee, pickup truck and peanut butter.

Louisa - yep, they're from China. About $10 for 2lbs.

As for giving pills to dogs, we always use a small piece of processed cheese or (less optimally) regular cheddar.

I don't think any dogs have eaten better, mine included, than dogs in elk.

bibi rose wrote:(I found out on this board that feeding liver is dangerous, although the vet hadn't said anything against it, presumably figuring that she didn't have long anyway.)

It is? We feed our dog beef liver regularly.

october271986 wrote:

bibi rose wrote:(I found out on this board that feeding liver is dangerous, although the vet hadn't said anything against it, presumably figuring that she didn't have long anyway.)

It is? We feed our dog beef liver regularly.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7412&highlight=cat+baby+food This link should take you to the thread where it came up. It's about halfway down.

I didn't research into it any further.

bibi rose wrote:

october271986 wrote:

bibi rose wrote:(I found out on this board that feeding liver is dangerous, although the vet hadn't said anything against it, presumably figuring that she didn't have long anyway.)

It is? We feed our dog beef liver regularly.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7412&highlight=cat+baby+food This link should take you to the thread where it came up. It's about halfway down.

I didn't research into it any further.

I have never heard that feeding your dog liver is dangerous and have read many books (granted more holistic in nature) that encourage the offal meal -- all raw -- as being quite healthful for dogs.

Beer for Dogs

Berenden consigned a local brewery to make and bottle the nonalcoholic beer, branded as Kwispelbier. It was introduced to the market last week and advertised it as "a beer for your best friend."

"Kwispel" is the Dutch word for wagging a tail.

The beer is fit for human consumption, Berenden said. But at euro1.65 ($2.14) a bottle, it's about four times more expensive than a Heineken.

Cathy2 wrote:Beer for Dogs

Berenden consigned a local brewery to make and bottle the nonalcoholic beer, branded as Kwispelbier. It was introduced to the market last week and advertised it as "a beer for your best friend."

"Kwispel" is the Dutch word for wagging a tail.

The beer is fit for human consumption, Berenden said. But at euro1.65 ($2.14) a bottle, it's about four times more expensive than a Heineken.

Interesting about beer for dogs. Many people, even vets, will recommend administering the occasional dose of "Rescue Remedy," a "natural" cure for nervous people and dogs alike (I hear it's especially hard to find at the GNC around Christmastime - go figure). A friend of mine gives it occasionally to her neurotic dog when she has guests - and she tells me that the not-so-secret ingredient is that it contains about 12% alcohol. In other words, it's like giving your dog a glass of wine.

Like I said, I didn't look any further into the liver warning-- just thought I'd mention it in case anyone got the idea of feeding their pets liver from my posts. It is frustrating how many foods are turning out to be dangerous (or supposedly so) to pets.

Special beer for dogs-- whoa!

All my dogs have enjoyed drinking beer up to a certain age and then stopped. Not that we fed it to them-- they would just stick their nose into your beer glass if you left it accessible. My little Boston Terrier once stole a large glass of champagne-- that would be a large wine glass, not a champagne glass. I found her licking the last drops out. We watched her carefully to see if she would need to go to the vet, she seemed unaffected except for a bit of sneezing. Amazing because she weighed about 10 pounds at the time. What is really strange to me is that they all lost interest in booze around the age of two or three.

Cathy2 wrote:HI,

For pilling, I open her mouth and throw the pill to far reaches of her throat. Too far for her to drag it back. She accepts this rather complacently.

By contrast in the vet's office she jumps off the table, gets into a corner and is ready to take on everyone. All this while under the influence of a tranquilizer taken 90 minutes before.

She trusts the small group who feeds and takes care of her needs. Everyone else can just disapeer!

Regards,

My youngest, Emma, reacts the same way at the vets, she now has to be completely sedated in order to have the exam done. This from the cat who sits on my shoulder every morning while I do my makeup and licks my ear.

Her "brother", Oliver, purrs all the way through the exam and rubs his head all over the vet. I hate to think what he'd do if someone broke into our house. Probably rub all over them while they took all our stuff.

it's ironic the duck breasts are found at Costco as both my dogs are/were on Kirkland Dog food - Lamb and Rice. Costco dog food, produced by Diamond (yah i know, 1 of their plants had a major recall due to aflatoxin last summer), is considered a entry-level premium feed as well as a healthy blend with no soy/corn/wheat, etc nor meat byproducts.

it's no Karma, California Natural, or even Canidae* but it's better than anything from IAMS (P&G)/Purina(Nestle)/Pedigree(Mars). i don't eat MCD so my dog doesn't eat junk feed from mega-corp ABC.

* easily the best non-BARF dog food dollar per pound i've ever fed. our 5 yr old golden still wears their giveaway dog tag proudly.

TonyC wrote:it's no Karma, California Natural, or even Canidae* but it's better than anything from IAMS (P&G)/Purina(Nestle)/Pedigree(Mars). i don't eat MCD so my dog doesn't eat junk feed from mega-corp ABC.

I agree. You raise a good point though about Iams, Purina, Pedigree and I'll add the vet's favorite, Science Diet (a division of Colgate-Palmolive). A lot of people *think* they're feeding their dogs healthy food by feeding them Iams and Science Diet, and they were probably once good foods prior to their being bought out and mass-produced by mega-corporations. It's amazing how little the vets know about nutrition and building strong immune systems. My dog was having skin issues related to allergies/deficient immune system, among other things and the vet insisted that Science Diet was the best food for him. After a little research, I found that Science Diet (no matter the permutation) was no better than Pedigree/Alpo/Gainesburgers. Within 2 months of changing him to a real all-natural food, his skin issues cleared up, he felt better, and I didn't have to take him to the vet wasting my money every other week.