Cooking For Your Dog

Brisket bones for Dogs

admin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:54:31 +0000

To solve the mistery first waht actually a brisket bone is – see picture on the left Where does it come from?! I didn’t really know before I found this blog: my dog parlance According the the authors butcher, and I’m sure he knows what he is talking about, a brisket bone isn’t a bone at all. It’s cartilage and connects the two sides of the chest. So if you have a look at the picture you can see that it doesn’t look very hard and it isn’t. Definitely one of the advantages of those bones that aren’t bones… If you are concerned about your dogs teeth than it is a great alternative to the big bones. That doesn’t change anything on the fact that I think most dogs are fine with the big bones – except from the really little ones… Anyway – back to the brisket bone! It is a fatty one. Which turns it into a really bad snack for already overweight dogs. But if your dog is extremely active – go for it!!! I walk my dogs everyday 2-3 times and we go running and skating and some days he goes to doggie day care which means he plays for 10h non stop so I think he deserves up to 3 brisket bones a week. As usual that is only I recommendation I can make by using my common sense and looking at my dog. If you want to feed your dogs brisket bones just look at your dog and then make a sensible decision…

rawhide VS real bones

admin — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:06:55 +0000

I have been asked if I give my dogs rawhide bones and the answer is yes. But let me explain… Rawhide comes in a variety of forms including rawhide bones in all sizes, compressed rawhide, rawhide chews in different shapes and sizes… I agree with the manufacturers that rawhide dog bones are good for the teeth and that they help to remove plaque. Besides they are a great choice if you need to keep your dog occupied inside on a rainy day or if you live in a apartment. However I think that raw bones are the better choice! It certainly is messier and you obviously can’t feed a raw meaty bone to your dog on the living room carpet but outside it is all good. So I think if you have the outside space you should feed fresh raw bones but if you don’t, rawhide bones are a good alternative – when it comes to your dogs dental hygiene. When we are talking about dog nutrition I would say nothing is as good as a fresh, raw meaty bone!

Rawhide chews...

Raw meaty bone - obviously...

Potatoes for Dogs

admin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:55:46 +0000

I personally don’t give raw potatoes to my dog too often. They just don’t strike me as a very healthy plant eaten raw. (Correct me if I’m wrong!) But even for humans – nothing seems to be out there. I had a good google and the only thing I found was this BLOG POST from a girl who only eats raw food by the look of it. Which is not really something I would prefer for myself but heh – each to their own. I also like the way she writes a lot so I might just add her blog to my blog list…

So back to the raw potatoes for dogs… As I said before I don’t feed them too often but if I make potatoes for myself I usually put a quarter or a half into the blender for my dog. I also think that cooked potatoes – if you cook them without salt of course – are ok to put in your dogs bowl. You know I’m not a fan of cooked stuff for dogs but a treat like that can’t hurt…

IMPORTANT: green potatoes are definitely bad for your dog and for yourself because they are poisonous. So don’t keep them for too long or store them away from light…

Green Vegetables for your dog

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:39:56 +0000

A friend of mine told me that her vet advised her on feeding her dog more green vegetables and asked me what she should get… Her vet said green is better for the dog as much as it is better for us. He is probably right there but unfortunately he was also talking about cooked vegetables Your dog gains no benefit whatsoever from cooked vegetables of any colour. So if you want to feed your dog something green it should be raw and put in a blender before you give it to him or her. I must admit I don’t feed as much green stuff as uncooked it contains a health risk. The cabbage family (cabbages (of course), broccoli, cauliflowers, brussel sprouts etc.) fed in large amounts over a long time can depress the functioning of the thyroid gland. The same goes for beans of all sorts and peas. Those green veggies also have something in thenm called prussic acid which isn’t very healthy. For “human food” if you cook the veggies you destroy the prussic acid. For dogs – just feed green in moderation. Personally feed only very small amounts of the cabbage family and a bit more spinach. So at the end of the day it is all about the right amount and what how much that is I can’t tell. Everything I have found during my research said either: cook it or be careful… Not very helpful – heh?! But one thing is for sure – my puppy is happy and healthy despite the beans and broccoli And I would say he get’s a hand full a week mixed in with his carrots and apples.

Monica’s Doggie Rescue Sydney

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:16:25 +0000

Sorry I haven’t been updating my blog lately but that doesn’t mean I haven’t done research or lot’s of other dog related things…

Every Saturday at our local Petbarn there is a volunteer from Monika’s Doggie Rescue with lot’s of little dogs. They try to find new homes for all of them and they don’t put dogs down like other shelters. You can donate there while you do the shopping for your own dog or you can just adopt one for a afternoon and take it for a walk. Both are small things everyone who loves dogs can contribute to give them better lifes!

So in case you are free next Saturday – head to the Alexandria Petbarn on McEvoy Street and do something for your conscience and a little doggie!

Oh -and the Petbarn guys are the good ones – they don’t sell any life animals!!!

wrinkly fruit and vegetables

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 01:38:32 +0000

I admit that I sometimes forget to go shopping for my dog/husband/myself… Well – the dog is always the most lucky one in situations like that as I can always find something for him in the fridge. Normally I don’t give him veggies or fruit i wouldn’t eat myself but that’s just me being either stupid or treating my puppy like a baby in that case. You don’t have to. Wrinkly fruit and vegetables will do just fine. And we all have those somewhere hidden in the fridge – don’t we!? So here is what you do: you take them all and throw them in the blender, some hot water on top – done (blend them first of course)! The strange looking mix goes on top of the raw! meat and you dog will be happy.
So what was for dinner last night!?
- one medium carrot
- one wrinkly mushroom
- one wrinkly plum
- some nuts
- mineral powder
- organic chicken mince

YUM! (for the dog) for us: not a lot

A successful day…

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 05:04:27 +0000

I just went for a walk with my dog and met a lady with 2 Labradors. That was great for 2 reasons – my puppy had someone to play with and I had someone to talk to After chatting about almost anything concerning dogs (the usual dog owner conversation: my dog does, my dog doesn’t, I always, a friend of mine… it’s like having kids, really!) we came to the dog food topic… My favorite one! And she was great to talk to as she actually believed what I said. She admitted it makes sense! Oh, how much I love talking to open minded people! She said, that she feeds her dogs EUKANUBA at the moment and spends approximately 200 bucks a month on it. Same thinking as I had: most expensive dog food = good quality = doing my dog a favor. She also gives her dogs vegetables and the dogs apparently love it. That showed me that she wants to do the right thing for her dogs and that she is someone who would listen. So the first thing is that veggies are really good for your dog. In fact they need them but in order for them to digest them, all veggies have to be blended. Only then your dog will benefit from the vitamins. But there is nothing wrong with giving your dog a carrot or apples! If they like it as a snack – let them chew it! Just always add blended veggies to their lunch/dinner.
Next, the meat! She just lives around the corner so I promised her to buy a kilo of heart-mince for her dogs so that she can try it. I feed my dog organic heart-mince as PART! of his diet. That is human grade (even if we wouldn’t eat it) and affordable. It has nothing added to it and is fresh! She thought it smells really badly – nah. It doesn’t. Maybe a bit stronger than other meats but not too bad. The dogs eat it in a second anyway…
So we will see how she goes and if she wants more after the first try!
Mission accomplished for today. Hopefully I helped 2 more dogs on their way to a healthy lifestyle!

PS: never change your dogs diet straight away. It takes some time to go from dry food to raw…

What’s left from the last burglar…

admin — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:25:57 +0000

One if the reasons why I feed my dog big FRESH bones are burglars. Why? Well, if I was a burglar looking over the wall of a potential house to break in and would see big, half rotten bones I would choose the neighbors house… Whatever is eating those bones must be big!
Not necessarily. Dogs of every size should get bones. It is important for their diet because their whole system is designed to eat bones and therefore needs them to function properly. So it doesn’t matter what size your dog is, small or big – it needs bones!!!!!! Never forget that! Also age doesn’t matter, as long as there are teeth there should be bones.

People often ask me what I do in summer when my dog doesn’t eat the whole bone in one go…
There are a few options here:
1. I give him smaller bones, like lamb shanks, that he will eat in one go
2. If you don’t mind the smell of a “half rotten” bone, your dog doesn’t either! They are scavengers, they eat everything and have the means to digest it. But anyway – in summer I never leave it out there for more than a couple of days in winter (talking of the Australian winter here) 4 to 5 days.
3. Chicken wings! They are great for your dogs diet, bones and meat all in one! And no dog will not eat that at the spot…

For a change – I have got a question…

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:25:43 +0000

My dog does not want to swallow the antibiotics he has to take at the moment. In fact – any kind of tablet is a struggle! Even the, apparently, tasty (and therefore rather expensive) ones won’t go down his throat. He is driving me up the wall! I tried literally everything. I even put them into food items I strongly disagree with as dog food – like cheese and cooked meat. I EVEN BOUGHT A MEAT PIE!!!!! Every dog loves meat pies, regardless if they are healthy or not. I guess my dog would love them as well if there wasn’t a tablet hidden inside.
I tried to trick him in every possible way: I put the tablets in in secret, washed my hands afterwards, did not touch the food with my “tablet hands”…
He comes up to me, has a sniff and walks off. You gotta be joking written all over his face.

Anyone out there who has any ideas what I could do?! PLEASE!!!!

What’s Really in Pet Food!?

admin — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:54:24 +0000

I just found an interesting article about what really is in dog/pet food… I kind of hope that most of you know that they only put “waste”, stuff we humans wouldn’t eat in your dogs can?! Well, why do you feed it then? There is nothing in wet or dry food that is any good your your puppy… even if it has seen some kind of meat and vegetables at some point, the moment it gets baked at over 500 degrees to kill germs and bacteria everything partly good is gone. To compensate for that they spray protein, minerals and fat on it after it has cooled down. That doesn’t make a lot of sense and it doesn’t sound healthy either.

But have a read for your self: here!

What can you do to make your dogs diet better?! Give your puppy lots of bones, raw meat and vegetables!!!!!