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Jack’s Cat Would Eat No Trout
His Dog Would Eat No Spam
by Rebecca Stringer Korpita

Alma brings up the issue of picky eating habits: “I just ordered some Ground tripe and liver treats from absolute K-9.  Roadie is getting picky again.  He will eat if I am  sitting there.  He eats a little and goes back off and on  to eat.”

Alma, please describe how you prepare Roadie’s meal, as well as the exact contents and his mealtime ritual. Do you feed him once or twice a day? How often, how many and under what circumstances does he get treats.? Knowing the answers may help me give you more specific advice.

Each dog is an individual, but in my experience picky eaters are usually created by concerned dog owners. A dog isn’t going to starve itself or go hungry, unless it is very sick. My feeding routine is used to monitor each dog’s daily well-being and doesn’t allow picky eaters. I feed a mixture of kibble, raw meat and ‘dog grog’, as Ginny calls it. Dog grog consists of leftovers, fresh vegetables, maybe a seasoning or three. Each morning I put a soup kettle on the stove - go Deb go; see Debby cook. I start by putting in enough water to adequately moisten the kibble, adding the other available ingredients and heating up the concoction. The dog grog that’s cooking right now contains fresh carrots, fresh potatoes, a turkey carcass, leftover rice and pepper. I will toss that into the kibble, add raw meat and mix thoroughly. I wait a few minutes before feeding, allowing the kibble to soak up the dog grog. Each dog is presented with a bowl of food. Any food not eaten is picked up in five minutes. That is the key, so let me repeat…any food not eaten in five minutes is picked up. I say nothing to the dog. There are no second chances. The dog waits until the next morning when, once again, breakfast is served. No big to-do, no pleading, no comment. The food simply goes away.   

On occasion, I have a dog that doesn’t dive in and gobble my tasty preparation. (One reason I like to cook for dogs is they all think I’m a GREAT cook! I can fool the dogs every time with my finesse in the kitchen!) I make a mental note and if the dog doesn’t eat the following morning, I know something is wrong. In my situation, the feeding ritual is extremely important for monitoring each dog’s health.

Puppies, of course, are feed more than once a day. Thateus and Wyatt (Sadie’s puppies) eat breakfast along with every one else. Up until last week, they ate a second meal in the late afternoon. Now, kibble is available to them throughout the day and taken away in the late afternoon.

The keys to overcoming an picky eater, I think, are to offer the food for five minutes and make sure the food is interesting. Dry kibble just doesn’t cut it!

Read this article to learn more about raisin toxicity.

Vickie shared this…

Purchased a small bottle of this stuff on October 18th …

Started using it immediately on the dogs … 1/2 scoop (it’s a *very* small scoop) daily.

Frankers no longer has doggy breath and the tartar that all three had can now be easily scraped off with a fingernail.  Some teeth have cleaned themselves just with regular chewing of their kibble.

Paid $22 for a bottle that’s supposed to last one small dog a year so three dogs = $66 a year … less than half the price of one basic dental (no bloodwork or extractions). 

I’m sold!!  I’ll also be telling my vet about it next time we go in as she’s seen all of them at one time or another for their teeth.

V

WHAT IS PLAQUE OFF?

ProDen PLAQUEOFF? is a natural product that counteracts plaque on the surface of the teeth. A few years ago Swedish dentist Sune Wikner had a patient whom he regularly treated for tartar. The patient moved, but kept Dr. Wikner as his dentist. On his first visit after he had moved, Dr. Wikner found that this patient had no tartar at all. Dr. Wikner, who has also pursued studies in diet and nutrition, concluded that there must be something the patient was eating that was preventing him from getting tartar on his teeth. Eventually, by process of elimination, he made the discovery that a particular seasoning in the salads that his patient was eating regularly must be that “something”. After many tests and trials, Dr. Wikner evolved the prescription for “the cure”, and thus was born ProDen PLAQUEOFF?. The effects have since been confirmed in several separate scientific studies.

Learn more.

I think Kathy’s comment under Trick or Treat deserves attention, so I’m reposting it here. Here’s her question: 

Please, could you offer some advice on itchy dog feet?  When the 3 amigos paws are vet checked, they are treated for yeast or allergy.  It isn’t bacterial.  But the problem keeps returning…is there something I can add to their diet or a safe, home remedy topical treatment?
Thanks a million!

Katy sent this…

Dee Blanco is one of the vets that I consulted with when we first got Zeke. 

I’m pretty sure I have already heard what she has to say in these two conferences via the hour-long consultation I had with her; I doubt her position has changed.  But I thought you or some of the Apso Aficionados might be interested…

From: Dee Blanco

Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2007 4:27 PM

Dear Clients,

I am hosting a couple of teleconference sessions and would like to invite you. The schedule is below:

SPECIES APPROPRIATE DIETS: What Do Those Carnivores
Really Need to Eat for a Vital Life! No More Tainted Food!Thursday, November 8th, 12:30pm MT

The cost for these classes is $65.00 each. Please let me know by email or by phone, if you would like to join us. Payment for the class is due before the class and can be paid for by MasterCard or VISA. After payment is arranged, you will receive an email confirming this plus the phone number and instructions to access the class. You will also receive handouts via email, fax or mail if requested.

In 2008, I will be hosting many more teleconference classes and will be sending out email notifications about these. These classes will include subjects like:

Detox for your animals
How to talk to your veterinarian
Geriatric care for the young at heart
Skin problems
The 5 to 7 supplements every animal needs.

These classes will be fun an rewarding for all of us! I hope you can join us!

All the best,
Dee Blanco

The title of the post is a takeoff from a Veterinary Technician course I had to take. It had to do with feeding livestock. I didn’t pay much attention in class because I didn’t think it would relevant. After all, I was going to work with small animals, not large animals. Well, guess what?! The first job I had was in a practice that consisted of 95% ranch cattle! Not that the ranchers would have listened to some young female just out of school! Guess it really didn’t matter that I paid only enough attention to get the grades… 

Susan sent the following, which may be of interest to some of you:

Do you by any chance find that the dogs need a bit more food as the
weather gets cooler?  Seems that my three are acting hungrier since the
season changed….
It took me a while to get Sammy to not be overweight, so I don’t want to
run any risks of overfeeding, but I also don’t want to be abusing them
if they need more to keep warm….

Your thoughts would be appreciated.
By the way, per your recommendation, they are on a fully raw diet now. 
Something called Nature’s Variety.  Each dog gets 1/4 patty twice a day,
which I think is 2 oz twice a day.  In the mornings they share 2 chicken
strips;  after breakfast they share 1/2 of a Jumbo Flossie; and at
bedtime they each get 1/2 of a dried chicken liver….

Oh, and they get a vitamin pill crunched up on their dinner and 1/2 of a
Synovi G3 (glucosamine, MSM, etc) soft chew with their breakfast

Timer just went off….their dinner is ready.
Thanks
Susan

Excellent! They’re all eating a raw diet. After reading Katy’s comments on the Budwig post, I bet you’re happy with the choice. And, I’m sure the dogs are! It’s great that we, as dog owners, have available products like Nature’s Variety and Oma’s Pride.

Also excellent that you’re aware of keeping their weight at an appropriate level. Too many of my grooming clients - the dogs, I’m referring to, not the owners - are overweight. I simply don’t understand this. We control how much food our dogs get. Reduce the portion/s if the dog is putting on the poundage! I joke about starting a weight camp for dogs. Mostly it’s a joke… A good rule of thumb regarding each dog’s weight is to be able to feel the dog’s ribs. And, no poking through the fat to find the ribs doesn’t count! Place your hand over the dog’s back and move your hand back and forth. You should feel the backbone and the ribs with some ease.

My dogs do eat more as summer turns to fall. Over a week ago, I began to increase their portions, along with ‘cooking’ for them. Although I prefer a raw diet, this is not always practical in my situation. My dogs usually eat a combination of kibble and meatloaf from Oma’s Pride, mixed with any leftovers, including the water left from steaming vegetables. This way, if I’m gone, the dogs’ transition to a kibble only diet is easy. During those times, the dogs have kibble available throughout the day, taken away in the late afternoon. This is a manageable routine for Samantha, my kennel help. And, there’s not a huge transition for the dog when going to a forever home, no matter the new owner’s choice in feeding. During the impossibly busy weeks of August/September, I feed only kibble simply because of my time. Last weekend, I made the transition back to ‘cooking’. It’s perfect timing with the season change.

Gail sent this information, which is of great interest.

Dr. Johanna Budwig

Dr. Johanna Budwig’s Diet and Protocol

Learn how to make the mixture

Aaron - Champion Byrnwood Fleetfire Primal Fear - will be nine years old in October. Taschi-Deleg - a Gompa dog - was ten years old this past April. Elizabeth send these photos, showing the two sleeping together on the couch and the bed. Both male dogs lived in my kennel until each contributed to their perspective breeding program.  

The last time I saw Elizabeth, she shared some fascinating information regarding hair analysis on her horse Jigs. Through this analysis, the lab was able to pinpoint areas that needed to be addressed. Too much of this. Too little of that. She didn’t know if the lab does canine hair analysis, but was very impressed with their professionalism.

Visit the labratory

Chris sent the following, along with this article:

A local holistic pet store, Pawsitive Karma carries “Green Tripe.”  This article is on the Green Tripe website. They report more robust litters, improved health, resistance to fleas, etc.  They say green tripe has been used in Europe for years, especially by oldtime breeders. 

Interesting!!

So, after reading ‘this article’, I did a little investigating. One of the products I feed is Oma’s Pride, especially their meatloafs. I belong to co-op and The Leader of Our Pack places an order monthly. Besides my usual order, I experiment and add something new or unusual to my order. A while back it was Performance Dog. My dogs loved it, but it smelled like something dead!! Guess what? It contains tripe! It does come freeze-dried, so maybe I’ll give that a try instead. If it lives up to the testimonials - or rather the tripe-a-monials - clean teeth on all the dogs might be worth the smell!