Its funny how just a generation or two ago, which is NOT that long ago, people didn't really think so much about what their dogs ate. I mean there wasn't any such thing as 'dog food' when I was growing up. Our family dog (one and only), Rusty, ate what we ate. As did everyone else's dogs. Rusty lived for 19 years! Can you imagine that? A mutt puppy that just showed up at our door on a Christmas Eve in a rural neighborhood way back...well way back in the olden days. Of course, she was dumped on our road by some awful person who just threw her away. Regardless, Rusty was ours and we were hers for the next nineteen years. She went everywhere with our family, without a leash, without a license (didn't exist then) and was just the most well-behaved dog ever. During all the time we had her in our life I do not ever remember her visiting a vet except once for spaying. Was it luck that she was so healthy? I do not think so. I think a big part of her long lifespan was living a fairly natural lifestyle.
Rusty enjoyed a rather traditional 'mediterranean' diet --- lots of fruit, vegetables, pasta, meat, fish and bread, for her entire life. Okay, folks, this is just my opinion but I think if YOU are what you eat, then it just makes sense that YOUR DOG is also what she eats. Which brings me to my point...finally. This new dog gets only real food. Real good food that takes into consideration that she is a dog. Unless you have been living in a bubble, you must be aware of the real food revolution going on. Funny how things come full circle and these days the stuff our ancestors ate (stuff from their garden and farm) are now what we are supposed to (and should) eat. They also got lots of exercise on a daily basis as did our dogs way back then. So real food and lots of daily exercise....any questions?.
I do make a large quantity of 'dog food' every week and freeze half of it. I also make yummy biscuit treats -- it is so easy to do and so much less expensive than buying questionable dog 'food' from the store. Will it make my dog live long? Not so important as being healthy for as long as she lives. I hope it works for me too.
BTW most dogs are omnivores as any one who has a dog knows. In fact, my girl discovered a lovely open compost pile the other day and feasted on old Halloween pumpkins and some other rotting vegetables. Once a Mexican street dog, always a Mexican street dog.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Feed Me
Its funny how just a generation or two ago, which is NOT that long ago, people didn't really think so much about what their dogs ate. I mean there wasn't any such thing as 'dog food' when I was growing up. Our family dog (one and only), Rusty, ate what we ate. As did everyone else's dogs. Rusty lived for 19 years! Can you imagine that? A mutt puppy that just showed up at our door on a Christmas Eve in a rural neighborhood way back...well way back in the olden days. Of course, she was dumped on our road by some awful person who just threw her away. Regardless, Rusty was ours and we were hers for the next nineteen years. She went everywhere with our family, without a leash, without a license (didn't exist then) and was just the most well-behaved dog ever. During all the time we had her in our life I do not ever remember her visiting a vet except once for spaying. Was it luck that she was so healthy? I do not think so. I think a big part of her long lifespan was living a fairly natural lifestyle.
Rusty enjoyed a rather traditional 'mediterranean' diet --- lots of fruit, vegetables, pasta, meat, fish and bread, for her entire life. Okay, folks, this is just my opinion but I think if YOU are what you eat, then it just makes sense that YOUR DOG is also what she eats. Which brings me to my point...finally. This new dog gets only real food. Real good food that takes into consideration that she is a dog. Unless you have been living in a bubble, you must be aware of the real food revolution going on. Funny how things come full circle and these days the stuff our ancestors ate (stuff from their garden and farm) are now what we are supposed to (and should) eat. They also got lots of exercise on a daily basis as did our dogs way back then. So real food and lots of daily exercise....any questions?.
I do make a large quantity of 'dog food' every week and freeze half of it. I also make yummy biscuit treats -- it is so easy to do and so much less expensive than buying questionable dog 'food' from the store. Will it make my dog live long? Not so important as being healthy for as long as she lives. I hope it works for me too.
BTW most dogs are omnivores as any one who has a dog knows. In fact, my girl discovered a lovely open compost pile the other day and feasted on old Halloween pumpkins and some other rotting vegetables. Once a Mexican street dog, always a Mexican street dog.
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6 comments:
So true, so true. I remember visiting my grandma when I was little and she had 5 or 6 stray cats in the back yard. She owned a fish store so there was always fish. I would feed the smoked mackerel all the time and they would drink milk (which isn't great either). Back then we just looked at things different. I remember bringing them potatoes, gravy and chicken too! LOL. It would never dawn on me these days.
I do believe the closer the food is to the natural state, the better ... it just makes sense; for me and for the pooch :)
My family always had dog food, but table scraps were always a norm. That's one of those more recent rules that I never accepted. (no table scraps!) Until Indiana that is. She was so allergic to so many foods that I settled on dog food with limited scraps. Plus she was a real picky eater so she didn't eat all "human" food anyway.
With SG - I honestly don't trust myself to feed her all that she requires. I rely on Blue Buffalo brand food, expensive, I know.
I just know she needs meat and I don't cook/buy a lot of meat. I have a hard time finding humane & organic farms. Personally, I vomit up any meat that's not organic. (too personal?) It's like an allergy I seem to have and it's now starting with vegetables that are not organic. I've always feared the day my stomach would limit my foods, but I thought it would be heartburn, not this.
IN any case. I'd love to cook for Scarlett, I love cooking. I just seem to have such limited time & resources.
So what kind of recipe does PG get?
hi! you have a wonderful blog!!
always is great find another doglover!
have a wonderful week!
Ingrid, My next post is going to be on the sooo-cute dog treats I just baked up and hopefully the 'recipe' too. It is as easy as pie...well actually easier!
Interestingly enough, my aunt is vegan and that is all her dog eats, too.
When Ben had his stomach surgery, guess what? He was NOT to eat dog food. I made him a terrific simple rice casserole and he loved it and healed.
He is back to eating his dog food, but if he gets any greasy people food or gets into the cat food---he barfs.
I do not recommend the typical American table scraps. For most people, that would be leftover fries and cheeseburgers and other "junk" food!!!
Guess I will get off my soapbox.
wow, a vegan dog? That's interesting.
I've found some of those "raw diet" recipes, but I really don't like that idea. I mean, I know dogs have come a long way since before domestication, but I can't help think that it wasn't raw meat that drew them to humans, but the cooked meat smell. And spices. . . mmmmmspices. ...
My Indiana hated most vegetables, except carrots. She LOVED carrots. Loved cheese and pasta, but not potatoes and too much tomato made her sick. Bread was ok, and of course any cooked meat. Wouldn't eat rice, and broke out in hives to a lot of random other things.
Scarlett hasn't turned away from any food yet, but has some new bumps all over her that I'm not sure is food related, stress related, from hiking, or laundry detergent. . .too early to tell. I really hope it's nothing. . . .
In any case, I'm looking forward to some dog recipes!
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