Vacation Menu

This is the first time that I have taken Eti on vacation or away from home for a length of time greater than a weekend so I've had to face the challenge of what to feed him while away from our regular resources. Last year when I had come to Provincetown I noted that they sold Evo kibble at the pet food store which is one reason I have over the last year fed him a random occasional meal of Evo kibble. I didn't like how he seemed exceptionally thirsty on it but he was fine with it otherwise. The day we got here, I went straight to the store to get some along with some canned and they didn't have any-sold out, next delivery in a week. I came away with one can of Evo.

I was only going to feed him some meals of kibble and canned and the rest from the grocery store anyway so it was only a minor setback. Onward to to the supermarket where I got a whole chicken which included the liver/heart, eggs, sardines, ground beef, marrowbones, garlic and some pork. Next to the kitchen store where I got a pair of poultry shears and a pair of tongs (to hold on to the pieces and prevent him swallowing too big of a piece). Three grocery stores later- at the health food one - I finally managed to find a small tub of live yogurt- on the second try- the first one was sweetened although it didn't actually say that it was. What the original pet food store did have was some good treats- dried liver and buffalo jerky.

One more trip to the thrift store where I got a large Pyrex baking dish for a feeding platter and we're in business. First the chicken got cut into portions- I brought my little kitchen scale so was able to measure out the portions. I removed the wings thighs and drumsticks. The breast and back were cut in strips across so that the strips included both the the bonier backs and the meatier breasts. Everything got put into freezer bags and into the freezer. Next I ground up some eggshell with the help of a seashell and the back of a spoon as my makeshift mortar and pestle. Whenever I fed lean meat without bone I would add ground eggshell for calcium -one half teaspoon for every pound of lean meat. Every meal also got a halfish teaspoon of live yogurt and every other meal got a quarter teaspoon of fresh ground garlic. If only I had remembered to bring some fish oil capsules and things would have been near perfect.

A week or so later the results are in. I was expecting perhaps slightly softer poops because of the higher amount of lean meat- although I was adding ground eggshell for calcium I thought the lower amount of bone would mean less " fibre ". Instead we had fairly firm poop and very very little of it . At first I was a little concerned, then I realized that he was simply absorbing more and I had actually increased the daily amount a tad because he was getting so much more exercise than usual. You may have noticed that there is no mention of vegetables- I have increasingly reduced his vegetable intake to nothing and it has had no discernible effect. I do however supplement with marine greens and fruit for snacks. I decided to eliminate fruit these two weeks just to make sure that his digestive system had the sole job of digesting meat and bone as he didn't normally consume this amount of whole pieces. I've generally avoided feeding wings and thighs because I haven't been completely comfortable about the denser bones but he's been dealing with them well- I know now to include them more in the future. The vacation menu prepared by my temporary kitchen equipment was a success, I learnt a couple more things and Eti showed his usual appreciation by licking his platter clean.

Marrow Bones

I usually have a few marrow bones in the freezer that I get from Wholefoods but I have certain criteria before Eti gets to enjoy one. The first one is activity. When the weather is inclement or my schedule conflicts with taking long walks in the park a marrow bone is a lifesaver. It is a couple of hours of intense concentration and activity, further enhanced by the fact that I only let him eat it on his daybed which requires him to step on and off it like a pro from an eighties step class (bone aerobics?).

The second is it cleans the teeth and works the jaw and related muscles so it provides some necessary health benefits that his pre made ground food doesn't offer. He also gets some whole raw meaty bone like chicken breasts and backs which are actually better for teeth cleaning.

There is a little meat on the marrow bone, not sufficient to really take into account in terms of calculating his daily intake but the marrow, which is fat and blood, is extremely rich so I remove the bone after a couple of hours -which usually allows him to get about half of the marrow. I wrap the bone in cling film and its put back into the freezer until next time. I'm careful to remember that he's eaten something rich and will perhaps make sure the next meal is not the same-like say lamb or pork, as it does affect his digestion-he gets loose stools.

In fact it upset his digestion enough once to create a reaction called Conditioned Taste Aversion where he refused to eat one thereafter, much to my disbelief. This was resolved by not giving him any for a while and then reintroducing one with a little cream cheese smeared in the hollow. In fact I do this sometimes if the bone is straight out of the freezer and he can't quite smell it.

There are some concerns also about the gnawing wearing the enamel of the teeth. Limiting the time moderates this. I may give the bone one more reincarnation stuffed with banana and peanut butter and then frozen after which its disposed of. Leaving it exposed increases its brittleness as does cooking it which is potentially hazardous.

Garlic

Garlic has a long history of use dating back to Egypt in 3200 BC. Its technically an onion which we know to be toxic to dogs but garlic is a mild onion with lower amounts of n-propyl disulphide, the ingredient that causes damage to red blood cells.

The beneficial properties of garlic as an antioxidant, immune booster, and its antimicrobial properties functioning as a natural antibiotic are believed to be the same for dogs as for humans with the additional benefit of garlic making the dog less attractive to fleas.

Its important to use fresh garlic as the ingredient allicin, converted from alliin when garlic is chopped, is unstable and loses effectiveness with cooking and extended exposure to the atmosphere. The other ingredient in garlic is ajeone.

The general consensus, with regard to how much to feed, seems to be 1/2 to 1 small clove per 20lbs per day. I generally give Eti 1/3 of a small clove 2 or 3 times a week.

Oregano

'Herbs can serve as tonics and builders that strengthen organs, glands and tissues in specific parts of the body'.

Herbs for Dogs and Cats By Estelle Hummel.

There is very interesting book called 'Wild Health' by Cindy Engels that is an intriguing study into why animals do certain things like rolling and grass eating and actively seeking medicinal plants to eat. I particularly like the idea of a broad range of nutritional sources and the occasional use of herbs as medicinal food, as in the quote above, to serve as tonics. I have a few pots of herbs growing on the kitchen window sill and just as I occasionally use them myself I also sometimes chop up a few leaves for Eti.

Oregano is known for boosting immunity and having antioxidant properties. Eti's breakfast this morning, ground beef (with vegetables), beef liver, oregano, 1/4 clove garlic.

Vintage Dog Food

From a pamphlet given out in 1915 from the Angel Memorial Animal Hospital and Dispensary for Animals, Boston, Massachusetts, titled Feeding the Dog and Cat:

"The evening meal should consist of either raw beef, heart or lamb, to which a little minced raw vegetable may be mixed, such as lettuce, spinach, cabbage, tomato. Liver and kidney should be fed two or three times a week in lieu of the raw meat and vegetables. A certain amount of fat is also necessary in the diet. There is no objection to an occasional feeding of roast or boiled beef or lamb or vegetables left over from the table, although cooked foods as regular diet are to be avoided. Some dogs demand cooked foods as they have never known any different. Such animals should be coaxed into eating the raw food by being fed very rarely cooked meats, either merely searing or scalded. If the vegetables are disagreeable the dog will get along very well upon a ration of milk, raw beef or lamb with fat and raw glandular organs."

Source: B-Naturals


In the long history of man's relationship with dogs, a canine diet probably closely resembled this - scraps, leftovers -an extension of its owners diet. If the ingredients weren't the choicest cuts from its master's table it at least still came from his table meaning it at least enjoyed a similar level of quality - a quality now described as "human grade".

In the much shorter history of commercially manufactured pet food, there has evolved an entirely new world of ingredients-meat by products, fat from unidentified sources, brewers rice, all unfit for human consumption-a quality of food desribed as "pet grade". How and why and why it continues to happen is a matter to be considered further at another time, what I want to dwell on here is the notion of a more halcyon time when the quality of what our pets ate echoed what we did and how much more sense this makes to me.

It makes enough sense to me to want to emulate it. Regardless of whether it is raw or cooked, or more suited for a carnivore than an omnivore or any of the other hot topics of the raw debate, what I feed Eti is at the very least of a comparable quality to what I eat and quite often the same as what I eat.

Good Egg

'Eggs are absolutely brilliant nutrition for your dog. Eggs are a whole food, and often regarded as having the perfect protein. It is the one against which all other proteins are measured. Eggs contain a full compliment of minerals, including excellent levels of calcium (mostly in the yolk), all the vitamins except vitamin C and a range of high quality saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, the nutrient lecithin and the whole range of enzymes and other longevity factors always present in raw foods. Egg yolks are an essential food for a dog with skin problems. They contain sulphur containing amino acids, biotin, vitamin A, essential fatty acids and zinc.'

From Dr. Billinghurst's Barfworld

Additionally, the shell is a further source of calcium and trace minerals. Grinding the shell makes it more bioavailable and reduces any risk of shells irritating the system. I use a mortar but you can also wash and dry the shells and put them through a grinder/processor. Home Ground eggshells are also a slightly better source of calcium than commercially prepared bonemeal-which is usually cooked and processed.

With the availability of Omega 3 enriched eggs, created by feeding hens a diet that includes flaxseed, eggs are another source for this important nutrient. DHA eggs, from hens fed algae or kelp, and other green foods are even better.

Eti gets one egg a week. His breakfast this morning, in the photo, is ground duck with vegetables, one egg with ground shell and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.