DIY Doggie Diner

Step 6 Stir it up!

I like to add the contents of a few powdered beef liver capsules for added taste and nutrition. The big carrot chunks in the bowl on the left are there to slow down one of the dogs who eats too fast (without chewing). It's an idea I had that's based on the "Brake-fast" bowl design, and she likes to crunch down the carrots when she's done.

Comments

[TamarGirl]

I have to agree with giving the dogs RAW bones.  I have 2 smalldogs and they get either lamb rib or lamb neck bones every day. Never had a problem with the bones at all.  The Chihuahua crossdoesn't have the jaw strength to completely demolish the bones, but theAustralian Terrier cross makes up for that.  Never a scrap left!

@ Amicus Curiae - you said it in you post, the dogs in the wild eat"predigested" vegetable matter.  From what I've read, youmust blend raw veggies for the dogs - and those pieces should end up nolarger than a flea - before you add it to their dinner.  If you cansee it in their poos, the pieces are too large.

[imasiberian]

Another good way to slow fast eaters down is to put large river stones in their food bowl. I have to do this for my MinPin who practically inhales his meal in literally seconds. Smooth river stones cl;ean up really easy and don't hold any food particles. Carrots are good for teeth cleaning but they don't really have the enzymes to digest most vegetables unless they are pureed.

[amicus curiae]

? a dogs stomach has enough acid to dissolve bone, in the wild they go for the gut first as it contains whatever the prey has predigested, a source of enzymes and vitamin/minerals in one lovely snack! then they usually eat the larger muscle mass, and save smaller areas with bone for a later date. wild dogs will eat worms, bugs, snails, mice and dried fruits and vegetable matter quite happily, and they will chew stones and eat dirt for needed mineral boost. omnivores indeed. i have 6 Deerhounds if i used stones they would have to be the size of half a brick! :-)

[ElizabethRVT]

A dogs stomach does not have enough acid to digest bones. That is why they very easily get them impacted in the gut and need to have them removed with major surgery. Our office must perform this on a near daily basis due to such a common misconception.

[amicus curiae]

I agree that cooked bones like lamb shank and chop bones may impact and they do splinter and have sharp edges. COOKED bones should never be given i agree. However when my dogs have overindulged, and they barf back up, i see bones that resemble a lab test in hydrochloric acid, which IS what the stomach acids are. and the edges and bits are well on the way to dissolving in about 2 hours. Nature designed dogs as Carnivores! they ARE all descended from wolves and no way is a wolf going to strip a carcass and leave the bones. Bones are the best way to clean teeth, full stop. Nyla bones etc A) harbour bacteria, B) are Not a good thing PLASTIC? is ok? sorry, no it is not, it is Toxic, new research shows it is NOT as safe as makers tell us! See the RAW diet , that chap is also a VET, and he and many others differ, as do I with your ideas. Giving little dogs teeny bones is silly, give them one they need to work hard to carry and gnaw on, that way nothing goes down in any size that hasnt been chewed. easy solution.