So trivial, yet it really ticks you off.

[Bamaboots]

I used to think of dogs eating that way to, but what surprises me today is how sensitive some dogs have become - or maybe they always were, we just care more now - to food. We have a dog that can only eat certain dog foods (or his stomach reacts badly) who, despite this, still gets an upset stomach a few times a year and we have to make him boiled chicken and rice. Laugh all you want, I did initially, but the poor guy suffers and this settles his stomach down. And other than a very, very small amount, table scraps and other human foods crush his stomach. And we know many other rational dog owners with these issues.

You can say, oh, you're babying them, etc., but when the dog is in clear discomfort and exhibiting stomach related symptoms, that just doesn't cut it. Maybe they've been bred too selectively or have been too coddle so some of the toughness is being selected out of their gene pool - they turn over generations much faster than we do - but for whatever reason, the days of house-pet dogs surviving on table scraps seems over - at least for the dog and dog owners in my orbit.

Tell me about it. We have one that had skin problems (rashes, losing hair and constant scratching). After several vet visits and steroid shots we finally had an allergy test done. Fairly expensive. The results came back and she is allergic to Bermuda grass and maple trees. Both of which are outside the front and back door. The foods she is allergic to are too numerous to list but they include chicken, rabbit, wheat, corn, and soy just to name a few. Try finding a dog food without those listed ingredients.

We started her on allergy shots, just as a human would do, decreasing the amount of the medication and the application over a period of time. Also very expensive. As you do FF, I make her food from lean ground beef, carrots, celery and green beans and beef stock. We finally found a hypoallergenic food she will eat occasionally, so that helps.

The allergy medication seemed to reach a point of diminishing returns and with the food allergens taken care of, we took her off the shots with no noticeable reactions. We now give her Benadryl if she seems to be experiencing problems. Much less expensive.

 

[Fading Fast]

Tell me about it. We have one that had skin problems (rashes, losing hair and constant scratching). After several vet visits and steroid shots we finally had an allergy test done. Fairly expensive. The results came back and she is allergic to Bermuda grass and maple trees. Both of which are outside the front and back door. The foods she is allergic to are too numerous to list but they include chicken, rabbit, wheat, corn, and soy just to name a few. Try finding a dog food without those listed ingredients.

We started her on allergy shots, just as a human would do, decreasing the amount of the medication and the application over a period of time. Also very expensive. As you do FF, I make her food from lean ground beef, carrots, celery and green beans and beef stock. We finally found a hypoallergenic food she will eat occasionally, so that helps.

The allergy medication seemed to reach a point of diminishing returns and with the food allergens taken care of, we took her off the shots with no noticeable reactions. We now give her Benadryl if she seems to be experiencing problems. Much less expensive.

She's lucky she has you guys and I'm really glad you've had some improvements at the margin.

Our little guy suffers off and on from Lymes which is heartbreaking when it's flaring up as he puts his paws down so gingerly when he walks due to the pain - but the medicine helps, but (always another "but") it upsets his stomach, which leads to us making him boiled skinless chicken breast and white rice.

I know you get it - it all sounds crazy until you are faced with helping them or not and then, of course, you help them. I'll keep my fingers crossed for your girl - hopefully, she continues to do well - allergies can fade over time.

 

[tonyb]

Regular checkups, shots, anti-tick medicine, dental care, food, the one-off vet visit when they step on this or swallow that and something goes terribly wrong - and then the subsequent medicine or special diet: Owning a dog is not an inexpensive undertaking.

I grew up where every dollar was measured twice before being spent and I try to apply that philosophy to the dog and everything listed above passes:

Annual check up - yup, can catch things early
Dental work - not going to let them suffer in pain or have chronic gum issues
One-off vet visits - we treat them ourselves until it is clear professional help is needed, then withholding that would be cruel
Medicine / special food - watch a dog with Lyme disease struggle to walk down the hallway and tell me another option than buying them medicine (and the little food balls to hide the pill in so they will swallow it) or watch your dog who always eats not eat because of a stomach issue and tell me you won't buy special food or medicine to make him better

I detect a certain defensiveness in your post.

If my dogs had your dog's health problems, I'd do much as you do. One of our mutts is epileptic. He gets meds four times daily. The pills go in little pieces of cut-up wiener (the cheapest ones in the supermarket) and he wolfs it right down. The other dog also gets these little treats at the same time. Happy dogs.

Our dogs, and our cat, were found at the pound. (Or, as they say these days, "adopted at the rescue shelter.") We love them. The missus insisted we pay extra to get "Adopt a Shelter Pet" license plates for the van.

I'm of the view that our attitudes toward pets in general and dogs in particular are better than they were in generations past -- not entirely, but mostly. We routinely spay and neuter. We don't let them run loose. We pick up what they leave behind. I'm happy not having to be on the lookout for piles of poop in the lawn or on the sidewalk. And I am all for being spared the sight of dead dogs alongside the road.

 

[sheeplady]

We had a cat who lived to 18, whom I think only lived as long as he did because of top-notch dental care, as when he joined us at age 13 his mouth was a complete mess: he smelled awful because of rot. By the end of his life (kidney failure, 5 years after he moved in) he had most of his teeth removed, except the canines (which we called his lookers).

I'm convinced that a lot of the animal food has unnecessary additives that cause things like allergies.

 

[GHT]

If a person in 2016 was told that in the future, it would be common for someone to have an office to go to, that person would laugh in your face.

There's going to be a time when people will laugh that we drove our cars. Planes, trains and ships can all be computer controlled, London has The Docklands Railway served without drivers, it's only a matter of time before cars join the list.
Makes me wonder what the reposte to a London Cabbie would be? London's taxi drivers are notorious for their lack of patience, just stall at the lights and you will soon hear: "Oi! Mate. Isn't there a colour there that you like?"

 

[LizzieMaine]

We had a cat who lived to 18, whom I think only lived as long as he did because of top-notch dental care, as when he joined us at age 13 his mouth was a complete mess: he smelled awful because of rot. By the end of his life (kidney failure, 5 years after he moved in) he had most of his teeth removed, except the canines (which we called his lookers).

I'm convinced that a lot of the animal food has unnecessary additives that cause things like allergies.

Bad teeth in a cat is a classic sign of a taurine deficiency somewhere in that cat's background. There was an epidemic of this which occured right around the time that dry kibble cat food was becoming popular, and it was very common in cats fed solely on dry food. Taurine is naturally present in meats, especially organ meats, but processing eliminated it from the meat extracts used to in dry food. It wasn't until the '80s that dry food manufacturers caught onto this and began adding supplemental taurine to their products.

After losing a cat to premature kidney failure stemming from a diet based on a "premium grade" dry food, I don't use dry food at all. Wet food only, and the less grain in it the better.

 

[sheeplady]

Bad teeth in a cat is a classic sign of a taurine deficiency somewhere in that cat's background. There was an epidemic of this which occured right around the time that dry kibble cat food was becoming popular, and it was very common in cats fed solely on dry food. Taurine is naturally present in meats, especially organ meats, but processing eliminated it from the meat extracts used to in dry food. It wasn't until the '80s that dry food manufacturers caught onto this and began adding supplemental taurine to their products.

After losing a cat to premature kidney failure stemming from a diet based on a "premium grade" dry food, I don't use dry food at all. Wet food only, and the less grain in it the better.

This cat, Marmalade, had certainly seen better days, so I would believe it. He had a pin in one leg (car accident when he was 1) and had lived in a two-bedroom household with 5 other cats and 4 to 6 dogs (before he came to us at 13). The family lost their home to foreclosure. I can't imagine he was fed well. We only fed wet food when we had cats- we always had ones that were medically ill when we got them (FIV, FEL) and needed to eat soft food.

 

[Edward]

She also adds that "a cat can be trained to eat at the table, and its manners are charming."

I'd try that with Greta, but alas she's far too prone to giving her fellow diners the big, sad eye treatment if she fancies what's on their plate instead....

 

[ChiTownScion]

Regular checkups, shots, anti-tick medicine, dental care, food, the one-off vet visit when they step on this or swallow that and something goes terribly wrong - and then the subsequent medicine or special diet: Owning a dog is not an inexpensive undertaking.

I grew up where every dollar was measured twice before being spent and I try to apply that philosophy to the dog and everything listed above passes:

Annual check up - yup, can catch things early
Dental work - not going to let them suffer in pain or have chronic gum issues
One-off vet visits - we treat them ourselves until it is clear professional help is needed, then withholding that would be cruel
Medicine / special food - watch a dog with Lyme disease struggle to walk down the hallway and tell me another option than buying them medicine (and the little food balls to hide the pill in so they will swallow it) or watch your dog who always eats not eat because of a stomach issue and tell me you won't buy special food or medicine to make him better

We got this little guy after he'd been rescued from a puppy mill: drove over 700 miles round trip to Missouri to get him. His left eye was already gone, and about a week after he was with us the right eye began to rupture. Emergency eye surgery cost us $3,500 out of pocket... but it never was an issue, it's an expense that simply had to be borne. Nine years later, he's doing quite well. Both of the pugs need to see the eye specialist regularly, and treated with eye drops daily. Never was allowed dogs as a kid, but quite honestly, I couldn't imagine life without my three. I'll take their company over that of the majority of the humans I've encountered in life, any day.

 

[HudsonHawk]

Tell me about it. We have one that had skin problems (rashes, losing hair and constant scratching). After several vet visits and steroid shots we finally had an allergy test done. Fairly expensive. The results came back and she is allergic to Bermuda grass and maple trees. Both of which are outside the front and back door. The foods she is allergic to are too numerous to list but they include chicken, rabbit, wheat, corn, and soy just to name a few. Try finding a dog food without those listed ingredients.

We started her on allergy shots, just as a human would do, decreasing the amount of the medication and the application over a period of time. Also very expensive. As you do FF, I make her food from lean ground beef, carrots, celery and green beans and beef stock. We finally found a hypoallergenic food she will eat occasionally, so that helps.

The allergy medication seemed to reach a point of diminishing returns and with the food allergens taken care of, we took her off the shots with no noticeable reactions. We now give her Benadryl if she seems to be experiencing problems. Much less expensive.

One of my dogs is very allergic to everything...grass, trees, pollen, people, you name it. Getting it all figured out was very expensive, as are the weekly shots we have to give him. I don't complain though because he's the sweetest, gentlest soul I've ever met, of any species, I vowed to do what I could, within reason, to give him a quality life. He does eat a special grain-free food (whitefish and potato), which isn't particularly expensive, but it's only available at Tractor Supply. Luckily, my other dog will eat anything, and she has no health issues to speak of. There was the time a copperhead bit her on the nose, but lessoned learned on that one.

 

[Fading Fast]

Since you've heard enough about him, this is our boy Finn (shared joint custody with our friend and neighbor):

No he doesn't get to drink the frozen margarita, but he likes to impress his friends so we took the shot and he tells them he does:


When we moved, he was worried we wouldn't take him with us, so he hopped in one of the boxes and put on his best "sad, take me with you" faces (he was very upset when we were packing as he hates his routine to be disturbed and senses change - which he hates):

 

[2jakes]

Ok.....so October is just around the corner, I get it.

But this?

This is what the clerk replied.

“...well...I dunno...I only work here!”

“I guess we’re trying to keep up with the big department stores!"

 

[Zombie_61]

I used to think of dogs eating that way to, but what surprises me today is how sensitive some dogs have become - or maybe they always were, we just care more now - to food. We have a dog that can only eat certain dog foods (or his stomach reacts badly) who, despite this, still gets an upset stomach a few times a year and we have to make him boiled chicken and rice. Laugh all you want, I did initially, but the poor guy suffers and this settles his stomach down. And other than a very, very small amount, table scraps and other human foods crush his stomach. And we know many other rational dog owners with these issues.

You can say, oh, you're babying them, etc., but when the dog is in clear discomfort and exhibiting stomach related symptoms, that just doesn't cut it. Maybe they've been bred too selectively or have been too coddle so some of the toughness is being selected out of their gene pool - they turn over generations much faster than we do - but for whatever reason, the days of house-pet dogs surviving on table scraps seems over - at least for the dog and dog owners in my orbit.

I sincerely believe that the breeders' "tinkering" with canine lineage and trying to create new breeds over the years/decades has been detrimental, and that they've somehow managed to breed out dogs' resilience. Even as recently as when I was growing up in the 1960s I can't recall anyone discussing many of the ailments dogs (and cats) are now experiencing. I also believe the companies that produce dog (and cat) food bear some responsibility by similarly "tinkering" with their formulas, putting additives, fillers, by-products, and so on, into their recipes in order to minimize production costs and increase profits.

Our dog, Butch, is a not-so-Miniature Schnauzer (he's considerably larger than every other Miniature Schauzer we've seen except one). When he was six-months old he had a bad bout of gastroenteritis, so at the Vet's recommendation we started feeding him a higher quality dog food, keep him away from beef, wheat, and dairy products (though they're okay in small amounts), and he's been fine ever since. So I completely understand your efforts (and the efforts of others) to give your dog a healthy, happy life, because we do the same thing with our dog and cat. It might seem extreme to people who aren't "dog lovers" or "cat lovers", but our first two cats lived to be 19- and 24-years-old with no major health issues so it definitely pays off.

Commercial pet food became widely popular in the US in the 1920s as a way of processing surplus horses, with the idea of differentiated "dog food" and "cat food" catching on in the thirties as more became known about the nutritional needs of pets. Cat food became a common sideline for fish canneries, and remains so to this day...

Dogs and cats definitely have different dietary requirements. They are both considered to be carnivores, but cats are obligate carnivores--they must have meat of some form in their diet to survive. They also need a higher percentage of their diet to be protein--25-30% on average, compared to 18-25% for the average dog.

 

[Inkstainedwretch]

Not to belittle our canine friends, but cats are carnivores, dogs are scavengers. Dogs can tolerate a much wider variety of foods than cats. Dogs have been around humans for hundreds of thousands of years, cats only for a few thousand i.e. since our practice of hoarding grain produced an explosion of rodent population and the cats came in to feast on the bounty. Cats are far closer to their feral, predatory origins and thus way more finicky about their diet.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Exactly right. When I hear some well-meaning soul talk about feeding their cat a vegan diet I want to shake some sense into them. Your cat may be a companion, a friend, a member of your family in every way -- but she doesn't share, and should not be required to share, your ideology.

 

[GHT]

How to give a cat a pill ... and a dog, too
How to give a cat a pill:
1.Pick up cat and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2.Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3.Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4.Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm, holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of ten.

5.Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6.Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7.Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.

8.Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible from below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil, and blow down drinking straw.

9.Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10.Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard, and close door onto neck, to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11.Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of Scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Apply whiskey compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12.Call fire department to retrieve the damn cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil-wrap.

13.Tie the little @!!@#@#$%'s front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy-duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of steak filet. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14.Consume remainder of Scotch. Get spouse to drive you to the emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and remove pill remnants from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15.Arrange for SPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

How to give a dog a pill:

1.Wrap it in bacon, toss it in the air.

 

[Trenchfriend]

"The sound of thuna."

 

[Lean'n'mean]

I sincerely believe that the breeders' "tinkering" with canine lineage and trying to create new breeds over the years/decades has been detrimental, and that they've somehow managed to breed out dogs' resilience. Even as recently as when I was growing up in the 1960s I can't recall anyone discussing many of the ailments dogs (and cats) are now experiencing. I also believe the companies that produce dog (and cat) food bear some responsibility by similarly "tinkering" with their formulas, putting additives, fillers, by-products, and so on, into their recipes in order to minimize production costs and increase profits..

Indeed inbreeding & line breeding, which are standard show dog procedures to fix desired genetic traits, may well have an adverse effect on the offspring's long term health, problems which they then pass on if allowed to breed. In the past, dogs that showed some kind of weakness were 'disposed' of, died through lack of care or at least removed from the gene pool but nowadays there are far fewer concerns for a dog's ability to live a normal healthy life so breeders & pseudo breeders will sell any pup...even more so with popular breeds.................you only have look at show GSD's or English bulldogs to see just how perverse dog breeding has become.
But there are other reasons why dogs today appear to have more allergies than in the past. The primary causes are enviromental which weaken an animal's immune system.... lack of exposure to allergens, preservatives, colorants & flavorings in industrial pet foods, exposure to chemicals in the home ( notably cleaning products, paint/varnish & carpet/rug vapors, chemical air freshners, chemicals leaching into their food & water from plastic bowls etc.) annual inoculations, puppy neuturing & lack of physical activity to name but a few.
Children today have far more allergies than before too & the fact that we have flooded our enviroment with hormone disrupters & immunity suppressing chemicals has a large part to play, also the modern householder's obsession with cleanliness & especially the use & overuse of bleach & antibacterial cleaning products, deprive a growing child an opportunity to reinforce their immune system through regular exposure to allergens.
Children who have grown up in close contact with animals are less likely to develope allergies.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Dogs and cats definitely have different dietary requirements..

Absolutely. They do say (whoever 'they' are ) that a dog can live on cat food but a cat can't live on dog food.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

Dogs have been around humans for hundreds of thousands of years, .

That would be nice but the domestication of the wolf isn't quite that old. There is still a lot of controversy as to the period & location of the first tentatives of domestication and so there is no confirmed date but the current figure agreed upon is around 15,000 years ago & the first real 'dogs' appeared in S.E. Asia.
Wolves on the other hand may well have been around early humans once they reached wolf territory, attracted by their 'left overs' & it could be argued that these wolves, who were used to being in relatively close contact with humans, were already 'semi' domesticated. We humans, that is Homo sapiens sapiens, are only around 250,000 years old & we didn't leave Africa until around 70,000 years ago. Although there are no wolves in Africa, recent genetic tests on Abyssinian wolves (which until then were believed to be descended from jackals ) have shown that they are indeed related to wolves. How they got there, no one knows.

I'll stop now as I'm probably boring everyone.