Meatloaf Dinner 2-23-10

Gracie's Dinner:

Homemade meatloaf (cooked with corn oil)

Brown rice

A few red kidney beans  ***See Note below

Yogurt


 ***Note: I don't feed Gracie kidney beans very often. Most sources I've read say they're safe to feed a dog. Some sources say raw kidney beans (not the cooked kind we eat) are harmful to humans and dogs. On the rare occasion we eat kidney beans I'll include a few in Gracie's meal, just for variety.

Poached Cod Dinner 2-16-10

I cooked poached cod for dinner last night so Gracie got some too.

Gracie's Dinner:

Fresh cod poached in water with some olive oil, a splash of white wine and parsley

Brown rice

Green peas

Just a reminder (I've mentioned and showed this in previous posts): When I prepare Gracie's meals I fill her bowl with separate portions of foods (see above photo) to help me gauge the type and amount of protein, carbohydrates, vegetables, dairy, etc... she's eating. Before serving the meal I usually mix together everything except any dairy product (like yogurt or cottage cheese) to distribute the flavors.

There was no dairy in tonight's dinner so it was all mixed together. As usual, I mashed the peas very well for easier digestion:

 

Rabbit Poop --- A Doggie Delicacy?

Sorry about this gross post and photo but I think it should be addressed on this blog.

No, I don't feed Gracie rabbit poop, but she loves to eat it when she finds it in our yard. I know ---YUCK!

She's been doing this for several years, even though I've tried to discourage it. So far, thankfully, she hasn't picked up any parasites or diseases. I've even had our vet do stool sample tests just to make sure Gracie didn't ingest any parasites. None were ever detected. Still, I'd prefer she didn't eat rabbit poop! 

This year I'm getting tougher. I'm attempting to consistently scold Gracie when I catch her eating rabbit poop, and warmly praise her when I order her not to eat it and she obeys. She responds well to training and won't usually eat the poop when I'm nearby. Yet if I step inside to get something while she's outside I think it's hard for her to resist sneaking a few bites. At least one rabbit has been visiting our property regularly and dropping little beads of poop all over. It's impossible to clean them up every day. We've even seen the rabbit outside at dawn and twilight. Gracie always makes a mad dash for him (or her) but the rabbit bounds away and scoots under our fence every time.

According to Wikipedia, a rabbit leaves behind "night feces," called, "cecotropes," and it's actually high in minerals, vitamins and proteins that are necessary to the rabbit's health. The rabbit will re-ingest the cecotropes --  yes, eat it after pooping it out --- in order to extract all the nutrients! That sounds kind of revolting but maybe that's why dogs want to eat rabbit poop? To get the vitamins and nutrients they contain? Or maybe the nutritional benefits of rabbit poop are for rabbits only and dogs just like the taste?

I'll keep doing my best to discourage Gracie from eating this "delicacy" she finds so irresistible. I feed Gracie gourmet doggie meals every day. I can't understand why she likes eating rabbit poop!

Chicken Dinner 2-2-10

Chicken

Brown rice

Steel cut oats cooked in milk

Black beans

Broccoli

Corn Oil

Gracie LOVES Snow!

Jumping through the snow...

......to fetch a tennis ball!


Not bad for a dog who turns 11 this year!





Watch this soundless video of Gracie playing in the snow:

Calcium & Eggshell Powder

I ran out of bone meal powder this week.

I'm having a hard time finding bone meal powder containing only calcium and phosphorus, with a calcium-to-phosphorus ratio close to the recommended ratios (click here for an earlier post explaining this important ratio). Until I buy some new bone meal powder I decided to make egg shell powder to supplement Gracie's meals.

Several books, including Dr. Pitcairn's, tell how to do this. Over the course of two or three days I saved some egg shells and washed and dried them. I then put them in a 300 degree F oven for 15 minutes, even though 10 minutes is the recommended oven time. I feel like the extra five minutes might help kill more bacteria but I'm not even sure that's what the oven time is for. One source said it's to help remove a type of wax that's sometimes put on commercially produced eggs.

After removing the eggshells from the oven I cooled them to room temperature and ground them in a coffee and spice mill. I ground them thoroughly, to avoid leaving any large or sharp pieces. I've added small amounts of this eggshell powder to some of Gracie's meals, for a calcium supplement.

According to Dr. Pitcairn's book, eggshells contain a 1,800 mg-to- 6 mg calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, so excessive use can supply way too much calcium in a dog's diet. Bone meal provides a better calcium-to-phosphorus ratio for a calcium supplement so I'll keep searching for a brand I like.

*** POST UPDATE: The ground egg shells were just a temporary calcium supplement. I'm now using KAL Bone Meal Powder. According to the label on this new bottle, 1 teaspoon (6g) contains: 1620 mg calcium (from Bone Meal), 540 mg phosphorus (from Bone Meal) and 18 mg magnesium (from Bone Meal). It's not an ideal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio but Gracie's meals contain enough phosphorus to balance it out.

So Much Snow!

Gracie's REALLY enjoying all the snow we've had. Look at her "swimming" in the snow to fetch her tennis ball!

After retrieving her ball she drops it on the ground in front of me, shakes the snow off her coat and is ready for another round of fetch!....And another, and another, and another......