What extras do you give?

[Lenajo]

No, but mine sure do know when you are done (heathens)! That and when we're at grandparents house....they are the worst (grandparents) they put a damn placemat on the floor by the table for each dog....

 

poor babies. Doc was so hungry he had to steal the butter

[Root Beer]

Doc was so hungry he had to steal the butter

 

For some reason Dean LOVES butter. Any time you get the butter dish out, he appears like magic. You could be preparing steak or turkey or something and he's off doing his thing, but the second that butter dish comes out, he's on hand immediately!

[Lenajo]

Taz's record for one weekend is 4 lbs of butter. My friend was keeping her and she's a...er...less than tidy housekeeper. Taz's coat looked so pretty that next few weeks. And the brat never even got sick.

[Ooky]

Hey, I feed Odin from my plate, just like I used to with Mesto. I think it's much better for him than for Mesto, who shouldn't have liked some of the non-meat things he did (being a cat). We also eat at the coffee table a lot, so the food plates are down low. But still, Odin behaves great at mealtimes. I just made sure early on he knew my food is mine and that he only gets some when he's being polite, not begging, DEFINITELY not sticking his nose in, and laying quietly at my feet. At other houses, where I don't want to gross people out by reaching down to give my dog a tidbit, he lays down far away from the table and goes to sleep.

[BustopherJones]

I don't mind because that way I can't see his poor deprived sad starving eyes staring at us or the floor waiting for someone to drop something.

You're right! I forgot about the Annie rule: "If it falls on the floor, it's MINE!!!" It never ceases to amaze me what that dog will eat when she thinks she's getting away with something; vegetables, salad, potatoes...fortunately, we are typically not messy eaters...and whatever falls is usually gone before it has a chance to stain the rug...

[JohnLloydJones]

You're right! I forgot about the Annie rule: "If it falls on the floor, it's MINE!!!"

 

Senneca's rule is that if it at nose height or below, it's mine. Tempting* things placed on a coffee table have to watched very carefully; a moment's drop in vigilance and it's gone. If Senneca tries the sad eyes business while I am eating, I will stare her down. She's smart enough to know that it doesn't work with me; and smart enough to know that my wife is a sucker every time.

 

Note * : Anything that smells remotely like food.

[bc4ever]

Ceana's birthday is this weekend and all four of us will be getting peanut butter flavored ice cream.

I had always heard dogs couldn't have ice cream? I give Scooter a boiled egg once in a while, and sometimes I'll put a little shredded cheese on his kibble (he prefers extra sharp cheddar--the smellier the better I guess). Also occasionally mix some canned with the kibble as a little surprise. He loves cottage cheese and peanut butter too (fat free of course). Apples. Bananas. A few of my Cheerios in the morning. Just a little taste of what we're having, unless I know it's high in fat or sodium.

 

Scooter likes to lie next to my chair when I'm eating. It seems to be more of a closeness thing than wanting food. If he wants table food, he hangs out next to DH! LOL!

[IronHorse]

Oh now that some of you mentioned it I did forget to include pancakes.

Whenever I make pancakes they do get 1 apiece and its no silver dollar sized either,lol its a full size (if they had their way it would be super sized)and it has to be a banana pancake with butter and honey.

ThunderBolt will refuse to eat his until it is cut into bite size pieces (that issue I allow my wife to take credit for)

What is it about pancakes that they so love?I think its the honey that all mine really like because they will eat them without the butter but if I leave the honey off they just sit by their pancake and glare at me until they see the honey applied.

I've noticed that in general Border Collies seem to have a sweet tooth that I haven't seen as intensely in other breeds.

Mine know that they are all going get a chunk of comb honey the minute they see me gear up in my beekeeping suit.(of course they all have learned the hard way just how much distance to keep as I'm working)

My attitude is the quality of the foodstuff that I feed my dogs is as high as what I feed myself with the exception that I cook my meat, they are happy with theirs either raw or cooked.They just don't get the seasonings that I do.

 

I had always heard dogs couldn't have ice cream?

What have you heard is the reason they shouldn't have ice cream?

[JohnLloydJones]

ThunderBolt will refuse to eat his until it is cut into bite size pieces (that issue I allow my wife to take credit for)

What is it about pancakes that they so love?I think its the honey that all mine really like because they will eat them without the butter but if I leave the honey off they just sit by their pancake and glare at me until they see the honey applied.

 

Senneca loves pancakes too; she never gets any maple syrup, honey or butter. Our pancake batter is made with durum wholewheat, fermented with sourdough culture. It develops a noticeable malt flavour. She prefers them torn into bite sized pieces; but they must still be warm from the griddle. She will turn her nose up at stale ones.

[bc4ever]

What have you heard is the reason they shouldn't have ice cream?

I've heard dogs can't digest dairy. It was suggested I try an ice cream product "specially made for dogs." Expensive. Scooter wasn't impressed. Reading what I wrote previously though, I do give him cottage cheese and sprinkle shredded cheese on his food (dairy). I've also seen a lot of people here give their dogs yogurt. It really doesn't make sense now that I think about it. So many opinions swirling around out there, sometimes it makes my head spin. That's why I like coming here. Lots of sound advice. No bull.

 

Pam

(Scooter thanks you too!)

[JohnLloydJones]

I've heard dogs can't digest dairy.

 

Dogs loose the ability to digest lactose after puppyhood, just like many people (really more so, because the European peoples retain the lactase enzyme long into adulthood). The gut flora go wild on all that undigested sugar and oops, we have an emission problem. Yoghurt contains little or no lactose (it's been converted into lactic acid). Much easier to digest and the acid producing bacteria help keep away the nastier sort that cause tummy upsets.

 

All that having been said, some dogs (and people) are allergic to (bovine) dairy products and cannot tolerate it either as milk or yoghurt. I think this is why puppies are usually given goat milk as supplement.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Oh my word, speaking of butter - the other day I made popcorn in the popper with coconut oil and accidentally walked off and left the jar sitting out and open. I came back to find Lynn happily finishing off what had been half of a 16 oz container. She looked so happy. "Wow Mom, that was awesome!" The result was less than awesome though thankfully extra virgin coconut oil is comparatively easy on the tummy.

 

I like the idea of the biotin in the eggs, but it's true that the white will bind all the egg biotin and then some. On the other hand, biotin is just as heat sensitive as avidin, so cooking it all through gets you back to square one. It won't be all gone since the yolk is typically softer cooked than the white, but pretty much . . .

 

I simmer an inch of water and then drop the eggs in - I don't stir or disturb them. Then I remove it from the heat. By the time the water is cooled, we have a warm eggy broth, with soft set whites and raw yolk.

 

Our usual fare is all fresh foods. Extras consist of whole chickens crockpotted until the bones turn to mush, with potatoes, carrots, apples, or pears. I like to squish up berries in the summer and add those to their food. I have a pork, squash, and apple stew I like to make in the fall and winter. Any hot dish, if there's extra eggs around, I'll drop in an egg per dog.

 

I don't blend up the shells together with the eggs, but instead save them, and dry and grind them later. I do that because I need extra eggshell for Ted's diet. Then when I add egg to anything I add a pinch of the ground shell and it's the same as the whole egg with shell. Because the household produces eggshells too, I run a bit ahead so it's no problem to use the extra shell this way.

 

I also use tripe. I do canned tripe because it's convenient and my husband will agree to allow it in the house without threatening divorce. I only give a dab to most of the dogs - but Maggie gets a third of a can and do does Sam the pup. If I did nothing else I'd keep the tripe - there's such a huge difference in their coats - shedding is a monster around here without it.

[IronHorse]

Oh well I'm not cutting mine off from their weekly ice cream fix,their use to it,I've not experinced any negative issues with any of my monkies, except perhaps that they eat it way to fast and want more.

Sometimes I wonder if they get the ice cream headache when they gulp it down so fast.

[vanillalove]

Oh my word, speaking of butter - the other day I made popcorn in the popper with coconut oil and accidentally walked off and left the jar sitting out and open. I came back to find Lynn happily finishing off what had been half of a 16 oz container. She looked so happy. "Wow Mom, that was awesome!" The result was less than awesome though thankfully extra virgin coconut oil is comparatively easy on the tummy.

 

At the place I work (a natural pet nutrition shop), we sold these little jars of Coconut Oil. People and their pets loved it! Only a little teaspoon though A lot of people liked it in replacement of a fish oil because they didn't like the smell of the fishy stuff, and the coconut oil still made a difference in their pet's coat. I also love it on popcorn and I use it in my baking!

[theshine]

The thought of eating plain butter makes me a little sick...blech...but my son used to do it. When we would go to a restaurant where they served bread he would grab the butter and start licking it.

 

My dogs are allowed to be wherever they want while we eat, except for possibly in our laps or peering over the edge of the table. They usually lay around the perimeter and wait...sometimes I feed them from the table. My husband has been known to lay his plate on the floor to be licked after he's done. We still wash it in the traditional way after though .

 

Extras that I give them regularly...the puppy gets a raw egg in her food every day. They get peanut butter and cheese and whatever I can find that's goopy in their kongs, but only a couple times a month. Most of what we eat, they've had. And apples. They love apples.

[KathyF]

You're fine. I too do them raw, shells and all. Mine had their weekly egg today for breakfast! Just don't give it everyday.

 

 

Why can't they have eggs every day??

 

Kathy

[sandra s.]

Would it help to separate the egg white and yolk, and give them to them in separate slurping sessions?

 

Mine get fish oil, and whatever happens to be around as extras. Plus bits of pretty much everything that I eat. Maybe the weirdest thing they love are peanuts (whole ones, the ones that are still in the pod). They like cracking one open and eating the parts that fall out (small parts due to rough opening method).

[JohnLloydJones]

I like the idea of the biotin in the eggs, but it's true that the white will bind all the egg biotin and then some. On the other hand, biotin is just as heat sensitive as avidin, so cooking it all through gets you back to square one. It won't be all gone since the yolk is typically softer cooked than the white, but pretty much . . .

 

I simmer an inch of water and then drop the eggs in - I don't stir or disturb them. Then I remove it from the heat. By the time the water is cooled, we have a warm eggy broth, with soft set whites and raw yolk.

 

From what I can find, biotin is only moderately heat sensitive, at least compared to avidin, which denatures under cooking conditions (biotin is not a protein, so it cannot denature). If you boil an egg, the yolk will be cooler than the white, so I think won't be anywhere near to back to square one.

 

I am seriously impressed that you have time to poach eggs for your dogs. I'll bet they love you for it.

[JohnLloydJones]

Would it help to separate the egg white and yolk, and give them to them in separate slurping sessions?

Not really, unless you cook the white.

[Laurie S.]

Wow, I'm getting an education reading this! I've been feedng Cheyenne about 3/4 cup Iams or Nutro twice a day, plus three to four medium-sized Milkbones, and several peanut butter and liver treats while working on training. I've also given her watermelon and she helped herself to Cheerios, both of which she enjoyed. I didn't realize about giving her oil, so I'll pick up some for her. She's pretty much worked her way through her first pig ear, but she has no interest in bully sticks. She does get a few other treats, of course, if I have extra food. It is so hard to resist those begging eyes!

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

JLJ, I'd like to take that hero's medal but it's really no trouble. I'm cooking anyway so it's just a matter of boiling the water. In a large shallow chicken fryer pan, an inch of water takes only a minute to boil. Actually, boiling eggs for them sounds harder! I can't boil an egg to save my life - I've exploded more pans of eggs all over the kitchen than I care to admit.

 

I actually don't have to do this at all. My diet takes the raw egg into account. But the dogs do love their eggy soup.

[TrishD]

I'm a boring doggy parent, it seems. Cobi & Tess get their regular food, plus liver treats while training, but that's about it. I've offered some fresh fruit but Cobi's not all that excited about it. And the other day, when I dropped a potato chip on the floor, he sniffed it and walked away. Which might explain why he's skinny and I'm not.

[JohnLloydJones]

JLJ, I'd like to take that hero's medal but it's really no trouble

....

But the dogs do love their eggy soup.

 

Well, it's clear that if your dogs approve, then the "medal" is yours. How do you serve the eggs? Just as they are or on together with something else? I always cook eggs for myself and the dogs together (my wife doesn't eat eggs). Maybe I need to poach eggs for breakfast next weekend?

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

How do you serve the eggs?

 

On a large silver platter. Just kidding. Over their breakfast meal, which is usually a sort of porridgey mixture, although right now we're doing kibble instead. I use a big serving spoon to scoop out the egg into each bowl, then divide up the eggy water among the bowls. With the kibble this also eliminates the post-meal trip to the water bowl.

 

The guard dogs really love it. And it reduces their raids on the fresh-laid duck eggs.

[bcnewe2]

And the other day, when I dropped a potato chip on the floor, he sniffed it and walked away. Which might explain why he's skinny and I'm not.

Mick won't eat chips or french fries. Wierdos!

Mick won't eat many different people foods, he's thin too!

Right now I don't even have a stove much less a big enough freezer so all mine are back on kibble except meat for the evening meal that I buy almost everyother day. I've found a cheap good source for beef heart, it's everyones favorite. I feed it almost 2x's per week, it's so easy. Is that considered organ meat? It's way more muscley compared to kidney or liver. I don't want to over do it but the dogs say bring it on!

I've also found a cheap source for turkey legs. Raven won't do bones right now (she used to but says ewww I want ground meat only and her teeth look fine, it's a messy thing for her) so when they get bones, she get kibble. Works for her.

 

I try to feed the LGD puppies meat but they are quite guardy about raw meat and it's all out war so it's a hassle to feed them anything other than kibble. Maybe I'll try some eggs but I'll be breaking/crushing them up so that when the chickens get to laying, I don't have to race to pick them up(I can dream can't I?). Little poop machines is what they are.