Dogs Life Down Under » raw food diet

commercial pet food tested on animals

Master Teal'c — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 07:32:34 +0000

Tealc’s hooman here…

That is a topic that bothers me since a long time and I have researched it over and over but never got around to write an article. Today I wanted to buy some sunscreen and decided that it was time to check if my favourite brand is cruelty free – it isn’t. Goodbye, smell of summer holidays with my parents and grandmas, goodbye summer-smell of my youth, goodbye ski-lift memories that come up everytime I use it – GOODBYE PIZ PUIN, UNTIL YOU CHANGE YOUR POLICY.

Well, and while reading all the pages about human products I also came across products for animals. Animal testing as such is already bad but testing dogfood on dogs?! Stuff they have been eating for ages?! Where is the point? Especially when most of the companies label their products with “all natural”. I found so much stuff, it is shocking!

Here is a list from PETA that has companies on it that don’t test on animals. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a list of Aussie producers on the net – if you are happen to have a link please share it! I’m not saying that you should keep your dog as a vegetarian or vegan even if I think it can be done but in case you still feed commercial dog food – do some research! PLEASE!!!! I’m a vegetarian and Teal’c is on a raw diet – he gets his meat fresh from the organic butcher plus lots of bones and fresh veggies. Believe me, he is an incredibly healthy, happy dog and preparing his food does only take 4 minutes longer than putting kibble in his bowl.

When I go on holiday and I can’t take Tealc’s food or I’m not sure if I can find a butcher that looks “good” to me straight away I feed him: Natural Balance an Aussie company that claims: We also do not practice or endorse invasive animal testing. Simply, this is because we care for the welfare of your Dog. He also got it as a puppy mixed in with the meat and veggies. I still would never feed it all the time – would you want to have the same food all the time?! Also, most of us try to be healthy by eating fresh food why should that be different for our dogs?!

What I do believe is that commercial dogfood makes your dog sick. It can’t be healthy to feed your dog, well, amongst other shit – dogs! And all the people I meet that say but my last dog turned 14 and only ate kibble – well, I know someone who smoked all his life and died at the age of 89. That doesn’t mean smoking is in any way healthy. You get my point?!

That’s from PETA too:
Important Note: If you have been feeding your companion animals commercial pet foods, you may be jeopardizing their health. Supermarket pet foods are often composed of ground-up parts of animals deemed by U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors unfit for human consumption. The flesh of animals who fall into one of the categories of the four D’s—dead, dying, diseased, or disabled—is what often goes into pet food. Many of these animals have died of infections and other diseases. In all but a few states, it is legal to remove unusable parts from chickens and sell them to pet food manufacturers. Most pet foods contain the same hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics that are found in commercial meat products for humans. If you are concerned about your companion animals’ health and about the cruelty of the meat industry, now is the time to stop buying meat-based commercial pet food.

I'm so glad my hoomans don't eat meat! Otherwise they might have made me SHARE!!!

Fresh food for dogs or Schort Trip?! Without me?!

Master Teal'c — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 09:50:15 +0000

From Tealc’s hooman:

I feed fresh. Fresh meat and fresh veggies. And I think it is easy… So when we decided to get out of the big city for a few days, without Master Teal’c I just opened the fridge and turned everything veggie-like that wouldn’t have survived the 4 days into a mash. Why a mash?! Because dogs can’t digest cellulose and feeding them big pieces doesn’t do them any good – it comes out the same way it got in – undigested, vitamins wasted… So what was on the menu?

Carrots, pear, radish, chickpeas, avocado, linseeds and apple. I wasn’t there to watch it but apparently the puppies loved it – mixed under their mince, decorated with some chicken necks and fresh bones: perfect dinner for dogs! :)

Fresh and healthy!

carrots, pear, radish, chickpeas, avocado, linseeds and apple

nicely blended...

Looks disgusting, seems to be nice...

Teal'c done first, Dash second! Some inhale some enjoy...

That’s what hoomans seem to call it… Schort trip! PAH! Without me… Quality time – blabla… How can it be quality time without me? And why am I not allowed on those flying machines??? Hmpf!

It all started with my mom using everything she found in the fridge to pre-prepare my dinners. So I got woken up from my morning snooze by dinner-sounds. Cutting and blending. I went downstairs for a bit of a cute look and beg but I didn’t get anything. That made me suspicious! I’m not easily tricked. Even though my hoomans tried to behave as if it was a normal day and didn’t pack before they had dropped me off at Dash’s house I could feel there was something going on! Well – and the moment we went for walkies with my doggie bed it was kinda clear – something was going on! I would be left behind…

Ok – enough crying here! I had fun! I stayed for 3 days at my girlfriends house and I enjoyed myself. 24 hour doggie company is cool… As much as I love my people they kind of don’t play with me as much as Dash does. So a big thanks you and slobbery kiss to Dash and Dash mom!!!! xxxxxxx

Walkies with my bed?!

I know the way!

Even my blankie was packed.

Me, Dash and her person going walkies...

Little Miss Independence

Master Teal'c — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 03:40:38 +0000

Happy Birthday Dash!!!!! 4th of July… No other date would suit her better! My hooman actually promised me to design a nice card I can give to my favourite girlfriend and one for my bloggie-friend El’bow but as usual – no time! But she told me she will try and do it next weekend.

Anyway – I had a great weekend! We went to Dash’s place for her Birthday party. There was me, Dash and lots of hoomans… Not a real doggie-party hey?! Well the reason is that Dash isn’t as good with other dogs. She only loves me and one other Staffy guy. But guess what – I DON’T LIKE HIM! Me, who gets on with all the doggies in the park… I think I’m allowed to dislike one doggie. The one my girlfriend kinda is in looooooooove too when I’m not around. Fair enough – me thinks!

So the hoomans had Glühwein (German winter thing – spiced hot red wine) and we had doggie cupcakes! YEAH! My hooman say that she will post the recipe in one of the next posts.

PS from Tealc’s hooman…

I think you shouldn’t give your dogs shoes to play with. It only teaches them bad habits… But come on, a pink high heel for the princess!? How could I resist?!

On the floor or on the table with a napkin?!

Master Teal'c — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:35:58 +0000

Me and Max demonstrating that there are different ways to eat a nice meaty bone and none of them involves a raised bowl or a napkin...

There is a question for all my big friends – how are you eating?! From a bowl? From the ground/floor? OR from a raised dog bowl? I’m a rather small dog (even if I personally consider my self big) but I have raised dog bowls. One for my meat and veggies and one for my water. My hoomans just kept that up because they had big dogs before and it is apparently good for them for the following reasons:

There are a number of medical issues that are related with eating at such a low height, and the mess is greater as well.

Stomach Bloat
While uncommon, stomach bloat occurs most commonly when dogs guzzle their food from low bowls. The next time your dog is eating, watch how his food will immediately disappear.

Dogs are fast eaters by nature. It is a form of protection against anyone or anything taking their food. What a lot of people do not know is that it is very hazardous for their health to eat from the bowls on the ground.

By scarfing their food at such an angle, most dogs inhale a great deal of air. That air can inflate the stomach and even cause it to turn. A dog with stomach torsion is an emergency.

The majority of dogs that get this painful problem, rarely make it. Those who do make it have a better chance at getting it again. On a less serious note, there is also the gas to deal with, and that is uncomfortable for you as well as your pet. Raising the food eliminates the possibility.

Joints and Muscles
Elderly dogs have a little more trouble bending down to eat their food and is very hurtful on joints and muscles. The concluding tension on elbows and wrists as they bend over causes them to eat fast or poorly.

Imagine attempting to eat your food at a push-up stance. That is how a dog feels after each feeding. The position is bad for their posture and makes eating tough. Raising the food helps reduce pressure on those tender joints.

Less Mess
If you purchase a stable elevated dog bowl, you don’t have to worry about any messes to clean up. There is no longer a reason to quickly throw the food back to the throat, and they don’t have to eat so fast.

With less tension on their joints, dogs rest a bit and enjoy their meals more. If you have a dog that really bolts their food no matter what, consider getting a bolt preventing bowl to an elevated bowl. It will make your pet to slow down.

Elevated dog feeders are easily found either at your local pet store or on the internet. To get the height to your dog, measure your dog at the withers. The withers are the front shoulder joint. Take away six inches and you have the perfect height for your dog’s feeder.

Stomach bloat is the one my mom is most concerned about. Not so much with me although I have a bowl lifted up to the measurements in the last paragraph but with Max. We didn’t take a feeder-thingy on holiday so she just sat in front of him with the bowl in her hands. I didn’t get that treatment and I’m rather sure I got less food too!!!

Now my big doggie friends – what have you researched? Anything different? Are you all eating from raised bowls all the time?

The one thing my mom was wondering about is the “how do wild dogs have their dinner”?! Do they take their pray, scraps or whatever they find into their layer where raised silver bowls are waiting in the corner? Do they put a napkin around their necks before they start eating? Probably not. I wouldn’t wear a napkin! But if you look at wild dogs they eat either standing up while tearing the pray apart or chewing it while lying down. No bowls involved. So does that mean while we are on a nice raw diet, always referring to what our cousins in the wild would eat, we still can’t eat like them because we have become to domesticated? To over-bred?! Hmmmmm… Or do we (my mum and I) miss something here?!

While searching the net for answers we found a company called “Pet-Super-Store”. I tell you – they sell some super fancy raised bowls for us! My hooman says the prices seem to be ok as well but she still won’t order anything because they are located in a far, far away country called US and won’t deliver anything to me.

I can do it all! Standing up...

Using my bed as table.

Or lying down. See my shiny teeth?!

On the menue

Master Teal'c — Tue, 25 May 2010 01:55:28 +0000

When I wrote about my food the last time many of my bloggie readers asked me questions. Well – I guess it was more from hooman to hooman but I can answer too!!!

So here is what I had last night – carrots, broccoli, cucumber, half a apple, a chicken neck and organic heart mince and some doggie-multivitamin-paste on top. All nicely mixed and the chicken neck came last – as dessert… YUM!!!!!

It really doesn’t take my hooman a long time to prepare the food. She cuts it all up while she is preparing her lunch/dinner and throws it in the blender where it sits until it is my dinnertime. Next is the blending-noise and then I know it is time!!!! YEAH! My hoomans blend pretty much everything green and fresh they don’t want to eat anymore (I pretend I haven’t read that) together and mix it under my mince. So I get the protein as well as the vitamins and the minerals from the chicken wings/neck and bones I get during the day. Pretty healthy and balanced I would say…

Come on - don't take pics, just blend it!

See - all nice and fresh but too big for me/dogs to digest. That's why it goes into the blender.

I AM WAITING!!!!

Ok, fine. But will you please add some meat? Then I'll even wag my tail!!!

Veggies, heart mince, chicken wings and chicken necks - all for the good dog

And that is my pressie for Dash! My mum isn't working from home today so I get to spend the day at Dash's house with a BIG BONE!!!!!

IT’S A DOGS LIFE!!!!

Feeding of the beasts

Master Teal'c — Tue, 11 May 2010 23:32:35 +0000

“Dinnertime” is one of my favourite words. Or maybe it is every dogs favourite word?! DINNERTIME! Wooohhhooo… Let’s go and sit nicely in front of the kitchen by the first “clang” of the food bowls. Full of expectation!

Well, to be honest, I have calmed down quite a bit because by now I know that the “clang” noise is only the beginning. First my organic heart mince goes in, then the blender noise follows where my mum blends my fresh veggies and if I’m lucky I get an egg on top. Maybe some linseeds, organic oil and parsley. OK, no parsley. Even my hooman wouldn’t go that far

So my time to sit, look cute and stare a bit starts when I hear the “clang” of the spoon stirring my food. Bottom line – I think I’m on a pretty healthy diet and I get lots of compliments in the park for my exceptionally super shiny fur. (The girls love it too!)

And on todays menu is: eggs, heart mince, raw pumpkin, carrots and apples

All of us nicely lined up. Bessie first to finish, then me, Max takes 10 minutes to eat!

Same from behind... My hooman only has to watch Bessie because the moment she is done she will go for anything else she can find.

Frangipani trees – poisonous for dogs?

Master Teal'c — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 02:55:13 +0000

My mom loves Frangipani trees! All colors and shapes. Did you know that you just have to cut a branch off, let it dry out for a week or so and then stick it into soil – eh voila: new gorgeous tree… Did you know that you shouldn’t leave those “cut offs” in a backyard with 2 doggies?! Even if you didn’t know a) don’t you think the b) is kinda common sense from which my mom usually claims to have a lot…?! While she went shopping last night she left Dash and me in Dash’s backyard with this beautiful multi branched stick on top of the doggie-house!!!! Old doggie-house in the corner, behind the new doggie-house, next to the rubbish bins, hidden behind the bike, ok, but still accessible…

Well, what shall I say – we had a good go at it! Tiny, tiny pieces we made out of it… And now my mom is concerned – aren’t those trees poisonous for kids? So how about dogs?! Has anyone had any experience with it? We didn’t eat it, just killed it. Almost all the pieces were still there. Our mom’s counted!!!! And then they kept a close eye on us and nothing really happened. I think I felt a little sick and had a bit of diarrhea.

Anything that’s toxic to humans is likely to be toxic to pets and when it comes to children, it’s important to remember, they’re not just small adults. Toddlers don’t have fully developed immune systems. Always assume that kids and pets will explore and experiment with garden plants and if you need further information, contact the poison information centre in your state. Now, that makes sense… But we still don’t know more about Frangipani trees…

TEALC’S MOM: It’s one of those things when you move to a different country with a completely different flora and fauna. In your home country you grow up with all the “dangers” and your parents constantly point them out and remind you. But if you move overseas, especially to Australia where pretty much everything can kill you, you are suddenly not sure anymore and the www always gives you 100 different opinions – from instant death to nothing to worry about. SIGH

Have a close look at those 2 pictures! That is me. Looking: CONCERNED!

That is Dash. Looking: CONTENT!

BUT WE BOTH AGREE – THE Frangipani STARTED IT!!!!!!!!

Snacktime!

Master Teal'c — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:12:52 +0000

I don’t really want to but I have to – talk about dog food… I would rather write about things like beaches and my doggie friends than about nutrition. But on the other paw that is important as well and as far as I’m concerned I’m more than happy with my diet of fresh meat, bones, fruits and veggies… I don’t get those stupid smoked bones from the pet store but fresh ones and OH BOY – BIG ONES!!! Bones are great to keep the teeth clean and they are full minerals. From my point of view even more important – they keep my busy for a long time. Especially the already mentioned “BIG ONES”…

Today I have my girlfriend here and had to share. Not that I mind – she’s a cutie!