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Animal Shelter
Happy Howl-lidays
Welcome to the December 2005 issue of Pet Lovers Tips and Trends
Well it’s that time of year again. The holidays are here. Friends stopping by wishing warm seasons greetings family from afar taking up the guest room, couch and any other available sleeping area and of course food. Food everywhere. Grandma’s once a year rum cake, cookies from co-workers, gift baskets from loved one’s who couldn’t gather with you. What’s a pup to do? It’s a variable treat-topia!
Humans aren’t the only ones indulging during the holidays. One problem is our furry friends aren’t meant to have a lot of the foods we love to eat during this time of year. As much as your cat or dog enjoys sitting under the table during dinner, hoping for an accidental spill, you should resist the urge to feed him your table scraps. Leftover scraps from human food are generally high in calories and fat but low in vitamins and other nutrients, and they can easily upset your pet's stomach. A pet that gets all the table food he wants is like a child that fills up on desert before dinner. All the empty calories of table snacks can satisfy his hunger before he gets to his nutritionally balanced food, and he may miss out on some of the nutrients he requires to stay healthy. Pet owners have always liked to show their love with the occasional treat, but most modern treats have gone way beyond slipping your dog a little turkey or ham under the kitchen table. These days’ pet owners can visit pet bakeries, buy frozen dog desserts, or make homemade treats.
1. If pets will be a part of the festivities and allowed to roam, keep all humans treats out of sniffing and ultimately snitching reach of pets. Candy dishes and cookie trays if left unmanned can quickly do a disappearing act if left to close to the tables edge. 2. Have homemade pet friendly treats available for your guest to give your pets and be sure to let the guest know which are which. Sometimes they look so good a guest might mistake them for human treats. Have the treats in special dishes close to the door also so as you greet your guest they can give one to your pet. 3. Have a quiet place for your pet to go should he become to overwhelmed with all of the festivities. Sometimes a time out is good for them to relax with so many new people and smells it can be a bit much. 4. I know it’s hard to believe but some people might not be used to dogs or cats, maybe even afraid of them, should this happen with a guest take them aside to a quiet room and let them become accustomed to each other. Don’t leave them alone! Explain to your guest the commands that your pet knows such as sit or no and what tone to use with the pet. Sometimes it’s just a matter of a person not knowing what to do when a pet wants to get friendly. 5. Last but not least is let all of your guest know what’s allowed and what’s not allowed of your pet. Explain the “special” treats that they are allowed to be given rather than people food. Let them know if pets are allowed to be on the furniture. Let them know if your pet likes to be picked up. Treats like anything should be given in moderation. One of the most dangerous problems is overindulgence in treats; and can lead to obesity. It's a growing problem for pets – more than half of all the pets in the United States are overweight. Obesity can and does contribute to a wide range of health problems, from arthritis to diabetes and heart disease Pet owners have always liked to show their love with the occasional treat, but most modern treats have gone way beyond slipping your dog a little turkey or ham under the kitchen table. These days’ pet owners can visit pet bakeries, buy frozen dog desserts, or make homemade treats.
1. You should only give “bones” that have been designed for dogs to chew on. Bones, especially hollow ones such as chicken bones, can splinter and become lodged in a dog’s mouth or throat. If swallowed, they can cause physical harm to your dog. 2. Chocolate. To dogs, chocolate is delicious, but potentially lethal. The cocoa bean, from which chocolate is produced, contains a drug called theobromine. This is closely related to caffeine, which chocolate also contains. The toxicity of chocolate for dogs is due to its theobromine content. Chocolate poisoning is very serious. It contains a long lasting, very potent toxin that can cause death. This toxicity is largely unfamiliar to most people, who may not worry too much if their dog is a bit sick after eating a quantity of chocolate. If you know your pet has ingested large quantities of chocolate, do not wait for symptoms to occur, induce vommiting and take him to the vet immediately!
Dangerous Quantities of Chocolate
Types of Chocolate Listed in Order of Toxicity
1. Cocoa Beans
2. Cocoa Powder 3. Plain/Baking ChocolateDark/Bittersweet Chocolate 4. Milk Chocolate 5. Chocolate Drink Mixes 6. White Chocolate (most contain no real chocolate at all)
Chocolate is also poisonous to cats, but due to their picky eating habits, this type of poisoning is not as serious a problem. If your cat ingests chocolate, treat the situation the same as if it were a dog.
Always be sure to have your Veterinarian’s number handy. Also have an emergency number should something occur during the night or the weekend. Just call your vet and they can give you the number and directions to a pet hospital that is open 24 hours a day or on call. Here are a few safe and easy treats you can make at home for your pets. These are tried and tested on our own furry children and given the paw of approval. Loki’s Liver Treats (good for cats or dogs)
1 pound fresh chicken livers
2 eggs 1 Cup cornmeal 1 tablespoon garlic fresh or powdered 2 tablespoons molasses or honey Combine all wet ingredients in a food processor or blender (I use a smoothie maker cause the spout at the bottom allows the mixture to just empty out into the bowl, but I don’t tell my husband why his smoothies taste weird) once the wet ingredients are thoroughly blended place in a bowl and stir in the cornmeal and garlic. Lightly grease a baking sheet or cake pan and pour mixture into pan and spread out evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of mixture in the pan. You want it to bake until it is no longer pink. Allow to cool completely then cut into small cubes or if you have larger dogs or want to give some to extended furry family you can use cookie cutters to cut into larger shapes. The bits and pieces and be cut up to be given as treats here and there for smaller dogs. These must be kept refrigerated! Or if left out be thrown away at the end of the festivities.
Daisy’s Darn good Dog Treats Mix together
3 1/2 cup unbleached flour,
2 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup skim milk powder 1 tablespoon (or 1 package) dry yeast 3 1/2 cups lukewarm chicken or meat broth Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm chicken or meat broth. The richer this broth is, the better your dog will like the biscuits. Let yeast broth mixture set 10 min. Then stir in flour mixture. Roll resulting dough out 1/4" thick. Cut dog biscuit shapes from dough. Brush biscuits with egg wash. Bake on greased cookie sheets at 300* for 45 min. Then turn off oven and leave in overnight to finish hardening. Makes 60 medium-sized biscuits.
Senior Softies (Great for older dogs who might be missing teeth or puppies) This recipe is flavored using beef (or other flavored) baby food. 2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup powdered milk 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 egg 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 8-10 tablespoons water 2 small jars strained baby food (beef, chicken, lamb, or liver) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and knead for about 3 minutes. Roll out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with bone-shaped cookie cutter and place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 min. makes approximately 2 dozen doggie biscuits.
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Donia Pet Lovers Tips and Trends
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