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Agenda 092911 – Animals in our Lives….
Getting Tipsy – Alternative dog food
In recent years, new types of dog food have emerged on the market that differ from traditional commercial pet food. Many companies have been successful in targeting niche markets, each with unique characteristics.
Frozen or Freeze-Dried, comes in raw or cooked (not processed) form. The idea is to skip the processing stage traditional dry/wet dog food goes through. This causes less destruction of the nutritional integrity. To compensate for the short shelf life, products are frozen or freeze-dried.
Dehydrated, comes in raw and cooked form. Products are usually air dried to reduce moisture to the level where bacterial growths are inhibited. The appearance is very similar to dry kibbles. The typical feeding methods include adding warm water before serving.
Fresh or Refrigerated, produced through pasteurization of fresh ingredients. Products are lightly cooked and then quickly sealed in a vacuum package. Then they are refrigerated until served. This type of dog food is extremely vulnerable to spoiling if not kept at a cool temperature and has a shelf life of 2–4 months, unopened.
Homemade Diet often comes in a bucket or Tupperware-like package. In the past this was thought to be a diet that owners create themselves. However, recently, many small companies have begun to home-cook dog dishes and then sell them through specialty stores or over the Internet. Many pet owners feed dogs homemade diets. These diets generally consist of some form of cooked meat or raw meat, ground bone, pureed vegetables, taurine supplements, and other multivitamin supplements. Some pet owners use human vitamin supplements, and others use vitamin supplements specifically engineered for dogs.
Vegetarian dog foods are manufactured by several companies. They are usually balanced and contain ingredients such as oatmeal, pea protein, and potatoes instead of meat to supply protein. A dog owner may choose to feed a vegetarian food for ethical and/or health reasons, or in cases of extreme food allergies.
History – Dog Food
Before the advent of commercially made pet foods, most dogs lived off of grains, meats, table scraps and homemade food from their owners. It wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that the world saw its first food made specifically for dogs. An American electrician, James Spratt concocted the first dog treat. Living in London at the time, he witnessed dogs around a ship yard eating scraps of discarded biscuits. A light bulb went off in his head and shortly thereafter he introduced his dog food, made up of wheat meals, vegetables and meat. By 1890 production had begun in the United States and became known as "Spratt's Patent Limited".
Canned horse meat was introduced in the United States under the Ken-L-Ration brand after WWI as a means to dispose of deceased horses. The 1930’s saw the introduction of canned cat food and dry meat-meal dog food by the Gaines Food Co. By the time WWII ended, pet food sales had reached $200 million. In the 1950s Spratt's became part of General Mills. For companies such as Nabisco, Quaker Oats, and General Foods, pet food represented an opportunity to market by-products as a profitable source of income.
Many commercial dog foods are made from materials considered by some authorities and dog owners to be unusable or undesirable. These may include:
1. Meat and bone meals
2a. Offal (wild canines, however, do eat offal as a vital part of their diets)
2b. Offal is a variety of meats in culinary terms used to refer to the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal. The word does not refer to a particular list of organs, but includes most internal organs other than muscle and bone.
3. Grain and/or Cruton by products: Less expensive dog foods generally include less meat, and more animal by-products and grain fillers. Proponents of a natural diet criticize the use of such ingredients, and point out that regulations allow for packaging that might lead a consumer to believe that they are buying natural food, when, in reality, the food might be composed mostly of ingredients such as those listed above. More expensive dog foods may be made of ingredients suitable for organic products or free range meats. Ingredients must be listed by amount in descending order.
Here Kitty Kitty Eat This! Cat Chow Cookies
Ingredients: Directions - Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flours, liquid and dry milk, egg, wheat germ, molasses, margarine and catnip.
Lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll out the batter on a greased cookie sheet. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Bake 20 to 22 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in a cool place.
Appetizer – Bunny Biscuits Ingredients:
Salad – Hamster Salad Ingredients:
Directions:
Put it on the Side.. of the Cage - Parakeet Ladder Parakeet owners can make an edible ladder that is both nutritious and fun. The ladder can be made using Popsicle sticks tied together with lengths of cotton twine.
Coat the ladder with parakeet food by using a pastry brush to cover sticks with egg whites that will hold sprinkled birdseed in place. The ladder should be baked for five minutes at 275 degrees and cooled for two. This process should be repeated until all surfaces are covered and seed coating is thick. It should be allowed to cool completely before being placed in the cage, approximately 30 minutes.
Main Course – Divine Doggy Dinner
Lime is for GARNISH ONLY Ingredients: 1/2 pound ground beef -- or turkey, chicken, lamb 1/4 cup cooked rice 1 small potato 1/4 cup green beans -- about 5-8 beans 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions: Brown the meat in a pan. When completely cooked, drain the fat. Add the cooked rice; mix well. Set aside.
Cut the potato and beans into small bite-sized pieces. Place in a pot with water; bring to a boil. Simmer until veggies are tender (about 20 minutes). Drain. Add the vegetables to the meat mixture. Add garlic powder; toss thoroughly under low heat. Let the doggy dinner cool thoroughly before serving to prevent burning. Yield: about 2 dinners.
Dessert – Horse Muffins
Ingredients;
Directions:
Dessert - Cat Jelly
Ingredients: 3 cups Chicken Broth 4-1/2 Tbsp. Flour 1/4 cup carrots, diced into small cubes 3/4 cup minced meat (cooked pieces of chicken or fish)
Directions: After the chicken broth has been made, allow it too cool for around 2 minutes. Add all the flour and mix. Some flour might not dissolve but this is absolutely no problem (It will when you heat the mixture later on). Heat broth and flour mixture on high heat until a thick creamy mixture is formed. Immediately add all other ingredients and pour all contents of this meal into the cat's container.
Allow it to set into jelly like substance with the carrots and minced meat suspended in it. Serve to your cat.
Lighten UP!!! Diabetic Dog Treat
Ingredients: 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 eggs 1 1/2 pounds beef liver, cut into pieces
Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan with parchment paper.
Place the liver into a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. If you have room, add the flour and eggs, and process until smooth. Otherwise, transfer to a bowl, and stir in the flour and eggs using a wooden spoon. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until the center of the treat is firm. Cool, and cut into squares using a pizza cutter. The treats will have a consistency similar to a sponge. Cool completely and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to two weeks.
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