Monday, May 21, 2012

The Gross Things We Give Our Dogs To Eat

It occurs to me once in awhile how very odd some things are. Things that "dog people" think are normal, and that non dog people look at askance.

For instance: the dried up gross things that we give our dogs to eat. Pig ears. Bully sticks. And now, beef trachea. Tracheas? Trachea. Or, in this case, fetchingly called "Toobles", because baby talk makes everything better. You'll also note that this bad boys are labeled "Made in USA". Hope it's true!


Unlike some dried animal parts, the beef trachea did not have a foul odor. That was a relief! Sometimes I give something to Elka that I soon regret, as she then wants to love me with her reeking muzzle, and can't fathom why I don't want kisses.


The treat was not long lasting (5 minutes, tops) and was rather loud as she was chewing it. I never previously thought about what I would imagine a windpipe being crushed sounded like. Now I know. Granted, this was a dried windpipe, and not possessing of the other surrounding tissues that would usually be associated with it, but there, you go.


You can also see in those pictures that I've been working on Elka's nails. They're still a bit too long, but I don't want to take off too much at once, obviously. She hasn't been quicked yet, and I don't aim to do so.



23 comments:

  1. How did the trachea sit with her system? Always looking for new chews/treats that won't wreak havoc on the dog's digestive systems.

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    1. Pretty well, it seemed. We didn't have any particular weirdness by the time she pooped that made me think "Oh, I'm never giving her one of those again."

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  2. I fed Norbert a beef trachea once, big boo boo. He did not tolerate it well and vommitted it back up, but thats just Norbert I bet they are good chews

    urban hounds

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    1. Poor Norbert :( Luckily, Elka does not vomit often. She's dismayed every time.

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  3. LOL, loved the post. Sometimes I look at the foods I feed and the questions I ask my nutritional consults and I think ... this is not my beautiful life. LOL! We're sharing a great! (if I do say so myself) trachea trick next month to make them more substantial and make them last longer!

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    1. "This is not my beautiful house" ;)

      I'm looking forward to your trachea trick! This is the first time I got them, but Elka did certainly enjoy them.

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  4. Kirby loves Toobles! True they only last about 20 minutes for him but then he can eat a triple braided bully stick in one evening! Quit giving him pig ears - too fattening and too many cases of salmonella.

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    1. We gave Elka pig ears for awhile (we also gave her rawhide, before we knew), and again, the fat didn't seem to bother her, but the cost to "dog occupying time" ratio shrank rapidly after she grew up.

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  5. My dogs have always loved boiled liver. I wish I could find a product that would save me from this horrible culinary experience.

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    1. I only made liver for Elka the once, and I did it in the pan with some olive oil and then drained it. She liked it, but didn't do flips for it, so I figured I could just leave liver alone.

      I've heard freeze-dried tripe is pretty good (and doesn't reek as much)!

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  6. Of course people who grew up poor or on farms were used to humans eating lots of these things. I was never served trachea or bull penis, but I ate pig stomach every Thanksgiving and remember getting tongue sandwiches in my school lunches.

    As long as humans want to eat steaks and chicken breasts, someone will find a way to make dog treats out of whatever is left.

    I'm just starting to see tracheas as treats. Nice to hear that it didn't cause Elka any problems. Maybe I'll try it one time for Honey.

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    1. I've heard that tongue is very tender and pork belly...well that's like bacon, right? ;)

      Business is business, you are correct; it's kind of ingenius, the way the discard pile gets packaged and individually wrapped, with a price slapped on it, for dogs.

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  7. Toobles!?! I must get my mom to buy some....they sound Yum-o!! BOL!!

    ~Higgins

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    1. Elka seemed to think so! Maybe you would too ;)

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  8. I doubt mine would chew that up. There would probably be more inhaling than crunching...lol.

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    1. Elka does dearly love chewing, even if it's something that only takes a couple of bites.

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  9. Now that's one I haven't heard of yet. Elka sure is a beauty!

    My name is Oskar & I'd like to invite you to be featured on my blog at www.PetBlogsUnited.com. It's a great way to meet new blogging friends. If you're interested you can drop me a line at PBU at comcast dot net.

    Nubbin wiggles,
    Oskar

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    1. I hadn't heard of them either! The things you learn from a visit to your friendly neighborhood feed store.

      Thanks for stopping by! Email sent ^^

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  10. It's better to give dogs dog treats or chews as opposed to junk food I see so many dog owners giving their pets burgers and other food stuff which is very bad for their health.

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    1. Well, I can't say that i don't give Elka burger, but it's typically from meat that I formed and cooked myself and has no creepy fillers in it (that I know of)! Having her has certainly improved MY eating habits.

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  11. I LOVE this post! I posted something similar last week! They do love some disgusting things... ;)

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  12. We got Desmond some nice trachea and a marrow bone at a pet expo a few months ago, and we were soooo excited to give it to him, figuring he'd nearly die of joy. Wouldn't you know it, my not-so-bright dog sniffed at them both and then had NO idea what to do with either one. We froze them, so we could try again one day, but I haven't made the attempt yet. I was so insulted. lol

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    1. You really just have to wonder what's going on in their heads! I once got a Nylabone for Elka (I know, not as exciting as a smelly cow part) and she really had no idea what to do with it. It "seasoned" under the couch for awhile, and then she chewed on it enough that it cut up her gums. Into the garbage went Mr. Nylabone.

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