Dog Safety Tips: Vet Talks About Toxic Foods for Your Dog
Veterinarian Dr. Silas Ashmore from New Jersey speaks on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, about substances toxic to dogs
When I returned from the store last week, I realized I had forgotten to bring chicken breast.
I think I shouted something cryptic like, “Oh no! I forgot to bring chicken breasts!”
I can be so dramatic sometimes.
My friend Olga, who happened to be within earshot, said, “I thought you didn’t like white meat.”
And yes, I have a pretty nice story about it.
This incident happened about 25 years ago. My friend Missy opened the trunk of her car and accidentally hit her head.
Ouch.
I had planned to take her out to dinner that evening, so I offered to bring her some takeout instead.
I went to Boston Market and got two chicken dishes. White meat for her, dark meat for me.
“You don’t like white meat?” asked Missy.
“Nope. I only like dark meat. When I buy a whole chicken, I usually eat the dark meat and give the dog the white meat.”
Missy found this intriguing and remarked, “You only like dark meat and I only like white. Maybe we should get married!”
“Okay,” I said. “If the dog dies.”
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But to return to the beginning of the story: when I came home from shopping, I realized that I had forgotten to buy chicken breast, although, as Olga noted, I do not like white meat.
“Oh, it’s not for me,” I told her. “It’s for the dog.”
This dog, Charly, is very different from my previous dog, Jasper, except when it comes to chicken.
Like so many of my friends, Olga said, “You shouldn’t give dogs human food, you should give them dog food.”
And I said, “I’m on a fixed income. I can’t afford dog food.”
In fact, there is a whole movement that wants to radically change the diet of our pets.
One of the pioneers in this field is actress and animal rights activist Katherine Heigl, who now runs her own pet food company called “Badlands Ranch”.
Sounds sexy, doesn’t it?
If you visit the website chewy.com, you will find a 64-ounce bag of their “complete, grain-free, air-dried dog food with chicken” for $104.99.
I realize that’s only about $1.65 an ounce. But Charly, who is now 9 years old, still doesn’t have a job. I’m a semi-retired, nearly 70-year-old newspaper columnist.
And I’m sorry, but $104.99 seems like a lot of money for a bag of dog food, especially when you have a large dog that can jump up on the kitchen counter and gobble down 6 ounces of meat in about seven minutes.
This actually reminds me of another old story. I had to work very late one night and Missy – the friend who only liked white meat – came to my house to feed Jasper.
I told her, “There’s dry food in the plastic container next to the coffee maker and there’s cooked chicken in the fridge. I really appreciate that!”
When I called a few hours later, she told me, “Jasper must have been starving. She ate all the chicken!”
I screamed “WHAT??” into the phone.
Missy went on to tell me that she kept tearing off pieces of chicken and giving them to the dog, “and Jasper kept eating them.”
“Yes,” I shouted. “Because she’s a dog!”
(Missy only had cats and didn’t know any better.)
Each month, in addition to the chicken I cook for my dog—often with brown rice, frozen peas, and fresh carrots—I spend about $100 at the pet store on good dry food, a few cans of wet food (for last-minute emergencies), and treats.
Like everything else in the stores, pet food prices have gone up a lot. However, they try to deceive you by keeping the price the same but giving you less food in the bag.
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Treats like Greenies and Bully Sticks, which most dogs love, are also much expensive.
You can get six of the seven-inch long Bully Sticks online for about $26 and 24 large Greenies “dental care treats” for about $36.
(Bully sticks are the air-dried genitals of a presumably unhappy bull.)
Olga recently went to a pet store with me, found a large bully stick for $17, and said, “Charly would love this!”
She put the item in my cart and I quickly took it out again.
“It’s a treat,” said Olga. “Don’t you love your dog and want to reward him?”
“I really love her,” I said. “But for a $17 reward, she would have to paint my bathroom.”
I did my best to overcome the economic constraints and give Charly good, healthy food.
However, I have reduced their portion sizes and when I let them outside, I only open the door a few centimeters.
When she tries to get through it – and fails – I say, “Oh! Someone needs to go on a diet.”
So far, however, this has not dampened their appetite.
