Warm (above Body Temperature) Food Ok For Dogs?

[Erny]

Thanks, Sandgrubber - excellent info. I will try doing that. Would be nice to get him back to chewing bones again. I offered him a chicken wing again the other day, but he wouldn't touch it. I might try warming that up (gently) and see if that makes a difference.

PS .... off topic to this thread, but he's been tonnes better with allowing me to administer ear drops this time around.

[Erny]

I often heat bones up by putting them in a hot bowl of water - heats them up enough to smell interesting, not enough to change the texture.

Great idea, Staranais . I have done this in the past to speed up thawing process when I've forgotten to remove food from the freezer (this was back when he would eat the meat raw). Never thought to do the same to warm up a bone. Cheers for that .

[Staranais]

- your dog and most raw food are > 80% water. Giving a few hundred grams of warm, raw food will have less effect on the dog (via the temperature effect) than drinking a cup of hot coffee does for you.

I think it takes about one calorie to raise 1g of water by 1 degree (depending on the temperature the water starts at), so approximating food as water, it would take about 3,700 calories to raise 100g of food from just defrosted to dog internal temperature? That's 15 kJ, which is bugger all.

That could be totally off, it's been a while since I did any physics at all, so someone more physically minded than I am might want to check it for daft mistakes.

[sandgrubber]

physics would say immersion in hot water is a good approach . .. the hot water has huge amount of heat/energy to exchange. The exchange will happen from the surface touched by the water and work inward, so generally heat the flesh more than the bone. The only snag if if what your dog really likes is warm marrow. In this case, a microwave may do the job more efficiently. I find that a 10 or 20 seconds in a microwave will often make the marrow soft and drippy without great effect on the bone itself.

I often heat bones up by putting them in a hot bowl of water - heats them up enough to smell interesting, not enough to change the texture.

Great idea, Staranais . I have done this in the past to speed up thawing process when I've forgotten to remove food from the freezer (this was back when he would eat the meat raw). Never thought to do the same to warm up a bone. Cheers for that .

[Erny]

physics would say immersion in hot water is a good approach . .. the hot water has huge amount of heat/energy to exchange. The exchange will happen from the surface touched by the water and work inward, so generally heat the flesh more than the bone. The only snag if if what your dog really likes is warm marrow. In this case, a microwave may do the job more efficiently. I find that a 10 or 20 seconds in a microwave will often make the marrow soft and drippy without great effect on the bone itself.

Thank you Sandgrubber. I wasn't sure about the micro-wave, good to know I can use it, provided I do so very gently, of course.

I'll try the hot water to bone approach first and see whether the major issue is getting him "into" it. Perhaps once he starts having a good gnaw the rest will just spike instinct (so to speak and if you know what I mean).

Very much appreciate the input.

Cheers

Erny

[Erny]

I was cooking up his chicken leg fillets tonight (I steam them) and popped a beef bone on top for a couple of minutes - just enough for the outside of the bone to appear as a cooked colour and for the exterior fat to become greasy. The rest of the bone was raw.

It worked!!

He has just enjoyed a good munch on it and I can imagine the teeth clean it would have provided him - much better than I possibly could .

[KitKat]

Great news!!!

[Lab_Rat]

Are ridgebacks known to be fussy eaters? I had 2 at home with my parents, they still live with my mum actually and they also go off foods now and then??

I'm not sure, although from what I've heard from a few people, quite possibly. However I haven't spoken to what I would consider 'many' people with RR's on this. My previous (avatar) girl (bless her cotton socks) was somewhat fussy, but not too bad. But I adopted her when she was 7yo - foods such as offal she didn't like; nor raw vegies; etc. But that could simply have been that she had never had those foods introduced to her when she was younger and consequently never had the chance to develop a taste for it. She was never as "off and on" her food like my boy is. Provided she liked it to begin with, then she liked it .... full stop. And she used to love gnawing on bones.

No I dont think they are a generally fussy breed, our first girl certainly wasnt! I wouldnt consider Zola to be fussy, usually she eats anything and everything, but before she was spayed and when on heat she went through these stages of refusing to eat raw meat. The look on her face was amazing - she would pick the offending piece of meat from her bowl and drop it on the floor. If I offered her some raw meat she would sniff it, gently start to take it from me (all the while with her lips pulled out of the way so she didnt actually have to touch it ;) ) then spit it out. After she was spayed she was fine, up until the other week??? So I dont know what it was, but she will be getting raw mince for her dinner tonight! :D

I was cooking up his chicken leg fillets tonight (I steam them) and popped a beef bone on top for a couple of minutes - just enough for the outside of the bone to appear as a cooked colour and for the exterior fat to become greasy. The rest of the bone was raw.

It worked!!

He has just enjoyed a good munch on it and I can imagine the teeth clean it would have provided him - much better than I possibly could :cool:.

Im so glad Mandela enjoyed his bone! How are his ears going?? Are you on an eardrops week??

Rat

[Erny]

Im so glad Mandela enjoyed his bone! How are his ears going?? Are you on an eardrops week??

Rat

Thank you, Rat .

Yes, it's "ears" week this week, LOL. He is so much better with it though and I can get it done in a trounce. There's still a bit of black gunk floating around and I try to cotton ball that away. He was doing a fair amount of head flapping yesterday and I think it's due to remaining gunk loosening up and coming away. His ears are certainly better than they were when I started. The last application is due on this coming Sunday morning and I'm hoping to be able to see them nice and clean by then. If they aren't quite as clean as I think they should be, I'll speak to the naturopath.

I warmed up another bone last night and he had a fine time chewing on it. More teeth cleaning .

Thanks for thinking of us and asking, Rat.

What about yours? Is he still 'off' chicken wings? Or was that only temporary? (I think that was you, wasn't it? :D)

[Lab_Rat]

Hehehe.....that was us! Dont know about chicken wings! Weve just had a week of cooked lamb mince with veges, which she loooooved! But tonight its back to raw mince! If she downs that, tomorrow we will try chicken wings.......They had tinned salmon with kibble for brekky which they both loved!

I have a soft spot for ridgies, specially ailing ones!

Rat