Two Things: Things To Freeze For Iceblocks & Yabbies?

[BlaznHotAussies]

Hey all,

I've started putting fun things in ice blocks for the dogs to enjoy on days I'm away for extended periods of time (maximum of 10 hours if I'm on the Chaser during harvest). They're left outside so messy isn't an issue.

So far, salmon & kibble have been hits :) I've got some frozen peas & corn with kibble in the freezer for next time I go out.

I was wondering about putting eggs in there, but I'm not sure if salmonella (they're homegrown eggs, chooks are wormed & healthy, clean hutches) would be an issue as the blocks are melting/dogs are licking them? Any thoughts on this?

Other ideas I had were sardines (when I finally remember to buy it when I go shopping), liver chunks, tripe chunks (haven't been organised enough to do these yet), diced meat/mince, etc.

The containers I'm using are the size of Chinese takeaway containers because I didn't want to ruin my human lunch containers with fish smell haha.

Also I've started catching yabbies (discovered them in one of our dams!) and was wondering if anyone has fed them to dogs and how safe it is?

[sheena]

I feed my dog's prawn heads. I just peel away the main spiky bit of shell...all the rest go's down the hatch.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I mostly put kibble in the iceblock. Sometimes I mix some yogurt or a tiny bit of promite with the ice to flavour it.

Sometimes I freeze roast chicken into kongs. Don't usually mix it with extra water but that would probably ok.

Dunno about egg - the advice I heard on the radio this morning - was to cook and eat it with no delay... or minimum delay. I imagine boiling the egg in the shell might kill the salmonella on the shell? so as long as the egg was fresh to start with and you didn't cross contaminate (put cooked egg back with the dirty ones) - it would be ok.

Maybe try an egg iceblock when you're home to look after the dog if it gets sick? Not on the weekend (vets are more expensive then).

[Scottsmum]

Re iceblock:

A bit of yoghurt?

Some tinned fish (tuna) & juice.

Our current one is/was dry food + small dehydrated roo bits. The bonus with that was the dehydrated treats sunk & the kibble floated so there was stuff at top & bottom & when it melted Scott spent hours snuffling up roo treats from the grass.

& for what its worth: tetra packs (poppa size for us) work well as scottie can pick it up in one go & trot around with it.

[BlaznHotAussies]

Ok so yabbies being a freshwater crayfish shouldn't be too harmful :) I just wasn't sure if anything about their meat would be bad for dogs (Tundra was most enchanted with the smell in the bucket though!! Very new experience for him haha).

Yoghurt is a great idea! Guessing plain Greek yoghurt? Would it need to be lactose free? I was tempted to try some vegemite in it :D

Great idea about the bits that float & the bits that sink - that happened with the frozen veg/kibble so hopefully they enjoy that

Thanks guys, some great ideas here!

[Scottsmum]

Ok so yabbies being a freshwater crayfish shouldn't be too harmful :) I just wasn't sure if anything about their meat would be bad for dogs (Tundra was most enchanted with the smell in the bucket though!! Very new experience for him haha).

Yoghurt is a great idea! Guessing plain Greek yoghurt? Would it need to be lactose free? I was tempted to try some vegemite in it :D

Great idea about the bits that float & the bits that sink - that happened with the frozen veg/kibble so hopefully they enjoy that

Thanks guys, some great ideas here!

I always give scottie the cheapest, fattiest, plain youghurt i can get. I mean the super tart, super cheap old fashioned greek. A small tub does him about 7 days - approx 1 tablespoon a day. He's about 10 kilos.

Interestingly enough I'm "lactose sensitive" & i find i can *just* get by on small amounts of dairy if i apply that rule (only to sour cream & yoghurt - i dont risk it with other kinds of dairy) and apply same to him.

Plus, I think the amount would be negligible in an iceblock.

[persephone]

The iceblocks our dogs get are ice cream container size ..and 90% water ..with some treats in. The idea is that they have cool water..for a longish time ... with the odd treat as a payoff :)

I use dry kibble, apple slices , a liver treat or three and one chicken wing(already frozen so it doesn't taint the water) or similar

My reasoning is that I do not want milky/meaty juice everywhere ..plain water is much nicer ;)

[persephone]

..and pls tell me dogs will only get the front half of the yabbies .... yabbie tails are deelicious!

[BlaznHotAussies]

..and pls tell me dogs will only get the front half of the yabbies .... yabbie tails are deelicious!

Oh hell yeah. Don't have to worry about that It's awesome, my husband doesn't like yabbies, so I get them all to myself.

Even the claws are delicious, but I might be able to share them...

I gave the scraps to the chooks (I think they're luckier than the dogs at the moment haha!) and I think they enjoyed them :)

[juice]

I crush up oxo cubes into hot water and pour it in, otherwise bonn just crunch's the iceblock to get at the treats and leaves the ice everywhere, this way she just keeps licking it.