Spoiled? Naaaah.

I'm fairly convinced that our dogs now eat better than we do. I'm looking for someone to blame, but fear that ultimately that blame will have to rest with me. After all, I did take my vet's instructions to heart.

A month or so ago it was time for Meg's annual checkup. Our vet is open on Saturdays (which I love - so much more convenient!) and on Saturdays they very often have one of their part-time vets who breeds shelties in the office. I adore it when she's there because the girls just respond to her so much better than to any of the other vets (who are all very nice and get along fine with the girls, don't get me wrong, but this one just exudes love - all the tails in the room perk up when she enters. She just very clearly was meant to work with animals.) It's espeically nice when she's around for Meg's visit as Meg is a bit of a scaredy-dog with strangers in general (and by strangers, I mean anyone she hasn't had at least six months of fairly constant but low expectation contact with), and vets in particular. Typically she just cowers on my lap in the waiting room, quivering and dropping so much hair that I figure she'll be bald by the time we leave. But even Meg wags her tail (tucked between her legs though it is) when this vet comes out. (If you've never seen a dog with their tail firmly tucked between their legs wag their tail in that same position, you really must. It's positively hillarious.)

Anyway, one of the routine questions our vets always ask is what we feed the girls. For years we have struggled with getting Meg to eat. It turned into a nearly hour long process of "Meg - eat your food." (point at the bowl, keep stern face) "Eat!" Whereafter, Meg would walk to her bowl, stick her nose in, find that it hadn't morphed into people food, look back at you with a "Really? You're sure?" expression and then plop down on her belly and just sit there. Staring. No picky two year old has ever out pickied Meg when it comes to eating. Eventually she would either eat, or we would pick up the bowl and let her have a go later, usually with a very parental speech. You know the one, "Don't come to me when you're hungry later. This is all you get to eat until it's finished." And so forth.

(Of course, as with real children, I'm guessing these speeches are only effective if both mommy and daddy are consistent and not sneaking jerky treats or snausages to the dog because they feel bad and she must surely be hungry. Probably even less effective when the one making the speech is the one sneaking the treats.)

Well, this was the standard feeding procedure (SFP?) until Meg got pancreatitis. First off, let me say this condition has the most foul smelling byproduct I have ever encountered in my life. Reek does not even begin to describe. If you've not experienced it, well, one, you'll never understand and two, count your blessings up down and sideways. After this lovely little experience, which included two days in the hospital for the little one (nearly killing mommy, let me tell you) we had to start her slowly back on food with prescription canned food. Which we did. Gradually mixing in the dry food until we were back to all dry food and the twice-daily routine of "Meg, eat your food!"

Then the lightbulbs went off. She ate the 50/50 mix of wet/dry. So, despite the fact that a previous vet had told us that we shouldn't feed wet food, it's bad for them, bad for their teeth, etc. etc., we switched to the 50/50 for both of the girls. Dinner time was no longer a chore - in fact, they would race around in circles of excitement when it was dinner time and Meg needed very little coaxing (unless you didn't do a good enough mixing job) to eat. But in the back of my mind, I knew I was doing a bad, bad thing - something along the lines of letting the only food your six year old eats be macaroni and cheese with nary a vegetable or fruit. But I still figured some nutrition was better than none.

Thus, when the vet asked this time around, I cleared my throat and muttered quietly, "Um, well, we mix wet food with the dry." And then I jumped in with all my justifications, only to be cut off and floored when the vet said:

"It's even better if you switch them to all canned." She must have seen my jaw on the floor because she smiled and continued, "Dogs are the original Atkins. And that one," she pointed to Cassi who, like mommy, has a bit of a weight issue, "will do much better with weight control if she's just on canned. You can feed them more and they'll weigh less and be more active, healthier. Dogs aren't really designed to eat corn byproducts. I used to make my own dog food, now I buy it - remind me when you check out and I'll write down the brands that are good, cause you do want it to be a good quality food if you do this."

When I stuttered out the former reprimand about dry food she just laughed and explained that at vet school you learn for weeks how to feed a cow and what adjustments to make this way or that to do this, that or the other thing, but domestic pet feeding is all lumped into two weeks and is primarily people from Purina and other feed companies coming in to tell you about their products. Since she decided to breed dogs she took it upon herself to do more education on the care and feeding of dogs. But she did also say there's nothing wrong with the dry food if your dog will eat it and is happy - it's just not the best thing in the world for them.

So, last week, when it was clear we were nearing the end of the dry/wet combo we had been feeding them, I dragged out my notes from the vet and went online to order from one of the recommended companies. The cost is pretty comparable to what we had been spending, and they ship free, so I just got a variety pack to see what their flavors were and see if the girls had a favorite.

Tim about died as he unpacked the box. He read off the labels: "Cowboy Cookout? Turducken? Wild Buffalo Grill? Grammy's Pot Pie? Campfire Trout Feast? Working Dog Stew? Thanksgiving Day Dinner? Venison Holiday Stew? Mediterranean Banquet? Napa Valley Picnic?" He just shook his head and muttered something about "spoiled". We got a good laugh out of reading the can after we served the girls their Campfire Trout Feast - they give you a little story to go with it, to set the mood for the meal I guess, in this case "You're on the banks of the Rio Grande River next to a campfire with your beloved dog. Under the stars, the two of you feast on freshwater trout and all of the fixins'. Life is good. Campfire Trout Feast is prepared with Trout, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Carrots, Zucchini, & Fuji Apples." And if you read the ingredients? That's what's in there - well, that and some vitamin supplements that read just like off my multi-vitamin bottle. No by-products. No weird sounding chemicals or colors. I think, in a pinch, Tim and I could eat this and be just fine (I say in a pinch cause, well, it's still all chunked/mushed up and coming out of a dog food can.)

So far the girls appear to be in heaven. And I've seen Tim casting a few sideways glances to the gourmet meals the girls get when presented with "Week in Review" for his dinner. Yeah, now it's, "Tim. Eat your food." (Stern look and a point to his plate.) "Eat."