How about your treat your dog to a tasty and healthy Thanksgiving treat?

This easy to make turkey loaf will have your mutt giving thanks any time of the year!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb or 450g of left over turkey meat
• 1 cup of cooked brown rice
• 1/4 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons or 20g of chopped parsley

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F or 120 C
Finely chop the cold turkey and mix all ingredients together well in a bowl.
Fill a loaf tin with the mixture lightly press the mixture into the tin.
Bake the loaf for 45 minutes

Let it cool, cut into bite-sized pieces and store in fridge!

Since most of these animals do not eat plastic, a natural question arises as to how the hell did melamine get into the food chain?

There are two answers to this question.

The first reason is that during the late 1950s, melamine was identified as a potential source of non-protein based nitrogen for cattle. What you may not know is that protein contains huge amounts of nitrogen and that cattle are herbivorous, therefore, alternate sources of nitrogen have always been sought for cattle and other herbivorous animals. It was only in 1978 that scientific studies revealed that melamine was a potentially dangerous substance for consumption. By that time, melamine had already been used as a source of nitrogen and consumed by cattle and other animals. The beef, milk and other edible products all introduced melamine into the food chain.

Another reason for melamine usage in food products, especially those for dogs and cats is the fact that two of the most common tests for checking the nitrogen content and the overall quality standards of processed food, fail to detect melamine. Kjedahl and Dumas are the names of these two tests and manufacturers have been known to introduce melamine into their processed food illegally to get the nitrogen levels and therefore the supposed protein levels, to the desired value. Melamine is the cheapest source of nitrogen and can easily mix with processed food items.

This practice is wide-spread in places such as China as evidenced by the widespread recalls over the past couple of years of everything from baby milk to pet foods.

While the Kjedahl method is known for its portability and ease of operation, it is not a very accurate method to account for protein content. The synthesis of food items being tested by this method often skips the non-protein nitrogen content, which means that chemicals such as melamine go unnoticed. Some additions are being made to this method to ensure that the true protein content is estimated and also to check the content of possible toxic methods. The new method being developed is called the New Kjedahl method, and is under testing.

The Dumas test is also based on the same principle concept as the Kjedahl method- estimation of protein based on the quantity of nitrogen content and therefore, this method also fails to detect the use of non-nitrogen protein content, and thus melamine content in the food.

To protect yourself and your pets make sure you buy products that are manufactured under strict controls or even better, make them yourself!

If you decide to put your dog on a veggie diet, it is a good idea to consult your vet first. They will be able to give you advice and perhaps some healthy, balanced recipes for his meals, as well as be able to tell you if he is currently healthy enough to make the change.

If you are unsure of quite what to put into his food to begin with, you can actually purchase readymade vegetarian dog foods from some pet stores or health food stores. This will give you an idea as well as provide him with food while you learn about and figure out the recipes of the meals you wish to make for him.

The key is to remember that your dog still needs the right balance of nutrients and vitamins and minerals in his food, as he otherwise would, therefore you will need to learn the sources of the nutrition. Protein can be found in eggs and milk products, starches in potatoes and pasta or rice, fats can be found in a small amount of vegetable oil that you might add or even a small amount of cheese, certain vegetables hold other minerals they need, such as dark green veggies contain iron. You can feed any amount of vegetables that your dog will eat, since they do not have much in the way of fats, sugars or starch, so they are very healthy for your dog. It might not always be possible to create a meal that is exactly the right balance of nutrition, so you might want to supplement them with protein supplements, which can be mixed with their food easily. Be sure to find out whether anything might be potentially toxic for your dog, such as nuts – there are certain nuts that a dog cannot eat.

It can take some practice to get the right balance in homemade food for your dog, therefore some owners like to work alongside their vet or animal nutritionist when making specific meals for their dog. Others may choose to stick to buying readymade veggie foods. These have been made by professionals to concoct the correct mixture of foods that a dog needs and so an owner can feel satisfied that their dog will be healthy while eating it.

It is really down to personal choice of the owner whether they want to put their dog on a vegetarian diet. A dog can get along quite happily on either a carnivorous or herbivorous diet.

* Make sure all your household cleaners and chemicals are out of reach and locked away.
* Take a look in your garage and lock away any bottles of brake fluid or antifreeze, both highly toxic to dogs.
* Secure your household rubbish, make sure your dogs can’t get to any table scraps or other rubbish however tempting it might seem!
* Make sure you never leave any medication lying around. Some human medications such as aspirin or Panadol are highly toxic to pets.
* Be VERY careful when using poisons or baits in the house or garden and make sure your pets can’t enter the contaminated area.

There are a number of foods that although harmless to humans and sometimes other animals can be very toxic to dogs. Here’s a list of foods to avoid giving your dog. This is not meant to be a complete list, if in any doubt consult your local vet as soon as possible.

Poisonous Foods

* Alcohol
* Avocado
* Broccoli
* Chocolate
* Coffee beans, grounds or bags
* Fruit stones and pips
* Garlic
* Macadamia nuts
* Milk
* Moldy food
* Onions
* Raisins and grapes
* Raw potatoes and potato peelings
* Rhubarb leaves
* Salt
* Tea leaves or bags
* Tobacco
* Tomato plant stems or leaves
* Yeast dough

In the Garage/Shed

* Antifreeze
* Brake Fluid
* Fungicides
* Herbicides
* Insecticide
* Mineral Spirits
* Paint
* Paint Remover
* Pesticide or Poisons
* Petrol
* Weed killer

In the Kitchen / bathroom

* Bleach
* Deodorants
* Detergent
* Disinfectants
* Human medications
* Mothballs
* Nail Polish
* Nail Polish Remover
* Suntan lotion

Signs of poisoning

If you suspect your pet may have eaten or come in to contact with any poisonous material contact your vet straight away. Don’t wait and see if it gets better, some poisons act very quickly and any delay could cost your pets life.

Some symptoms that can point to poisoning include:

* vomiting
* diarrhea
* increased urination
* restlessness
* hyperactivity
* muscle twitching or shaking
* seizures

Our pets are part of our families and yet the majority of us don’t even know what we’re feeding them! You wouldn’t feed your family boiled up lungs, brain, stomach, beaks and feathers. It’s enough just thinking about it and yet that’s the main ingredients in animal byproducts that make up most pet foods.

Do your pet a favour and check the ingredients on your pet food or even better take a little time and cook something healthy and economical for your best friend!

News Story: CBS News