Pet food update

A while back, we had a discussion about the best menu plan for dogs. One reader stumped for the BARF (Bones And Raw Food) diet, while another suggested an all-vegetarian diet.

Well, we have a winner, because you can't argue with success. The world's oldest dog died last year at the age of 29. She was a rather large grey labrador mix (!) -- and her name was Bella. Same as my Havanese hell-hound.

Here is Bella the elder's diet:

And with most of her teeth missing [only two front teeth remaining], she can no longer manage to gnaw on the remnants of a leg of lamb. So, her diet now consists of shredded chicken, fish, boiled liver and best tinned stewing steak, mackerel and sardines.

"Best tinned stewing steak"? Hmmm. Must be a Brit thing. (Bella lived in Derbyshire.)

Years ago, I used to feed my Bella canned jack mackerel because a local store offered a full pound of the stuff for 50 cents. She loved it, and the Omega-3 oils were probably quite healthy for her. But that stuff is nasty to deal with. At the time, I could not believe that human beings -- even those in parlous circumstances -- would willingly chow down on such feed. But now, with times so lean and so many health nuts recommending fish oils, this recipe seems worth considering.