Cats&Dogs

In my time living with dogs I have discovered that there are certain things that really shouldn't be on any animals menu that they absolutely love to eat.

A Dogs A La Carte Menu

Number One On The List- Poop

Dogs seem to be fascinated by poop, it is like dog candy. They will investigate it, smell it and yep sometimes even eat it. Cat poop, especially cat poop displayed on a platter like a litter box, is a firm favourite of theirs. Another source of poop is used diapers, it doesn't matter how many bags you wrap it in they will find it.

And Coming in a Close Second- Rotten Dead Things

The smellier the better. They even have this whole pre dinner ritual that they perform before starting on the treat. They will sniff it and then roll in it and only when they are convinced that the smell is really great will they consume it. My dog's favourites are dead frogs, dead crabs and dead rats.

Number Three and My Dogs Particular Favorite- Bedding

Blankets, sheets, pillows and mattresses, nothing is sacred as far as they are concerned. I initially thought they were only chewing the linen until one day while I was mowing the lawn I spotted some dog poop with something red in it, on closer examination I discovered that it was a piece of my dogs blanket. They actually eat the stuff.

Number Four is The Embarrassing One- Underwear

This is one of the most common items that vets have to remove from a dog's intestine. Clean, dirty they don't mind. G strings, bras, boxers not an issue basically any underwear will do. Most of us have experienced that moment of total humiliation when one of our mutts comes strolling into the living area, dragging along behind him a savoury pair of knickers that he has liberated from the wash basket.

And Finally Number Five- Their Own Puke

Ewww! Enough said.

The name for these weird cravings is pica coming from the Latin word meaning magpie. I guess the magpie must be terribly insulted by this.

My own dog has in her seven years with us consumed several blankets, pillows, a cell phone, many whole cakes, a tub of butter, a tube of toothpaste and a box of Pronutro, dry, including the box and the plastic it came in.

For those of you that don't know, Pronutro is a South African cereal that is mixed with milk. Two tablespoons mixed with milk will make a whole bowl of cereal, so it almost triples in quantity just by adding liquid. I still wonder what happened to the stuff inside her when she drank water.