Cartilage

Well the dogs had their cartilage on Friday; went well. They are strange looking things and this was a first for me. I let them thaw on the counter; which resulted in many visitors to the kitchen with noses in the air. The most important thing to me was that Jessie no swallow any big pieces so I cut off any loose cartilage, cut away much of the fat and all that was left was long solid cartilage, tendons and sinew mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. As always Jessie got hers, then Tilley and last but not least Luke. I gave them a good 2 hours to chew.

During that 2 hours I make routine close proximity visits to deliver treats; this ensures that no one gets guarded with their stuff. And when it comes time to collect no one minds. So they chewed and chewed and chewed. I sat in the yard, puttered around the garden and in the kitchen. Finally I had things to do so it was gathering up time. Jessie is the toughest but she turned it over okay. When I went to get Tilley's it was gone; she'd eaten the whole thing. From what I've read that is perfectly find but I wasn't so sure. My main concern was that she had chewed it up enough.

So it is now Sunday and she is eating and pooping just fine; still waiting to see if any problems arise. If she chewed it before swallowing, which is what I think she would have done; she is not a big gulp swallower, great. I do have to say that Friday and Saturday Jessie and Tilley had a burst of energy. Lastnight when we got home from dinner out everyone was commenting on Jessie's flying around the house. No one would guess in a million years that she is over 13. We'll see after the next cartilage chew if the same thing happens.