Antler Upgrade

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

Hi everyone.  I suppose this is the place to post this.  I typically buy deer or elk antlers for Lola to chew on.  She doesn't have much food drive, however, and loses interest in a new antler after a few hours.  As I'm sure many of you know, antlers can be pretty expensive (although you can also get them in bulk online).  So I came up with a way to get more life out of them.  I made a mixture of boiling water, beef bullion, unsalted butter, garlic power, cayenne pepper and honey.  I let the "used" antler soak in it overnight. I used enough butter so that it would harden on the antler.  I was hoping the mixture would also seep into the marrow of the antler and harden there as well.  In any case it seems to have been a success, because I wiped off the excess mixture, gave the antler to Lola and she seems to love it again - maybe even more than when it was new.  There is some salt and sugar in this recipe, but I don't think too much makes it to the final product.  Also I will need to tinker with the recipe a bit - for example, I think lard might be better than butter - but I did not have any on hand.

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

Oh sure.  Although I guess it's the same with us.  I try to keep it healthy as much as possible, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't suffer a Big Mac attack every now and again.  But with me, I am a grown adult and can make that choice if that is what I want to do.  For Lola I feel more pressure to give her the healthiest food possible, because I have to make those decisions for her.  Although I do include the doggie equivalent of a Big Mac every once in a while and in extreme moderation.  Seems to me that she deserves an occasional indulgence too, just like the rest of us.  Or maybe I'm totally over humanizing, and the indulgence is for me - to watch what I perceive as enjoyment as she devours it.  Either way, life is short and it sure is a blessing to have a great little doodle to enjoy it with.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Amen. :)

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

Oh I was thinking about the sodium the entire time I was watching the antlers boiling in the pot!!! I've only boiled them once but since I don't leave them out they love them when they get them!
I'll try plain water next time... Just hate that one always wants what the other one has lol!

[Jay, Lola and Colonel Esau]

Good point about not leaving them out.  Of course it's not a treat if she can have it whenever she wants.