The One Thing
I shoulda known better.
A few days back I foolishly purchased a slightly different dry dog food. Same make, same kibble, except it was the "Homestyle" type. (Better known as the "fakey-organicy-you'll-be-a-better-dog-owner-if-you-pay-us-ahelluvalot-more-for-this-crap-because-we-put-photos-of-vegetables-on-the-bag" style.)
What's the problem with that? Well, it seems my dog has an aversion to any- and every- thing that isn't her usual food. Oh she gobbled it down as normal, inhaled so fast I highly doubt she even tasted it... but I paid dearly for my bad decision later by her incessant whining alerting me to a Imminent Irritable GI System Emergency.
Of course it was in the wee hours of the morning. On a weekday.
So as I stood at the garage door half-comatose, (resplendent in PJs, Micky Mouse slippers and hooded winter jacket bytheway) awaiting her return from the backyard doggy lavatory, my mind began to wander at how terrible it would be to eat the exact same thing, day-in and day-out.
And then I remembered I once knew a fellow who used to eat an identical lunch every day. A ham and cheese sandwich.
Monday: Ham and cheese sandwich.
Tuesday: Ham and cheese sandwich.
Wednesday: Ham and cheese sandwich.
Thursday: Ham and cheese sandwich.
Friday: PB and J.... just kidding! Ham and cheese sandwich. Natch.
* Gak *
And then I spent what little was left of the night tossing and turning, unable to get back to sleep. Try as I might, I couldn't come up with the One Thing I could limit my diet to. No matter how tasty, I doubt I could choke down the same food day after day after day...
Note to self: Chuck the Homestyle kibble. Buy the old crap.
Unless I want to start every weekday at 4:37 am.
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You gotta love animals and all the crazy things that they do. My cats freak out if I give anything other than what they are used to eating all the time.
My collie is like that—except he usually leaves the mess on the kitchen floor. The husky mix can pretty much eat anything. Ahhh. Life.
I hope your dog is OK now.
Some people can be like that too, not exactly like your ham & cheese sandwich guy. When I was growing up, my grandmother cooked the same things all the time, often on the same days of the week. I didn't need a calendar. I knew what day of the week it was by what she was cooking for dinner.
I did the same thing once. Now I'm very careful about buying the right thing. Poor puppies!
Anyway, I hope if you do get rid of the homestyle stuff that you consider donating it to a shelter! They might not take it opened, but it's worth a try.
I've often wondered that myself. I'm thinking chicken nuggets I could do. :-) Hope the pup feels better soon!!
I could probably eat Chipotle every day - or chocolate chip cookies - but that would probably make me fat. Oh well...it sounds good on paper.
At times like that it would be nice to have a doggie door.
My mate has a cat with severe food allergies (he's also inbred and evil), so she has to buy this overpriced non-allergenic kak for him.
She's had to buy a lockable bin to stop him desperately scavenging for something with a taste during the night.
Pets are crazy!
I used to have a pup named Dirty when I was a child and I had this crazy thought that someday he would learn how to talk because when he whines, I can't figure out what bothers him. Like, parrots can be taught, right?? Haha!
Hope your dog is feeling better. :)
I like to eat ALMOST the same thing every day; I usually alternate between Nature's Variety frozen raw chicken medallions or rabbit medallions. Harley eats EVERY flavor: lamb, beef, rabbit, chicken, venison. He has a hungry tummy.
I used to eat the same flavor yogurt when I was in elementary school and middle school for lunch everyday. My roommate eats a pretzel every morning as well, it's kind of disgusting. I agree with EmcogNeato! see if a shelter will take it or if someone you know has puppies might take it because they're puppies will eat it.
I read this chuckling to myself. Ham and cheese, ham and cheese. Yawn, yawn! Mix it up a bit!
Then I realised that every time I go into a bar I say red wine, red wine, red wine, and somehow that never gets dull.
I do eat the same thing for breakfast every day but not for lunch or dinner.
Poor pup!
Wait.
Poor Mom.
I happen to have a dog. She's 14 years old. May I dare to say, she ('cause she's a she) would it this very blog if I gave it to her. What does that mean? Less money, happier dog!
:))
Err, I wanted to write "she would EAT". My dog ate my homework ...
I tried changing foods once too...never a good idea!
Dogs systems are SO sensitive! I switched my shitzu's food one day from her normal dry food to a canned one made for older dogs (her teeth aren't in the best condition, and on the day in question she seemed to have difficulty walking, so I thought it was time to switch to help her).
Oh my God. I woke up at 2 in the morning to the most disgusting mess in my bed. I'll never forget that night - I cried for an hour because of how grossed out I was. Poor dog's system was out of whack for the next two days. Needless to say I will not switch her food again.
two things:
1. my mom's old cat would only eat friskies - one of the cheapest brands of cat food out there - he wouldn't even touch anything else -- well mice, birds, and lizards where fair game but thats the life of an indoor/outdoor cat.
2. my step mom eats the same breakfast every morning (kellogg's Product 19) and every afternoon she has the same lunch (deli turkey sandwhich - no mayo no mustard but peper jack cheese ... melted) this is the funny part -- she has rules about dinner. She cannot have the same dinner two nights in a row. She cannot have the same protein two nights in a row... and she can't have the same meal (e.g. meal and then left overs) more than 2 times a week. This always is funny to my dad and I would are pretty much garbage dispolsals when it comes to food - if it smells and tastes good we eat it.
I could limit myself to pizza everyday. Then again, I'd get different toppings, so it probably wouldn't be the same. As far as the dog, yeah I've had animals before that once they find a food they love, they will do whatever it takes to get you to realize that you shouldn't be messing with their food.
Sorry about your dog ! Some times it's just hard to accept it for us - we are very fortunate to be able to enjoy different foods every day.
But I accept there are odd balls among us too -
I knew a guy too who'd eat a tuna sandwich and chocolate chip cookie every single day !
He was also the most crankiest !
My cat Bella refuses to eat wet catfood in jello/aspic. She prefers her wet food with gravy. Fussy little cow!
Love your blog!
Kris @JBK
I can't think of anything either that I'd like to have the same over and over either.
Maybe chicken wings...just because my wife really hates them. ;) Other than that, can't really think of anything.
I ate a tuna fish sandwich every day for grade school. We're talking eight years here. Can anyone top that? BTW, I haven't had one since. I suspect Ham and Cheese Guy will hit the wall eventually.
Sorry about the dog. Lesson learned?
There is no way I could limit myself to one food a day! Far too many yummy things to eat out there.
Those of us with greyhounds know that the way to switch foods is 'gradually'. LOL!
Greyhounds are notorious for having delicate stomachs. Actually, I've been pretty lucky with the ones I've had, they've eaten pretty much everything. But when you first change over to a new food, here's the routine:
First day, put the usual amount of his old kibble into his bowl, then take half a cup of it out again, and replace it with the new kibble. You feed your dog mostly old with a little new.
Next day, do the same again, but take a cup out of the old kibble, and replace with new.
Next day, give a slightly higher proportion of old:new kibble, and so on until you're feeding all new.
Of course, this won't work if there's something in the new kibble your dog doesn't get along with, but if it's just the 'shock of the new' it'll be fine. :)
At least ham and cheese guy ate something with some substance.
I used to work with a guy who ate salad every. single. day. But it wasn't really salad. It was just lettuce. Iceberg lettuce. Every day. For six years.
Gross.
Margaret: Yep, being a pet owner definitely keeps life interesting alright!
Kathy333: Ha! Ooops, sorry, I shouldn't laugh, should I? Aw, heck, I can relate... Oooh, I love collies and huskies too!
Brenda: Oh, she is fine...Ha about your grandmother; I think a lot of people used to do that.
EmcogNEATO! What a great idea! Thanks! But yes, she is fine.
Angelia: Chicken nuggets eh? Hmmm... I think I would be clucking after a few weeks... ;)
Hahahaha Drama Queen! Everything looks better on paper, no?
Stephanie: Oh I wish; at least with cats I don't have to brave the cold and wind.
Har Sproglet! Evil inbred cat, eh? Oh my... I would lock more than the bin....
Dyinetch: Ha! You mean dogs DON'T talk? I can understand her... at least when she whines in the middle of the night!
Daisy: You are very lucky to have those delish medallions! I remember that post when you showed your freezer! And I am not surprised that Harley will eat anything!
Kristengilmore: Oh I am learning so much; I love yogurt, but I like to have two different kinds in the fridge so I can alternate!
But you know what is crazy Tooting Squared? After searching for a good ham and cheese sandwich photo, I was CRAVING a ham and cheese sandwich! Aaaaaah! Red wine never gets dull... agreed.
Reforming Geek: The same brekkie? I can't even do that.
Ha Argumentics! Yeah, our dog is 13. I don't recall her being so sensitive when she was younger.
Becca: For you or your dog?? ;)
Aw, poor thing Remy! (and poor you!) Gak! Hope she is okay now.
Hahahaha Heidi! That is hilarious! Oh my, she has some pretty stiff rules, doesn't she? Wow!
Richard: How right you are. But yes, different toppings on a pizza IS cheating ;)
Har Jaffer! I wonder if that was why he was cranky??? I agree; we have an even greater selection of food nowadays. There is no way we had such variety when I was young.
Oh that sucks Lady Banana! But Mabel is soooo cute; how can you resist not spoiling her? ;)
HAhahaha Kristine! Well I don't blame her; I would say gravy is far superior to aspic any day!
Oh Unfinished Rambler... you are too bad.... but yeah, I doubt I could last on a diet of the same thing all the time.
LOL Kathy! Well, 8 years of tuna fish would probably fill a lifetime quota, yes. And I haven't seen ham and cheese guy in years. I would love to find out if he still eats them! Lesson learned: Don't believe all that organic crap they try to push on you. At least for dogs, who could care less.
Ca88andra: Absolutely. I totally agree with you!
Now Jay, why didn't I write you before I tried this? Now I know who to contact... you are an expert! An extremely patient expert that is.
Elzimmy: It amazes me that people consider iceberg lettuce a "salad". Gad. I always have to tell hubby NOT to buy iceberg lettuce. I prefer the baby greens and spinach. But it's not a salad until it's chock full of other veges!
Aw, you poor kids--pup and pup-owner. I know how this feels. For some reason, my parents to stop buying my dogs Kibbles 'n Bits. Everything seemed fine, and then it happened: gas--and lots of it.
Seriously, they could have won a gas competition with their smells and sounds. It would keep my parents up at night, because they would sleep in their room.
They went back to Kibbles 'n Bits, and no more gas... Thankfully... They didn't seem to have any horrible breakdowns of their digestive system, but gas isn't much better on anyone who has to endure it.
I worry about feeding my kitties the same thing every day so I make sure their wet food, that they get a teaspoon of with their dry, is a different variety each time. I think I usually buy about twelve different versions of the same mush. All because I care...way too much.
That sandwich looks delicious!
It's 1:25 am and I am up letting the stinking (literally) dogs out. To top it all off, now I want a ham and cheese sandwich.
I'll bet that guy kept kosher...
KIDDING!
I'll limit a little for lunch because, as my dad says, lunch is just not an exciting meal. I only have a 25 minute lunch break on a good day, so I have to pack one from home. If I'm lucky enough to have leftovers, that's good. But otherwise, tedious and boring is better than hungry all afternoon. Still, I don't think I could be quite THAT limited!!!!!!!!
Sorry that food was no good for the dog. I guess he wouldn't mind hanging out with the ham and cheese guy. :-( :-( :-(
Our cats have been eating the same brand, different flavors, for years. This week, inexplicable, they are shunning it. Whaaaat?
My sister's dog was getting old and arthritis and could hardly move, so they gave him some new food that has some type of something-or-other in it to help joints. Wow! You'd never know it was the same dog! He can keep up with the young one, who is just a little over a year old. amazing.
At least having the same thing every day eliminates the need for menu planning...
I could....as long as it was just chocolate;-)
Ummm... I have been known to eat a ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch for as long as we have ham and cheese sandwich ingredients. I'm not making that up. To me lunch is nothing more that a refueling stop in my day and if I can accomplish that with a ham and cheese sandwich then I'm good to go. No seriously... I told you I wasn't making that up. I may have even written about it once.
My younger cat can eat any type of cat food, but my older cat's digestive system is VERY sensitive & practically any food I've tried has made her puke. Then I discovered Avoderm, which thankfully she can handle...but it's a bit pricey. So I have 2 choices: buy a cheaper brand of cat food & clean up cat puke every day or spend a little more money & not deal with cat puke...I guess the latter beats the former in this one. It sucks though getting to the register with my friend & her total is like $8 & mine is like $20 something...oh well.
Sometimes I wish they made human kibble to make getting a days nutrition simpler. Fresh food is best though.
I only get my dogs the Wellness brand of dog food now and they don't react great to other brands. After seeing what goes into some dog food I'm not surprised though.
I've heard that LA County alone sends tons of euthanized pets to the pet food factory daily. Poisoned, dead pets become crude protein. But do your own research.
Pizza & Beer.
I even eat it cold on a saturday morning - and yes, with a beer. Coffee is the chaser.
Perle
Maureen, the reason why that happened isn't bc the dog food was bad for her, it's bc dogs have this weird diet thing where you can't change their food abruptly. You have to give half old and half new for a week. Then the second week 3/4 new, 1/4 old. If you don't, most dogs will have an upset tummy. Personally, I only feed my girls all natural treats and food. Even though it costs $40 for a 35 lbs bag... (about $10 more than Purina), I only have to feed them half the amount that I would on the commercial stuff. Cheaper in the long run, and they'll have less health issues later down the road.... Another added bonus: Less poop to clean up.
Aww, I feel for you - one of my cats is obsessed with ribbon and plastic, I can't leave any lying around or he'll gobble it up before I can take it away from him. And then he pukes it back up shortly afterwards in the most awkward places...
Great blog by the way!
Hello, Maureen. I love reading your blog...anyways, the Ham-and-Cheese-sandwitch person sounds just like me. I could have a bagel with cream cheese for every meal everyday.
There's not one food I can think of that I would want to eat every day. Though I do drink the same thing every morning at work: A Tim Horton's Cafe Mocha minus the whip cream (my cholesterol level does not like whipped cream)
btw the Wellness food definitely helps my dogs temperments.
Bagels with cream cheese are Jewish soul food.
It's not really an aversion. You're just not supposed to change your dog's food overnight. You're supposed to phase one in while phasing the other out to prevent the gastrointestinal upset. Once you do that, your dog should be fine with the second food. It was the change that did it, not the food itself. FYI, just in case you ever want to change dog foods again in the future.
Early morning poop duty is not fun, so after numerous bad nights I cut a hole in my backdoor. Now they can poop to their hearts content without my company
Ha! Yikes, Jennifer... I definitely would go back to the K&B...
Aw, Vegas Princess: You are right; we care a lot, which is why I wanted to get her the so-called "better" food. Oh well...
The Former 786: Me too!
Ahahahaha Marla! (sorry about the 1 am potty break).
Jill: Oh yeah, she would LOVE the ham and cheese, but it would not like her later...
Allegria: Yes, we wouldn't have to hear the age old question: "What's for dinner" every day, that's for sure.
Perpetual Chocoholic: I love chocolate too; but some days I have to stop myself when I begin to feel sick.... blech.
Jeff: I promise you I didn't realise that! This "fellow I knew" was from nearly 20 years ago... oops ;)
Anahid: I feel for ya... I too have to buy the expensive cat food, even though only one of my three cats needs it. How the heck can you give only ONE a different food? It's impossible. So now they all get the best stuff.
Ewww, KogaGred: But your first comment about the human kibble reminds me of Futurama and Bachelor Chow!
Perle! Har! Pizza and beer! Well, it would have to be the EXACT same pizza or that's cheating! ;)
Chriss: Which proves my point. I would hate to have to eat the same thing or gradually change my meals so slowly. We are lucky.
Thanks Thatisthewhy! Welcome!
Ha Akira! Well I like bagels and cream cheese too... but I would start to crave peanut butter or something else after a very short while!
Bea Boomer: Ah yes Timmies. I'm a Starbuck's girl myself, but the lineup at our hospital Tim Horton's is ridiculous every morning.
Hahaha KogaGreg!
See Staci? That just proves my point.... can you imagine having to SLOWLY change our diets anytime we wanted something different? Poor pups!
Ahahaha Wheelboy! I would be too scared what the heck would come back in!
There was a time in my life (say between the ages of 6 and 17) when I pretty much existed on Peanut Butter and Jelly.....it is a wonder I am still alive.
Oh yes, Peanut and I know all about this all too well. What is strange is that this condition developed so sudden and it took me weeks to find the one food that she could tolerate. Now we get to order Venison and Sweet potato online for her.
I don't think I've ever eaten the same lunch every day but I did eat the same sweets every day. I would get hooked on something, like aniseed balls, and eat them every day for a few months. Then it would be clove balls or mint imperials. Whatever my craving was for it would always last a few months, and I'd eat them every day! Of course that was when I was young and weight and health issues were not a problem.
Maureen:
I hear your pain. I have had a sensitive stomach since I was about thirty. I'd give anything to be thirty again. But, anyway, my diet has been a bit restricted. I'm sure you know the drill. No fats, no sweets, no carbonation, no acid, no spices, no food! Eating the same thing every single day, though, no way. I don't care how sensitive my alimentary canal is. A little gastronomical variety is absolutely necessary, if not nutritionally, then psychologically.
Now, my poor little cat has the same problem. We have to be very careful what we feed her, or she'll have a blowout. Poor thing. I guess these things are just part of the wonderful joy of life.
Happy trails.
My dog is like this. So we mix the cheaper food with the expensive one he likes, and he's ok, and it's cheaper for us. Problem solved.
haha, your experiences are so funny!
Have you considered a Doggy Door?
Luckily my dogs can eat just about anything without getting sick, but will only eat ONE type of dry dog food and ONE type of wet food. Any other brand and they would rather starve.
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