Bone stuffing ideas

[james79]

Hi all,

Murphy has been doing really well lately, we're so proud of how far he's come. One of the last big hurdles is getting him comfortable on the ferry we take most weekends in the summer. It's a 35 minute passenger ferry and the only way to get to our summer house. It can be a little overwhelming because of all the people/dogs/kids/bikes. Our last trip I gave him one of those store bought cheese/peanut butter stuffed bones (one of these: http://www.petco.com/product/6066/Red-B ... SiteSearch). Not the healthiest treat but it kept him occupied enough that he didn't care about the 2 small dogs that sat near us & barked the whole ride. In the past I've brought a frozen stuffed kong but there are holes on the sides of the boat for the water to drain out of that the kong can fit through. Murphy also is very good at tossing the kong so it bounces & releases treats. We usually have a small area with a bench so there isn't much room for him to do this (plus there is a good chance that he will bounce it right off the boat). I was thinking that I'd take the white bone (the one that came stuffed & is now empty) and re-stuff it myself. I'm looking for ideas on what to cram in there that won't be easy to get out. Does anyone have suggestions of something that would make him work at finishing? I was thinking maybe I could put some peanut butter, cheese & chicken broth in the blender & make a sort of paste. I'd love any suggestions.

Thanks!

[doggiedad]

crate him. i would use an airline crate. you can carry it with you. if you use p-nut butter
to stuff something i suggest usuing the kind without sugar.

[jodieohdoh]

Hey! How great that Murphy is doing well. I'm not sure I would worry about it being a little unhealthy if it's only once a week. If you're balancing his other meals taking this into account and he's getting lots of exercise I would think it won't do too much harm. Certainly less harm than the stressed state he would get into otherwise. I make a stuffing out of porridge oats, mashed up hotdog sausage and a little bit of cheese - cook it all in the microwave with water, stuff the bone when it's cool, and freeze it.

[Dawnflight1984]

Does he take raw? frozen minced meat?

[james79]

Thanks for the replies, my only concern health-wise is that sometimes the processed treats upset his stomach. He's not on a raw diet. I was thinking about putting some cheese, peanut butter, & a little chicken broth in the blender & seeing if I could make some sort of paste. I could add some oats to that to hold it together.

A crate won't work, it's a smaller passenger ferry and logistically (with the walk to/from the car, etc.) it just won't work. Plus being in a travel crate would probably make him more stressed. I'll try making a stuffing later this week and will let you know how it turns out.

[Sweetie's Human]

What about tinned sardines? Can be frozen too. It's a hit around here when stuffed into a kong.

[Erica]

I would definitely give whatever you settle on a test run to make sure 1, that he likes it, and 2, that it agrees with his stomach.

[james79]

I blended cheese, peanut butter, some quick oats & a little beef broth. I stuffed the mix into the bone & froze it, we'll see how it goes tonight on the boat!! He seemed to enjoy the taste I gave him last night, I just hope he doesn't eat it too quickly.