Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evolving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
We cook our dog’s food. There are easy recipes online. Most pet food in America is made in china. Just like the FDA food guidelines for humans pet food is full of grains and fiber. Heard they have been putting bugs in it for years, can’t confirm. I wish we had cooked my previous pet’s food. A cat had feline thyroid disease. We didn’t take her to vet after she almost died from rabies vaccine at a few months old. We only took her when she was sick and the vet didn’t give her any vaccines. Our first dog ate Iam’s thought it was one the best. She threw up a lot at least once a month and had to feed her rice and chicken for several days. The vet said she had gut issues. Now I know it was the food. Second dachshund we gave iams and he started throwing up so we switched and eventually started cooking it. Did research and there are websites dedicated to iams killed their dogs.
True, sadly I think the dog food poisoning has been going on longer. I don’t know the history of it. Dog food used to made in the US. I remember seeing the local purina plant growing up. Most humans eat pure junk they aren’t going to swayed to feed the dogs quality food.
Well we are guilty of not restraining him. I tried so hard to get my daughter to put him in a restrained seat. There again not my decision and I lost that battle. Now he’s in the car at least twice a week. They have a house at the coast and he rides in there lap. A few times a month we go on Fridays and my daughter goes with us. Those days he’s in my lap and I have him in almost a death grip. He sits in my lap and sleeps. I put a towel over him and he’s out. I pray nothing ever happens but I can’t dwell on things I can’t control.
Today it’s no telling what’s in processed animal food. No wonder dogs get cancer between the shots and the food it’s hopeless.
When I had a dog when we lived in America, I sometimes made her steak. I wish that I had fed her homemade dog food. I remember I had bought this premium stuff for her that was said to have less crap in it, no preservatives, etc. She ate it for a while, but then began to refuse it. It really frustrated me, but then I had my folks over and I learned that there was mold growing on it. Because I am colorblind, I couldn't see that it was turning green.
Don’t beat yourself up. Most of us didn’t know the dog food was toxic until recently. Oh wow I never thought about not being able to see food was bad if you are color blind. I’m glad it was figured out. By the way have you heard of the glasses that let you see colors? I saw a news video several years ago, people saw sunsets and other things in color for the first time. That’s very cool. My husband can’t taste or smell since 2020. He was sick less than 24 hours and he lost it. I kinda think it’s something wrong other than from Covid. He doesn’t want to go to ENT dr or do stuff at home to get it back. Saline nose rinse and sniffing essential oils. I don’t push . I have told him he could be eating bad food or with crap 💩 in it and he wouldn’t know the difference. I say that usually when he brings home a dessert someone made and it’s worse than grocery store bday cake.
My dad has sleep apnea and he had surgery to correct his nasal passages. It didn't solve the problem because he still must sleep with a C-PAP machine and now he's lost his sense of smell. My sister lost her sense of taste and smell due to catching Corona-chan very early, in January 2021. Then everything smelled/tasted like rotten eggs. For her, Flo-Naze helped her recover her senses. My wife was hit by a car in 2019 and lost her sense of taste and smell due to a concussion, but it's slowly returned, more or less. Her situation reminded me a bit of my colorblindness. There are varying degrees, and my uncle is worse than I am (he used to be a painter, too!). I can see colors, but sometimes I can't understand what they are. Colors can be slippery at times, if that makes sense. I hadn't realized that the brown dog food was turning green, because red/green/brown can be slippery and I have to see colors in terms of context for me to understand them. One of my hobbies is making pixel artwork with iron beads, and last night I had to ask my daughter's opinion on a skintone shading for my current project. I have heard about those colorblind glasses, but they are so expensive.
Thanks for sharing. I’ve researched regaining sense of smell and taste a lot. If it were me that lost it I’d be working every remedy. My dad, brother and myself all have a very sensitive nose. We can smell something before others. Certain scents take me right back to my childhood. Strawberry soap at grandma’s🩷 He taste pepper and salt in food I don’t taste it all. Sometimes he smells a cigarette burning. He can smell very strong bad odors. Mainly he tastes salty, sweet, hot spicy but not the flavor that sets apart from being Mexican salsa, Chinese food etc. People we know that lost their smell/taste get it back. They all say watermelon tastes like grass. I didn’t know it was a thing before Covid. I’m glad your dad & wife have recovered. Health problems are not fun at all. Glad you can see some colors. If I had to choose between loosening hearing or sight I’d loose my sight. I have seen some amazing things in my life and we my memory😀 I love music to much and couldn’t stand not hearing my loved ones or animals. Great memory but can’t remember lyrics to my favorite songs🤦🏻♀️ Have a great night/day & week. PS: tell me more about your crafting. I’ve never heard of iron beads.
This is really the best way. many of the clients that I work for have food they make themselves, or they order raw food or pre-cooked food that they keep in the freezer. Better than that dry kibble that’s full of toxins.
I think it’s becoming more common. I’m glad more people are figuring it out. I think the company is Tango & Spot ships quality dog food frozen. Used it for a while but the boxes were getting damaged and it had dry ice to keep frozen. It was a hassle with damage boxes, thawed food and trying to get inside when she was working. I’ve heard about the raw food and he would be better off, not my decision. He’s part mine because he’s with me so much but legally her’s and she’s final decision maker although we discuss what’s best. The main ingredient for his food used to be quinoa. Over the period of 1-2 years he lost weight and his ribs were showing, nothing wrong with labs. Switched to rice main ingredient and started feeding him more. His hair is thicker and ribs don’t show. My husband has started making the food to help her out. She works full time and a little baby it was a lot. His food: carrots, ground chicken, rice & switched from chicken stock to bone broth. A vitamin powder supplement goes in the food when made & he gets omega daily. Plus when he’s with me he gets eggs, milk and whatever I’m eating.
When I was younger and looking for ideas to make me instantly rich. I came up with an idea for a cat cook book. It was titled Diner a deux. It was full of protein recipes that were good for the human and good for the cat. So a single person felt they were cooking for more than themselves when preparing their meals. It's an idea just waiting to happen.
That’s cool and you could do an ebook to cut down on cost. Only issue is getting it out there. Maybe give some to cat influencers. I always thought I’d write a book, never happened. Just as well I can barely write a sentence without errors. I’ll stick with crafting.
Crafting beer? 🍺 My background is Accounting. Not a writer or good cook either. Thanks for the ebook idea.
Crochet and other simple crafts. I can’t stand beer wouldn’t be making it if I loved. Rum & Tequila are a different story, love both, don’t drink it like I did in my very early life. I can fail at math on a calculator, you got me beat on that subject. My dad can add up a long row of numbers in his head obviously I didn’t get that passed down. I grew up in the kitchen with my grandma so cooking just comes naturally. Try it you might like it. The key is don’t over cook and keep it simple.
Here’s something you can try if you like Mac N Cheese.
. Boil macaroni, while boiling cut up cheese in small cubes (about the size of a nickel). I normally use yellow cheddar and if low mix in another kind. Anything you like will do.
. Drain macaroni when done.
. Put back in pot. Add one egg & stir good through out.
. S&P as you like
. Add the cheese and stir, cover with lid, sit back on oven but not the hot eye. After about 10-15 minutes should be melted. Ready to eat.
*** For 3 servings macaroni I do about a 1.2 block regular size cheese. If I’m cooking for 2-4 I use half box. I use Barille, use something better than store brand.
If you don’t like mac n cheese pass on to someone that does. That’s my grandma’s recipe and people should know easy simple recipes. I hate following a recipe with 10 steps.