Dr. Greg's Dog Dish Diet

I was in the supermarket buying provisions for my hike to the top of Mount Whitney, located east of Bakersfield, California. This year we are taking a more leisurely trip to the top, so that my two buddies that had altitude–and attitude–problems won’t be affected. I love strolling through nature’s beauty and am glad we do not have to push through the remnants of a late August snowstorm or traverse icy, slippery rocks near the top at 14,000 feet.

"Fresh," smoked kippered herring

So I’m in the store, and when I walked past the tunafish aisle, I spotted kipper snacks and remembered eating those as a kid. This produced an instant craving, and I bought a few for the trip up. Then I realized that these little oily sardines may make a pretty good and economical treat for my dogs…and cats. So I bought a few more and took them home to try them out.

That’s when I realized that “kippered” was a word I have used a number of times without knowing the meaning. Sounds a bit like “neutered,” but it means preparing a small oily fish by splitting, gutting, brining and smoking. Brining is soaking in salt water for half an hour; hot smoking is drying out at 150 degrees, then a bit longer at a lower temperature, while cold smoking is drying out slower at  a constant lower temperature. To protect against spoiling, cold-smoked kippers are salted (brined) a bit more.

I opened the can and eyed the saber-sharp edge as I reached in to pull a few briny, kippered, sardines for my “herd.” They gobbled down the snacks like candy. What a great way to give them extra protein, Omega 3 fatty acids (which I discuss in detail in my new book Dog Dish Diet: Sensible Nutrition for the Health of Your Dog), and a bit of brine….all for a buck! Bone Appétit!