FEEDING OF PETS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 196, 17 May 1944, Page 6

FEEDING OF PETS

Effect Of Tightening Of Meat Rationing POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS The problem of feeding dogs and cats now that the meats normally bought for them have been included in the rationing scheme is causing owners considerable worry and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is receiving hundreds of telephone calls seeking advice from its Wellington office. Yesterday, representatives of the society were consulted in the matter by officials of the Rationing Controller’s office, and all possibilities for the provision of alternative foods were considered. It was later stated by an official that the Rationing Controller will explore possible sources of supply, and an announcement will soon be made. It is also probable that a leaflet may be printed advising owners of pets how to feed them. The official said that precedent in Great Britain, the United States and Australia had shown that too much insistence had been laid on the need for meat in the pets’ diet. In Britain no meat, other than a very few offals, was available, but the animals had survived healthily. The suggestion has been made that horseflesh or whale meat may be available in New Zealand, but the difficulty of distribution would not be easy to overcome, as separate shops would probably be necessary. There are, of course, certain lines of offal available at meat works, but these have hitherto been looked upon purely as refuse. These might, to solve the problem, be made available for sale hy butchers, the usual channels of distribution being used. In the meantime, a veterinary surgeon suggests that pets can be fed with lungs, tripe, or liver, there being a quantity of the latter which is not up to export grade which is available in butchers’ shops at low price.* In addition, bones can be purchased, and either given fresh or boiled down and mixed with stale bread or dog biscuits, if the latter are available. Fish refuse, also, can be used.