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What Did Dogs Eat in the 1800's?

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By esocial



In the days before the industrial revolution, dogs in working class families ate pretty much the same basic, often poor quality diet that their owners were living on. Despite the fact that the dogs were within easy reach of juicy parts of beef and lamb, most poor pups had to get by on bread crusts and bones. Peasant dogs may have faired a slight bit better, eating potatoes, bread, boiled cabbage, and onions (which are now known to be toxic to their systems), but as the economic class of the owner families improved, so did the pet menus. The canines from the wealthier households may have been lucky enough to be offered roast beef, cakes, and even candied nuts and fruits.

Art historians have shown that in the mid-1800's, urban dogs (and even cats) in cities such as London and New York were commonly fed horsemeat, as horse carcasses were cheap and readily available at the time. Horsemeat, combined with leftovers off of the master's dinner table, made for a rich variety of foods given to city dogs.

Now, if you think you spoil YOUR pet, consider the culinary treatment given by the Chinese empress Tzu-tsi to her favorite Pekingese: shark fins, quail breasts, curlew's livers, tea brewed from spring buds, and antelope milk. And not just any antelope... The milk had to be taken only from antelopes that come to pasture in Imperial Park!

As the nineteenth century progressed, so did the recognition and advancement of canine nutrition. Pets were becoming more valued in the minds of their owners, and, as such, breeding, grooming, and health became higher priority. New discoveries in gastrointestinal problems and treatments led to a shift away from unprocessed, raw foods, thought to create bacterial infections in the digestive tract leading to blood poisoning, to a more controlled "modernized" diet of processed meals lacking in high fiber and including laxatives, tonics, and candies in an effort to keep those sensitive little doggy systems flushed out, clean, and healthy for years to come.



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cgull8m profile image

cgull8m  says:
2 years ago

Interesting Hub, Man's best friend needs the best :), glad to see they are getting their dues.

hot dorkage profile image

hot dorkage  says:
16 months ago

Thank you for these great dog hubs. My Violet (half chocolab half wirehair griffon) will benefit. She is a great dog 2.5 years old, reasonably obedient and great for a 7 mile run in the woods. She says Rowf.

esocial profile image

esocial  says:
16 months ago

You're sure welcome! New one comnig out soon ...so stay tuned :)

Tell Violet, "Rowf, rowf!"

marisuewrites profile image

marisuewrites  says:
11 months ago

Very informative!!  I have a dog website, that is a blog, I'll email  you the link, in case you'd like to visit it....

great hubs, by the way!!  you're doing well!!  =)) I can't believe I just found you on hubpages...

esocial profile image

esocial  says:
11 months ago

Thanks! Yep, take a look around. A bunch of hubs connected here :) Addicted, I guess ;)

kate jane smith  says:
7 months ago

it was really good!!!!!!:)

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