My Pet World: What to feed a pick eating dog

Q: We have two rescues, one since she was 9 months and the other my mom rescued and we adopted. After trying every conceivable option to feed the second dog, who is a picky eater, I just started making them chicken with rice. We give them a vitamin every day, but I am constantly worried they need more nutrients. Is what I am doing OK? -- Teri Giacini, Las Vegas, NV

A: You really do not need to feel guilty, you are doing nothing wrong. There is no problem with feeding your dog chicken and rice, as long as you are giving the dog a vitamin and mineral supplement as you described.

However, a small dog that is living inside and not really doing any large amount of physical activity should have the protein part of the meal as only a third of the total volume. The other two thirds does not have to be just rice, you can be as creative as you want to be. Most dogs love canned pumpkin, boiled white potatoes and sweet potatoes, or squash. You can make just about any vegetable, except for onions. What you are doing is just fine and you can stop worrying.

Q: Do adult dogs recognize their siblings or, for that matter, their mothers after being separated for some time? Do they recognize their mother? Does the mother recognize the grown puppies as her own? -- Stan Jones, Las Vegas, NV

A: That is a question I have long wondered about, however, to the best of my knowledge, there are no scientific studies done on whether an animal can recognize a blood relative -- all information is only anecdotal.

Everyone has stories about this. I once had a wolf that only liked me and was afraid of all other men. However, one day, when she saw my father for the first time she responded to him as if he were me -- was it his mannerisms that matched mine or did she know that we shared the same DNA?

Such a situation is not scientific and so we cannot answer a question based on this or any other experience.

I have watched many animal siblings reunite after a period of time and they do not seem to regard each other any different than they would if they met another animal from down the block.

Animals also have very good memories for remembering individuals, so if two puppies became good friends when they were together in a litter, then they would most likely always remember each other as good friends. Their ability to recognize each other as blood relatives remains unproven.

Q: My Cockapoo is really the smartest dog I have ever had. My husband is a biology teacher and says that she is not actually thinking at all and what she does is only to please us or to please herself. However, when I see her studying a situation it really seems as if she is thinking about it. I wondered what you thought. -- Grace Petersen, Orlando, FL

A: This is a loaded question that has no answer; everyone has a different opinion on it and there are no scientific studies performed to support both sides.

As a general rule, animals react to situations rather than think about them cognitively. But I would have to agree with you. I am sure they do not think as we do, but there is clearly something going on in their heads.

The best example I can give was when I was breeding a type of fish called a betta. The male builds a nest of bubbles and cares for the eggs and babies. If one should fall out of the floating nest, he carefully picks it up in his mouth and replaces it back in.

This one fish I had was tending to his babies and I dropped a few frozen blood worms in the bowl for him to eat. Just as he turned to follow one of the worms a baby fell out of the nest and he picked it up in his mouth, then turned to eat the bloodworm. I figured the baby in his mouth would get swallowed with the worm.

However, he stopped dead in his tracks for at least a half a minute just staring at the worm. Then he spat out the baby, ate the worm and then picked up the baby and returned it to the nest. If that is not thinking, then I do not know what else is and this is coming from a fish one-inch long.

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(Marc Morrone has kept almost every kind of animal as a pet for the last half-century and he is happy to share his knowledge with others. Although he cannot answer every question, he will publish many of those that have a general interest. You can contact him at petxperts2@aol.com; please include your name, city and state.)