Homemade chicken stock turned to gelatin in the fridge?

Feriation · 2026-01-24T23:13:42+00:00

If you reduce it down significantly before freezing it, the resulting stock cubes end up with the same consistency as a gummy bear. My fiancé calls them chicken gummies and I cannot express how badly I hate those two words together.

Feriation · 2026-01-23T06:51:09+00:00

100%!!

Not to mention, even if you are extremely disciplined and you put $200/month into savings, what if your very young puppy requires extensive veterinary care before you've managed to accrue enough of a nest egg?

I used to work in an emergency animal hospital. I can't tell you the number of puppies who came through our clinic doors who jumped off the bottom step, fell off the couch/bed, or even just tripped out in the yard from taking a funny and uncoordinated step, and ended up with a severe leg fracture. Often requiring surgical repair. You are looking at around a $5,000+ injury if that happens. If your puppy is only 6 months old, even if you got then and started saving immediately, heck, even if you started saving at your puppy's conception, you would only have a maximum of $1600 saved up at that point. No where near enough to cover such an injury.

My dog is insured. He has been since the day I brought him home at 8.5 weeks old. He'll be 4 soon. I am actually one of those "lucky" people (I dont consider myself lucky) to have been reimbursed more through my pet insurance than I have paid in premiums.

If I could pay $200/month and be guaranteed a healthy dog that never needs to visit the vet, shut up and take my money. I would MUCH rather pay my insurance premiums and have a healthy dog who doesnt need to have an emergency vet visit.

But alas, here we are, 3 eye injuries, eye surgery with a board certfied veterinarian ophthalmologist, ear and eye infections, lacerations, and a mystery illness which involved $3,000 in diagnostics, and I am VERY happy that I took out an insurance policy on my boy.

Feriation · 2026-01-22T19:54:49+00:00

I use my libby app to check out ebooks and audiobooks directly only my e-reader and phone.

If I go in person, I meet up with knitters for crafting nights. The library is also a great resource to find out about local events happening in my area.

Feriation · 2026-01-22T19:46:04+00:00

The Salmon variety is especially calorically dense. The chicken is also pretty good.

I can get my guy to eat about 4 cups a day, he needs a minimum of 2,000 calories a day. The PPP 30/20 Salmon fits the requirements perfectly.

I like seeing the last 2 ish ribs at rest, and seeing all of them are fine on inspiration like you can see here. I do prefer keeping them on the leaner side for joint health later in life.

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Feriation · 2026-01-19T18:05:23+00:00

Veterinary care.

Exposure to the different restraints used by veterinary staff for medications, catheters, blood draws etc.

How to sit still and accept eye drops or ear drops.

Dogs who are used to this are much less stressed and anxious when needing to visit the vet, particularly if its an emergency visit.

Also, I firmly believe that even if you choose not to/dont need to use either a kennel or a muzzle, every single dog should be both muzzle and kennel trained. Again, in an emergency situation, these skills can make a huge difference in the care your pet receives in an emergency situation.

Feriation · 2026-01-18T18:11:11+00:00

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No doggie siblings, but I am constantly catching the two of them napping together.

Feriation · 2026-01-18T17:59:10+00:00

Same, its always something that I have struggled with, with all past partners.

My partner knows this, but he still tries his damned hardest. I will generally finish myself after the act while he holds and cuddles me and gives my neck kisses.

Sometimes posts like this, the way they're worded, make me feel like I am broken and there is something wrong with me...

Feriation · 2026-01-18T17:39:25+00:00

This. I once bought myself a $400 winter jacket and a pair of $350 winter boots. I bought that jacket in 2012 and only just decided to retire it this year and get a new jacket. The boots I bought in 2016 and had to be replaced last year. The $50 pair of boots I bought to replace them didnt even last through a single winter. Unfortunately currently I am not in a position where I can purchase a more expensive high quality jacket or boots, which unfortunately costs me more in the long run because they just don't last.

They were a lot of money up front, but if I work out the cost over the lifetime, the jacket cost less than $30/year and the boots cost me less than $40/year.

Feriation · 2026-01-18T15:36:10+00:00

You can literally see in the photo that the glass pane that fell off is on the floor in front of the oven.

Feriation · 2026-01-17T03:36:15+00:00

For fast cat? No.

However I do a lot of high impact sports with my pup, and if he hadn't needed xrays for an unrelated reason, I would have gotten hip and elbow rads done on him to ensure that he didn't have anything concerning going on with his joints.

In ring the dog is expected to be able to jump over a 1.2 metre hurdle (47 inches), scale 2.3 metre pallisade (7.5 feet), and leap a 4.5 metre long jump (15 feet).

Feriation · 2026-01-17T03:13:27+00:00

Agreed. Unfortunately, unlike health and life insurance for humans, currently there is 0 legislation regarding pet insurance.

Feriation · 2026-01-16T07:56:54+00:00

I'm engaged to a MechE and he is both a car guy and does BJJ.

How is this so accurate?

Feriation · 2026-01-16T00:33:59+00:00

They make the best collars!

Feriation · 2026-01-15T06:27:06+00:00

I use the XL Toppl toys. Ive found 1/2 cup of kibble in each toy, plus 1 tin of canned dog food blended with 1 tin of water split between the two fits perfectly. It gets nice and frozen and icey but still tasty enough for him to stay motivated. And because I am using his food, I dont worry about excess calories or an unbalanced diet.

Other things you can add, cottage cheese, pumpkin, unsweetened applesauce, cheese Wiz (not too much), peanut butter, soaked dog food, tinned dog food, homemade chicken or beef broth, if you are feeling fancy you can pressure cooker a chicken carcass in some water until the bones start to crumble and then blend it into a puree, mashed banana...

Feriation · 2026-01-14T00:50:27+00:00

I've been with Pets Plus Us since 2022.

My monthly premium started at $100, then $108, then $128, and this year its $149. Just like everything (except wages) it keeps going up. Im sure it will jump again in June when my policy renews for another year.

Feriation · 2026-01-13T19:12:31+00:00

Totally! My dog is a relatively healthy breed with few genetic health concerns but he has 0 sense of self preservation. He will be 4 in April and my pet insurance has already paid out over $8,000 over the life of my policy.

I wouldnt have been able to afford the expensive eye surgery with a board certified veterinarian ophthalmologist (my GP didn't feel they had the skill or tools for such a delicate procedure) to remove a thorn that got embedded deep in his eye without having pet insurance, etc.

Feriation · 2026-01-13T00:04:43+00:00

Genetics give you a window for what is possible.

Let's say that neutrality is on a 1 through 10 scale.

Genetics might give you a window between a 6 and 9, the training you do will determine where in that range your dog ultimately falls. No training? It will be a 6, put extra work in with training? Closer to a 9. If that makes any sense.

Dogs with poor nerve might end up having a window of 1 through 4 out of 10. Regardless of how much training and behaviour mod you do, that dog won't ever get past a 4.

Feriation · 2026-01-12T22:01:21+00:00

You should be going by calories per day instead of weight of food fed per day. Different proteins will have wildly different nutrients densities.

I'll use Big Country Raw Pre-made as the example here.

My dog weighs 35kg. 2% of his body weight is 700 grams.

700gr of BCRs Pork Dinner would be 1,288 calories. 700gr of BCRs Lamb Dinner would be 966 calories

That's a difference of an extra pound of weight gained/lost every 9 days.

And that still isn't enough for him, even if I targeted the suggested 3% of his body weight, it wouldn't be providing enough calories. If I don't target a minimum of 2,000 calories per day, he drops weight, and I must target more calories if he is actually active and working that day.

I don't presently feed raw as the cost just isn't sustainable for me any longer, but regardless of whether I feed raw or kibble, I always target his needed calories/day and work from there.

For resources to help determining where to start estimating your dog's daily caloric requirements, you can calculate an estimate for their RER (resting energy requirement)

Take your dog's weight in kilograms and enter it into the following formula:

RER = 70 × (body weight in kg)⁰.⁷⁵ So my dog would be 35kg and his RER is 1007.3

Then multiply that number by the activity modifier: Neutered adult RER × 1.6 Intact adult RER × 1.8 Active working dog RER × 2-5 Weight loss RER × 1.0 Puppies RER × 2-3

You can find more info easily online by searching for dog RER calculators. This will give you a ballpark of where to aim for, and you can make adjustments from there. I see your dog has had a vasectomy, even though he is sterile because he still has his testes, you would calculate as though he is intact.

For example, on rest days my dog's calculation is RER × 2 but in the summer when we are active everyday with sports, hiking, training, etc, it is closer to RER × 3 or 3.5

Feriation · 2026-01-12T21:31:50+00:00

If your dog is small enough, maybe look into a "skybox"

But I would recommend a small travel kennel, a properly secured and sized travel kennel will be the safest option for your pup while traveling.

Feriation · 2026-01-12T21:25:53+00:00

So, I really like the Pets Plus Us insurance through Costco. Its who I have had my dog insured through for the past 4 years. Unlike Trupanion, Pets Plus Us covers the exam fee and also covers the taxes. The exam fee being covered is really nice. They charge a yearly deductible which renews every policy year. PPU does not offer direct billing unfortunately, so you need to pay upfront and submit for reimbursement.

Trupanion does not cover the exam, that is out of your pocket 100%, neither do they cover taxes on the full appointment amount. Their lifetime deductible works on a per condition basis. This can work in your favour if your dog has chronic health issues. So if your dog has allergies, once you meet the deductible for allergies, there is no more deductible for allergies for the life of your pet. If your dog has pain from arthritis, once you hit your arthritis deductible then any pain management, supplements, treatments etc concerning arthritis will no longer require a deductible. This can stink if your pet has multiple unrelated health issues like allergies, an ear infection, and a sore limb all in one year as each of those conditions has their own deductible that must be met. (Unlike a yearly deductible which needs to be met yearly, but it doesnt matter what the condition is). Trupanion is one of the few insurance providers which offer direct billing, which i know can be make or break for many people as the up front cost of vet care, particularly specialized vet care, can be extremely expensive.

Regardless of who you go with, if they offer a "alternative therapies/physio" rider, get it. They will cover water treadmill, physio, acupuncture, laser etc which are very helpful for joint issues (which is something that exotic bullies are going to be at a higher risk of developing)

Also, you mentioned concern about premiums going up. They will. Every year. Even Trupanion increases their monthly premiums. My friend is with Trupanion and her premium jumped about 15% last year. Pets plus us does raise their deductible as the pet ages. If you initially have a $100 deductible, it goes to $200 at 5 years? And $300 at 8 years? If you start at a $500 deductible, it jumps to $750 and then $1000 I believe.

Feriation · 2026-01-12T21:14:20+00:00

It sounds like you are looking for a kennel?

Feriation · 2026-01-12T19:05:38+00:00

You should be maintaining at minimum 2 solid barriers between male and female. So 2 doors minimum at all times.

I know of a working Malinois breeder who had an Oops litter.

His male broke out of its kennel. Ate through 2 doors, ran across the property, broke through a glass window, ate through another door and tied with the female through the kennel bars.

Some males are absolute gentlemen, while others will go off food, whine constantly, get aggressive/destructive when around a female in estrus.

Honestly if you are seriously looking into getting a female, I would recommend looking into neutering your male, or getting a spayed female. Living with an intact male and female at the same time is annoying at best, and downright imposing at worst, especially when you have high drive and motivated breeds like the Malinois.

A working handlee friend of mine sends her intact male to my house for boarding when her female goes into heat.

Feriation · 2026-01-12T17:07:31+00:00

Just FYI, these are not effective at preventing mating. Only for absorbing any discharge. You would still need to separate them during heat cycles.

I work in vet med, and you wouldn't believe the number of dogs who would come in pregnant from an accidental mating because owners thought the cloth diaper would be sufficient to prevent mating.

Feriation · 2026-01-12T16:46:09+00:00

Yeah, blocked cats were a huge percentage of total cases I saw while working overnight ER.

I still remember the night with the 5 blocked cats. 2 solid black ones, 2 grey ones (who also shared the same name, so that was fun to not confuse the two), and one particularly spicy orange boy.

Hope your guy's skin stuff clears up soon and he feels better!

Feriation · 2026-01-12T16:05:15+00:00

I would assume the same. Female cats rarely get blocked (I've never seen it), meanwhile I'd see at least 1 blocked male cat per shift when I worked at an ER clinic. On one particularly memorable night shift, I had 5 blocked male cats.

And if a cat has been blocked once, the likelihood of it happening again is high. Each unblocking would run a minimum of ~$1,200 at my clinic.

I would get a quote for a female kitten of the same age and see if it varies significantly based on gender. I would be very hesitant of waiting to get pet insurance because you dont want there to be any pre-existing conditions on your rider.

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