wolves + wheat = dogs?

nanoboy said:
This probably has no relation to dogs, wolves and wheat, but how come cats didn't become omnivorous after domestication? They still are, for the most part, obligate carnivores, and are probably the only carnivorous domesticated animal. :confused:
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cats aren't really adapted for eating anything except meat (tigers have been known to eat durians, as an example of the contrary, but this isn't a regular food item). Dogs on the other hand are rather more omnivorous naturally. Most species of fox, for example, readily feed on fruit and other vegetable matter.
 
Chlidonias said:
cats aren't really adapted for eating anything except meat (tigers have been known to eat durians, as an example of the contrary, but this isn't a regular food item). Dogs on the other hand are rather more omnivorous naturally. Most species of fox, for example, readily feed on fruit and other vegetable matter.
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I did not know that. Thanks for the explanation.

The documentaries (because you know I don't read books ;)) show polar bears -the largest land carnivore - eating plant material, but all I ever see is wolves taking down a deer or foxes killing small mammals to feed their young.
 
nanoboy said:
I did not know that. Thanks for the explanation.

The documentaries (because you know I don't read books ;)) show polar bears -the largest land carnivore - eating plant material, but all I ever see is wolves taking down a deer or foxes killing small mammals to feed their young.
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I don't know about grey wolves specifically, but dogs in general can be quite omnivorous.
 
A friend's pet fox used to get very excited about fruit. My experience of dogs is that they eat anything except lemons, teabags & dead rats. Other people's dogs have been known to eat both the last named. [I do of course feed my dog a sensible 'dog food' diet].
 
FBBird said:
A friend's pet fox used to get very excited about fruit. My experience of dogs is that they eat anything except lemons, teabags & dead rats. Other people's dogs have been known to eat both the last named. [I do of course feed my dog a sensible 'dog food' diet].
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We recently aquired a new dog and some literature I was sent said that Grapes are poisonous to Dogs, something I had not heard before. My last dog adored Grapes and ate them throughout her long life with no apparent harm. She also liked Melon rinds, banana, apple etc even the pith on orange peel (but not grapefruit). But none of them as much as Grapes which she would do anything for.
 
wolves+wheat=dogs?

It may be that grapes are more toxic to some breeds of dog than to others. I believe this is the case with chocolate, particularly bad for Labradors. Having said that, before we knew it was bad for her, our previous Lab had chocolate, grapes & goodness knows what else, & she made 13 & a half. When I was a kid, someone bought our Dachshund a box of dog chocolate drops, which she didn't like, so I ate them.
The pet fox I mentioned was particularly fond of pears. All our dogs have enjoyed a carrot or stick of celery at least as much as a bone. The current Labrador grazed down some cabbage plants last year and will get his head in a bucket of corn or poultry pellets if he can.
 
FBBird said:
Having said that, before we knew it was bad for her, our previous Lab had chocolate, grapes & goodness knows what else, & she made 13 & a half.
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Coincidence, my last one was thirteen and a half also. I knew that Chocolate was bad for them, but not grapes. The new one seems interested in grapes too, but I'm not letting him have them(not yet anyway) But he already likes apple, lettuce stalks etc.
 
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