I tried an experiment with Cooper last night. Here are the results:
1 tablespoon of Wellness canned, mixed with 1/4 cup Innova. Placed mixture in ceramic doggy bowl the subject picked out at Petsmart about a year ago. Food was inhaled, no chewing involved.
Ceramic bowl was sitting next to stainless steel bowl the subject picked out on the same trip as the ceramic bowl. It contained 1/4 cup Innova and no canned food. The subject did not notice it sitting there. Had not noticed for an entire week.
After dinner was ingested, researchers put the 1/4 cup Innova that was resting in the stainless steel bowl into the ceramic bowl.
The subject approached the bowl cautiously. He sniffed the bowl for 20 seonds, looking for something which researchers assumed was the missing canned food.
Once the subject concluded that the new food contained in the ceramic did not include the canned food, he took each piece of food out of the bowl and placed the kibble neatly on the carpet.
Once all the kibble was removed, the subject returned to the ceramic bowl for further investigation. Sniffing occurred for approximately 20 seconds with an ocassional glance at the kibble. The stainless steel bowl was never under investigation.
The subject returned to the dry kibble and continued his investigation by sniffing - then began pawing at the kibble, dispersing it further onto the carpet. The feline subject approached our canine, looked at him, looked at the kibble and hissed before walking off in disgust.
Our subject watched the feline as she disappeared into the hallway, as he stood over the dry kibble. Once the feline was out of sight, the subject picked up each piece, placing the kibble back into the ceramic bowl.
The subject then sat by the bowl for approximately 3 minutes. He had a look of confusion on his face and was obviously weighing his options. After thinking through his plan of action, our subject approached the Greenies box in the dining area of the kitchen and barked. He was given a Greenie which he took from the kitchen area to the carpeted area near the ceramic and stainless bowls.
The subject placed the Greenie into the stainless steel bowl - a move which caught researchers off guard. He then ate 4 pieces of kibble after removing them from the ceramic bowl.
Still confused by the kibble, the subject belched loudly. He then turned to the stainless bowl, retrieved the Greenie and jumped on the couch to devour his after-dinner treat.
The kibble was not touched again.