So yesterday I twittered and facebooked that Kimba was eating a vegetarian pig’s ear and it got a big response. The response mostly being, WTF?!

For those who don’t have dogs, smoked pig’s ears are a chewy, tasty canine treat. They look like, well, a pig’s ear – replete with hair. Gross, though not as gross as pig’s snouts, take it from me. You can see a picture at Love my pet and Dogs bones. (And if you feed your dog pig’s ears, you should be aware that they have a really high fat content and are really, really bad for your dog – not to mention the pig.)

So when I was in Thornbury stocking up on pet roo a week or so ago I discovered a vegetarian pig’s ear. Srsly! As you can see, it is barely distinguishable from the real thing – it feels similar too:

Apparently it’s made from just veggies and natural stuff, and is vegan. Score! I have no idea how they make it look so realistic, but making the moulds must have been pretty fun.

At first Kimba didn’t know what it was and sniffed it disinterestedly, but when I put it in her food bowl she got the gist of it pretty quickly. She loved chewing on it (not the whole thing!). At $3 it’s a pretty good deal, especially as it contains no actual pig.

I don’t know what the pet shop is called, but it’s located on High Street about half a block up from the intersection with Normanby Ave, on the west side. (See location on Where Is.) The shop is run by two lovely, veg-friendly guys and there’s a resident staffy. There are a fair range of veg treats, and the prices are good, so drop in if you’re heading to La Panella one day!

Or if you’re not in Melbourne, why not make one of Pip’s tasty vegan dog treats for your pooch. They look awesome!