EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

HOW MANY GO RAW MEAT ONLY DURING THE WINTER MONTHS?  I THINK THIS YEAR ILL BE HITTING UP THE PROCESSERS AND CUTTING UP EVERY PIG WE SHOOT. ITS SEEMS LIKE A GOOD TIME OF THE YEAR TO DO IT.

I know alot of people do it year around

I KNOW THAT BUT I AM SAYING JUST DURING DEER SEASON. HAVE THEY HAD ANY PROBLEMS GOING FROM KIBBLE TO RAW BACK TO KIBBLE.

Im not sure i will have to ask them

I still feed some dry but feed alot of. Deer meat. Ribs and and cuttins. Beef liver. Chickens turkeys what ever I can get my hands on mostly deer ribs and pork

 Be sure to freeze any wild meat you feed. I feed chicken,fish,deer and pork. All year for me. Also do rice,greens and organ meats.

I DO THAT ANYWAYS. I DONT EAT OR FEED  ANYHTING WILD THAT HASNT BEEN FROZEN FOR AT LEAST A WEEK. I KNOW GUYS THAT TAKE IT STRAIGHT OFF THE ANIMAL TO THE GRILL THAT JUST ISNT FOR ME. 

I DIDNT THINK ABOUT ORGAN MEATS THOUGH. I GUESS JUST THE LIVER AND HEART?

kidneys too!

What is the difference in feeding them raw meat that has been frozen and meat that is frozen and then thrown on the grill and cooked. Does it hurt your dogs if the meat is cooked. My dogs eat the heck out of it either way. But wanted to know what is better for the mutts.   

Cooking the meat defeats the purpose of raw.

Whats the purpose of raw?

The difference between eating raw foods and bagged dog food is like you eating McDonalds or at steak house. Just much healthy for the dogs. I am currently collecting deer scraps. I filled up a small chest freezer this summer with beef fat from the butcher. I will add it to their regular dog food this winter. I am gonna save the deer meat for summer to take the body fat off my dogs. Leaner dogs handle the heat better and the added protein will help their muscles out from the hard huntin. I plan to keep feeding some regular dog food for the vitamins and minerals...

Thats kind of what i am asking. Is there more nutrients in the meat when the meat is raw rather than cooked. I guess I will do a search and see if this has been brought up before.

Dogs are carnivores that evolved eating raw foods. Commercial foods are generally heat processed which alters or destroys nutrients and essential enzymes.
 Reason not to cook the meat first.- First, dogs evolved to eat raw meat. Second, cooking causes bones to become brittle and dangerous. NEVER feed cooked bones to your dog! Third, cooking will destroy enzymes and anti-oxidants essential to your dog’s health.

 My number one reason to feed raw is less crap to pick up.

Thanks for the answer cantex. Just searched for the answer and found what you just stated.

Yup, what Savoy said. Better health, better energy levels, better coat, better teeth, way better digestion, etc. Raw is the way to go. And yes, cooking the meat not only diminishes those benefits, it can be dangerous when bones are involved.

Our resident raw expert Betty Leek wrote this blog post last year for deer hunters. It is still my favorite resource for how to feed venison during deer season. http://workinglacys.wordpress.com/2008/11/14/feeding-raw-deer/

Pretty much the only thing she doesn't feed is the digestive track. All of the other organs get fed. Liver is a staple of raw, but the heart, kidneys and everything else are great. Bones are a must and she'll often leave some hide on as well.

so do you have to freeze or do anything to the wild meat before its safe for the dog to eat? is there anything unsafe for the dogs to eat raw besides the intestines and hoves?

I have actually been told that the intestines are good for the dogs and that when wild dogs catch their prey they usually clean out the cavity before moving on to the meat & bones. My Bull/heeler is pushing double digits soon and has worn down all 4 of her fangs to almost her gumline so I cook her meat for her on an old grill I have just to get the meat a little easier for her to gnaw on but I leave it still nice and bloody for the vitamins and minerals available to her. The rest of my yard gets their raw meal at least 2 a week depending on how we do the weekends before, I have also been told to freeze the meat for at least a week to kill bacteria I believe!

Does anybody have a guestimated ratio for feeding raw? Pound or quarter to pound or size of dog?

I ground sum deer meat up into hamburger cause i have a 9yr old dog without any front teeth and it is easier for him to eat. I was wondering if it is better for him if i add beef fat or just feed it straight?

I go by size of the dog or if I think they could use more I throw in a little extra
It really depnds if you're planning on giving him the deer for an extended time or just as a "meal" every couple days. If that is all you plan on feeding him you may want to add a little more fat into his diet or just keep an eye on his weight

2-3% of adult weight. Some take more some less. Each dog is going to be differant. I dont weigh the food,just geuss with mine. One takes more to keep weight on, a few take less then 2% and do fine. I feed whole fish 2 times a month,rice with chicken one week and organ meat one time a month. 44/lb for my chicken now. 2.xx/lb for whole fish, 2.xx/lb hearts/gizzards. rice cheap/lb.

2 to 3% of total weight for most dogs, though really active curs with a high metabolism might need up to 4%. My dog is between 30 and 35 pounds, and most of the year I alternate between .5 pound chicken thighs and 1 pound chicken quarters to get the weight right. I really don't weigh the meat any more, I eyeball it, and then adjust according to whether or not she's gaining too much.

You also want to make sure that you make some cuts with bone in them. A lot of dental and digestive benefits in raw come from the bones. Bulldogs can probably eat most of the bones on a deer, I've seen a pit mix literally eat an entire shoat. For curs and hounds and younger bulldogs, the ribs and neck bones are perfect.

As for freezing meat, I', fine with feeding deer straight off the animal. The only thing I wouldn't feed without freezing first is hogs. But I do know people that feed fresh hogs regularly and their dogs are fine. Personally, I don't want to risk it with all the diseases and parasites wild pigs carry, but deer should be pretty safe. Of course if you have time to freeze it and remember to thaw it, freezing can't hurt.

And with the digestive track, the stomach is fine, and yes, in the wild dogs would eat the liver, heart, lungs, kidneys and other internal organs first. Definitely save those, they have tons of fabulous nutrients that dogs won't get from meat and bones alone. But I've always heard the intestines, especially the lower intestines, are often left. Of course if you want to clean out the intestines to feed, I'm sure the organ itself is fine, but that process was a little too nasty for even Betty.

I wonder if freezing is to kill potential parasites that can live in pork muscle.  Trichinella or something like that... been a long time since biology class, but I remember something about that parasite living in swine

The actula chewing process of the Raw Bones and meat are part of the Raw process that makes it healthier. The dogs with hardly any teeth can still eat it and is good for them, it helps make their gums healtheir to preserve what teeth they have left, you think you are making it easier for them, but in reality you are defeating part of the benifits!

BONES (that are RAW) are good for the dogs to digest- BONE Marrow it is important part of the diet.

Most of my dogs will not eat a rib bone but will hammer a leg bone, go figure. Deer necks are also good. They are pretty meaty as well.

I thought you raw guys tried to stay away from the spine because of the fluids?

 I have feed many spines. Right or wrong, I dont know.

Just like anything else RAW has many different "experts" each has a variation of opinion of does and don'ts. I feed bone in, ribs with chuncks of spine, now I may regret it one day, but for now I will keep doing it. I have read alot of info on the internet, even picked up a book and read parts of one time, but the real answer is going to be inthe results what it does for the dog, and what comes out the other end. I will do what works best for my dog, even when some of the experts advise against it.

I use a SAWZall to cut up carcass so I can give chunks of meat on the bone and let the dogs wear it out.

Thanks yall I got a new deep freeze just to feed out of and a saw zaw  I think Iam ready

What is the problem with givin them the meat when your cleaning the hog? Why do you have to freeze it? I usually cut 2 or 3 up at a time and just cut pieces off and throw it two them. They dont ever get sick.

Once deer season starts, my dogs will eat venison until i run out.  they lean out nicely and there are no negative side effects that I have seen.  More solid muscle, less fat, much nicer coat, and their sh!t piles are a lot smaller and firmer.  The only bad instance was when I gave them deer meat that was cooked and seasoned.....it gave them the RUNS!!!!!