WINTER AND A RAW MEAT DIET

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.