Dogs and raw game meat

[Gutshot007]

When we used to put up beaver after trapping season we would feed dogs small amounts of beaver meat . They did fine . Sled dogs eat it all the time

 

[*zap*]

my dog eats zero dogfood...

 

[bbassi]

Me neither, but the vet comes highly recommended so I thought maybe he knew what he was talking about

Well, they also say you shouldn't feed a dog a lot of things, like chocolate for example. I had a Lab one time that ate 5 lbs of freshly baked Christmas fudge in about 5 minutes (probably less). The only ill effects he suffered was the ringing in his ears from my wife SCREAMING at him for another 10 minute, but the way he looked at us and waged his tail told me it was all worth it to him. After that I became convinced the people that said chocolate was bad for dogs was just a bunch of fat women that didn't want to share with man's best friend. YMMV

 

[G_Tacoma]

my dog eats zero dogfood...

Same here, he’s 9 years old and no issues

 

[doc holiday13]

My dog is 7 years old. He's eaten probably 5 deer, 50 squirrels, 3 geese, and at least 1 groundhog... Thats just the animals I know about. He's a 50# mountain cur .. Damn best squirrel and coon dog

I say your local vet should install the Dunce cap and proceed to sit in the corner

 

[JRay]

We feed raw game as a supplement to their dog food. No issues

 

[Fatcamp]

Damn new rescue dog ate a whole tray of plain jerky off the stove yesterday.

Our animals gather round and compete for best behaved when we butcher.

 

[MallardSX2]

My dogs get plenty of raw scraps. They love it. It reminds them that they came from wolves....even though they are black labs. lol

 

[Gobbler36]

I’ve been giving my GSPs deer and elk trimmings for years never an issue.
when I wanna see my dog at her happiest it’s when I drop a bowl of elk trim down

 

[-bowfreak-]

My dog loses its mind over game meat. I will give it butchered quarters and she will clean them up and eventually eat all the bones. Her favorite part is the cartilage and tendons that attach in the joints. I freeze the quarters and give them to here throughout the year. I couldn't tell you how many pounds of wild game meat this dog has eaten.

 

[TripleJ]

When my lab was younger, we had returned from duck hunting, and I was breasting out some mallards. I would typically give him a few scraps while I cleaned them. I put the 1st carcass on the ground after I cleaned it but wasn't paying much attention to what he was doing. I heard some crunches and stuff, but I didn't think much of it. After I cleaned the next bird, I looked down and all that was left of the 1st carcass was one foot. I have no idea how he ate that whole thing so quick but he did. I was pretty worried about the next 24 hours and that he would either puke or crap inside, but other than some awful gas, everything was pretty normal for him. We have always fed him raw meat scraps from the time he was a pup, and there has never really been an issue other than bad gas.

 

[Macintosh]

I knew not one, but two dogs that died from eating chocolate. I’ve also known several dogs that ate large quantities of dark chocolate that were totally fine. So just be warned that much of what you read on the internet is based on an individuals personal experience—which is pretty universally a very small sample size. While usually true, there is no guarantee that your experience will be the same or that another persons experience reflects the norm.

Wild dogs eat the digestive tract full of vege matter as well as meat. Regardless of whether they are “carnivores” or not, If you feed only meat scraps they will not get the nutrition they need. They also dont get the ability to digest and process that diet overnight, and they frequently have worms and other parasites as a result. Also wild dogs lifespans are usually shorter than domestic dogs for lots of reasons, but parasites is one if them.

One of the reasons vets recommend against raw food is due to the lack of consistency. 99% of it is likely fine, but there is generally nothing guaranteeing consistency or that the ingridients from one batch is the same quality as the next batch. You’ll also see that most vets recommend food from one of the larger companies (ex purina) because by virtue of being large they have better consistency in their supply chain as well as a higher level of scrutiny compared to a small company. Look at the number of pet food recalls and you’ll see that even manufacturers of processed kibble have serious problems with this. There is also the issue of dealing with raw meat storage and handling to make sure it stays fit for consumption as well as doesnt cause problems for the people involved. A hunter with a big chest freezer may be better prepared to deal with this than most people in the US.

Take all that for what its worth—theres enough in the details that you can tease out arguments for and against feeding raw meat. At least if its your meat you know exactly where it came from.

 

[Okhotnik]

I save all of the scraps, cut up bones, freeze them in zip locks and boil before feeding dogs mixed in with their dry food. . Never feed before a road trip unless you can drive while gagging and eyes tearing up from the gas lol

 

[Radford]

I freeze scraps of the deer for my dogs and give it to them as treats. They love it. I’ve always done this and my dogs don’t seem to have any change in their fart smells not always stinks. A long time ago i threw some rotten rabbit guts in the camp fire. Well somehow they didn’t burn and my dogs ate them and projectile vomited all over the living room. Still can’t understand how those guys didn’t burn up. Only explanation is they were demon rabbit guts.

 

[tony]

My high price Doberman is on any strange shit pile like a crack whore getting a new batch to smoke.
I wish I had raw game meat to give him.

 

[Carlin59]

My (wife’s) dog is the least “dog” dog I’ve ever seen. 9 lb Italian Greyhound-Chihuahua mix. Rail thin, tall and lanky, terrible anxiety, hates going outside, refuses walks, sleeps under the cover exclusively, always cold, basically not a real dog. But he will sit in the garage shivering for hours when I’m butchering just hoping for scraps. Definitely something primal clicking at that point, and something he and I can bond over so he gets quite a bit of scrap off every critter to no ill effect.

 

[SKOL808]

I feed my dogs wild sheep scraps and have had no issues. Cut them up and portion and freeze.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

Macintosh hit the nail on the head.
Don't mess around with chocolate. If it's a single Hershey's kiss, and a large breed dog you're fine. The higher concentration of chocolate (cocoa powder), the more harmful it is. I have seen dogs have major tachycardia, seizures and death from chocolate toxicity.

Game meat: I don't care and often suggest it for dogs with dietary sensitivities, but always cooked. Chance's are your pet will be fine with raw, but you still open the door for potential salmonella, campylobacter, and shigella. I'd just cook it.

Doc Holiday, I'm awarding you with your official Google Veterinary Degree. You'll go quite far at your own dog's expense. Congratulations, looking forward to you furthering the Google Veterinary field.

 

[Johnboy041586]

I've always feed my dogs raw scraps and deer feet. Haven't had a problem so far. Might wanna start with a small amount first if they've never had any before and see if it agrees with them.

 

[Tony Trietch]

I have been feeding the dogs raw deer/elk scraps for a decade but finally got a pup that can't handle it. The mess he makes afterwards is not worth it. Will be cooking it up for them now.