How Much Too Feed Of Different Meats?



Crazy Ball'O Fur
Barked: Fri Oct 5, '12 4:13pm PST 

So mainly right now I'm feeding Bella whole chicken (Not head and feathers whole, just like the ones you buy in the store) plus added chicken liver (Trying to find another organ the add, but she's quite picky) plus she's been getting some ground beef (About 15% fat) egg, and pork when I'm feeding her a really bony part of the chicken (Back, neck)

But I'm wondering if this is enough variation with meats? If not what else can I add that can be cheaply found at supermarket? I'd prefer something with a good meat/bone ratio so that I don't have to worry about following with something more meaty or boney.

Jackson Tan

Lad about town
Barked: Fri Oct 5, '12 8:14pm PST 
Chicken liver isn't as nutritious as these from red meat, so I would add some liver and kidney from beef, pork or lamb. Heart from any of these animals is also very good for a cheap red meat to add in. My dog mainly eats beef and chicken though and he's fine, I add in pork and some lamb bones when I can get it but mainly it's chicken pieces for bone and beef scraps. (With red meat organs).

Lately I've been buying pork shoulder to replace the beef, just to mix it up a bit. It's usually very cheap, I just cut it up into meal size chunks and store it. I think once shoulder would last your dog a while, too!

Crazy Ball'O Fur
Barked: Fri Oct 5, '12 9:27pm PST 
Yeah, I've been trying to switch her to other organs, but the only thing she will eat is chicken liver. She turned her nose up to pork kidney and beef liver when I tried it.

Jackson Tan

Lad about town
Barked: Fri Oct 5, '12 10:13pm PST 
Mine does too, I feed him dehydrated instead. You can also try lightly searing it with a bit of cheese, some dogs like that.

the chi-weenie
Barked: Sat Oct 6, '12 7:57am PST 
red meats are going to be the most nutritious for them.

my dog doesn't like raw organs but she will eat them in small cubes when frozen.
she was the opposite with liver, she prefers beef over chicken(I guess she knows what's good for her lol), but when they are frozen they have less flavor/texture so she gobbles them up.

I actually feed a premade beef based raw from www.saddogsushi.com and give chicken thighs as extra because I still want her to get whole raw meaty bones and not just ground up stuff. but I can't afford beef from the supermarket. So I stick with my dog sushi, it's quite affordable for being premade and beef based. only 1.99/lb

I'm king of the- world!
Barked: Sat Oct 6, '12 5:58pm PST 
Chicken liver isn't enough--try some of the suggestions for adding in pork or beef liver. Duke refused all organ at first, but searing it in butter topped with Parmesan cheese made it mighty enticing! He still won't eat kidney raw; I have to freeze it in chunks.

You need to get in more secreting organ (spleen, kidney, pancreas). Try freezing or searing.

Chicken with a little hamburger is not nutritious enough. Shoot for half the diet as red meat. If you add some of the suggested pork, bump up the beef, and add in some beef liver and kidney, you'll be in good shape!

If you have ethnic markets anywhere nearby, they are worth a trip. Lots of organ and other cuts.

I listen...when- I want to
Barked: Mon Oct 8, '12 12:41pm PST 
For more variety and red meat, you could feed heart. Pork and beef hearts are typically available at most ethnic groceries, and a very affordable source of red meat. I know you are wanting bone-in pieces, so ou could try ribs, oxtail, pork neck, etc.

I'm triple- superior MAD- now!
Barked: Mon Oct 8, '12 1:27pm PST 
It isn't easy to find bony stuff with the right amount of bone to meat. Whole chicken isn't right, it is 30% bone over all.

Small whole fish like sardines, mackerel and anchovies are about right but that is a lot of fish and many dogs aren't fans.

These are too large for your small dog but once I lucked into a sale of whole pork loin. I cut the bones apart myself so there weren't any sawn bones and one rib/loin chop with a side of organ was a perfect meal for Max.

Usually I feed Max some bony stuff with boneless meat and organ on the side. For a while now I have been feeding a larger meal of that sort and the following day he gets boneless stuff so I don't worry about overdoing the bone.

You could try pork ribs and neck, beef ribs, lamb anything. Max eats the soft stuff and nibbles enough bone from the ends to firm his poop. I throw away a lot of bare bone which means these aren't very cheap meals but they sure are fun for him to eat.

Remember dogs only need 10% bone for nutrition, any more is for stool consistency. I try to keep the bone down as low as possible because excessive bone intake is not a good thing.