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4-D meat

This is a dedicated place for all of your questions and answers about Raw Diets. There are also some really cool groups like "Raw Fed" on the topic you can join. This forum is for people who already know they like the raw diet or sincerely want to learn more. Please remember that you are receiving advice from peers and not professionals. If you have specific health-related questions about your dog's diet, please contact your vet!

  
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Duke

I'm king of the- world!		 
 
Barked: Tue Jul 31, '12 8:51am PST 
Does anyone here ask their raw dog food suppliers whether they source their meat from 4-D animals?

It got me thinking after reading a recent post on a local raw feeding Yahoo! group I belong to. There is a raw dog food supplier in Wisconsin who sources from 4-D animals and sells the meat very cheap. (Go figure.) The OP in that thread said her dogs got very sick from it, yet she still feels it's better than any commercial dog food. I was pretty horrified to read this! Several others chimed in and said they also buy from this same supplier knowing it's 4-D meat.

I would NEVER knowingly feed Duke meat that came from a dying or diseased animal! I have contacted one of my raw sources to make sure none of their meat is 4-D. The others I know where the products come from.

Anyone else have the same concerns?
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Tessa- Sue~*In- loving- memory*~

Gone. But the- ledgend lives on		 
 
Barked: Tue Jul 31, '12 9:24am PST 
I don't think I would buy it from a supplier.. You really have no idea what was wrong with the animal.

But I do feed 4-D meat.

Roadkill (dead)

Injured animals (Dying or downed)

Diseased

And destroyed

I have used goats that were confirmed as having Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis which infects the brain, spine and joints of the goats.. But it is safe food for dogs and humans, those were destroyed.

When I raised quail I ended up with some that were deformed and some that were injured.. All became ferret food.

I've fed lots of roadkill, I've used deer, squirrel, beaver and currently have a groundhog in the freezer.

All of my 8 carnivores are still alive and kicking.

It is good meat and I use a lot of it.. But I know what was wrong with the animals as well as how fresh the meat was it most cases. If the dead animal is bloated or stinks I won't use it.
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Charlie

The world is my- food bowl!		 
 
Barked: Tue Jul 31, '12 3:09pm PST 
I did a bit of research to make sure that the source my co-op uses (Blue Ridge Beef) is reputable and trustworthy. 4D isn't always bad, but has a bad stigma for sure. Generally that stigma refers to low quality, which I avoid at all cost.
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Rexy

I dig in mud- puddles!		 
 
Barked: Tue Jul 31, '12 6:23pm PST 
I'd be okay with 4-D meat if I was the one dealing with it directly and knew exactly what was going on (why and how the animal died etc).
I wouldn't be okay getting it from someone else.
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Mulder

Spooky Mulder		 
 
Barked: Tue Jul 31, '12 9:05pm PST 
Charlie, I never even thought to ask... what actually IS the grade of the BRB?

What few questions I have wanted answered I have been unable find. Did you contact them directly for info or did you find out from your supplier?
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Duke

I'm king of the- world!		 
 
Barked: Wed Aug 1, '12 11:18am PST 
I emailed the local supplier to find out if any of their products are 4-D and the owner continually evaded the question. When I asked him in my last email to please just give a "yes or no," he never responded. He said it all comes from a USDA inspected plant, but not knowing what that meat has been through concerns me. I'm not comfortable with it. If it was from someone I knew, it would be different, but this guy was clearly skirting around my questions as if he had something to hide.

So much for my dirt-cheap source. confused You get what you pay for, I suppose.
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Charlie

The world is my- food bowl!		 
 
Barked: Wed Aug 1, '12 3:07pm PST 
I know for a fact that Blue Ridge Beef sources from USDA approved human-grade facilities. That's actually on one of their webpages, but I also checked in with my co-op leader who has been using them for a long time.

I'm not sure what types of cuts they use (for non-tripe items), though I'd assume a lot of it is probably scrap since their prices are so cheap. Actual scrap is pretty gnarly to look at and handle, nothing you'd see in a grocery store.

Edited by author Wed Aug 1, '12 3:07pm PST

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Mulder

Spooky Mulder		 
 
Barked: Wed Aug 1, '12 3:29pm PST 
I hope so... I did some searching last night, and came up with a few very discouraging tidbits confused

I've always wanted information on their %s (IE, bone, organ, etc), though lately I've just been doing the lean beef so its not as big a concern.

I have wondered about the charcoal as well. Why would they add this to feed that is human-grade? Though I'm guessing if it is scrap that might be the answer.

Found this on their site:
"USDA inspected human grade food facilities"

The facilities are human-quality... but is the meat? shrug

Edited by author Wed Aug 1, '12 3:38pm PST

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Charlie

The world is my- food bowl!		 
 
Barked: Wed Aug 1, '12 4:14pm PST 
Not sure to be honest, Onyx frown. I've been feeding ground mixes from them for 2 years now without a problem, but I understand your concern.

Their bone percentages are definitely not 10%. When I feed their venison/bone mix, my dogs have crumbly poop within about 3 days of feeding. I'd estimate it's more like 30% bone.
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Layla CGN

oh the life of a- princess!		 
 
Barked: Fri Aug 3, '12 6:39am PST 
Probably doesn't help you guys much, but I make my own raw food and buy all my beef directly from a butcher. He sells me scraps for 2.50$/lb. Sometimes it's very fatty and full of ligaments and nerves, but sometimes it looks like I could throw it on the BBQ! The cost is probably high, but it's the cheapest I can get around here. The meat is always very fresh.
The largest raw dog food supplier (Totally Raw Natural Dog Food) sells only human grade meat (other than green tripe of course), so it's very expensive.

I've fed chicken from my parents farm that was dying. shrug Never thought it could hurt the pups, it was killed the day before they ate it and the meat was fine.
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