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Ground Bison, Pig Ears, Pig Feet

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!

  
Benji- Knockout

Always searching- for my next- meal!		 
 
Barked: Fri Jul 13, '12 4:57pm PST 
My supermarket carries ground bison. While it isn't the cheapest I thought about picking some up for Benji especially because being so small he doesn't eat to much and the pack could last about 3-4 meals. I was thinking of giving him chicken wings or necks since they are more bone to make up for the lack of it.

Also they carry pig feet (fresh) as well as ears. They look really fatty but i've seen smoked (i believe) versions offered in stores as chews and wondered if these would be good alternates. What should I feed as a meal on a day where he might get one? Maybe something lean with bones like bone in chicken breast or quarters?

Just looking on insight to keep Benji healthy.
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Starbuck

Hey! Wanna- cuddle?		 
 
Barked: Fri Jul 13, '12 5:33pm PST 
Please don't feed ground meat! It has a far greater surface area that can allow anaerobic bacteria to build up much faster. Maybe see if you can find bison in stew style chunks.

Also, a note about bone: Unless you are in the process of transitioning to a raw diet, there is no need to feed bone on a daily basis. In fact, I personally aim for only 3 days a week with bone in meals.

Raw pig feet and ears can make for fun treats but shouldn't be considered a significant part of the whole diet. Please don't buy smoked products! There are many more reports of dogs choking on smoked bones/rawhide then there are of the same happening with raw. Our canine pals are designed specifically to eat raw meat, bone, and organ as the primary part of their diet. There's no need to give anything cooked. I will admit that I occasionally cave and will buy a few pizzle sticks though....
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Rexy

I dig in mud- puddles!		 
 
Barked: Fri Jul 13, '12 5:47pm PST 
I feed ground on a semi-regular basis and have had no issues whatsoever.
So long as you take proper precautions, you should be fine.
That being said, I personally would only buy ground if it was ground and packaged in-store.

Chicken necks and wings sound fine for bones sources. As to how often one should feed bone, that is highly dependent on the individual dog. Some dogs are fine with bone just a few times per week, while others need bone every day in order to have decent poops.

I would pass on the smoked feet and would consider trying the regular pigs feet, but would only do so once you are sure he will tolerate pork without any issues.

Edited by author Fri Jul 13, '12 5:49pm PST

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Benji- Knockout

Always searching- for my next- meal!		 
 
Barked: Sat Jul 14, '12 11:08am PST 
The feet and ears aren't smoked they are raw. I was saying that I have seen them smoked so wondered if raw was okay to give to Benji. SEeing how much fat was on them I would never replace them as a meal but I know I have to account for all calories consumed from treats when it comes to food.

Benji doesn't eat bone everyday... I eats bone a few times a week depending on what the weekly meal is. He does great on pork!

Also, the reason I asked about the Bison was because I have only seen it ground they don't offer any chunks. I know ground collects bacteria but he sometimes eats those premade ground patties without getting sick... They last less than 20 seconds so I'm not so worried about bacteria...

I was more worried about pink slime type issues I didn't know if that effected bison meat and if I needed to add additional bone because it was ground.

Thanks for the help I will buy a package of ears to give as chews once every few weeks as well as some Bison. The grocery store near me has all types of great meat!
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Meridian

Proud to be a- kitchen wolf!!!		 
 
Barked: Sat Jul 14, '12 7:18pm PST 
I'm going to go against the grain here and say I think some ground bison meat here and there actually sounds like a great idea if that's the only way you can get it and don't have access to game meats or the like. The nature of bison as animals means they can't be raised like cattle in confined feeding areas being fed garbage. They require lots of space to roam around and are more active and get the chance to browse and graze and live closer to their wild relatives even if they're being ranched for meat. They simply won't thrive otherwise. This means a different (and healthier) nutrient profile overall, and a great addition to a diet that mostly consists of more conventionally raised livestock. As long as you're getting plenty of RMBs and bone-in cuts of other stuff for the bulk of the diet the ground stuff every once in a while shouldn't be that much of a detriment in my opinion.

Count yourself lucky to have bison available at your local grocery, too! I live in Canada in an area where there's a fair amount of bison ranching going on, and see it every once in a while at the regular grocery store, but every meat clerk I've asked says it's hard to get because the demand is so great from our neighbors to the south that it all goes there, as it fetches a higher price. Phooey! wink
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Benji- Knockout

Always searching- for my next- meal!		 
 
Barked: Sun Jul 15, '12 4:14am PST 
I think I am going to feed it every 2-3 weeks for as long as my budget allows. It is expensive but with Benji being under 3lbs I can afford the occasional treat. I can take it out of my own grocey budget instead of his when I have extra. I'm sure I will never see it on sale but I'm glad I saw it to begin with. I may also look at the farmers market and see if they sell any there!
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