Freezer clean out (vet, cleaning, diet, allergies)
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I'm going through my freezer and I've come across some meats that are probably past their date. I hate to just throw it away. Do you all think I could bake it and cut it up and feed it to my dogs? If the flavor is a little off, I seriously doubt they will care . Is there any reason why it would be unhealthy or is it just a flavor thing? For example, I have some salmon that I took out and I know it is frostbit, but it has been in the freezer the whole time. Can some bacteria survive the freezer and cause it to be tainted after a certain amount of time? Their diet is probably 90% dry food (Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul--Large Breed), but I will mix left over meats from dinner or eggs from breakfast... into their kibble a few times a week, so it wouldn't be a shock to their system to have a little something different mixed in.
If I wouldn't feed it to my family, I wouldn't feed it to my dogs. But, that's probably just me. I don't ever feed my dogs meat....they have had bad reactions in the past, but they love almost all fresh fruits & veggies.
If you are feeding a good quality dry food, they do not need the extra meat. I've seen too many animals come into the clinic I work at with pancreatitis from eating table food....even when they are 'used to it'.
If the meat is unenhanced (no injected broths, seasonings, etc), I'd feed it raw. I do that now. The salmon should be ok to feed, the minimum time to freeze that is 2-3 weeks.
I'm a raw feeder, and to cut costs, I sometimes post ads on freecycle and Craig's List looking for meat that's outdated, basically, looking for people cleaning out their freezers like you.
It should be ok to feed, it's just not a good idea to feed raw together with kibble. If you plan to feed it with the kibble, I wouldn't do it. Cooking it would only destroy whatever nutrients are still there. Just toss it if you're not comfortable with it.
Or put an ad on Craig's List saying you're cleaning out the freezer and offering the meat to raw feeders. You'll probably get a bite.
I would not feed the salmon raw to a dog. Salmon and some other fish can have a parasite that can kill a dog. The condition is called Salmon poisoning and my sister sees it quite often at the vet clinc she works at up in Oregon and it has been from undercooked or raw salmon.
If I wouldn't feed it to my family, I wouldn't feed it to my dogs. But, that's probably just me. I don't ever feed my dogs meat....they have had bad reactions in the past, but they love almost all fresh fruits & veggies.
If you are feeding a good quality dry food, they do not need the extra meat. I've seen too many animals come into the clinic I work at with pancreatitis from eating table food....even when they are 'used to it'.
I'm not even talking of a whole meal of meat. For example, every 2-3 days I might have some grilled chicken breast and carrots left over at dinner. I'll reduce their kibble amount and chop up the chicken and carrots and mix it with the kibble. Why would a little bit of good, lean protein be bad added to their food? As I said, it is probably no more than 10% of their calories, realistically it is probably closer to 5%.
I mainly do it as a treat. But I figure good simple food, I limit it to lean meats, eggs and vegetables, is good for them in small quantities. I don't give them starches, overly fatty or salty foods. I mean, what did dogs eat before the pet food industry told us anything not from a bag or can will kill our pets?
I would not feed the salmon raw to a dog. Salmon and some other fish can have a parasite that can kill a dog. The condition is called Salmon poisoning and my sister sees it quite often at the vet clinc she works at up in Oregon and it has been from undercooked or raw salmon.
That's why it needs to be frozen for a couple of weeks first, to kill the parasites. I don't feed it because it's expensive to buy!
I'm not even talking of a whole meal of meat. For example, every 2-3 days I might have some grilled chicken breast and carrots left over at dinner. I'll reduce their kibble amount and chop up the chicken and carrots and mix it with the kibble. Why would a little bit of good, lean protein be bad added to their food? As I said, it is probably no more than 10% of their calories, realistically it is probably closer to 5%.
I mainly do it as a treat. But I figure good simple food, I limit it to lean meats, eggs and vegetables, is good for them in small quantities. I don't give them starches, overly fatty or salty foods. I mean, what did dogs eat before the pet food industry told us anything not from a bag or can will kill our pets?
Oh, that's fine. I'd go ahead and feed that.
And what did they eat before commercial dog food? Raw meat and bones. Wild prey. Raw feeding gave my dog with allergies to who knows what a whole new quality of life.
That's why it needs to be frozen for a couple of weeks first, to kill the parasites. I don't feed it because it's expensive to buy!
I had heard that many parasites just go dormant when meats are frozen and that in order to kill some they must be frozen at -10 degrees which is colder then the average home freezer.
I had heard that many parasites just go dormant when meats are frozen and that in order to kill some they must be frozen at -10 degrees which is colder then the average home freezer.
Hmmm... i don't know. I've never seen that addressed on the raw feeding groups I read. I'll have to post a question.
thanks for the tip!
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. Is there any reason why it would be unhealthy or is it just a flavor thing? For example, I have some salmon that I took out and I know it is frostbit, but it has been in the freezer the whole time. Can some bacteria survive the freezer and cause it to be tainted after a certain amount of time? Their diet is probably 90% dry food (Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul--Large Breed), but I will mix left over meats from dinner or eggs from breakfast... into their kibble a few times a week, so it wouldn't be a shock to their system to have a little something different mixed in.
