Raw-feeding — Liver?
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editor in
Question & Answer on
Nov 23rd, 2009 |
7 responses
I want to add a bit more to my dog’s raw diet. My local supermarket sells raw livers in little plastic tubs, a few in each tub. Chicken and Pork I believe. Are these safe to just buy and serve?
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I’ve given store bought livers to my dogs when I fed raw and they did just fine on them. but of course the fresher you can get the better! lol. I also used to give chicken hearts…great treat!
Careful of giving tooooo much organ meat at one time as it can cause loose poop.
Generally speaking, I feel they are too “old” once they’ve made it to the supermarket and sat around for a few days. They buy from a wholesaler who sells frozen organs in bulk… they thaw them and then repackage them… often, refreezing a portion of them. Organ meat bought from a supermarket (really, any meat) is intended to be cooked… it is my opinion organ meat is subject to more iffy handling.
I prefer to buy my organ meat from the wholesale supplier who sells to the supermarket… I can thaw them slowly and feed as they thaw… if necessary I will refreeze a portion of them but *I* know exactly what care they’ve had at every step.
Edit: I would love to live in AK… when I lived in the “not quite as great white north” (MN) I was able to hit up my friends (who hunted) to give me the organs. I actually talked a couple of grouse/pheasant hunters to baggie and cooler the entire “guts” of their catch. Sometimes I had more venison hearts and livers (and bones) than I could deal with… eventually I bought another freezer. Free meat is GOOD!
They should be getting liver any ways as a part of their 10% of organs half of that needs to be liver.
Start with the chicken liver and just try a small bit at a time. You may have to freeze it or sprinkle some cheese on it to make it more appealing at first. Some dogs don’t take to liver right away and some only like liver from certain sources.
Beef but not chicken or pork etc.
Well, at my local grocery stores, it’s either huge slabs of nasty beef liver, or a little tub of nice, little chicken livers, which are perfect portions size!
They are certainly safe.
EDIT: Animal Artwork– you’re certainly lucky to have that option– in my town– it’s Safeway or bust. No butchers here. (small, almost rural town in Alaska)
EDIT2: I did get a lot of venison bones from my dad, but they were taking up too much space so I eventually pitched them. My dad field dresses his kills, so he leaves the guts behind, or throws them in the ocean for the fish to eat, eagles to scavenge, etc… so I never have the opportunity to get organs from him. Perhaps if I eventually get out hunting myself I’ll baggie that stuff up.
Yes they are. We have chicken & beef livers at our grocery store. My dog likes beef livers but not the chicken ones.
yes, any liver is fine – but be careful ! Only add small amounts, or your dog might get the runs…. You can freeze the rest
Yes — I feed raw chicken livers fairly often. I don’t think I’ve seen pork liver at the store, but they get the raw beef liver, too.