On this article I’ll go over among the professionals and cons of feeding uncooked sport meat to canine as a part of the canine’s total uncooked food regimen.

A uncooked food regimen means similar to it sounds, feeding a canine a food regimen of uncooked meat and bones. Be taught extra about the fundamentals of uncooked feeding right here and take a look at our uncooked feeding FAQs.

Whereas there are numerous well being advantages of feeding your canine a uncooked food regimen, one of many downsides is the way it prices much more than feeding dry meals (kibble). 

For instance, feeding certainly one of my 65-pound canine a store-bought uncooked food regimen prices about $400 per thirty days! By comparability, it prices about $80 per thirty days to feed the identical canine a higher-end dry meals.

Even when I purchase the meat myself and make my canine’s uncooked meals, it nonetheless prices about $200 a month to feed certainly one of my canine.

So, it is sensible to contemplate feeding uncooked sport meat to canine, together with the uncooked organ meat and uncooked bones.

Uncooked sport meat can complement what you’re presently feeding your canine whereas saving you some cash on the identical time.

Is it OK to feed my canine uncooked deer meat? Or different wild sport?

Sure and no. It’s not a easy reply. 

Canine are clearly designed for consuming uncooked meat and bones! They will deal with extra micro organism than we will, and their robust jaws and enamel are supposed to simply crunch up, swallow and eat uncooked meat and bones.

So I’ll go over among the professionals and cons of feeding your canine numerous wild sport so you can also make your individual determination about what’s proper to your specific canine.

Sadly, it’s really unlawful in some areas to feed wild sport to pets and livestock. And, after all wild sport also can carry illnesses and parasites. Feeding it to your canine does include some dangers. 

Because of this, it’s sensible to perform a little research on the precise legal guidelines and dangers primarily based on the place you reside and the place the wild sport comes from. Use this text as a really common piece of your ongoing analysis.

Feeding uncooked sport meat to canine advantages

Listed below are among the causes to contemplate feeding your canine uncooked meat from wild sport reminiscent of venison, elk or 

1. Get monetary savings on uncooked pet food by feeding wild sport

You may probably save some huge cash on uncooked pet food by feeding wild sport meat. 

If you happen to hunt massive sport your self reminiscent of elk, you in all probability wish to use that meat to feed your loved ones – the human members of your loved ones, that’s. Until you may have very fortunate canine!

However, generally associates or household might have older elk or venison of their freezer from final 12 months that they didn’t get an opportunity to eat up. Or possibly you may have some your self from the earlier season.

This can be a nice possibility for canine and that means the meat doesn’t go to waste. It actually received’t hurt a canine to eat meat from a earlier season if it’s been frozen.

Because it’s not authorized for leisure hunters to promote wild sport meat in many of the U.S., generally hunters will give their meat away.

You may examine Craigslist or Fb Market for people who find themselves freely giving their additional meat.

Even when your canine just isn’t consuming 100% wild sport meat, it’s nonetheless a pleasant choice to have from time to time as an extra protein supply.

2. Wild sport meat is extra nutritious meat to your canine

Wild sport meat is usually going to be higher high quality meat than something you discover in a grocery retailer! It’s wild, natural free-range meat! 

For example, my household eats wild elk meat at the very least twice every week!

Elk roam freely and eat a pure food regimen of grass, bushes and timber. They don’t eat corn like many of the cows raised for beef, and they aren’t confined to a small space.

Elk meat has so many nutritional vitamins and vitamins and it’s lean meat excessive in protein. It incorporates vitamin B2 and B3, iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium and zinc, in response to WebMD.

3. Wild sport meat is a extra humane meals supply

Sure, nature may be very merciless and violent. However wild animals usually stay happier lives than the cows, pigs and chickens raised for meals in the US.

Consuming wild sport ourselves and feeding it to our canine is much extra humane than supporting U.S. manufacturing facility farming.

4. Number of organ meat – wild sport for canine

Uncooked organ meat is a crucial a part of feeding your canine a uncooked food regimen due to the vitamins present in organs. 

Organ meat ought to make up about 10 p.c of your canine’s uncooked food regimen, in response to most uncooked feeders. See our article on organ meat for canine.

Whereas it’s simple to purchase quite a lot of muscle meat to your canine’s uncooked food regimen – reminiscent of floor beef or hen quarters – it’s not simple to seek out quite a lot of organ meat.

If somebody who goes deer looking and processes the deer themselves, ask them to put aside the organs to your canine. Canine can eat any of the organs from a deer reminiscent of the guts, liver or kidneys.

If you happen to hunt your self and usually take the animal to a wildlife processor, you could possibly ask the processor to avoid wasting the organ meat for you. (Some will and a few is not going to.)

I am going pheasant looking with my canine within the fall and I save the pheasant hearts and livers as a particular deal with for them! They adore it!

5. Uncooked deer bones to your canine

My canine discover deer bones within the woods and chew on them fairly repeatedly – bones reminiscent of rib bones and jaw bones. I solely take them away if the bones seem brittle and sharp from sitting out within the components.

It’s secure to feed uncooked bones to your canine from wild sport meat however I choose to not give my canine massive, dense bones reminiscent of deer legs or any of the massive elk bones. 

The reason being I fear they’ll crack a tooth on these tougher bones, even when it’s a small danger.

Relying in your canine’s chewing model, you may also wish to keep away from giving them bigger bones.

Deer and elk antlers are an alternative choice for chewing. You should buy farm raised elk antlers at some pet meals shops, however giving your canine antlers from wild elk are even higher! 

Once more, know your canine’s chewing model as antlers are additionally very dense for chewing. They make an ideal possibility for some canine and never others.

If you happen to hunt birds like pheasants, geese, geese, turkey or quail, you could possibly save the carcasses to your canine after you’re completed harvesting the meat for your self. This makes an ideal “uncooked meaty bone” meal to your canine.

See our article: Can canine eat turkey necks?

Dangers of feeding your canine wild sport meat

Feeding your canine wild sport meat does have some dangers. You’ll have to resolve for your self if feeding your canine wild sport meat is best for you.

1. Wild sport meat just isn’t inspected

In the US, the Meals Security Inspection Service ensures that each one business meat, poultry and eggs are fit for human consumption. (This doesn’t essentially imply the meat is superior to wild sport meat, however you possibly can belief that you just’re not going to get sick from it.)

Alternatively, wild sport meat from leisure hunters just isn’t inspected by anybody for high quality or security.

It’s important to belief that you just’re getting the meat from somebody who has dealt with and saved it correctly.

2. Wild sport can carry parasites

Any wild animal has the potential to hold parasites, so there’s all the time some danger to feeding your canine any type of wild sport. 

You may kill most potential parasites in wild sport meat by freezing the meat for a month earlier than feeding it to your canine. I like to recommend you utilize a freezer set to 0 levels. This nonetheless doesn’t assure the meat might be freed from parasites but it surely lowers the chance.

When doubtful, you could possibly additionally prepare dinner the meat earlier than feeding it to your canine. Sure, I understand this isn’t uncooked meat however even cooked wild sport is more healthy to your canine than any kibble or grocery retailer meat.

Some examples of parasites canine can get from wild sport meat embrace tapeworms (discovered in lots of animals) or trichinosis (mostly present in wild boar or black bear).

Can canine get trichinosis from uncooked bear meat?

Sure. Canine and folks can get trichinosis from the parasite trichinella mostly present in black bear meat and likewise wild boar. 

If you happen to resolve to feed your canine black bear meat or wild hog meat, I like to recommend you prepare dinner the meat as a substitute of feeding it uncooked.

The trichinella larvae can migrate and embed within the muscle tissue, in response to the Minnesota Division of Well being. Folks primarily get this illness from consuming wild sport that isn’t correctly cooked.

Here’s a great article on avoiding trichinosis (for individuals) in wild bear and wild boar meat. Freezing the meat could make an enormous distinction, however it isn’t one hundred pc secure.

Fortunately, you usually shouldn’t have to fret about trichinosis in case you are looking deer or elk or birds reminiscent of pheasants, geese, turkeys, and many others.

See our article:

Will my canine get sick from uncooked meat?

Can canine get power losing illness from uncooked deer meat?

Persistent losing illness is a illness attributable to prions, that are infectious proteins, in response to the American Veterinary Medical Affiliation’s (AVMA) web site. The illness impacts the mind and spinal wire.

There’s presently no proof canine can change into contaminated with CWD, in response to the AVMA. Nevertheless, it’s best to keep away from feeding mind and spinal wire tissues from killed sport to canine. The 4 species identified to be most prone to CWD are mule deer, white-tailed deer, Shiras moose and Rocky Mountain elk.

The CDC says that there’s presently no proof that CWD passes to people. 

Tips on how to feed wild sport meat to your canine

There’s nothing particular about feeding uncooked sport meat to canine, besides I might advocate freezing the meat for a month at a low temperature reminiscent of 0 levels F. 

This offers you some peace of thoughts that the majority potential parasites have been killed, though there is no such thing as a assure 

When doubtful, prepare dinner the wild sport meat to your canine, particularly whether it is black bear meat or wild boar meat. Cooked sport meat remains to be a wholesome possibility for canine!

Is deer meat too wealthy for canine?

No, deer meat just isn’t too wealthy for canine. However bear in mind it’s normally finest to introduce all new meals slowly, particularly in case your canine has a delicate abdomen and the meat is fatty.

Keep away from feeding deer sausage or jerky to your canine

If you happen to obtain seasoned jerky or salami from the sport processor, keep away from feeding this to your canine. The seasoning might upset your canine’s abdomen.

What to do in case your canine kills and eats a rabbit

In case your canine kills or finds and eats a rabbit, squirrel, chicken or different animal, he’ll almost definitely be superb. There’s nothing to fret about. 

Sure, canine can eat uncooked rabbit and squirrels and possibly most different animals they occur to catch or discover.

Canine are meat eaters and so they have acidic stomachs and brief digestive tracts designed for consuming uncooked meat and bones.

I stay within the nation and my very own canine will often catch and kill a small animal. If you should cease your canine from chasing squirrels or different animals, see our article: Cease my canine from chasing squirrels

I preserve my canine on a parasite preventative for the hotter months of the 12 months to assist forestall them from sure parasites. This received’t defend them from all the things, however I really feel higher realizing it’s going to work for lots of widespread parasites reminiscent of tapeworms, hookworms and roundworms.

Must you feed your canine wild sport?

Finally, that is your individual selection! It’s important to weigh the professionals and cons of feeding uncooked sport meat to canine realizing your particular canine.

Within the feedback, tell us for those who’ve ever fed your canine wild sport meat.