# Too much red meat?



## nickiklaus (Dec 10, 2011)

Hi all
Is it possible to give too much red meat? 
How many times a week is too much?
i was planning to do 3 times a week chicken 3 times a week beef and 1 day a week fish
And then someone said 3 times a week beef is too much red meat 
is this possible? 
Any advice is very appreciated
Thank you
Regards
Nickiklaus


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

The only way it can be "too much" red meat is if your dog isn't tolerating it well, but even then I found with my pack that greatly increasing the red meat portion just took a small adjustment period of sometimes wonky stools and then they normalized again. We feed probably 70% red meat to most of our dogs, and fish is a big part, too. 
I would recommend giving more variety than just the 3, but if its not manageable then just make sure you're getting organs in the diet and you're set.

** this is assuming your dog is fully transitioned to raw. If they aren't, follow the guidelines for transitions.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

I was, actually, wondering the same because I feed a lot of red meat. I'm like Puppy Paws and feed about 70%. 

Good to know.

I feed chicken, turkey, lamb and fish along with beef but will be adding more proteins when freezer permits. Yogi gets goat on occasion but hard to acquire here.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

I feed mostly red meat. Funny, I was wondering the same thing myself this morning. 

Here is what we feed and have had success with for this past month and a half: beef head meat, beef hearts, pork hearts, lamb breast, venison necks, venison scrap meat, beef organs, pork organs, chicken hearts. 

They get one meal of chicken hearts a week. I probably won't be buying much chicken or turkey any more...My dogs were getting really itchy from a diet of mostly chicken and turkey - might have been too little fat or something. Go figure...I haven't a clue. I just know they are doing much better on a diet of mostly red meats.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

If I could...I would feed ONLY red meat :thumb: 

Really the only thing you can over do with too much and cause huge acute problems is liver. Vitamin A in large doses for sustained amount of time can cause a toxicity and liver is chock full of vitamin A. 

There are other things you can feed too much of like bone and fat, etc. But a type of meat (red vs white)...nope.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

In a perfect world, I'd feed only red meat! As is, I feed mostly red meat.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Do I understand correctly that birds like duck, quail, etc are considered red meat?


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

Frogdog, they are red meats, as in, darker than breast meat because they use the muscles more... but "nutritionally classified" white.


We feed about 100% red meats, from beef, to pork, to venison, a little emu, and some bison... It's been well over 3 months since he's had anything other than red i think. I don't know that there would be any issues with it, if you look to their wild cousins that eat only red meat, or 99% of it anyways (maybe catching the occasional wild fowl) and they are healthy as can be, aside from the hardships of being a wolf.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Dave, what sources are you using for emu and bison...since you're not that far away?


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

frogdog said:


> Do I understand correctly that birds like duck, quail, etc are considered red meat?


No, birds, by definition (not being mammals) are NOT red meat. They are white meat.

Red meat is nutritionally defined as meat coming from a mammal.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

That's what I've thought all my life but read somewhere they were and then was like..."what, red meat".


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

frogdog said:


> Dave, what sources are you using for emu and bison...since you're not that far away?


We ordered a "bird in a box" i can't say i wasn't impressed with it actually. emu meat The shipping was about 25$ which is the part that bummed me out because 2$ a lb went up to almost 3$ :sad:

The bison was on closeout at the processor that we go and rummage through their garbage! :lol: they had it for like, 5$ a lb, so we bought him a steak for being such a good boy up at the Gf's dads! :smile:


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Thanks, Dave! So, you did think it was worth the $100 plus shipping fee?


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

frogdog said:


> Thanks, Dave! So, you did think it was worth the $100 plus shipping fee?


Ya it was pretty awesome, we weighed everything and it was like 54lbs of meat, so 125, i think it was 25 for shipping, i can try to find the receipt but they weren't far from us, just over in Tennessee.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Wow, 54lbs...that would last me forever. My boyfriend was just mentioning the other day he should get a Yogi freezer for the garage. He gets that and I will order up some emu. Hmmm, my mother lives in North Ga...I could possibly just have it shipped there and may be cheaper. I wonder whereabouts they are in Tenn...I will have to check...Trezevant, TN.


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

LOL. 54 lbs. would last me less than 2 weeks!


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Now, maybe this is why I should stick to one dog or at least SMALL...lol.

Sorry for hijacking this thread!!!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we don't feed birds, other than the occasional quail...so my dogs eat red meat and fish....occasionally they get quail eggs, too.


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## monkeys23 (Dec 8, 2010)

I feed mostly red meat usually, right now we're all red.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

magicre said:


> we don't feed birds, other than the occasional quail...so my dogs eat red meat and fish....occasionally they get quail eggs, too.


Re, what do you feed for your bone content? Yogi is unable to eat pork or venison and I would like to feed a higher percentage of red meat but feed chicken/turkey for bone.


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

BrownieM said:


> LOL. 54 lbs. would last me less than 2 weeks!


A little over two days, here. LOL


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## BrownieM (Aug 30, 2010)

frogdog said:


> Re, what do you feed for your bone content? Yogi is unable to eat pork or venison and I would like to feed a higher percentage of red meat but feed chicken/turkey for bone.


For bone I often feed chicken legs, turkey necks or lamb ribs. Though chicken legs and turkey necks are birds, they are mostly bone, which is such a small part of the diet anyway. Bone is bone, whether it comes from a bird or a mammal. The important thing is that the majority of the boneless meat is red, at least IMO.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

frogdog said:


> Re, what do you feed for your bone content? Yogi is unable to eat pork or venison and I would like to feed a higher percentage of red meat but feed chicken/turkey for bone.


well, the quail is bone, lamb and goat ribs, we have duck necks too for when we need bone...
and rabbit....emu necks, when we have them. i think we just finished them......


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we only don't feed chicken because of what they are fed, not because i think white meat is not a good thing.....i try to stay away from soy....the less i feed, the happier i am....

that is the only reason.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

I know they aren't red meat as such, but I think that duck/quail/goose/squab are good to feed since they are quite fatty, not lean like chicken. Duck meat is darkish, too. Turkey necks are the best thing for the teeth, though!


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## nickiklaus (Dec 10, 2011)

Great thank you all 
My dog has been showing allergy symptoms since feeding her just chicken for 2 weeks going to try beef now 
Where i live there is not a big variety of meat at all just lamb,chicken,beef,fish and pork 
I thought she was allergic to lamb but i think it's the chicken she was actually allergic to ( i was feeding both mixed with her dry food before starting raw)
So is it ok to just give lamb,beef,fish (no pork coz i don't eat it for religious reasons and so don't want to give to my dog) and chicken for bone? ( don't have turkey where i live )


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

nickiklaus said:


> Great thank you all
> My dog has been showing allergy symptoms since feeding her just chicken for 2 weeks going to try beef now
> Where i live there is not a big variety of meat at all just lamb,chicken,beef,fish and pork
> I thought she was allergic to lamb but i think it's the chicken she was actually allergic to ( i was feeding both mixed with her dry food before starting raw)
> So is it ok to just give lamb,beef,fish (no pork coz i don't eat it for religious reasons and so don't want to give to my dog) and chicken for bone? ( don't have turkey where i live )


That's probably fine, the more variety the better, but depending on where you live you might be able to find some processors for Venison during hunting seasons, and you could possibly stock up on venison ribs, they are fantastic bone material, as well as different parts of the animal for chewing, and teeth cleaning. Chicken will suffice for bone in material until you can find a better source, or one that you are comfortable with. Turkey necks are great as well.


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## nickiklaus (Dec 10, 2011)

Thanks for the advice  
Yeah no vension here  hunting is not so popular where i live


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

nickiklaus said:


> Great thank you all
> My dog has been showing allergy symptoms since feeding her just chicken for 2 weeks going to try beef now
> Where i live there is not a big variety of meat at all just lamb,chicken,beef,fish and pork
> I thought she was allergic to lamb but i think it's the chicken she was actually allergic to ( i was feeding both mixed with her dry food before starting raw)
> So is it ok to just give lamb,beef,fish (no pork coz i don't eat it for religious reasons and so don't want to give to my dog) and chicken for bone? ( don't have turkey where i live )


if you have a place in your garage or away from the house to prepare pork, it's got some pretty fine nutrients in it.

i also don't eat pork for religious reasons.....but i feed it to my dogs....not a lot, but the ribs for bone.....because they are not bound to follow my religious beliefs.

it's a personal thing that you have to deal with, but if you can think of your dogs as g'ds creatures unfettered by religious law, it would be very good for them....

not that they can't live without pork. they can.....it's yet another variety that can be fed to give them a well rounded diet.


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