# REALLY won't eat organs.



## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

So. Luigi has been on prey model raw for about a month. He has always had his kibble suplimented with all kinds of raw meat, I was just sort of giving him raw meat here and there because it made sense to me and rotating TOTW flavors just didn't feel like it would be the amount of variety i would want if it were me. he had digestive problems on some higher end kibbles (I initially fed him blue wilderness, orijen for a bit and wellness) but was doing well on the TOTW salmon or lamb formulas. He tended to get a bit constipated on the high prarie and the wetlands gave him really bad gas. ANYway, I was not nervous to start adding a fair amount of variety quickly since switching to raw since he's never had a bad reaction to any raw meat he's had in the past. Also, he constipates easily, and it seems to take not a lot of bone for him to strain and finally pass what looks like balls of chalk that turn to dust if I try to pick them up. So, he is already getting (and loving) chicken, pork, beef, raw fish (just atlantic salmon so far, with skin, which he really loves). Turkey he is less enthusiastic about, but will eat when he realizes nothing else is coming (though he will go no where near turkey wings or chicken backs, who knows why, the wings he ignored and went to bed hungry, the backs he sneezed at, backed up and acted like they were after him. He has eaten 2 cornish hens whole, including their wings and backs, sooo, he's just weird I guess)

Overall things are going great, he's put on some unneeded weight, but i realize I have just been overly enthusiastic because he seems to enjoy his food so much more, I think I need to actually buy a scale instead of estimating based on package weights divided by # of peices. i know that for people easing in slower organs wouldn't even be an issue for a few more weeks, but I have been trying to get him used to them because even with a lot less bone his poop is still really hard, plus if he won't eat them know, i want to figure out what to do sooner rather than later. I have tried: chicken liver, beef liver, chicken hearts and gizzard (I realize they're muscle but they're also cheap and I would like to find a way to get them in him) and beef kidney. All of these things I have given to him raw, seared, frozen, and even dipped in an eggwash and sauted in butter I am at a loss. I know I could try just offering him no other options until he eats, but I tried that last week and he went 2 days with just water and somehow acted even more hyperactive with an empty tummy (he is more than energetic enough as is) Last night I chopped liver finely and mixed it with some ground chuck and a raw egg yolk. he spent 75 minutes straight picking out the beef liver, licking the egg off and eating the meat, leaving a little pile of tiny clean liver chunks (which the foster cat grabbed as soon as he was out of the room)

I am ready to make liver parmasean (this is what my husband said I would have to do to make him eat it) but I doubt that's a good idea. I CAN be neurotic about this stuff, but I know luigi and there is no more stubborn dog on the planet, I could see him being that one dog that would starve before he gave in. Just looking for some advice (and reasurance, too, maybe) thanks if you got through this long rambling post!


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Our dogs refuse organs so we just shove them down their throats. We tried all the tricks in the book to no avail. They're used to it now so it's fast and easy.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

It probably won't help much, but my 2 don't like boneless chicken. What I do is take the frozen chicken cut it into small chunks, and then "tease" them with it. Then I fling it across the floor. Instant chase, pounce and gulp down it goes (tried this the first time when they were really hungry). So far this the only way, I've found to get them to eat boneless chicken. Maybe it will help you with your problem.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

You can try it frozen, some seem to like it better that way. One of mine, Aussie(in my avatar) used to hate liver. I was having to do the "shove" method for a while and all of a sudden he just started eating it on his own. Either he got really tired of the shoving, or in the process decided it dosn't taste so bad.


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## KC23 (Nov 17, 2010)

I am lucky that all 3 of my dogs will eat liver or kidney without any problems. I wonder if you'd have better luck hiding a small amount of organ meat within a meatball made from ground beef. If you just tossed it to him, maybe he'd catch it and eat it (I know my dogs would). ???? It's worth a try if you haven't tried already. Good luck.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Get some lamb liver and try that, not as pungent as beef liver and or plain ol nasty as chicken liver (my dogs still won't eat chicken liver to this day) My dogs don't like turkey parts only turkey necks and they wouldn't eat chicken backs either Lol


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## Amy18 (May 17, 2011)

Lexie won't eat liver or kidney unless its lightly seared in butter, then she gulps them down in under 5 secs. She won't eat them any other way. I feed beef organ but will be giving lamb organ a try, have you tried making a mix of canned fish, tiny pieces of liver and cream cheese or peanut butter..sounds gross but it might be worth a shot


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice! naturalfeddogs, i have unfortunately tried all kinds of organs frozen, he will pick them up and as soon as it really hits his tounge he spits it out. kc23, I haven't made a meatball where the ground beef totally surounds the liver, but I did mix mostly ground beef and a little minced up liver, he spent the whole evening picking the tiny peices of liver out of the ball off mush. last night I actually dredged beef liver in flour and fried it in butter, it even smelled good to me. i let it cool and put 6 strips in his bowl (also skipped breakfast, or lunch, i guess, he eats at 12 and 6 or 7). Wew have a 3 story town house, the first floor is our (my husband and I) hair salon and has a seperate enterance. This means that when you come in our front door you go up a flight of steps up to get into our house. Luigi took each peice... one at a time... down the steps and put them all in front of the door. Disapointed as I was, i just about peed in my pants laughing.

So... I have to admit, the idea of shoving it down his throat sounds pretty appealing (well, in a way, I guess). Are you guys really meaning sort of trat it like a pill? How large of a peice of something would you do this with? I'm not squeemish, but I'm just wondering... luigi is a pretty tricky pill spitter outer, am I going to get 10% of his diet down this way? Do you do a little every day or try to get a whole meal down like this?


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

I will try some other mixes, fish and liver and cream cheese sounds pretty repulsive, but maybe in just the right way? So far he just seems so willing to sort through mush to get just what he wants, it's strange since he is such a big galloot and does almost everything like a bull in a china shop, but evidently he can be pretty dextrous with that big sloppy mouth, and he's stubborn if he's anything.


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## KC23 (Nov 17, 2010)

leilaquinn said:


> kc23, I haven't made a meatball where the ground beef totally surounds the liver, but I did mix mostly ground beef and a little minced up liver, he spent the whole evening picking the tiny peices of liver out of the ball off mush.


leilaquinn,

He sounds pretty picky LOL. I did read what you did w/the ground beef. That's why I figured MAYBE he'd fall for it if you just tossed him a little chunk of ground beef w/a little bit of organ meat inside. Maybe you could entice him first by tossing him a small meatball of just ground beef, then toss him another one or 2 that contain the organ meat inside. I have occasionally made up meatballs to travel with and have even froze them to thaw and use as treats. If I toss them to the dogs, they just catch them and eat them...rather than dig through a bowl and pick out only what they like. My female dog gets a bit picky at times. She hates raw anchovies and will spit them out and walk away. She also gets hesitant to eat chicken pieces that do contain organs, but then eats it after a few minutes go by. Hopefully you figure something out.


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

i'll pick up some more ground beef this weekend and give the meatball trick a try! My Italian husband makes meatballs fairly frequently, he's always loved them raw, but with ground veal pork and beef, fresh bread crumbs and parmasean i'd just about eat them raw. 
Whiteleo, is lamb liver hard to find, I don't think I've seen it, but I'm still just going to grocery stores and a local latino market.


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

Amy18 said:


> Lexie won't eat liver or kidney unless its lightly seared in butter, then she gulps them down in under 5 secs. She won't eat them any other way. I feed beef organ but will be giving lamb organ a try, have you tried making a mix of canned fish, tiny pieces of liver and cream cheese or peanut butter..sounds gross but it might be worth a shot


Same for my dog... it's gotta be seared... then she eats it up.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

My picky prima donna wont touch beef or liver of any kind. So I grind a little chicken or lamb lung and add liver and kidney into that with just enough peanut butter to make it disgusting to humans, freeze into little meatballs (about 1/2 ounce each) and she gets 2 a day frozen, she swallows them down and doesn't give me any more trouble. I tried everything else so I really do knwo how you feel. TO this day she won't touch beef, as soon as it hits her tongue she drops it out of her mouth, I tried tough love on this and she went 8 days with out any food. She won!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

leilaquinn said:


> i'll pick up some more ground beef this weekend and give the meatball trick a try! My Italian husband makes meatballs fairly frequently, he's always loved them raw, but with ground veal pork and beef, fresh bread crumbs and parmasean i'd just about eat them raw.
> Whiteleo, is lamb liver hard to find, I don't think I've seen it, but I'm still just going to grocery stores and a local latino market.


I get mine through my organic grocery co-op, they sell it on the meat shelf, lamb kidney and heart too! Dogs favorite...You might have to look for it or ask around.


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

So, last night i bought ground lamb. I made little meat balls, and with nothing but a little egg added (binder, I am still thinking like real meatballs, it took a lot to not add bread crumbs and fresh parsley:nerd he acted like they were laced with crack, SOOOOO happy and no chewing that I saw, so I got really hopefull. I chopped some beef liver and chicken liver tiny (seperately, to try each in different meatballs, still haven't found lamb liver) I put TINY peices in the center of the lamb (crack) meatballs and put them in a bowl. He ran to the bowl super excited, grabbed one, then spit it out and gagged. I am embarassed to admit that I burst into inconsolable (if maybe slightly PMS influenced) tears. My husband found the whole scene hysterical (a#*&h$#e) and spit his beer all over the floor, which the dog was thrilled to lap right up while breaking my heart. i seard a few, nothing, i feel like he has become suspicious and checks everything for hidden liver now. i froze a few, he actually looked hurt when I offered them to him this morning. so I think he has me beat. A few people mentioned treating organs almost like a pill, dropped down his throat and forced, I need to know details about this aproach. I am sensitive, and neurotic, i am conviced he will die from lack of organs promptly (I don't even know what he needs from them yet, i do take anti-anxiety meds) Help!!!!!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

He'll be fine. How long has he been on the raw diet? Lamb really is the answer, it just doesn't have the pungent smell. But in any case just open his mouth, if he won't bite then drop a fairly small size of liver in his mouth and hold his nose and mouth shut. He should have to swallow with the nose air cut off and the piece of liver should be gone. Don't get frantic over something that is no big deal!


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Well, I will admit that I have cheated with the chicken livers so far. I sear them just a tiny bit in a little bit of bacon grease and the boys can't get enough of them. It may not be the healthiest option, but they love their chicken livers and I get them really cheap. I figure that tiny bit of bacon grease won't kill them and it sure is a whole lot easier on me. Chelsy is the only one who hesitates at this, but she'll eat them if one of the boys is hanging over her like a vulture, ready to steal them. 

My son is the only one who eats bacon (it helps to be so young ) so we just save the grease from him in the fridge in a little container for doggie organ searing.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

My little bugger is exactly like yours. Simply will not eat any organ that's good for her. I have tried every single trick in the book, I swear, everything. But, she has outsmarted me, so I've had to resort to Danemama's strategy, shove a bit down her throat every second day, maybe daily, whatever. Just a bit, probably like 1" x 1-1/2" (she's 38lbs). Must admit, she really does get a look on her face like she's going to heave, pretty much like I must look like when I'm forced to eat boiled spinach, so I can sympathise. But, she hasn't died yet!


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

Alright, I am feeling less crazy (hormonal) today. Chowder, I've tried bacon grease and butter, he does lick all the grease off, but that's it. i am now out of organs to try to feed him, so when I get to the store i think I will actually enjoy shoving a peice of liver down his throat:tongue:. on a good note, Luigi is SHINY, more so than he's ever been before, switching to raw is the only thing that's changed.


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## KittyKat (Feb 11, 2011)

What about kidneys? Maybe he'll go for that.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Where are you located?


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