# Organ meats



## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I may be splitting hairs with this question but I don't care! Does it matter if you feed a different type of organ meat than the regular meat they're getting for that meal. For example, feeding beef liver with chicken leg quarters?


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

It's no problem at all. I regularly feed beef liver and heart along with mushed up canned salmon and raw eggs all in one meal.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Good, because I did it anyway! Have you ever noticed that beef liver smells overwhelmingly of blood? Like it _reeks_ of it. I almost threw up a little this morning as I was serving it to the dogs. Ugh!


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

so I got a ton of beef heart from Elko this weekend, can you feed it as a muscle meat or an organ meat or a what? Like could I feed it as just a meal for the day, or is that not the best idea?


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Heart is a muscle and is fed as such. I feed whole meals of beef heart, however, I don't recommend that in the beginning. It's a very rich meat and your dogs need to adjust to it. Adding it too fast can cause the runs. I would feed it as a part of a meal, maybe like liver at first and gradually feed larger and larger portions until you can feed a whole meal of heart. The guide will be bowel tolerance. As long as your dogs keep relatively solid stools, you can increase the amount.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

My dogs were totally into beef heart, but lately it seems they aren't that interested in it at all. I was feeding it as meals and they were adjusted to fine with no soft stools, they literally would wolf it down, now they turn up their noses at it. I know your philosophy RFD, so don't lecture me please.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

My dogs have been on raw for almost a year now, so I'd think they could probably handle a meal of beef hear by now. Thanks guys!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Ranmiller I wasn't implying that your dogs couldn't handle the heart, I was trying to get RFD's attention and see what could be causing my dogs to suddenly stop wanting heart meat.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I know! It was RFD who said to be careful about introducing heart slowly to a dog that's just starting out so i was responding to him, not implying that you'd said anything.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Obviously he doesn't always read who the post is from! Like I've said before, I think he needs glasses.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

whiteleo said:


> I was feeding it as meals and they were adjusted to fine with no soft stools, they literally would wolf it down, now they turn up their noses at it


In what form are you feeding it. Is it juat a big hunk of heart or do you cut it into chunks? I feed mine in bite size chunks. It makes storing it easier. If you are feeding big meal size hunks of heart, you might try cutting into bite size chunks.



> I know your philosophy RFD, so don't lecture me please.


I don't know what I would lecture you about? Because they are not eating it?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I feed it in bite size chunks, you know the philosophy I'm talking about! Not letting them have any other meal until they eat what you've put out for them. Sound famaliar!:wink:


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Generally I don't mind if there is one something that a dog doesn't like. It's when he refuses to eat raw in the beginning of the diet or if he will only eat one thing ... like chicken that I will go to the trouble to force them to eat it. One of my dogs doesn't like turkey so I stopped feeding turkey but he did stop on my terms. He had to eat turkey until that case ran out. Once I ran out of turkey, I didn't buy any more. They still eat chicken, pork, beef, fish, venison and rabbit.


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Organ meals are a lot of work in our house :/

Only one of the dogs will eat raw organ meat. The other three have to be coerced to eat it LOL

We heat up fish (fresh, frozen...not canned...and not to the point of cooking it) with some water and spices (to get them to think that they are having "people food"). Then we puree liver and kidney together in the food processor. Add half of the pureed organ to the fish to partially cook it for flavor. After it cools we add the rest of organ puree so it stays raw. 

This is the only way that I have found that all the dogs will get what they need from organs.

We also skip two meals before their organ meal so they are extra hungry so they will scarf it down...even though there is always some left over LOL

The puppy on the other hand will eat any raw form of organ...she doesn't really care what she eats!!! She actually handles the richness of the organs just fine too 

Starting raw with a puppy is much easier than starting with an adult dog. Seems that puppies innately have the instincts to eat raw which seem to be lost with adult dogs who were raised on kibble...


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

The way I got my dogs to eat liver is to mix tiny tiny amounts in fish and gradually increase the amount over time. I can now just hand my dogs a big slice of liver and they will take it right out of my hand. They think nothing of it.

I agree about puppies. I think the longer a dog eats kibble, the more difficult it is for him to adjust to eating real food. Young puppies seem to adapt right away. Often it's not even necessary to gradually introduce new meats. Or just wait a two or three days instead of once every week or so.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

My dogs have always eaten organ meats and tolerated them just fine. I'm just lucky I guess :biggrin:


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

You are lucky for sure.

It seems like ours caught on that we added more organ to the meal and wouldnt touch it. So we found that the way that we do it is the only way. Unless it takes more than months to get them to eventually eat it by itself?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

The bully's will eat any liver, chicken, beef, lamb, and the only kidney that I've really found is lamb, but I have to freeze it first, then after it's defrosted alittle bit I'll hand feed it to them, they gobble it up:tongue:. They won't touch the stuff if it's completely unfrozen.


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## EnglishBullTerriers (Sep 10, 2008)

whiteleo said:


> My dogs were totally into beef heart, but lately it seems they aren't that interested in it at all. I was feeding it as meals and they were adjusted to fine with no soft stools, they literally would wolf it down, now they turn up their noses at it. I know your philosophy RFD, so don't lecture me please.


Owen has been the same way. He started out liking hearts (beef, chicken, lamb and pork) and now he just leaves it in the yard and walks away. I don't feed him anything else to try to get him to eat it, but then a few days later, when I think he has eaten it he pulls it out of some hole and drops it by the fence where the neighbor dog eats it. I don't know what is in his head anymore. After the first 24 hours, even Titus won't eat it (Titus is the Neo mastiff pitt mix for those who don't know). Titus doesn't really seem that interested in eating raw anyway. I was told by my sister that while I have him, I am not to feed him raw and I think he is sticking with it!  Oh well. He is doing well on his BlueBuffalo kibble. Maybe one day I can talk them into their sences.


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## EnglishBullTerriers (Sep 10, 2008)

whiteleo said:


> The bully's will eat any liver, chicken, beef, lamb, and the only kidney that I've really found is lamb, but I have to freeze it first, then after it's defrosted alittle bit I'll hand feed it to them, they gobble it up:tongue:. They won't touch the stuff if it's completely unfrozen.


The exact same with Owen. I have only had trouble with the heart and I have a bunch of it in the freezer still. I don't want to throw it out so I will keep feeding it and trying new tricks to get him to eat it till its gone.


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