# Puppies, Adults, and Raw Organs



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

I know many of us have had difficulty getting our dogs to eat organs, and it has been brought up in another thread that perhaps this is indication that they have evolved and don't need them. 
TO me, this logic is a lot like saying their willingness to eat cake means they need it... but I also wondered the difference between dogs introduced to raw at an early age, and those introduced to it later in life. 

For the sake of this poll "later" is 4 months old and up. 

Please vote in the poll, and discuss!


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## pogo (Aug 28, 2011)

I have transitioned both the adult was more readily accepting however i think thats due to being half starved when he came here so he will eat anything without thinking about it! The pup was a bit bemused to begin with but happily eats it, I do give them both their organs frozen as it stops them from trying to swallow them whole but thats it.

I voted in the poll but it's now gone?


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

pogo said:


> I have transitioned both the adult was more readily accepting however i think thats due to being half starved when he came here so he will eat anything without thinking about it! The pup was a bit bemused to begin with but happily eats it, I do give them both their organs frozen as it stops them from trying to swallow them whole but thats it.
> 
> I voted in the poll but it's now gone?


Poll is back! I had to fix an error in it.


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## pogo (Aug 28, 2011)

ah ok! thought i was going mad! :redface:


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

For us, it has been 100% Older dogs that we've transitioned have NOT readily accepted raw organs (and have been otherwise "picky" and all the puppies have been good eaters, accepting anything new into the diet- including raw organs.


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## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

*Zoey* was 4 & 1/2 years old when we started her on raw, and she ate them well at first then about a month of eating organs and she decided she didn't like their texture anymore so quit eating them. I struggled for about a month then did "tough love" with her and now she eats them begrudgingly. Zoey was a picky eater on kibble as well though, however now she eats with gusto.
*Ziva* was 4 months old and has never had any issues eating organs, however I think if I let her eat the bricks on my house she would.....so she's really not a good 'indicator' as that dog will eat anything.
*Shellie* was almost 2 when I started and has never had issues eating organs.


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## DeekenDog (Aug 29, 2011)

Deeken has had no trouble with organs. He thinks Q-tips are a high value treat though so he doesn't have the most discerning palate.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

DeekenDog said:


> Deeken has had no trouble with organs. He thinks Q-tips are a high value treat though so he doesn't have the most discerning palate.


Me too. Both dogs treats organs like caviar. But really, they treat everything else just like organs. Snorkels spit out her kidney for awhile, but it was in a semicircle on the outside of her bowl - she wasn't planning on leaving it forever.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Rocky and Chelsy are both picky and Shade will eat socks. So two of my three won't really eat them raw. With Shade it was a chore teaching him what NOT to eat when we got him! 

Chelsy is still the one that is picky, even when I cook the organs a little bit. There was no way I was getting a chicken heart down her, no way, no how!


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## luvMyBRT (Mar 8, 2010)

Duncan was transitioned as a young puppy and thought organs were wonderful. Lucky was transition when she was 11 years old and won't touch organs with a ten foot pole. I have to mix them in with her canned fish or feed them to her in a ground mix.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

The only experience I have is with beef liver but both my boys adore it. They were started at almost 2 and almost 3 years old. They were a "tad" strange in that they loved liver and bones but weren't much interested in the meat. I do feed the liver frozen because I can't stand the smell of it.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Avery was 8minths old when I got him. Prior to me he was fed a ground mixed diet. He has always loved organs. If I hand him a chunk of beef and a chunk of beef liver, he eats the liver first every time.


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## swolek (Mar 31, 2011)

This was hard for me to answer because the _majority_ of dogs accepted them without issues BUT Bambi and Rumba are rather picky and need to have them frozen.

All of the dogs I've transitioned were adults, the youngest was about a year old (foster dog) and the oldest was 12 (Gracie).


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## NewYorkDogue (Sep 27, 2011)

I began feeding raw to my pup when I picked him up from the breeder at 8 1/2 weeks. He eats everything I place before him, including organs. Happily. Very happily... no complaints.


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

My brats are pretty accepting of anything. They looove beef kidney and beef liver for the most part. 
The exception is Popi, she will refuse any and all chicken livers. I will give them again and she will keep spitting it out, and she will only eat pork liver if it's the very first thing I feed her, before any beef organs or her meal. Once she has eaten or gotten beef kidney/liver, you can fergittaboutit, she ain't touching the pork liver, but she doesn't flat out refuse it like she does with chicken livers.
It's like feeding kids veggies AFTER the icecream, nope, won't touch it.


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## frogdog (Aug 10, 2011)

Yogi was introduced to organs recently and loves them...no problem at all. He is 17 months of age and on his second month of raw...adding organs to his meals resulted in perfect poo.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

My pack, who I have personally transitioned through every step:

Indi - Transitioned at 2 years, accepted any organ readily except pork liver and chicken liver.
Preston - Transition at 1 year, loves organ meat of any kind
Paris - Transition at 1 year, loves organ meat of any kind
Pooper - Transitioned at 2 years, loves organ meat of any kind
Puck - Transitioned at 10.5 years, loves organ meat of any kind


Seems a lot like personal preference. I have never switched a puppy, but I do know that all of my dogs except for Indi have loved their organ meat from the start. Indi has always been VERY picky, on the other side of this argument, she spits out any kind of vegetation I offer her and hates kibble and grain based biscuits. She is my dog who pretty much snuffs any treat people offer her unless it is cheese or some kind of meat.

edit: And, yet another side of this, I have now put kittens on raw diets and they have all torn into it like they were little lions. No hesitation on ANY raw item I ever offered them.


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## KlaMarie (Dec 30, 2010)

I didn't see an option for my situation so I didn't pick one. But Rayne was weaned onto raw, at about 5 weeks. I continued it when I brought her home, but I stuck with chicken wings, venison, and pork for a while. I think I started giving her little bits of beef liver around 4 months? That's the only organ she's had (I bought a LOT of it....didn't realize it would last me so long), but she LOVES it. It's the first thing she eats out of her bowl.


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## nikkiluvsu15 (Jun 9, 2010)

Harleigh loves anything that comes in contact with her mouth.... so she had absolutely zero problems with organs. Nom nom she says :tongue:


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## catahoulamom (Sep 23, 2010)

the first time I gave my boys organs they picked it up in their mouth and spit it out, the texture freaked them out. once everything else in their bowl was gone, they ate it (podie the porker will eat ANYTHING). now they'll eat their organs before anything else... they love it.


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## Chocx2 (Nov 16, 2009)

I have four dogs three of the adult dogs were introduced while adults, one was give everything from puppy and hasn't had a problem with anything I have given her, but three of my dogs are labs, they eat anything!!! Ok well my fav boy was kibble picky, but not raw...


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## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

The two dogs I've transitioned from adults are the only two of our dogs that WONT eat organs to this day.


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## sozzle (May 18, 2011)

Started my dog age 5 when we adopted him (have no idea what he ate before that) and he accepted with gusto, lamb liver and kidney. Also chicken livers. Have never tried pork liver as we don't see in shops here, I suppose I could ask for it though as a special order as they must do something with it?


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

All of ours, adults and one puppy (Copper) I have transitioned have transitioned well. Aussie wasn't the most thrilled about it at first, but he did decide its pretty good before long and comes running now for his organs.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Mollie was almost 3 when she started raw. Will not voluntarily let any organ at all touch her lips. She'd rather starve to death.


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## Sprocket (Oct 4, 2011)

okayyy I'm going to admit something here...My dogs have only been on PMR for 2 weeks and I gave them chicken liver and heart last night. I couldn't help myself! They have all been doing so well on this diet, their poop looks awesome, no puking, no bad anything! I was very please though, all 3 of them inhaled them with out asking question  So far no bad reaction, no cannon butt 

Gunner is a puppy, Mikey and Sprocket are adults.
Here is a picture of them last night. Sprocket likes to take his food out and carry it about 6 feet from his bowl...silly little dog.


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## leilaquinn (Sep 7, 2011)

So, i think my stubborn annoying dog inspired this question, so I guess you guys know he HATES organs and the only way I've gotten them down is to treat them like a pill and shove them down his throat, or pretty much bake them half way to ash. I intend to adopt the next dogs in my life as adults; Luigi CURED my puppy fever for a LONG time. So it seems like if you want no trouble or pickiness, a lab is ideal!


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

i have only transitioned adults...one senior at age ten and one junior at age 3.

organs were not a problem because when i intro'd them, i'd give them dime sized pieces.

after reading suggestions on the board, i decided that freezing would be a good way to start.

so i would defrost partially whatever organ i was feeding, usually liver and kidney.

then i would cut them up into appropriate sized pieces for daily 'treats' and that's what they get when they go outside to potty first thing in the morning.

it's a reward and they have no clue they are taking their vitamins.


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## splitnightsky (Jun 20, 2011)

the actual introduction for me is totally different than the pet accepting.
let me explain:
I began raw feeding from a corgi breeder I know who runs a blog.
she believed that puppies should begin on liver and chicken backs, so Scorch had liver within the first week of raw.
he adores it (would eat a whole thing if I let him).
HOWEVER, he cannot eat it without getting the runs. I've tried everything possible for this not to happen, and yet it does.
to this day I only give him a quarter sized piece because I'm worried about him being Vit A deficient, but don't like the messes.

so transition with a 3 month old puppy, wonderful minus the poop :/


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## kady05 (Jul 29, 2011)

nikkiluvsu15 said:


> Harleigh loves anything that comes in contact with her mouth.... so she had absolutely zero problems with organs. Nom nom she says :tongue:


That's Piper in a nutshell LOL. I could put mulch in her bowl and she'd eat it, I think. Have had no issues whatsoever getting her to eat anything since the switch to raw!


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