[Herb2relax]

I raw feed and as some of you know I worry about Kyrah's weight a lot. She seems to put it on and then I watch her feeding more closely and she looses it. But by accident over the last few months I think I am seeing the pattern. I purchase meat by the case. So for a month or so she will have bf heart, chicken, pork butt, deer & some different organs. Then I will rotate out the bf heart case for a pork heart or maybe a pork tongue.

I am thinking she is putting on the weight when I have the case of bf heart. Is red meat that much more fattening than the other cuts mentioned?

 

[Luvbirds]

Could be. My Petey got obese on lamb ribs, he went through a period of time where he wouldn't eat much else, picky young boy thing. Soon as he started eating other meats and I weighed all his meals, he lost weight. Right now for Monty I feed heart meat chunks every morning, along with organ and some other type of meat to equal a pound. At night I feed a one pound bone meal, right now I am rotating, Pork, Chicken, Turkey and Venison. Monty is young, 22 months and 80#.

 

[mmctaq]

Are you trimming the fat around the tops of the beef hearts? Heart meat itself is lean, but it has an awful lot of attached fat.

Venison is generally very lean. Chicken... it depends if it's old or young, with or without skin. Pork butt... it depends. Tongue is very fatty.

 

[Herb2relax]

Could be. My Petey got obese on lamb ribs, he went through a period of time where he wouldn't eat much else, picky young boy thing. Soon as he started eating other meats and I weighed all his meals, he lost weight. Right now for Monty I feed heart meat chunks every morning, along with organ and some other type of meat to equal a pound. At night I feed a one pound bone meal, right now I am rotating, Pork, Chicken, Turkey and Venison. Monty is young, 22 months and 80#.

I had forgotten to say that yes I had up'd her bone intake since I have been back from the cruise. I have been watching her stools and all is good.

Are you trimming the fat around the tops of the beef hearts? Heart meat itself is lean, but it has an awful lot of attached fat.

Venison is generally very lean. Chicken... it depends if it's old or young, with or without skin. Pork butt... it depends. Tongue is very fatty.

I dont trim anything off of any of the meats I get. I do though when I cut the bf heart up try to make sure one piece is not all fat.


After cutting some bf heart yesterday I noticed when I tried to eyeball it. I was way off! Also after calculating approx how long that last case lasted I think I was way overfeeding. This case instead of baggin two hearts together for pulling out. I cut them in half and bagged them that way so I wont pull out so much at one time.

I know in the other thread it was brought up to have her thyroid checked. I did discuss this with my vet. He didnt feel the need to do it. So we decided to do the T3 T4 test. Which that came back with normal results.

 

[mmctaq]

I dont trim anything off of any of the meats I get. I do though when I cut the bf heart up try to make sure one piece is not all fat.


After cutting some bf heart yesterday I noticed when I tried to eyeball it. I was way off! Also after calculating approx how long that last case lasted I think I was way overfeeding. This case instead of baggin two hearts together for pulling out. I cut them in half and bagged them that way so I wont pull out so much at one time.

Some beef hearts have an unbelievable amount of fat! Dogs need fat, but... but... but...! It hurts to throw food away, but I'm not feeding THAT much fat!

I have been raw feeding for a long time. I do a crap job of eyeballing! I just cannot train myself to portion properly without some help! If I have something that comes in a 2# container... I can do half of that. If I am whacking up a rack of pork ribs or a rabbit and double check myself with a scale, I am ALWAYS wrong!

My scale battery has needed to be replaced for six months. Recently, Rachael was on a scale, and I was shocked! Really? That much? Seven and a half years of perfectly svelt and then I let this happen in half a year without even seeing??? My live-again scale is back on the counter where it obviously belongs for the rest of time...

 

[LindaH]

Herb2relax, you reaally need to invest in some scales. They really dont cost that much and will save you money in the long run by cutting back on the amount of meat you feed. I always pulled a lot of the skin off the chicken quarters as there is so much fat in it. I, at least, trimmed the excess off the rear of the quarter. Pork has quiet a bit of fat, too. Also, I didnt think you were supposed to feed much heart, just 10% of the total meal. I am thinking heart is calorie heavy, too, so it wouldnt hurt to trim that fat like mmctaq said.

 

[mmctaq]

Also, I didnt think you were supposed to feed much heart, just 10% of the total meal. I am thinking heart is calorie heavy, too, so it wouldnt hurt to trim that fat like mmctaq said.

For dietary purposes, heart counts as muscle meat, not organ. It is composed of muscle fibers and is not an overabundant source of any of the nutrients that should not be consumed in excess. It is lean if you trim it and calorie heavy if you don't... I like getting to "customize" the fat content, which one cannot do with meat that is marbled with fat. Relatively inexpensive, nutritious, delicious... I feed a lot of heart!

 

[LindaH]

Yes, I realize it is considered as muscle meat, not organ, but due to its richness/ingredients heart is to be fed in limited amounts per meal. I just checked my raw feeding book, by Beth Taylor & Karen Becker, DVM, and it does have heart at one pound per ten pounds meat mix.(1# heart to 8.5# meat & 8 oz liver) I am thinking the link, DogAware, I have below also recommends a ten per cent amount in their raw feeding instructions and recipes. Probably tells why also, but I cant access on my phone. grumble, grumble...

 

[mmctaq]

Yes, I realize it is considered as muscle meat, not organ, but due to its richness/ingredients heart is to be fed in limited amounts per meal. I just checked my raw feeding book, by Beth Taylor & Karen Becker, DVM, and it does have heart at one pound per ten pounds meat mix.(1# heart to 8.5# meat & 8 oz liver) I am thinking the link, DogAware, I have below also recommends a ten per cent amount in their raw feeding instructions and recipes. Probably tells why also, but I cant access on my phone. grumble, grumble...

I don't know how it qualifies as rich, unless you leave the fat on. Calorically, trimmed beef heart is pretty much on par with skinless chicken breasts.

I don't have Becker's book, but my guess is that the recommended amount of heart has nothing to do with limiting heart, but with leaving room for other ingredients.

Have to leave for work, so no time now to look at Mary Strauss's site.

 

[Herb2relax]

Herb2relax, you reaally need to invest in some scales. They really dont cost that much and will save you money in the long run by cutting back on the amount of meat you feed. I always pulled a lot of the skin off the chicken quarters as there is so much fat in it. I, at least, trimmed the excess off the rear of the quarter. Pork has quiet a bit of fat, too. Also, I didnt think you were supposed to feed much heart, just 10% of the total meal. I am thinking heart is calorie heavy, too, so it wouldnt hurt to trim that fat like mmctaq said.

I have a scale just put it in the cabinet. Now it is out and on the counter. The chicken I can pretty much hold and tell how much it is. Undoubtly I need more training on the other meats.

 

[LindaH]

Mcmtaq, that doesnt make sense about limiting heart to make room for other meats if it is to be treated like any other muscle meat as you could just rotate heart in and out like you do other meats. I do know heart has many of the same nutrients as sardines and is an excellent meat to feed, just in limited amounts in my understanding. If more than 10% can be fed without harm, like diarrhea, then great for the dog. I am thinking diarrhea is one of the reasons anyway, may be wrong. Wish I could reference.

 

[Luvbirds]

I weigh every meal. I keep the scale handy, right under the counter where I bag up meat. After I overfed Petey to the point of obesity, I learned my lesson. When I weighed his food he lost weight so quickly it was unbelievable, and he also ate what ever raw foods I fed from that day forward! If I feel like Monty needs more to eat for the day, like today we hiked for 2.5 hours, I will feed him some tripe, sardines, egg or healthy dog treats. I do leave the fat on all Monty's food. He doesn't have any weight issues yet.

Linda I find that if I feed too much organ, venison or beef heart at a meal, Monty's poop gets more runny, but it isn't diarrhea, he only poops 1X a day and it varies from hard and dry to runny depending on what he ate. For breakfast I feed 1# of organ meat, heart and another type of meat like turkey, beef, pork in the mix. I find that works best for my lil man.

 

[LindaH]

Okay, I finally had time and thought about this thread. Here is what the DogAware site says:

"Heart is nutritionally more like muscle meat than organ meat, but it is rich in taurine and other nutrients. If possible, make heart another 5 to 10 percent of the diet. More can be fed; just remember that too much can lead to loose stools in some dogs."

From: DogAware.com Articles: Homemade Raw Diets for Dogs