Raw Feeding, What do you think about this? - Page 2

in case this helps anyone...

Freezing - Experiments have been performed to determine the effect of cold temperatures on the survival of T. spiralis in pork. Predicted times required to kill trichinae were 8 minutes at -20° C (-4° F), 64 minutes at -15° C (5° F), and 4 days at -10° C (14° F). Trichinae were killed instantaneously at -23.3° C (-10° F). The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Code of Federal Regulations, requires that pork intended for use in processed products be frozen at -17.8° C (0° F) for 106 hours, at -20.6° C (-5° F) for 82 hours, at -23.3° C (-10° F) for 63 hours, at -26.1° C

(-15° F) for 48 hours, at -28.9° C (-20° F) for 35 hours, at -31.7° C (-25° F) for 22 hours, at

-34.5° C (-30° F) for 8 hours, and at -37.2° C (-35° F) for 0.5 hours. These extended times take into account the amount of time required for temperature to equalize within the meat along with a margin of safety.


info from:  http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/trichinae/docs/fact_sheet.htm

Good post uvw. One thing I've worried about with pastured pork (If you're feeding factory farm pork you really have other problems, as mentioned, and it ain't the parasites) is whether or not the variant of trichinae parasite found there is the same as the freeze-resistant type found in some wild game.

When I started raw feeding, I did a lot of reading on the incidence of trichinosis and pseudorabies in North American swine herds. For me, pseudorabies or Aujeszky's disease was the line I wouldn't cross. Pseudorabies can be transmitted to dogs from eating contaminated pigs; commercial pig herds can be infected by diseased feral pigs. The risk factor is too high for me but I understand that others don't share my squeamishness about pork. I even have a freezer full of organic Berkshire pork raised by my brother-in-law (who grows all the feed the pigs eat) and I still can't feed raw pork. I said I was irrational about this topic. :)

Anyone remember the formula to convert percentages from raw (with moisture) to dry (as if it were kibble)? My concern is how bone-heavy this product is and the high calcium...but not remember the conversion, I may be overreacting. I would not feed a large breed puppy that much bone, personally. I stick to around 10% bone and try not to go over 1% calcium to avoid skeletal abnormalities, particularly elbow dysplasia which can be caused by excess calcium, as I just posted in another thread. 

Does any body remember what Ian Bilinghurst says about the ratio in "Give Your Dog a Bone" ? I have a copy of that book, and I'll look it up when I have a minute.

I used to have that book, too, but I have had better results with feeding prey model than BARF, so I haven't paid much attention to Billinghurst in quite a while and don't remember.

Jenni, I bet his feelings are hurt;)

I think safely you can feed 5% bone, that is what is recommended, however, if it is more one day and less the next I feel that is also acceptable;  as long as it is not consistently TOO much bone.  Variety is the key to success in raw feeding and variability with meats also needs to be considered and fed;  remember it is not daily nutrition, it is nutrition balance over time; say like over a one week period.  Their bodies take what they require and they dump out the rest.   So it is balance over time that is most important.  Nan

As far as the above mixture, I think it looks good, how is this stuff stored?  Frozen, freeze dried, dehydrated??