Wild game meat, would it be good for dog? - Page 1

Would wild game meat such as hog and venison be okay to feed dogs? And what would have to be done to meat for it to be safe for the dog to eat? We have a large population of deer and wild pigs, I was thinking about having my husband harvest a few more than he usually does this year and processing them for dogs, but not sure if it would be healthy for dogs to eat as primary food.. They get the hearts and livers as treats when he cleans them, and they really like that, but not sure if it would be a complete diet for them?

Erin the thing about feeding deer/ wild game only, is it typically has a low fat content.(where im located)  I feed deer and other game to my dogs  and never had any issue.

However the lean meat is generally mixed with chicken backs and supplements, or i get scrap cuts from the local butcher to add some fat content to it. Just like to make sure its balanced. But the meat itself is great for the dogs.

Instead of giving the organs all at once keep them. and give them in pieces with the meal each day. Lungs arent bad either. so one less thing your hubby has to throw out.


Also if you have a food dehydrator you can cut it up for jerky and use pieces for treats.

 

I just thought about feeding them game meat because we have 2 deep freezers, and they just don't seem to like dry food.. I feed Diamond naturals with canned call of the wild, but they just act so picky about eating it, but as soon as they get meat, they wolf it down lol...
 I'll have him package the organs in smaller chunks, to add to the meat.. He'll love the extra work!! LOL
The grocery stores down here sell pig fat for cooking, would that be a good source of fat? We also will be butchering chickens this fall, I'll save the skin, necks and organs for them, no point in wasting it..
  They also love goats milk and eggs, is that okay to add to food?

Those things are fine for the dog.

Raw diet is far healthier for a dog than any kibble for many reasons. you can simply do a search on here and see how it has been discussed many many many times.
the trick is finding a balanced diet that is inexpensive for your location.


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Feeding a raw diet would actually save me $, since I already have the chickens, for eggs and meat, and the goats for milk.. And the deer and hogs are everywhere down here lol.. My husband might not enjoy the extra work of dressing game, but if i add up how much we spend on dog food a year, I'm sure he'll go for it! Thank you so much for the advice!! :)

I guess the main concern would be to check the meat for tape worm cyst , usually the hogs are the ones to carry this. Also check into what type of parasites might be active in the game animals in your area. Freezing doesn't kill all cyst or eggs. Worth thinking about and maybe have the vet offer a extra booster of worming meds during the summer. Predator and prey are how worms get transferred, but good healthy free meat is worth considering.
Fry

Hi there,

I would be very cautious of feeding dogs wild game meat, especially wild hog (pig) meat.
They (wild hogs) are know carriers of Trichinosis. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis

 

I feed venison to my dogs but never internal organs, we don't have wild hogs.
I wouldn't approve of hunting more than my share just to offset my feed bills quite frankly, but hogs?
Have at it....lol 
Apart from the few true wild bore most of them are nothing more than feral domestic cross breeds and very destructive.
On the upside, they aren't filled with anti-biotics and all the other crap that you find in domestic (feed lot) raised animals.




 

We wouldn't harvest more deer just to off set the feed bill, we only usually get one every other year, due to my husband and son being the only meat eaters in the house.. In our state there is a high harvest rate due to over population.  We have some people who use my husband's family's land for hunting, so I have a lot of deer meat available to me.. I'd also have my husband harvest his legal limit. It's not to offset my feed bill, I just want to find something healthier for my dogs. My old guy has never really seemed to like dry kibble, any brand I've tried.. They love the deer and hog meat treats they get, so was just researching if it would be a healthy alternative for their main diet. Believe me, I'm the last person to kill something just to save $ LOL.. That's why I have all these "pet" chickens.. They were raised for meat, but I always end up getting partial to them, and won't let my husband butcher them..  ( I'm a lousy "farmer")  lol

Well just for safety reasons, why not use all meats you can get but I would freeze them for at least 3 months prior to use.  Gets rid of some bacterias, I say SOME, but apparently not parasites.  So good luck  Nan

NEVER give any type of cooked bones, just raw bones.  N