# question about red meat



## JessicaR (Oct 25, 2016)

So I am still in the planning stages of switching Zelda to raw food. I have been reading everything I can before I start, I just want to make sure I do this right.

I have read that dogs need to have at least 50% of their diet come from red meat, the rest can be white meat. I didn't realize they needed so much red meat. What would the outcome be if she ate mostly white meat with occasional red meats thrown in, say 75% white to 25% red? My plan was to raise as much of the food as I can, so it would be mostly chicken, rabbit, turkey, and duck. Would this be ok or should I just stick with kibble? 


As for organ meat does it matter what animal it comes from, can it come from the white meat animals only or does some of it have to come from red meat too.


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

She would lack vital amino acids such as taurine. You need to figure out what the diet is by NRC requirements instead of from blogs and forums where bad information has been shared as gospel.

What are white meat animals? Poultry has dark meats, hearts. Duck is not a white meat at All and is very different than land poultry.


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## JessicaR (Oct 25, 2016)

Jax08 said:


> She would lack vital amino acids such as taurine. You need to figure out what the diet is by NRC requirements instead of from blogs and forums where bad information has been shared as gospel.
> 
> What are white meat animals? Poultry has dark meats, hearts. Duck is not a white meat at All and is very different than land poultry.


I was going by the site perfectly rawsome. They say that white meat is chicken, turkey, quail, and farm raised rabbits, they didn't mention duck, but the duck I would be raising would be the flightless pekin duck not the flying wild type.

Under the section of feeding cats raw they talk about taurine for cats and have a chart that tells how much taurine is in different meats, so as long as I feed some beef and pork plus the heart (said heart has lots of taurine)of the other animals I should be ok?

This is why I haven't started yet I really don't want to mess this up!


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

I have fed my cat raw for years. He's will be 14 this year. Yes, taurine must be in their food. Sardines, hearts. Catsvare more sensitivd to calcium and phos ratios. 

As far as the dogs, it's more than red meat vs. Poultry. Oysters are high in zinc and copper. Kelp has iodine. They all have to be in the right amounts.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

It takes a little bit of time, but it is worth it for peace of mind and clarity. If you make a spreadsheet from the NRC requirements I used this website to find what sources Top food sources of Vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol) provided what was needed. Took no more than an afternoon to make sure I could cover all the needs. HTH 

Raw feeding IMO is totally worth the effort.


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## Apex1 (May 19, 2017)

Now I see taurine was NOT on my NRC list.... i do feed chopped heart....and now I know what I will be reviewing Saturday


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

@JessicaR send me your email and I'll send you my spreadsheet.


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## Sweet Stella (Feb 7, 2018)

Duck is considered red meat fyi.


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