# Ground chicken advice



## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

Hi all!

I was hoping you guys could give me your input. Minnie and Tanner have done great on raw, using ground venison w/bone meal added, along with organs and veggie mix. I've been going off of Dr. Becker's recommendations in her book







Real Food for Healthy Dogs and Cats. 









However, with the pups eating 3#s of meat mix (muscle meat w/ bone meal and organs) a day between them, I've gone through my supply of venison. I order free-range beef, chicken, and basically all of my other meat through a local guy, and he has prepacked "dog food" of ground chicken necks, backs, and organs for $2.00/#. 

I tried a couple pounds of it and the dogs seemed to like it, but I noticed that the ground bones were a bit sharp feeling. Is this a problem? 

Also, what do you think of the price? I know it's more than leg quarters, but the mix does include organs. One of my biggest irritants with RAW is that I have to measure out and chop up organ meats (just a personal problem,  ). 

I have never feed them whole, unground meat like leg quarters because all of Dr. Becker's recipes are for ground meat, and I am really unsure of how to proceed with big pieces like that. Also, we try to eat as organic as possible, but it's more important for us that the animals are truly free-range and are able to have a decent life before they are harvested. Free-range leg quarters at $.49/# are impossible to find, and with two big dogs it's out of our budget to pay $5/# for leg quarters. Maybe if I had chihuahuas instead of GSDs, but that's not going to happen!

Anyway, please let me know what you think. I appreciate it!!


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## RubyTuesday (Jan 20, 2008)

IMO, ground meat should only be fed if it's it's freshly ground. The chances of encountering problems while relatively small are potentially fatal. Dogs are not immune to Escherichia coli 0157:H7, ie 'hemorrhagic E. coli'. Risks increase exponentially with ground meat vs whole b/c bacteria is ground into the meat & the grinding greatly increases the available surface area for incubation.

Apart from those concerns, sharp bones shouldn't be a problem. They swallow bone shards when they're fed chicken quarters with no ill effects.

I buy organ meat separately (usually turkey hearts & livers) & feed them whole. Note too, that chicken quarters include organ (the bone marrow) as well as muscle & bone. I've read chicken quarters have a nearly ideal balance b/w muscle, bone & fat. Someone I know of fed his Newfies nothing but a chicken quarter in the morning & another in the evening. They were lean, healthy, active & lived past 12 which is an excellent age for Newfies.

I don't bother measuring, tbh. My own diet isn't that rigidly structured. Neither was my daughters. When I started feeding raw I asked a friend how much she fed...Her answer? "Enough." When I pressed for a more quantitative response she insisted she feeds 'em enough & suggested I do the same, lol. 

I'm glad to hear the raw agrees with Minnie & Tanner. I don't think mine look any better (they already looked great, IMO) but I do love less clean up.


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