# Ham as a treat



## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Hi, my 7 month old is on raw, can I give him tiny squares as ham as a treat? I'm making a batch of treats, tiny squares of hot dogs, turkey (boars head) and want to add ham pieces as well. 

Considering it's for training treats, is that OK?

Also, can cats eat ham as treats as well?


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## TxQuax (Jul 13, 2013)

Are you talking about deli meat, cooked ham, etc? My understanding is that pork is NOT good for doggies and can make them very sick. I do not know anything about raw feeding and how raw pork affects them...hopefully you will get more responses from those with more knowledge than myself.

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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

TxQuax said:


> Are you talking about deli meat, cooked ham, etc? My understanding is that pork is NOT good for doggies and can make them very sick. I do not know anything about raw feeding and how raw pork affects them...hopefully you will get more responses from those with more knowledge than myself.
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Yeah, deli meat. I heard about pork not being good for them. My boy has allergies and for now I'm assuming it's beef or chicken he's allergic to so that doesn't leave me with much options lol


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

deli meat isn't raw.



lalachka said:


> Yeah, deli meat. I heard about pork not being good for them. My boy has allergies and for now I'm assuming it's beef or chicken he's allergic to so that doesn't leave me with much options lol
> 
> 
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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Pork is fine, even raw pork. However, ham is very high in sodium and has nitrates/nitrites. I would not use it as a treat.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I agree with I LOVE MY MIKKO...I avoid feeding ham or smoked sausage for treats/even though it'd make great tracking bait, I don't want to add the chemicals. Hard enough getting meat that isn't CAAFO or enhanced.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

doggiedad said:


> deli meat isn't raw.


Lol I know, I posted it in raw because that's what he's on and I figured other raw feeders have the same problems with finding treats and figured someone else must've wanted to use ham as a treat


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO said:


> Pork is fine, even raw pork. However, ham is very high in sodium and has nitrates/nitrites. I would not use it as a treat.


Got you. So what DO you use as a treat?


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> I agree with I LOVE MY MIKKO...I avoid feeding ham or smoked sausage for treats/even though it'd make great tracking bait, I don't want to add the chemicals. Hard enough getting meat that isn't CAAFO or enhanced.


I waited for replies before I went ahead and sliced it anyway))))) I should've waited longer. 

Oh well, I will use the concoction I made until I can find some raw treats. I'm starting training today and that's all I have. 


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

For treats I use cheese cubes, string cheese, natural balance or red barn food rolls cut into pea size pieces(very cheap for the quantity of treats you get!) or sometimes cat kibble for tracking bait. My dog loves the Bil-jac frozen for tracking too, but I can't buy it in my state. Even though they sell all other Bil-jac products. I don't think a bit of ham is that harmful, but not something I'd feed often.
FWIW, most allergies tend to be environmental not usually protein based. Though now and then dogs have issues/sensitivity with certain proteins.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

I don't give cheese anymore because at my other topic I was told that that might be the cause of his allergies. 

So lets say it really is environmental, what do I do? If it was food then I can eliminate it from his diet but how do I eliminate environmental stuff?


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

I use dehydrated meats and fish, cheese, sometimes in a pinch I buy the Orijen freeze died meat treats. I'm going to try "liver brownies" and also a pumpkin/liver blend. Also, you can cook a steak and cut it up in small cubes (freeze the extra and take it out as needed)


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

What about deli meat? Like roast beef? I'm not good at cooking anything. 


ETA. Also, are orijen treats hard or soft? I need something my dog will want to work for. How good rr they?


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

lalachka said:


> What about deli meat? Like roast beef? I'm not good at cooking anything.
> 
> 
> ETA. Also, are orijen treats hard or soft? I need something my dog will want to work for. How good rr they?


Personally, I would not use deli meat because of the nitrates/nitrites. Trust me, you don't need to be a good cook to cook a steak for a dog, and then cut it into pieces. Dehydrating meat and fish is also really easy.
The Orijen treats are just freeze died meat, so they are pretty soft.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Yeah but you need not to be kitchen challenged either)))))) I've burned almost every piece of meat I cooked. 

I will try again today. 

You dehydrate yourself?? How? I thought you have to have a machine. 

I'm about to see if petco has orijen. 


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

lalachka said:


> Yeah but you need not to be kitchen challenged either)))))) I've burned almost every piece of meat I cooked.
> 
> I will try again today.
> 
> ...



I have a dehydrator, but you can do it in the oven too. Just Google for directions. I'm not sure Petco would carry Orijen, but they might have something similar.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

deli meat is expensive and full of salt. Id only use it if its old leftovers or if its the only thing your dog responds to. My dog loves stinky cheese, and you could buy cheap chuck steak or chicken and cook it without spices. My dog also loves thyme I just found out, so some herb chicken would be good.
I feed i all raw, its in the name of the diet after all. If its gross stuff then a sink and soap are nearby.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

I don't have a yard, most of my training is at the park and there's no sink and soap lol so no raw for me. 

As for deli meat being expensive I already spent and keep spending so much money on him that another few bucks don't make a difference. 

Deli meat is just so easy for treats that's why I keep hoping I can use it lol. It's so easy to cut up too. 

I bought some dehydrated liver, doesn't look appetizing but we will see what he thinks. 


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

My dog loves cheese too but has dermatitis and I'm trying to eliminate all questionable things for a month and someone here said cheese might be one of them. 


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

Lunchmeat is no good, too salty.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

chicken hearts make terrific treats. your dog loves thyme , so get some chicken hearts , moisten with olive oil so that thyme , which your dog loves, and a bit of garlic powder will cling to them.
dehydrate 

they end up being the right size for a treat and all good


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

I will def try this but only in a month. I'm not giving him any chicken for a month to see if it's chicken he's allergic to. 


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

substitute beef liver cut into pieces and do the same . You have to make larger pieces as the beef will desiccate and shrivel quite a bit. Kitchen shears are handy for this cutting .


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Cooked chicken breasts are the easiest things to use for training treats. Cut or tear into tiny pieces and you are ready to go.

You can even carry them in your mouth (unless you are like me and accidentally keep swallowing them  ).


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> Cooked chicken breasts are the easiest things to use for training treats. Cut or tear into tiny pieces and you are ready to go.
> 
> You can even carry them in your mouth (unless you are like me and accidentally keep swallowing them  ).


Do you season them?


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

carmspack said:


> substitute beef liver cut into pieces and do the same . You have to make larger pieces as the beef will desiccate and shrivel quite a bit. Kitchen shears are handy for this cutting .


I'm buying the machine so I will try this, thank you!!


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## Arlene/Archer (Mar 7, 2013)

Once a month I buy Archer a huge pork hock ( this is opposed to a 'ham hock' which is salted) and he loves it. Takes him about an hour to eat it too, which is pretty good going for him  Planning to get him some crubeens* soon too, since I've found a butcher who does them ( amazing butcher, you can buy tripe, offal of all kinds, and unusual cheap cuts)

* pigs feet.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Where's is the butcher? I'm looking for a cheaper way to raw feed, right now I pay on average 4$/lb


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## Arlene/Archer (Mar 7, 2013)

lalachka said:


> Where's is the butcher? I'm looking for a cheaper way to raw feed, right now I pay on average 4$/lb
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm in Dublin, Ireland, so I don't think I could really help


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Arlene/Archer said:


> I'm in Dublin, Ireland, so I don't think I could really help


Lolol too bad, sounded good


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## Mikelia (Aug 29, 2012)

One of my local grocery store (the high end one surprisingly) sells pork hocks and feet - the dogs do like them. 
You can buy dehydrated liver, chicken, cheese and other kinds of meats. Purebites is an American company that makes treats like this.
My guys are also raw fed and their cookie bin is full of dehydrated beef lung (bought this way, I have no desire to dehydrate that much lung in my oven) and I use whatever all meat treat I purchase for training treats. You can easily make liver treats at home that the dogs love but I prefer to buy it dehydrated than having my kitchen smell like liver for a day. I also prefer dry treats to moist treats like cooked chicken breast as I keep the treats in my pockets and that starts to get messy!
As for using ham - why not? So long as it is in small quantities. People use hot dogs, cheese strings and all sorts of nasty dog treats so how is a little ham going to hurt. Yes it may not be the healthiest thing but dogs eat some nasty stuff and I can think of worse things to use than a little deli ham. When we take my dogs to the family farm one of my dogs spends as much of her day as possible eating out of the compost pile - disgusting but she's healthy.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Lol thank you for putting it into perspective. I often get carried away. My dog eats cat poop and considers it a delicacy. One time he went into the litter box, stole a piece, brought it on my bed and just as he was about to dine in leisure I caught him. Other times I didn't, lots of fun picking it out of his teeth. 

OK, now that everyone is cringing. 

Where did you buy dehydrated lungs? I'm having a problem finding organs period. All I can get is liver, tripe and kidneys. Heart too but it's considered meat. 

I also like to dehydrate, I'm outside of my house training and there's no sinks. 


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## ODINsFREKI (Jul 30, 2013)

I feed my dog wild game, lamb, chicken and rabbit.

For reward treats on the go I use Zuke's mini natural wild rabbit formula. A dog that eats right will still go nuts for them. They are perfect for training and transport and stink a lot less than cut up pieces of elk liver in your pocket!

Keep your dog away from processed and cured meats. Raw lean kosher cuts of pork are ok but still have some salt. Cured ham is bad for you and your dog. 

If you can stand the smell of the process, dried deer lungs in a dehydrator can lure your dog into any task! 

Good luck! I think you will like the zukes.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Sorry, just saw this. I can stand almost any smell but where do I get lungs? Especially deer lungs


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## Mac's Mom (Jun 7, 2010)

Getting back to your original question. I think ham is a perfectly acceptable super treat. "Super treat" is what our trainer called it


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Mac's Mom said:


> Getting back to your original question. I think ham is a perfectly acceptable super treat. "Super treat" is what our trainer called it


I'm feeding off the few lbs I cut up the day I posted but won't buy it again. 

I know once in a blue I can give almost anything, I was trying to see whether it's good as a regular treat and it's not)))))



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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

If your giving hotdogs, I think its probably as good if not better than that. My dogs have had, hotdogs, ham, turkey, and brunschweiger on occasion and they all work great as an occasional treat.


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

shepherdmom said:


> If your giving hotdogs, I think its probably as good if not better than that. My dogs have had, hotdogs, ham, turkey, and brunschweiger on occasion and they all work great as an occasional treat.


Then all is well )))))
It's not easy finding treats that compare to raw meat. They become so picky once they get to taste it IMO 


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## ODINsFREKI (Jul 30, 2013)

lalachka said:


> Sorry, just saw this. I can stand almost any smell but where do I get lungs? Especially deer lungs
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Just ask your friends that hunt! It's normally discarded in the field and most hunters would be happy to use more of the animal and hand over the "gut pile". Hunting season for bow is under way and rifle season is coming up.

Venison is a delicacy and farm raised venison is very expensive. The lungs are used as medicine in Asian cultures so commercially available dried lung would probably be expensive. 

I will let you know how my hunting season goes. I have a dehydrator in the garage just for treats. I will send you some if I get lucky!


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

ODINsFREKI said:


> Just ask your friends that hunt! It's normally discarded in the field and most hunters would be happy to use more of the animal and hand over the "gut pile". Hunting season for bow is under way and rifle season is coming up.
> 
> Venison is a delicacy and farm raised venison is very expensive. The lungs are used as medicine in Asian cultures so commercially available dried lung would probably be expensive.
> 
> I will let you know how my hunting season goes. I have a dehydrator in the garage just for treats. I will send you some if I get lucky!


I don't have any((((( and I wouldn't feel right asking you to give me some of yours even if your season goes good. I'd buy them though))))


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

I don't season the chicken - just cook it. I also use hot dogs.

I don't give alot of treats when training so I'm not worried about them getting something that is not technically raw. Heck, their FAVORITE thing to work for is a piece of the cats kibble!


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## Crocky (Aug 16, 2013)

Glad I read this, i am going to get some chicken and put my dehydrator to use. I make beef jerky for me all the time. Super easy, cut the raw chicken or beef plop it on the dehydrator and a few hours or so later....yummy goodness!


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

I don't feed raw, but Real Meat brand pet food is a great training treat and would be very compatible with a raw diet: Real Meat Pet Food The bits are the perfect size and I've never met a dog that didn't love it. My cats go crazy for it too! I like that it doesn't need to be refrigerated.

I use the 90% Air Dried food as treats, it comes in Chicken, Lamb and Beef. They also have air dried treats but they're more expensive per ounce than the food. The treats do come in more varieties though, and since they're not intended as a complete diet there are fewer ingredients.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> I don't season the chicken - just cook it. I also use hot dogs.
> 
> I don't give alot of treats when training so I'm not worried about them getting something that is not technically raw. Heck, their FAVORITE thing to work for is a piece of the cats kibble!


I use cat kibble for tracking bait sometimes. It is very high value because my dogs are kept away from the cat food(and litterbox!)


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> I don't season the chicken - just cook it. I also use hot dogs.
> 
> I don't give alot of treats when training so I'm not worried about them getting something that is not technically raw. Heck, their FAVORITE thing to work for is a piece of the cats kibble!


Oh I don't mind him eating something that's not raw, I only mentioned raw because he became very picky after switching to raw, most treats he loved before he won't eat now. 

I like hot dogs too, easy to cut, they don't spoil and so on. 


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Cassidy's Mom said:


> I don't feed raw, but Real Meat brand pet food is a great training treat and would be very compatible with a raw diet: Real Meat Pet Food The bits are the perfect size and I've never met a dog that didn't love it. My cats go crazy for it too! I like that it doesn't need to be refrigerated.
> 
> I use the 90% Air Dried food as treats, it comes in Chicken, Lamb and Beef. They also have air dried treats but they're more expensive per ounce than the food. The treats do come in more varieties though, and since they're not intended as a complete diet there are fewer ingredients.


I will try some, I like that they have lamb. It's not all meat though, there's more stuff in there. I mean as long as he loves it I don't care. He's became picky since on raw


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Hot dogs spoil. And when they do, they do it with a vengeance. Check your dates. 


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

onyx'girl said:


> I use cat kibble for tracking bait sometimes. It is very high value because my dogs are kept away from the cat food(and litterbox!)


Mine too)))) I had to put their food and water high up. And litter boxes. Omg, he's driving me crazy. The second I stop watching he is in there. 

Cat kibble is a good idea, I already give him cat treats and he loves it


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

JackandMattie said:


> Hot dogs spoil. And when they do, they do it with a vengeance. Check your dates.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


I'm sorry, I said that wrong. Of course they spoil but they last longer than meat


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## Baileysowner (Jun 15, 2013)

I've used ham b4 with no problem.. (Only on a couple occasions not everyday) It didn't seem to bother her but I've heard its bad.. Then again my gsd has a iron gut 


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Haven't read the whole thread but my dog is not very food motivated, the ONLY food he goes nuts for is raw beef so I use that for training. :crazy: But sometimes I'll also use boiled chicken.. but I've tried everything else, hotdogs, cheese, natural balance rolls, freeze dried meat... nothing really gets his attention in our obedience classes(and we're trying for the CGC now). I have used deli meat occasionally but it's way to high in salt to use for everyday use.


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## Carriesue (Aug 13, 2012)

Missed the editing window but just wanted to add that I use the raw beef away from home, a CGC class in a big park and an agility class in a big field about an hour away from where I live so it's doable. I just bring some hand sanitizer and wash my hands when I get home. You could also just lightly cook it to kill off any bacteria... I use just plain old ground beef and for the chicken I just boil some water and throw in some chicken breasts and boil for awhile(you could try this with turkey if you don't want to use chicken).

The Zukes training treats are nice too but a little too small for my taste(I get bit a lot using them), also they don't hold my dogs attention under heavy distraction. But I have a very picky dog so... a lot of other ideas people had may work really well for you!


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## lalachka (Aug 13, 2013)

Carriesue said:


> Missed the editing window but just wanted to add that I use the raw beef away from home, a CGC class in a big park and an agility class in a big field about an hour away from where I live so it's doable. I just bring some hand sanitizer and wash my hands when I get home. You could also just lightly cook it to kill off any bacteria... I use just plain old ground beef and for the chicken I just boil some water and throw in some chicken breasts and boil for awhile(you could try this with turkey if you don't want to use chicken).
> 
> The Zukes training treats are nice too but a little too small for my taste(I get bit a lot using them), also they don't hold my dogs attention under heavy distraction. But I have a very picky dog so... a lot of other ideas people had may work really well for you!


Yep. More and more I'm leaning towards bringing part of his food as training. I already have sanitizer with me (even with regular treats, he slobs all over and it's about the same thing)

I just haven't made the plunge


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