# Beef suet - how much?



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Mikko is on a 100% grass-fed meat (and fish) diet, which means a very low fat diet. It's really hard to keep weight on him. The place I order his meat from suggested I give him beef suet. I'm not really sure how much to give him though. He definitely needs the fat in his diet, but I don't want to overwhelm his pancreas.

Any suggestions?


----------



## Sunflowers

I would go with coconut or hemp oil. Also, sunflower oil. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and work up to one tablespoon per day. 

Any pics of Mr. Gorgeous? :wild:


----------



## erfunhouse

I was going to suggest oil too. Fish has it's own good fats for them. I have no idea what suet is? And I second---pictures?


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Thanks! He is already getting coconut and fish oil. But, the problem is that grass-fed meat is SO low in fat, he is losing too much weight (even when increasing his food)! I really need to add in more fat. The suet is the hard fat found around organs.



> Any pics of Mr. Gorgeous? :wild:


Hehe, of course  Here are two from a recent trip to PA


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Anyone?


----------



## Jax08

Handsome!!!

Grass fed is VERY low in fat. Even the hamburger has almost no fat. 

If you add suet, you are basically taking away the benefits of the grassfed since that is most likely grain fed.

Eggs? Fatty fish like sardines/mackerel? Do you give any yogurt?

If you are going to add the suet, I would add it like a hamburger mix of 80/20 or 70/30. The hamburger we feed Banshee is 70/30 and we mix that 50/50 with hearts.


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Thanks 

No the suet is grass-fed as well, it's from the same place-same cows.

Yep, he gets cooked egg whites (can't have the yolk)- though I have to admit it has been less frequent lately. I'll increase the eggs. And he gets a lot of sardines.

Good idea about adding it like that! I'll probably do a little less since he does get _some_ fat from the hearts, oils, and eggs. Thanks!


----------



## Castlemaid

If the suet is from the grass-fed cow, it will be high in Omega 3's, and be a healthy fat. 

When I get the bones and trimmings of deer and moose, a LOT of it is fat. I especially had a lot of fat trimmings in once when given the leftovers of a butchered buffalo, so when I'm feeding game, I'd say close to half of what I feed has a LOT of fat on it. My dogs just thrive. They always look their best and have the nicest, shinniest, cleanest-smelling coats over the winter due to the fall hunt haul I get. While other dogs (and people) really struggle with the extra dry air from our very cold winters with dry hairt and itchy skin, Gryff and Keeta are doing excellent. 

If he is not used to fat, I'd just start slowly to build up. After that, not sure what to say for exact amounts, but from my experience, even generous amounts won't do any harm and will benefit.


----------



## Jax08

The fat is in the egg yolk, right? Will increasing the whites help any other than adding calories?


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Thanks, Lucia! I will start slowly as he's been on this new grass-fed diet for a few months, but I'm glad to hear that your dogs thrive with the higher-fat diet. I've read Monica Segal's Fueling the Performance Dog and realize how important fat is for a dog's diet. I was completely ignorant to the level of fat he has been consuming lately 

Idk, Jax...good question.


----------



## Lauri & The Gang

I would not feed straight fat as it could cause pancreatic problems.

Why not just increase the amount you feed? Or feed higher fat foods - like Pork.


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Lauri & The Gang said:


> I would not feed straight fat as it could cause pancreatic problems.
> 
> Why not just increase the amount you feed? Or feed higher fat foods - like Pork.


I did increase the amount - but grass-fed meat is extremely low fat. He gets pork but it is also grass-fed. 

I'm not sure what the problem would be if I added it into his meat like Lucia suggested. What's the difference from feeding grain-fed beef with the higher fat content?


----------



## Jax08

I think the "kind" of fat is important also. Jax isn't on grass fed except for wild game we get but her diet is fairly low in fat. Two hot dogs the night before at training jacked her pancreas level up by over 2000. My vet said dogs do not need a lot of fat in their diet. However, we all need SOME fat in there! So I would do as Lucia suggested and start with small pieces. Suet is very dry so you might want to grind it and add a bit of meat to it (or throw it all in a food processor).


----------



## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Jax08 said:


> I think the "kind" of fat is important also. Jax isn't on grass fed except for wild game we get but her diet is fairly low in fat. Two hot dogs the night before at training jacked her pancreas level up by over 2000. My vet said dogs do not need a lot of fat in their diet. However, we all need SOME fat in there! So I would do as Lucia suggested and start with small pieces. Suet is very dry so you might want to grind it and add a bit of meat to it (or throw it all in a food processor).


I think you're right about that. I was doing more reading about pancreatitis (sp) and I think that cooked fats are worse - and also the kind of fat.

I fed him some more suet this morning and just kind of mashed it in with some ground meat. On days that he eats whole MM like heart, I'll try grinding it. Thanks!


----------

