Deer meat - Good for pups?

So, it's been awhile since I blessed you all with a stupid question :) To make up for lost time I'm going to hit you with a big one!

We have a ton of deer meat. Since I'm not a big fan of red meat and the pups are big fans of any kind of meat - I'm thinking they will enjoy it more than me.

However, we feed mostly kibble and some dehydrated RAW. We aren't ready to do full-on RAW and homemade cooking, so my question is this: Can we go through a "season" of adding raw deer meat to their dinners without throwing their dietary balance off? If we aren't doing total RAW (with a variety of meats, etc), would it hurt to give them some RAW for a few months?

:D Don't you all just LOVE my wacky questions?

Comments

  • edited November -1
    I wouldn't hesitate to do something like that with my dogs. Sometimes I get lots of meat all at once, either because someone I know slaughtered a cow or because there was a bunch of meat on sale at the store, and I substitute the kibble for raw whenever I have it available. Although, I try to intersperse the raw meals with the kibble meals because I think that lets the benefits of eating raw be stretched out over a longer period.

    Obviously, if your dogs have sensitive stomachs, it'll be different, but mine have never had any upsets because of something I've fed them. They're gotten sick after eating things they're not supposed to, but that's a different story.
  • edited November -1
    Oh yeah, and eating raw really cleans their teeth, so it's better for their oral hygeine to be eating raw now and again rather than having raw all the time for a while and then kibble all the time. That's another reason I'd drag it out over a longer period.
  • edited November -1
    Deer meat is horrible for dogs. Send them to me and I'll sacrifice myself to eat all your deer meat.
  • edited November -1
    LOL Rina ;o)
  • edited April 2009
    Ohhh --- meant to address this to Pam (not Evan!): Venison is one of the best meats for dogs (and humans!!!). Low in fat, high in all of the good stuff. As my husband would say, the faster the animal can run, the better the meat is for you (whoever saw a "fleet of foot" beef cow?). By all means, use the venison for the doggies. If you are concerned that their stomach's may be sensitive, mix with some cooked rice. We feed Josephine venison and other kinds of meats cooked, but my thought is the doggies will love it raw, too. My hubbie likes to pamper by cooking though.

    Like others, I would recommend interspersing with kibble, at least until you're sure there are no little tummy or G.I. tract issues from dietary change. I would bet you will see none!

    Yum, yum for the doggies!
  • edited November -1
    I was just laughing at Rina because I knew she was being sarcastic about it being bad for dogs ;o) She's been begging me to become her personal chef for a while now lol :o)
  • edited November -1
    Pam. On my way back from Tulsa, I'll have a cooler with me. I'll stop at your place and you can load up my cooler with excess deer meat.
  • RyuRyu
    edited November -1
    LOL thanks guys!! I gave some to the pups last night RAW and I think I saw sparkles in their eyes haha. Now we just need to get Roxy to actually CHEW the meat before inhaling it.

    And Brandon - I'm SURE that we will still have a ton - we have an entire freezer full and we just aren't making a dent at all. :)
  • edited November -1
    My drives to and from Tulsa just keep getting more useful.
  • edited November -1
    feel free to make some jerky and send it my way!
  • edited November -1
    Deer meat is fantastic for dogs!

    I wouldn't give raw within a 6 hour window of feeding kibble though. Do you still feed the Honest Kitchen dehydrated stuff? I would (and do!) add it to that.

    Too much too fast might give them looser stool, too.
  • edited November -1
    Pam, my address is.....LOL. I LOVE deer meat!
  • edited November -1
    Jen, at first I read that as "loser stool", as if only losers get diarrhea, lol.
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