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Fresh Pigs Ear


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The new supermarket we go to has lots of fresh pigs ears packaged up (a big pair for under $2), pig hocks are very common too. They also have pig skin, (we've recently discovered a smoked/dried version of rolled skin that they just love and works pretty well on the teeth). I even found lamb organs yesterday...I've never seen those out in other supermarkets I've been to (5 organs for $5 -yikes). They also have little white pieces of beef tripe under $1 for the package.

 

While I only feed bones irregularly now, they both have previous raw diet experience, and they do get meat/fat trimmings when I cook. I would like to give them stuff once or twice a week. Why I'd like to do this I'm not sure, I just think it would be nice for them and break the boring kibble cycle day in and day out.

 

Are the ears and tripe ok to feed fresh like that, just add to their kibble meal? (Kasey is allergic to chicken so I have to pass on the organs I see there).

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10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 2010
12.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015

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I'd certainly give it a go - probably with just a small quantity to begin with to see how it suits their tums.

 

It's more or less what I do myself, I agree it makes life more interesting for the dog and I think it is probably better for their stomachs to get a range of stuff to cope with too. Doc mostly has tinned dog food as a topper for his kibble, little bits of frozen veg (usually broccoli or spinach) and left over soup and stew if suitable go down well too. Once or twice a week instead of the tins he gets some chopped-up pigs' or beef liver or pigs' kidney from the supermarket instead (not lambs' liver that is very expensive here, and not chicken livers which seem too rich, the one time I tried them we had very messy poops afterwards).

 

Other times it will be green tripe (unfit for humans, but I can get it in minced and frozen blocks from the pet shop). With white tripe, bear in mind that it has been cleaned and bleached for human consumption so has less nutritional value than the green.

 

Breakfast is a couple of raw chicken wings (cheapest cut available here).

 

Have never tried fresh pigs' ears but don't see why they shouldn't go down well - I know some people have reservations about the fatty content of the preserved ones (which Doc loves), but isn't that largely sprayed on during the preservation process? Ham hocks - again, no experience, but I don't see why not. Hopefully the raw feeders will chip in with more information.

 

Just this minute Doc is enjoying a very exotic treat, a goat's foot from our local halal butcher - see my earlier thread enquiring about the safety of this here. It seems to be going down very well!

Clare with Tiger (Snapper Gar, b. 18/05/2015), and remembering Ken (Boomtown Ken, 01/05/2011-21/02/2020) and Doc (Barefoot Doctor, 20/08/2001-15/04/2015).

"It is also to be noted of every species, that the handsomest of each move best ... and beasts of the most elegant form, always excel in speed; of this, the horse and greyhound are beautiful examples."----Wiliam Hogarth, The Analysis of Beauty, 1753.

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Just this minute Doc is enjoying a very exotic treat, a goat's foot from our local halal butcher - see my earlier thread enquiring about the safety of this here. It seems to be going down very well!

 

I did see that thread about the Goat Leg....let me to prep this thread for my boys. :)

 

I find that wet dog food and Kasey don't get along very well. He almost always has messy stool. Whatever the additives in there don't work well for him, plus his allergy list just sucks and it's hard to find anything that doesn't have a little something in there he's allergic to.

 

Anything raw on the other hand, we have never had an issue. Pork heart was by and large the worst stuff, it gave both my boys the runs, so I'm not touching that again.

Proudly owned by:
10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 2010
12.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015

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Guest jbbuzby

I think it would be okay to give, but not physically with their kibble. Jennifer Bachelor of NeverSayNeverGreyhounds writes about the digestion differences between kibble and raw meat:

 

Can I feed both BARF and Kibble?

"It is not recommended. If you insist on feeding both, it is best not to feed it together. Kibble takes longer to digest than raw food. Feeding them together means that digestion is slowed and bacteria from raw food is in the digestive tract longer. Canine digestive tracts are suited for handling bacteria because they are short and food passes quickly. Also one of the benefits to feeding raw meaty bones is that they clean teeth and gums. Some people feed their dogs raw meaty bones once or twice a week hoping for this benefit; however, consider how clean your mouth would be if you only brushed your teeth once a week. Brushing once a week would not have much benefit and neither does feeding raw meaty bones just once a week."

 

I'd just give it separately in the morning or evening, hours apart from the kibble :).

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I think it would be okay to give, but not physically with their kibble. Jennifer Bachelor of NeverSayNeverGreyhounds writes about the digestion differences between kibble and raw meat:

 

Can I feed both BARF and Kibble?

"It is not recommended. If you insist on feeding both, it is best not to feed it together. Kibble takes longer to digest than raw food. Feeding them together means that digestion is slowed and bacteria from raw food is in the digestive tract longer. Canine digestive tracts are suited for handling bacteria because they are short and food passes quickly. Also one of the benefits to feeding raw meaty bones is that they clean teeth and gums. Some people feed their dogs raw meaty bones once or twice a week hoping for this benefit; however, consider how clean your mouth would be if you only brushed your teeth once a week. Brushing once a week would not have much benefit and neither does feeding raw meaty bones just once a week."

 

I'd just give it separately in the morning or evening, hours apart from the kibble :).

 

Ah, this old myth is still around :rolleyes: Dogs in the racing kennels get a mixture of raw meat (ground beef, usually) and kibble everyday. People eat things that have different digestion rates all the time. It really doesn't make any difference, you can combine kibble and raw if you want, I do it every day for the girls. If you want to feed the two thing seperately, that's fine too, but you don't have to.

 

Also, for the OP, the white tripe you see at the grocery won't hurt your dogs, but it has little nutritional value, so don't feed it as a meal, rather as a treat. The stinky green tripe is what is very, very good for them :) The fresh pigs' ears should be ok, but I would take it slow, just because you said the pig's heart gave them the runs.

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Guest FrankieWylie

Our boys (and girl) TORE UP the fresh pig ear they got last week. Along with tail also!

 

We've got a grocer that carries all sorts of crazy stuff. Today I picked up some beef heart, so we'll see how that goes. I also found out that our grocer will order whatever it is we want! I put in a request for more turkey necks and chicken backs so that I didn't have to drive to two different stores. Also asked for green tripe if he could get it. It should all be in this weekend!

 

I'm looking for some other "meat" sources......what are y'all feeding in the way of meat on a regular basis?

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I just get the willies at pork ears and skins because of the fat, and especially if pork seems iffy for them. That is just me.

The white honeycomb tripe has been bleached and is not so nutritious (though according to my neighbors, excellent in Menudo on Sunday mornings). The Mexican market on the corner sells fresh green tripe but having smelled the canned version I'm not that brave. :blush

Have fed turkey necks and chicken backs. Buck liked the backs better than the next. Pilgrims Pride here sells packages of chicken backs and necks. It worked out great as Poodle got the chicken necks and Buck got the backs.

Tried chicken feet once. Never again the chicken tonails wigged me out almost as much as the feet flapping out of their mouths like a groucho Marx cigar. Bleah.

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Guest FrankieWylie

Ha! Pam, I get a little skeeved out by the feet too. They remind me of baby hands or something. But I still throw them to them LOL! The crunch crunch crunch must mean they love em :)

 

Trying to figure out how to portion out this beef heart I picked up today. That sucker is HUGE!

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Ha! Pam, I get a little skeeved out by the feet too. They remind me of baby hands or something. But I still throw them to them LOL! The crunch crunch crunch must mean they love em :)

 

Trying to figure out how to portion out this beef heart I picked up today. That sucker is HUGE!

 

I've been feeding raw for going on 8 years, and I only tried whole beef hearts once. I don't know why, but they just skeeved me out, worse than anything else :unsure I will gladly pay more to have someone else cut them up!

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Thanks guys. I have experience raw feeding with chicken backs, turkey backs, ribs, etc....it's the more "odd" stuff I'm unsure of. I'm actually a little worried about how the hocks will fare in Ryder's molarless mouth (both massive molars on the top are removed). He made ok work on ribs, but the hocks might be a different story? Anyone know if pig hock is a softer bone than a pork rib?

 

I have some regular tripe (not the white version, but not the green version either) from our raw feeding days that I throw in now and again.

Proudly owned by:
10 year old "Ryder" CR Redman Gotcha May 2010
12.5 year old Angel "Kasey" Goodbye Kasey Gotcha July 2005-Aug 1, 2015

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Thanks guys. I have experience raw feeding with chicken backs, turkey backs, ribs, etc....it's the more "odd" stuff I'm unsure of. I'm actually a little worried about how the hocks will fare in Ryder's molarless mouth (both massive molars on the top are removed). He made ok work on ribs, but the hocks might be a different story? Anyone know if pig hock is a softer bone than a pork rib?

 

I have some regular tripe (not the white version, but not the green version either) from our raw feeding days that I throw in now and again.

 

I have not fed pig feet, but I believe the bones are much softer than ribs, so he should do ok.

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