Is Grocery Store Meat Okay?

[NeedlenoseJake]

We are feeding raw, and Jake seems to prefer the chicken. I don't want to give him all ground chicken with bone because I'm afraid that's too much bone. There are two local stores that have boneless chicken leg meat for $1.37 a lb (El Rancho or something like that) and Fry's has ground hamburger for $2 a lb (72-28). Are these okay to feed him (along with bone and organ meat)?

 

My mom asked the butcher at one store and he made a comment about antibiotics in the chicken and so it wouldn't be good for dogs. My first thoughts were (1) Don't they give antibiotics to all chickens, so it would end up in dog food anyway and (2) then why are you selling it for human consumption?!

 

Thanks for your input.

[NevadasMom]

I wasn't feeding raw, but I use to give Nevada cooked ground chicken & beef. Vet said it was fine. She just said to get at least 80/20 blend on the beef to reduce the fat.

[Guest Liz_in_PA]

Bonnie gets quarters with bone from whoever has it for $.79 a pound. (She gets kibble for breakfast) She's usually sad when it comes in bags from Walmart because those chickens all seem to be left legged, broken and small, to boot.

 

If it's safe for human consumption it's safe for a dog who is willing to eat things she finds on the sidewalk. If you want to go organic, your butcher will be happy to help you.

 

That's my opinion and your mileage may vary.

[MaryJane]

My dogs always get "people food" although not raw. I give the 85 to 87 hamburger - the 72 would have too much fat.

[NeedlenoseJake]

Thanks for the feedback! I think we'll get some of the chicken for him and save the hamburger for us (more fat makes better burgers!)

[Time4ANap]

If you have a Food City or a Los Altos Ranch Market near you, check prices there. They often have great sales. There is also a raw food supplier over here in Surprise who runs a delivery schedule around town, or you can order in advance and pick up at their store. You cannot walk in and shop as it's just a meat cutting and packing operation - no cases or counters to shop at - you have to order in advance. http://www.freshrawdogfood.com/

[Remolacha]

Yes, if people can eat it, dogs can certainly eat it (meat, that is) The only thing to be aware of with chicken and turkey is they often add some % of saline solution and some dogs don't do well with this, but many dogs do just fine.

[RedHead]

Yes, I always feed chicken and beef from the grocery store. Ideally I would love to feed organic, grass fed meat, but that is not economical here. The way I see it, grocery store meat is at least human grade and fresh. It certainly can't be worse than the "animal grade" meat in kibble. Not perfectly ideal but my dogs have always done well on it.

[Guest chickenpotpie]

Short answer is yes. as noted some times chicken can be injected with saline, but if your dog dosen't have an issue with it, I wouldn't worry. I've never seen anything less than 80/20 ground beef at our store, we eat 90 and above and so does Lucky. I get her turkey necks and feet from the butcher in cambridge, but its by the case and cheaper than the store. My store will get them for you which I appreciate...they've done it before!

 

At the grocery store I get rabbit, and various organ meat (heart and lungs, I don't do kidney!) I always check the 2nds bin to see what they have in there (found ground buffalo for 2 bucks a pound last week! which I purchased the humans not for Lucky ) Lots of times I find family packs of backs and whatnot, and chop those down for raw and/or make bone soup for her (put them in a slow cooker overnight, then run it through a vitamix blender.

 

There are worse things in a lot of dog food brands IMO. Sounds like the butcher is trying to pick up some business. Grocery stores in Mass don't have a sales tax on food, so it makes it cheaper than the butcher.

[Hubcitypam]

Unless beef is totally grass fed it has most likely has been pumped with antibiotics too. It keeps them from getting sick from the stress of the feed lot and also makes them gain weight faster. This was on the news at home a couple of days ago.

http://www.kcbd.com/story/28398909/ttu-researchers-discover-antibiotic-resistance-in-west-texas-feedlots

[CharlieRhea]

We are feeding raw, and Jake seems to prefer the chicken. I don't want to give him all ground chicken with bone because I'm afraid that's too much bone. There are two local stores that have boneless chicken leg meat for $1.37 a lb (El Rancho or something like that) and Fry's has ground hamburger for $2 a lb (72-28). Are these okay to feed him (along with bone and organ meat)?

 

My mom asked the butcher at one store and he made a comment about antibiotics in the chicken and so it wouldn't be good for dogs. My first thoughts were (1) Don't they give antibiotics to all chickens, so it would end up in dog food anyway and (2) then why are you selling it for human consumption?!

 

Thanks for your input.

 

 

There are brands of chicken that are raised without hormones or antibiotics. Bell & Evans is one. Depending on where you shop you can get chicken raised without that too. I buy it for myself and can't go back to Perdue or other chicken. The taste is so much better.

I buy raw through a co op. I am in MA but it comes up from a farm in MD every 5 weeks. As more people feed raw the co ops have grown. Check out what time4anap posted, i see you are both in AZ. I worry about raw meat that hasn't been frozen for the reason in case there is a parasite it would not be killed. I have heard dogs getting ill from raw meat from the market. I see some here do it that way but i am just leery.

[sarabz]

Bonnie gets quarters with bone from whoever has it for $.79 a pound. (She gets kibble for breakfast) She's usually sad when it comes in bags from Walmart because those chickens all seem to be left legged, broken and small, to boot.

 

 

Made me think of Bill

[XTRAWLD]

Yes, if people can eat it, dogs can certainly eat it (meat, that is) The only thing to be aware of with chicken and turkey is they often add some % of saline solution and some dogs don't do well with this, but many dogs do just fine.

I second this. If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for them, and also agree on the injection of stuff in the chicken. Grocery store meat though isn't a cheap way to feed that's for sure. Good luck!

[NeylasMom]

We are feeding raw, and Jake seems to prefer the chicken. I don't want to give him all ground chicken with bone because I'm afraid that's too much bone. There are two local stores that have boneless chicken leg meat for $1.37 a lb (El Rancho or something like that) and Fry's has ground hamburger for $2 a lb (72-28). Are these okay to feed him (along with bone and organ meat)?

 

My mom asked the butcher at one store and he made a comment about antibiotics in the chicken and so it wouldn't be good for dogs. My first thoughts were (1) Don't they give antibiotics to all chickens, so it would end up in dog food anyway and (2) then why are you selling it for human consumption?!

 

Thanks for your input.

Couple of things. First, if you are feeding raw, you need to feed more than chicken. Red meat, and organ meat in particular have nutrients that your dog needs. Fish is also a good source of good omegas that provide EPA/DHA (fish like sardines, anchovies, mackeral, salmon, etc.) or supplement with a good quality fish oil. Fresh tripe is incredibly nutrient dense and I highly recommend working it into his diet (there are a number of places online where you can buy fresh green tripe - you can't get it in grocery stores as what is sold in stores is bleached and not appropriate for dogs at all).

 

Second, why not just feed meaty bones rather than supplementing ground with boneless meats? Chicken legs, or full quarters if you can get them (with part of the back attached) have a good meat:bone ratio. That will promote good dental health more than the ground/boneless option.

 

As far as what's safe to feed - that's a somewhat personal decision, and also has to do with cost. To answer your question about antibiotics, no, not all chickens are raised with antibiotics. That's not the only issue with commercially raised meat either. Humane considerations aside, non-pastured meat has a, shall we say, less than ideal ratio of omega-6's to omega-3's so if you feed non-pastured meat you should be supplementing with fish oil as I mentioned. There are also the issue of growth hormones, as well as what the animals eat (commercially raised chickens are typically fed a soy and/or corn-based feed). For all of those reasons, I choose pastured meats from local farms for myself and try to do so as much as I can for my dogs. Their chicken is a compromise - I buy Bell & Evans chicken leg quarters. Bell & Evans chicken is free of ABs and growth hormones and raised to certain humane standards. They do use a soy/corn based feed, but that's a compromise I have to make because buying chicken that uses another type of feed is prohibitively expensive for me. However, the tripe, beef (heart, organ, etc.) and sheep that I feed is pastured so I feel it's a reasonable compromise.

 

Whole Foods carries B&E chicken products and I can order the quarters a case at a time (~40 lbs) and get a discount.

 

FWIW, any time I have been in a pinch and have had to feed store bought chicken - even making sure it had no injected solution - one or all of my dogs would have issues with it. That's purely anecdotal, the reasons above are much stronger reasons for choosing carefully what you feed, but like I said, fwiw.

[Hubcitypam]

 

 

Fresh tripe is incredibly nutrient dense and I highly recommend working it into his diet (there are a number of places online where you can buy fresh green tripe - you can't get it in grocery stores as what is sold in stores is bleached and not appropriate for dogs at all).

Absolutely not the case everywhere. I can go to the grocery chain at the first stoplight and buy unbleached fresh green tripe (which is greenish grey) - not bleached honeycomb. They also have hearts, kidneys, pork stomachs, chicken and pig feet, fresh calf hooves, chicken backs, turkey necks and various assorted other body parts in the meat case.

I don't feed raw exact as treats but a Mexican or Asian market can be a raw feeders best friend. Way cheaper than internet shopping.

[Remolacha]

Absolutely not the case everywhere. I can go to the grocery chain at the first stoplight and buy unbleached fresh green tripe (which is greenish grey) - not bleached honeycomb. They also have hearts, kidneys, pork stomachs, chicken and pig feet, fresh calf hooves, chicken backs, turkey necks and various assorted other body parts in the meat case.

I don't feed raw exact as treats but a Mexican or Asian market can be a raw feeders best friend. Way cheaper than internet shopping.

 

True that ethnic markets have all kinds of interesting cuts, and usually at good prices! I thought green tripe was graded "not for human consumption" but who knows what some of those carnecerias carry

[Hubcitypam]

It's not a carneceria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiesta_Mart
People have called me out on it before and store management has assured it was legal.

I was just there and there was a ton of it for $2.39 a pound.
Turkey necks $1.79#
Calves feet $1.99#

Sweetbreads $3.39#
Beef kidneys $1.99#
Chicken livers $1.29#
Beef heart $2.99#
Chicken feet $1.79#

If it was not for human consumption why would this dog tripe site say their product is graded approved for human consumption?
http://www.greentripe.com/description.htm

It astounds me that people will scream and but down any kibble that has by products (even organ meat only) in it but people pay quite a bit for those organ meats when they feed raw.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Hubcitypam

[Remolacha]

I can't imagine eating it, even if it was OK for for people But, I don't eat menudo either! Those are good prices.

[Hubcitypam]

 

 

I can't imagine eating it, even if it was OK for people But, I don't eat menudo either! Those are good prices.

Me either. I'm still not sure exactly what my neighbors do with the copious amounts of huge fresh catfish heads often on ice in the aisle. There has to be more to it than fish stock. Blech.

OP sorry for the hijack,,,,

[Guest Johberry]

Up until recently finding a butcher who also sells cuts specifically for raw fed pets, we were feeding our hound grocery store meat and didn't have any negative experiences. We made sure to stay away from meat that had saline, etc additives. When we shop for ourselves, I still tend to get chicken quarters or beef stew meat if there's a sale.

 

I'm envious of those of you who can easily get beef heart at the grocery store. We have a coop here who does monthly drops on grassfed beef and offers beef heart a la carte but haven't taken the plunge because $22 for a 4.5-lb heart seems mighty pricey to me!

Edited March 17, 2015 by Johberry

[XTRAWLD]

I'm envious of those of you who can easily get beef heart at the grocery store.

 

Honestly, it depends on the area you live in. If the demographic in the geographic area tends to be more ethnic than mainstream you will typically find certain cuts of meat/bone/organ for food. Do you have another town or city close by you can visit that would have better accessibility for odds and ends in the meat dept?

 

I used to live a half hour away in a mainstream area, I was lucky if I could find bones for a stew! Go to a heavily European influenced area for example, and the meat department is drastically different because the demand for those items are there.

Edited March 17, 2015 by XTRAWLD

[NeedlenoseJake]

Up until recently finding a butcher who also sells cuts specifically for raw fed pets, we were feeding our hound grocery store meat and didn't have any negative experiences. We made sure to stay away from meat that had saline, etc additives. When we shop for ourselves, I still tend to get chicken quarters or beef stew meat if there's a sale.

 

I'm envious of those of you who can easily get beef heart at the grocery store. We have a coop here who does monthly drops on grassfed beef and offers beef heart a la carte but haven't taken the plunge because $22 for a 4.5-lb heart seems mighty pricey to me!

 

Is there a Mexican grocery store nearby? Also, a lot of grocery stores can special order these items for you if you just ask. And it's probably way less than $22 for a heart! I've ordered beef heart from a local store before in order to make haggis (not the traditional way, but trying to get lamb heart and liver here is almost impossible!)

[Guest Johberry]

Thank you guys for the suggestions! I'm supposed to pick up a case of turkey necks from the butcher tomorrow and will have to remember to inquire about the beef heart. We do have Mexican grocery stores probably 30-45 minutes away and will end up doing some exploring on the weekend if the butcher can't get it. Will also inquire our local chain grocery stores if need be (I honestly never even thought to ask). OP, sorry for hijacking your thread, I didn't mean to!