Quick question about feeding Beef fat.

[bullmastiff 615]

When I found out Tia was pregnant, I went to the butchers at Morrissons to see if I could get some Beef fat to feed her up a bit, and it turns out an old friend is now working there.

He gave me a 4kg pile of mainly fat but with meat offcuts as well for 55p!!! I asked him if I'd be able to come back for more and he said take the lot if you want it!

 

So the question is, can this be a main ingredient in a Lurchers diet? I would love to start feeding the BARF diet but can't get chicken carcases/lamb breast etc. for love nor money! I've got a small hand mincer so can process it myself and can get free old veg. Morrissons also sell lamb bones for 99p a kg so could buy these as well?

 

Any advice would be apprieciated

 

Luke

 

Edited to add pic.

What I've got left, of the fat/meat (although he put it down as Lamb bones!)

 

Used a tenner for size reference!!! it was piled right up and weighed just over 4kg!

Edited August 25, 2009 by bullmastiff

[neil cooney 10,416]

No way would I feed that mess to any dog, skinny, pregnant or otherwise.

A balanced diet needs a certain amount of fat in it but that looks like it's or 90% fat.

Also, a pregnant bitch if in good shape in the first place doesn't need feeding up or extra weight put on her. Just a good diet.

Think about it, in a wild state does a carnivore catch more food while pregnant?

Edited August 26, 2009 by neil cooney

[skycat 6,174]

FAt is high calorie, and as such dogs like sled dogs that are already full grown do well on a high fat diet, BUT growing, pregnant and nursing bitches need PROTEINS which are the building blocks for growth. Protein is found in muscle meat if you are feeding carnviores and cereals if you are feeding rabbits horses etc.

 

Feeding too much fat to a dog makes it, er...... FAT! LOL True though, which is one of the reasons the racing whippet blokes used to boil up lamb's head etc for their whippets, then skim off all the fat: they wanted to feed as little fat as possible to their dogs so they'd stay slim.

 

Anyway, whilst Tia does need some fat she needs mostly protein at the moment as a bitch's milk is very high in protein: so.......mainly meat with just a bit of fat: say, the same sort of amount we'd find round the edge of a lamb or pork chop or steak.

 

If you go to the supermarket just before closing on a weekend you can often get well reduced chicken wings, thighs etc. That can do for starters. What you do need to remember is feeding raw food means a good mixture of all sorts of animal bits. Just feeding muscle meat will leave your dog short of calcium for example, so you do need the bones (non weight bearing except in the case of the very fast growing chickens who go off their legs by the time they are a couple of months old, so still have softish leg bones.)

 

Don't forget the minced/pureed veg either: very important.

 

If in doubt add a good vit/min supplement to the diet.

 

Why not contact a local dog meat supplier: most do chicken carcases and breast of lamb.

[sandymere 8,263]

A little fat is OK, there are more calories from fat than protein in a seemingly lean bit of beef, but it needs to be a part of a balenced diet. Fat has around double the calories pound for pound that protein or carbohydrate has. I wouldn't go to a supermarket but a butchers and you might get some half decent waste meat and bones, you don't need a large amount if you are feeding a complete but feeding it once or twice a week adds variety to the diet.

[kiz 0]

Nothing wrong with mixing it with lamb bones (try and get the breast ones) and also cheap in morrisons pork shank, value whole chicken/ quarters, liver/heart (not too much liver/heart else can get runs), frozen sardines and have a look at the reduced because almost out of date, picked up some cheap oxtail last week.

[bullmastiff 615]

Fair enough! thanks guys and girls, I'll finish this up then cut it out of their diet.

I'll see if he can get me just the meat not the fat as well. To be honest these last two pieces are probably nearly all fat, some of the other bits, I was tempted to eat myself! it looked like prime cuts of beef??? I get the lamb bones and Ox tails when they come up and also the Lamb or Pigs liver/kidneys when on the clearance shelf.

 

Cheers again

 

Luke.

Edited August 26, 2009 by bullmastiff

[Guest little lurcher]

there is no harm in having some of that , do like i do and a couple of times a week i do a boil up and add some to that ,i use veg meat rice pasta fat fish , all sorts , the bitch will love it , and for 55p what you got to lose , i have a skinny whippet here and she gets the fat to keep her weight up others get less but still good addition to grub

 

but as others have said also , vary things , try a local meat supplier, like a catering /wholesale butcher for example , if no slaughter houses near you , i get a freezer full of lamb and chicken , a little pork in the form of trotters , which i bake in the oven , each week , my only trouble is i have beg steal and borrow freezer space , i give a load to my neighbour for her staff and my dads terriers are all fed it as well , this is all free !!! veg i get from market at end of day , once a week

 

do some ringing around and good luck

[spiderpig 39]

id feed it. im only feed tripe and the occasional whole rabbir/hare/chicken ect..tripe is often full of fat and never had any problems

[Mac 30]

Was under the impression dogs derived their energy from fat sources unlike us humans who do from carb's. Not in the quantity of the above mind.

[bullmastiff 615]

I was just cutting it down into chunks and giving her 250 grams in the evening. As you see from my other thread, she had dropped a lot of weight. I also give Roo a small amount in the morning if he's going to be working in the evening/night time then again give him some when we get back with his dry food.

 

I've taken the last of the fat and minced it with some old sausages, bacon, ham, burgers, liver, kidney and oxtail also 4 eggs and two sausage rolls!

It was all stuff I was given, or was out of date in the fridge.

 

Frozen most of it in 500g bags, so I can take one out a week and use it as an addition to their normal food.

 

I can usuaslly get loads of free pigs trotters but got told it was bad for dogs to feed them regularly?