Lately, I have heard of some people cutting corners by feeding mixes of left over meat from meat packers. Because there are currently no regulations that would prohibit selling meat that is spoiled or not suitable for sale as dog food, I highly recommend not going that route and buy your raw pet food from a reputable manufacturer that is known for its quality and integrity.
If the defrosted package doesn’t smell the same as good quality meat for human consumption, discard it immediately and look for another supplier.
Also, meats – like duck, lamb or beef have a tendency to be fairly fatty. Some raw pet food companies use fatty trim meat which is much higher in fat and pets eating too fatty meat can suffer from fat overload. They may become obese or suffer from indigestion, pancreas or liver problems. If you open the package and see that the meat is too greasy, try to use these infrequently and go for other leaner options.
When it comes to poultry, feeding regular “medicated” chicken, it is close to feeding flavoured protein water with antibiotics and chemicals. These poor birds are locked in cages, fed crappy food and suffer greatly before they are slaughtered. Feeding non-medicated free range chicken is not a luxury. By doing so, your pet food will be more nutritious, your dog or cat healthier and you will no support the torturous practices of main stream poultry farmers.
© Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM
