ottawa foodies

I'll be getting a doggie in a little while and wondering does anyone know a good butcher who sales near expiring, cheaper cuts, discounted etc meats..that can be used to feed a pet?

I got to talking to my farmer's wife last time I was out there, and she was telling me she only feeds meat to hear dog. She said she relies very heavily on road kill, and is on several local call lists

Forum - Road Kill

I got her to agree to let me do a video of her butchering some road kill for her dog. With the baby due any day now it has not been a priority, but I'm sure it will happen within the next few months.

Yeah I'll be getting a Husky and really a raw meat diet is the best for them. They digest it the best so they can get more full benefits plus it makes them poo less as a result.(usually less diarheaa too)

but yeah, all this is ok. i need a variety anyways:

-Lamb
-cuts
-neck
-the fatty bits of lamb the butcher sells
-minced lamb
-lamb shanks

-Beef
-cuts
-slices
-neck
-tongue

-Whole baby chicken with skin carcass
-Whole rabbit carcass
-Whole chicken carcass
-Whole baby turkey carcass
-Whole baby duck

Fish:
-Red snapper
-Trout
-Salmon
-Tuna
-Mackerel
-Sardines
-Kippers

You can try posing on Freecycle for freezer-burned meat. I have seen a regular poster here in Stittsville (once a month or so) and his dog seems to be well fed.

The only drawback to roadkill is that wild animals are usually chock full of parasites.

Cooking kills parasites

Yes it does, however, iheartsamosa indicated that he was leaning towards a raw meat diet for the dog.

yeah, cooking meat, especially on bone is no good for dogs. in fact, its dangerous.

Dangerous? Please explain.

Freezing may also kill parasites - though I'd research it a bit first.

I think he's referring to the 'biologically appropriate raw food' (barf) diet for dogs... I'm a dog owner, have been for almost all of my life and I can say that cooked meat is not dangerous for a dog provided that it's boneless and hasn't been cooked in rich oils. Raw meat definitely poses a parasite risk, and if you've ever had a dog with gastro parasites, I doubt you would ever want to repeat that experience again. Also, if you've ever hunted and done field dressing for a dead animal of any sort, you would also know that parasites from a freshly killed animal can be present as well, this rule doesn't only apply to roadkill.

Parasites in terrestrial mammels might be prevented by freezing, but the only way that I would guarentee that is if the meat got freezer-burned. The freezer-burn process destroys the integrety of many of the cells including parasites which would therefore make it relatively safe for dogs.

Just from a theoretical pov at least.

I was just referring to cooking meat with bones..that can damage their organs(the bones splinter off)

But I mean dogs do best on a raw diet. They digest it the best(which says a lot) The dry dog food, there are major issues with digestion and a lot of irregular bowel movements, diareaha and so forth.

Jagash, I don't think you really mean freezer-burn, which simply involves drying out the surface of a frozen product. To kill parasites requires a prolonged deep-freeze like what is typically used to produce "sushi-grade" fish.

This is from (www.sushifaq.com):
The only concern any inspectors have is referred to as the parasite destruction guarantee, which is accomplished by 'freezing and storing seafood at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time), or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours, or freezing at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and storing at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours' which is sufficient to kill parasites.

Correct wrt freezer-burn, sorry about that. I am fairly certain that terrestrial parasites are significantly less tolerant of low temperatures then seafood. Seafood bacteria for instance, can still function in freezing temperatures. Anything adapted to a warm-blooded host will not be used to freezing temperatures, while those used in freezing temperature deep sea marine waters may resist.

So yes, freezing might be a good option here.

Hmmm.. such an interesting topic. I tried to do a little research, but could find no 'research' that indicated raw meat was better for canines than cooked. Most of the positive literature is by advocates, and not scientists. That being said, most people who talk about 'Raw' diets are usually referring to an uncooked combo of veggies and meat. A 100% meat diet is actually hard on your dog's pancreas, unless you are somehow able to limit fat intake. Further, any form of whole bird (raw or cooked) is dangerous for canines, as the bones splinter. Beef/pork/lamb bones are the only ones that are safe, and I have never heard that cooking makes them splinter (or found that to be the case in my experience).

As for parasites and bacteria. Cooking is the only way to go. Freezing will kill most parasites, but not all ( such as Toxoplasma gondii), and will only kill some bacteria, unless the freezing temperature is VERY cold ( -40C and lower ).

Further, dogs do not like changing their diet drastically, and will essentially go on hunger strike to make a point. Starting a dog on a raw food diet is quite the undertaking, that will need to be fastidiously maintained. If your dog gets sick (for example), and needs to stay at the vet, the vet WILL NOT feed them your raw food diet, so the animal will just not eat during their stay. Or if you go on vacation, you better know someone to take the dog who will be as fastidious about the raw diet as you are.

I've owned a couple dogs in my life, who always get a mixture of dog food and table scraps. Diarrhea, when it occurred was usually associated with the dog eating something they weren't used to (such as dead fish, or roadkill they found). Bowel movements never seemed to be a problem, with one or two a day like clockwork.

Is it better for the dog? The scientific jury is out on that. I have to be honest that I would not have the diligence and motivation to honour a proper raw food diet for my dog, especially for what seems to be meager returns on investment. Let us know how it works out for you and your dogs!

Some good points, Pete. Yes I did intend to do about 80% meat and 20%veggies. But you are right, as i said, if i cant find a good butcher with these discounted cuts, i may have to do mostly a dry food and then add in some meat maybe on a weekly basis and see how that works.

I know a guy who stocks the shelves at a local supermarket and he is always talking about getting first crack at discounted meats. He might be willing to put you on a "call list" for a small fee. (I cannot imagine he'd want to bother if there were not something in it for him)