Author Topic: Organs?  (Read 2689 times)

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Offline Pookie

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Organs?
« on: August 03, 2012, 10:57:37 AM »
After this whole "AVMA vs. Raw Feeders" mess, I started looking into raw again.  My issue is sourcing, esp. the organs.  So I checked Hare-Today to see what they have, and it looks like for the most part their idea of organs is heart, gizzards and liver.  I had always read that heart and gizzard is a muscle meat, and for organs it needs to be secreting organ like liver, pancreas, spleen.  Is that correct?  Are there any other companies besides Hare-Today that have other organs besides liver?

They did have more variety for beef, but I'm not comfortable giving beef.  I keep remembering Dr. Pierson's statement about "think fur and feathers, not hooves and horns."

I am seriously thinking about getting the mouse sample pack.  According to the site, they are 30-50 grams each.  The 3 packs from Petco are approx. 19 grams.  So the Hare-Today mice must be BIG!  Pookie probably wouldn't know what to do with himself!   funny2 
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Offline FurMonster Mom

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Re: Organs?
« Reply #1 on: August 03, 2012, 04:41:52 PM »
yeah... it's a common mistake, even amongst those who should know better.

Liver is only supposed to be 5%, with "other organs" making up another 5%.
Other organs can be spleen, kidney, pancreas (if you can find it), and brains (kinda high on the eeew factor).

I go to the Asian and/or Mexican markets for my other organs. The asian market has pork kidneys and pork melt (spleen), whereas the mexican market usually carries beef kidney.  If you're feeling exceptionally brave, look for frozen pork brains at either an asian market or a butcher shop.  They come in a 16 oz tub (like a small cottage cheese tub).  Sixteen ounces is really a lot (I only give .25 oz per meal), so I thaw, portion, vac-seal, and re-freeze.
 
Fur and feathers is all well and good, but there comes a point when you need to branch out for variety.  Pork, beef and lamb are part of our rotation, and I've had no problems with them.

 :-* HeadButt
meow meow meow meow meow meow? -woof!
Translation: "I can has my raw food? -please!"

Offline Pookie

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Re: Organs?
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2012, 08:54:13 AM »
Thanks, FMM!  That's what I thought.  I don't have access to Mexican or Asian markets where I live, though.  I'm not sure I could handle brains of any animal (even I could get them) . . .

Part of my concern with giving Pookie beef or lamb is that he doesn't seem to tolerate the canned versions very well.  Now it could be the fact that canning cooks the meat, and raw would be fine for him, or it could be the other ingredients combined with the meat, but I'm just not comfortable giving it to him.  At least not yet.  If I go to Hare-Today, though, I could get the quail, and maybe some duck.

I have to think about this.  Thanks again!
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Offline FurMonster Mom

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Re: Organs?
« Reply #3 on: August 04, 2012, 12:08:45 PM »
If you're going the online route, you might also look into getting green tripe.  A lot of folks swear by it.
It is the stomach lining of a ruminant animal (usually cow or sheep).  You may see bleached white tripe in the grocery stores, but green tripe is not bleached or chemically treated.  It's said that since it is not treated, all the digestive enzymes remain, which supposedly also helps the consuming pet's digestion.  And since it's not bleached to kingdom come, it is not allowed to be sold for human consumption; but some raw pet food sites will offer it.  It is usually sold in a grind mix with other organs and such.

Pancreas is very difficult to come by, because they are usually collected, dried, and processed into a drug to treat pancreatitis. 
Lung is another organ that some raw pet food sites will offer.  Again, it is usually a ruminant animal, so...
If you get the whole fryers or whole prey, some of those extra organs will be in the body cavity... just depends on who processes the carcasses for your supplier.

Personally, I've not gone the online route, as I have not been able to justify shipping cost when I can get reasonable items in town (even in the middle of the desert).   ;)
meow meow meow meow meow meow? -woof!
Translation: "I can has my raw food? -please!"

Offline Amber

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Re: Organs?
« Reply #4 on: August 04, 2012, 07:48:13 PM »
The rabbit organs contain kidney. So do the ground whole rabbit (the intestines are the only thing removed) and so does the ground goat. The poultry at ht is purchased already cleaned which is why the other organs are not available. Amber has no known food intolerances so I am more concerned with giving her a proper variety than sticking to "natural" prey items. Wild cats would be hunting small song birds, not chickens and turkeys, and would include small reptiles that I can't feed, insects, and rodents which she will not eat prekilled and I can't do live prey, so there we are.

Offline Pookie

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Re: Organs?
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2013, 02:59:04 PM »
Update:  I got sidetracked and never did order anything from Hare Today, BUT . . .

My mother is able to get beef kidney and beef heart (I know, it's considered muscle, not organ) from her local Shop-Rite to give her dog, who's decided he just doesn't want the kibble anymore (smart dog).  I asked her to save me a small piece of kidney so I could give it to Pookie.

The piece was about 1 inch long/thick/wide, and while I had to sprinkle some crumbled PureBites on it to get him to eat it, he did eat it and even more important, HE KEPT IT DOWN!  dancingbanana  dancingbanana  dancingbanana  dancingbanana

I want to get to her store to see what else they have.  Maybe that can be a source of organs for me!
2-4-6-8  Please don't over-vaccinate!
"Pass on what you have learned."  -- Yoda, Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi

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