From time to time the meat that I buy for the dog goes south. I continue feeding it based on three logical points -

- she tolerates it well and likes it
- in the wild canids are often scavengers
- I paid for it, and very often about a $1/#

Since we are not talking about truly putrid meat, is there any danger to doing so?

While I have fed meat that was past the 'use by' date, I won't feed it if it is truly funky. By that I mean it stinks, has been out on the counter too long, etc.

$1 a pound or not... it will cost you a lot more if your dog ends up sick. If you are routinely having this problem, you need to freeze in smaller quantities.

Don't get grossed out, but at the sch club I was in in Germany, several people would put cut up meat into a large baggie and set it outdoors in warm weather for several days until it was slimy and covered in a lovely yellow muck. Then they used it for tracking. Dogs loved it and no one ever got sick - they'd been doing it for years and years.

Originally posted by Lee Baragona - Sch3FH2:
Don't get grossed out, but at the sch club I was in in Germany, several people would put cut up meat into a large baggie and set it outdoors in warm weather for several days until it was slimy and covered in a lovely yellow muck. Then they used it for tracking. Dogs loved it and no one ever got sick - they'd been doing it for years and years. Greater scent = better understanding of the task at hand. Is it healthy I dont know but I don't any dogs that have died from such a practice.

I read that some people in certain parts of the country hang wild birds even today for one to 2 days before roasting. Again is it healthy? I dont know and wont find out but...

while I don't let meat spoil on purpose, my dogs regularly eat very 'ripe' meat that has gone bad. If your dog is not immune compromised, healthy and is already accustomed to a raw diet it should not cause any problems.

Many times if given a choice, dogs will take a carcass, bury it for a few days and then wait til it's good and rotten before eating it.

Their short digestive system and powerful stomach acid is made for eating things like that and they should not have a problem ...AGAIN, *if* the dog is healthy in the first place.

Ahhh. . .dogs eat poop, you think I'm worried about a few days past the expiration date?


Dennis, you should hang all kinds of wild game. . .unless you like gamey flavor extreme.

They hang and age beef as well, what do you think aged Angus is? It is only recently that they started hanging in cold storage. Not to many years ago you used to be able to go into a really great steak house and have them cut you a steak from the house aged beef they had hanging in the cool back room or cellar. . .and not in the fridge either. They would order them fresh from the slaughter and hang them for a couple of days in a cool place.

The break down of the flesh is one of the things that contributes to the tenderness and flavor. . .cool huh? Even in cold storage beef is decomposing a little, just not as fast.


Something to think about next time you go and eat a nice porterhouse huh? LOL

Just for the sake of argument here... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Umm... I know they *can* digest it fine if they are healthy, but why add more toxins into their bodies? That is really what we are talking about is it not? Granted *if* they are healthy and not stressed than it is no problem, but if they are not you will have to ummm... 'let it pass'

At any rate.. it is really up to you if you feed it. I *have* fed some questionable foods with no recourse, but I try to feed fresher foods when possible.

It may just be me... I had a nice run-in with food poisioning once over some leftover thai food.(the night before I had to fly home) I still can't eat thai. LOL.. and it wasn't even the food... the first time I ate it, I was fine but I learned the hard way not to eat anything you forgot in the car overnight... even in December in Maine....

It all comes down to what you are comfortable with and what works for your dogs.

Oh, and Vancamp... Blitz LOVES the little raisinettes he keeps finding under the rabbit cage... :rolleyes: <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Originally posted by Cindy Easton Rhodes:

Many times if given a choice, dogs will take a carcass, bury it for a few days and then wait til it's good and rotten before eating it. I found this out while Nyna was pregnant... Unfortunately she was burying the goods in her crate... yuck... LOL Nothing like rotten chicken in July as a room air freshener!

A old farmer friend of mine tried the old, Hang a dead chicken around the chicken killers neck. It was summer and didn't do a damn thing cause her other dogs ate it off his neck about by the third day.

 Quote:

Originally posted by Old earth dog Bob Scott:
A old farmer friend of mine tried the old, Hang a dead chicken around the chicken killers neck. It was summer and didn't do a damn thing cause her other dogs ate it off his neck about by the third day.

that is funny! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />