The thaw and rethaw applies to humans. There is a fear of bacterial growth each time there is a thaw ant the temps of the meats rise. And each time you thaw and refreeze quality of the meat is lost. Neither one of these are a concern for dogs, jus people.

Alex, for my 40 lb boxes, I just sit them outside over night, in a spot where I know they won't get morning sun. I have left them in the garage, but sometimes they leak all over. (maybe in the garage with a large plastic bag under for any drips) Outside I can just hose off the mess. If you open the carton so they are not totally insulated they will thaw faster too. Of curse if the nightime temps are too low, this could be a problem. In the morning I remove as much as I can that is thawed and repackage it into smaller bags. If some is still too frozen, I go back a little later until I get it all done.

And yes, just follow good cleaning practices after handling the meat in the kitchen and elswhere.

Hmm... from the USDA site:

Safe Defrosting
"Never defrost foods in a garage, basement, car, dishwasher or plastic garbage bag; out on the kitchen counter, outdoors or on the porch. These methods can leave your foods unsafe to eat.

There are three safe ways to defrost food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. It's best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator. Small items may defrost overnight; most foods require a day or two. And large items like turkeys may take longer, approximately one day for each 5 pounds of weight.

For faster defrosting, place food in a leak proof plastic bag and immerse it in cold water. (If the bag leaks, bacteria from the air or surrounding environment could be introduced into the food. Tissues can also absorb water like a sponge, resulting in a watery product.) Check the water frequently to be sure it stays cold. Change the water every 30 minutes. After thawing, cook immediately.

When microwave-defrosting food, plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving.

Refreezing
Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion.

If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly."

....again, this is for human consumption. How much more leeway can one have for pets?

Lots more leeway, as long as you use good clean up methods and wash your hands. Dogs can eat rotten, putrid meat and be fine. I have had dogs in the past who LOVE to find old road kill, or disgusting fish by a lake. They will not only eat it, but love to roll in it if they can, it is like perfume to them. I have heard from some other raw feeders that have dogs that will take a large piece of meat, bury it and dig it up days later to eat after it gets ripe. The dogs will even check on it occasionally to see if it is too thier liking.

Gotta love em!

 Quote: Alex Corral

How much more leeway can one have for pets?

Don't know if this really answers your question but I once read somewhere on this site a comment Ed had written about bacteria and dogs that has stuck with me:

I guess he was traveling with Flinks and had a cooler of raw chicken to feed the dogs. After feeding them and before washing his hands, he grabbed an orange for himself. Within a few hours he was as sick as...well, not the dogs, they were perfectly fine...but he wrote he was terribly sick from the bacteria on the chicken left on his fingers.

I think there is quite a bit more leeway with dogs who have different digestive enzymes working in their gut that give them protection from stuff that would knock us over and out.

With that said, however, I personally do not feed anything that smells off, feels slimey, or that has turned an odd color. The dog could probably handle it but I'd rather not tempt fate.

I have a method for thawing since we have a smallish fridge and not much freezer space.... we have a cooler that is dedicated to dog stuff, it lives in the kitchen and I can take stuff out of the freezer, drop it in the cooler and it thaws either overnight or during the day depending on when I put it in there. It's easy to spray down with bleach for cleaning in between thaws and eliminates counter-surfing.......glad I read this thread as I forgot to take stuff out last night! yeah Leerburg!

Some stuff my dogs have eaten has been thawed and rethawed more than I care to remember. Thaw, put in yard to feed, put back in fridge, feed again, freeze again grass dirt and all, thaw, etc. etc.

The amount you are freezing and re-freezing sounds well within safe doggy guidelines.

If I have pre-ground chubs, I leave the rolls in my fridge for 2 days till the surface area is a little soft. Then I saw/hack/hammer them up into measured portions before packing them in the freezer.

When I purchase cases of meats, I leave them outside overnight protected with garbage bags. Then I use a cleaver and strong forearms to separate the partially frozen meat into meal portions.

Handling iced meats seems to be easier and in a way, less messy, than thawed meats too. Especially beef hearts. They are so rubbery tough when fully thawed.


Edited by Rei Chee (04/07/2008 02:43 PM)
Edit reason: spelling

 Quote: Alex Corral

How much more leeway can one have for pets?

I agree, the leeway range is larger for a dog. That USDA quote is exactly what I've seen done at grocery stores. You can tell that they receive some items frozen, it goes frozen into their inefficient freezer displays, starts to thaw, is half thawed or completely thawed, we take it home and refreeze it. So I have no problems refreezing once for my dog and have had to do so.

 Quote: Sarah Morris

....I personally do not feed anything that smells off, feels slimey, or that has turned an odd color. The dog could probably handle it but I'd rather not tempt fate.

Agree here too. A stray dog or wolf may eat rotten flesh, but it's not healthy - think flies, maggots, bacteria such as one cannot imagine. Not something I want my dog to have to deal with as far as the health factor is concerned, but also he would never ever kiss me again!

 Quote: Rei Chee

If I have pre-ground chubs, I leave the rolls in my fridge for 2 days till the surface area is a little soft. Then I saw/hack/hammer them up into measured portions before packing them in the freezer.

I leave the patties in the bag they came in, take them outside and whack the bag on the patio concrete. It separates the patties so they're not all stuck together. No hammering or hacksawing, just whack the heck out of them.

Edited by Sandy Moore (04/07/2008 07:17 PM)
Edit reason: another thought