raw transition

I am gearing up to feed my dogs homemade raw beef, and I’m wondering if there are better cuts than others to feed them. Are all cuts equal (as far as nutrition goes) for dogs?

When choosing the meats to feed, be sure to include 10 to 20 percent of muscle and organ meat, as well as soft raw bones. For example, liver contains more nutrients gram for gram than any other food, and it’s very high in vitamins A and B, as well as folic acid, iron and nitrogen. Heart muscle is the biggest natural source of coenzyme Q10, along with collagen and elastin. Physically active dogs can handle a high-fat content diet, so choose cuts like flank, which contain higher fat levels. Keep the meat in chunks—so avoid mince—as your pooch needs to chew. Ox tail is a good choice, as it supplies plenty of good meat and soft bone, and it can be served as a meal in longer strips.

Choosing the type of species is also equally crucial. Beef is one of the most widely available and commonly used meats for pet food. Nutritionally, beef is good if the cow was raised naturally on pasture, as it will result in good amounts of protein and high fat content. These levels can be much higher in grain-fed beef. When choosing beef, be sure to check if the cow has been raised via fresh pastures or traditional farming practices, which typically include the use of chemical fertilisers, herbicides, drenches and antibiotics.

Chickens are the most cheaply and intensively farmed of all the domesticated animal species, and as such, it’s very popular among pet food processors and pet owners alike. Lamb and mutton have become more popular recently, with lamb shanks being a good choice as it’s a good meaty bone with high fat content, like beef. When choosing any meat, be sure that it’s either organic or raised under good conditions and the meat is of high quality.

Fresh fish meat is a very good source of protein—low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals when it is first caught. If you were to buy fresh fish and lightly cook it for your pets, it would be very good. When purchasing fish, be aware of where it was caught, as some parts of the world have high levels of toxic heavy metals like mercury.