Can I feed ground meat to my dog?

Yes, you can, with some qualifiers.

You must grind the entire piece of meat including the bones, tendons, skin etc. If you have a whole chicken, add in the neck, and organ meats. Think wild, think what a wolf would consume. They would eat the whole bird.

It is impossible to find ground meat in the market with all the aforementioned parts ground into it. So to accomplish your goal you must buy a meat grinders. Not all meat grinders are created equal, and many are not up to the unusual task of grinding the bones along with the meat.

In fact, some grinders are designed to break a plastic gear if they encounter a bone. This is done to save the motor from burning up if the shaft is held still by a bone. Once such grinder is the Maverick grinder.

But the Maverick is such a powerful little grinder that it eats right through chicken bones if you have whacked the chicken pieces with a cleaver to break up the knobby ends and really hard pieces. It can also munch through a rabbit with the same preparation. I ground with a Maverick for years and never had the little plastic gear break from bone grinding. This is not to say it could not happen. However, it is a good idea to purchase a spare plastic gear, just in case.

Because I now grind for more than one dog, and also sell my ground dog mince, I moved up to a faster, more powerful grinder from Cabela. Though I purchased the smaller of their commercial grade grinders, it is more than powerful enough to grind chicken parts without first pounding them a cleaver. This saves me much time and energy. The Cabela grinder is also fast, which allows me to be able to make more mince for more clients. It really streamlined my grinding process.

Of course with the extra power and speed comes extra expense. If you want a good little grinder for around a hundred bucks, the Maverick is still a good bet. I noticed Cabela's has a smaller non-commercial grade grinder. Anyone out there tried that one for bone grinding dog food?

Notes on using the Maverick, or any smaller grinder: You must cut up the chicken, then pound the knuckles so you break them open. Also bust up any larger bones. You don't have to remove the meat, just smack the bones and crack them so the grinder can handle them as they go through the right angle in the grinding neck. Make strips out of the back and breast etc so it will fit down the throat of the grinder. Be sure to include the neck and organ meats with the mix. If the chicken does not come with organ meats, buy them separately and add them. They are a vital part of a complete diet.

Whole Food or Ground Food, Which is better?

You're face to face with your tiny 4 pound Yorkie. You've heard the Species Appropriate Diet is just what natured ordered. You hack a wing off the raw chicken and look down at the sweet face at your feet. You try to drop the raw wing to the plate, but you hesitate. They say it may add years to your little Yorkie's life. But the fear may take years off of yours! Maybe you've read of other tiny dogs ripping through a nice raw piece of chicken, bones and all. Yet still your hand will not drop that wing. You hear the voice of your grandmother saying dogs choke on chicken bones and die.

Perhaps you are a candidate for food grinding.

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You have a pug. He's 14 years old. You read that a diet of Raw bones and meat may revitalize him, help with the stiff joints, and put a glow back in his fur, and prevent future visits for dental work. At his age the anesthesia is not a good idea, but his teeth are important. You pick up a pack of chicken legs at the market, making sure you purchase fresh, organic meat. Your pug watches with keen interest as you let him sniff the package. His breathing becomes louder, he snorts a couple of times and smiles. You ram a fork into the drumstick. You don't want to touch it with your hand. Damn all those people who say a splinter will break off in his throat and kill him, he's going to get this drumstick. You recall the day he choked on a tiny piece of dry cat food at your sisters house. You wonder if the Raw Feeders considered pugs when they said this was good for dogs. After all, pugs are not normal dogs. They're noses, their throats, they're not shaped the same as other dogs. He spins and snorts as if to say, pass the drumstick. You notice your hand is trembling and return the drumstick to the tray.

Perhaps you are a candidate for food grinding.

When I recommend grinding raw food, it is often more for the human than for the dog. Occasionally I feel it is better for the dog as well, but usually it's the human. Whatever it takes to get truly wholesome food into the meal plan is good with me.

Some say the dental advantage to raw bones absent if the food is ground. I don't see that as fully accurate. The absence of decay-causing grains is a major benefit to dental health. Plus the mouths of dogs on ground food are fresh and clean smelling, as sure sign of dental health.

Then there is Sheriff Tom. He eats most of his raw food ground. This is because of two things. First, he once had a throat abscess that left his throat scarred and somewhat sensitive. Second, he often pants at night when he's had whole chicken pieces. When he pants like that, I know he is working extra hard on digestion. He doesn't pant when the food is ground because part of the digestive process has been done for him by the grinder. He's our special boy and we don't mind grinding for him.

When you grind, you must grind the entire piece of meat including bones, tendons, skin and all. Look for my blog entry on grinding meat.

For the record, I know of many tiny dogs who eat unground, raw diets who do just fine on smaller boned meat sources such as rabbits and chicken wings. Their owners say they thoroughly enjoy the chewing and crunching process.

Just do what you feel is best for you dog. And you know your dog better than anyone.