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is old meat ok to feed to dogs?

4K views 17 replies 16 participants last post by  golfandhunter 
#1 ·
I've got a bird freezer that had some meat, fish chicken etc in it that I found as I was digging out birds
I have had the freezer for 5+ yrs and there is a chance some of this is that old.

Going to get rid of it, but wondering if it would be OKay to put it in the smoker and mix it in with their kibble and feed it to the dogs.

Would it be dangerous if it is that old, would the dogs even eat it, and if so I was wondering if it would still have nutritional value
Thanks
 
#3 ·
Old restaurant rule "when in doubt, throw it out". If I wouldn't eat it myself, I wouldn't give it to the dogs. We invest so much into these dogs why risk their health unnecessarily.
 
#4 ·
This isn't a restaurant question. If I go to a restaurant and they serve me food that tastes of freezer burn, I'm never going back there. My dogs devour meat with gusto that I wouldn't serve to myself or other humans

We are talking about animals who lick their own assholes:)

If it is as nutritionally good for them as fresh meat I would like to feed it to them; if the freezer taste makes it unpalatable to them {unlikely IMHO} then they can turn their noses up at it and I will trash it.
If I'm informed it is dangerous or devoid of nutrition I'll pitch it
 
#5 ·
.
For 4-5 year old frozen meat just leave it on the counter for 4-5 days then feed it. ;)
 
#6 ·
Mark
If the meat was not adversely affected the hounds will have no problem eating it, however for a guy that feeds PPP I wouldn't risk the possible side effects of diarrhea, and gut issues.
Kinda like the guy that feeds his dog a Big Mac.....WHY:)
Take all that stuff to the back 40 and feed the coyotes and hogs... best regards
 
#7 ·
It would be 100% fine if you cooked it thoroughly (160°F internal temperature) and fed it to the dogs. There is nothing wrong with the protein itself. The act of freezer burn is ice crystals forming within the muscle cell and essentially cutting it self apart. Once thawed the adverse effects of the meat are typically a textural changes not necessarily a taste aspect. As far as bacterial growth is concerned, I would likely be unconcerned, as bacteria metabolism is slowed so drastically that it is virtually stopped. That being said if you put spoiled meat in the freezer you will have spoiled meat coming out. S#!t in S#!t out is what my professor always says.

i say cook it and feed it. Your dogs shouldn't have any problem devouring it. ;)
 
#18 ·
Listen to mrman, the man is a phd in MEAT, AKA Meat Doctor, Oh yea, he makes some mean jerkey!!!
 
#9 · (Edited)
Not a problem unless it's been allowed to get above 41F into the danger zone the temperature range where food borne illness (fbi) bacteria thrive 41-135 F if you Cook it to 165f kill any salmonella. All other fbi bugs die at lower temps
 
#10 ·
personally speaking I would cook it but use it as a supplement to their normal food, IMO it would be too much of a shock to their system to go from _______ brand of dog food to feeding pure meat...Even if its Alaskan salmon I would pass on the fish, because of the possibility of bones getting lodged in their system...my .02
 
#11 ·
If I find something buried in the freezer that I no longer desire for human consumption (straight meat, nothing processed or smoked like ham), I'll throw it in the crockpot, and just put a spoonful of the cooked meat/broth over every dog's regular kibble. They are used to food other than kibble to some extent so it doesn't bother their gut, but if I gave a bunch at once, it probably would cause some upset.
 
#13 ·
Marc,

I feed green bag Iams with cooked wild game (usually venison, but sometimes goose breasts) added in. I've done this for a long time with good results. As long as the meat you have doesn't smell rancid when thawed, you should be ok. You can boil or bake large batches, put it in quart zip locks, then refreeze and use as needed.

JG
 
#16 ·
I mean, I guess if it's not spoiled and once you cook it you can see that it hasn't gone bad, there's no reason why you can't feed it to your dogs. I agree I would throw away the fish, but the meat should be fine. Just be wary once you cook it to examine it and make sure it seems alright to you. Maybe try giving your dogs just a little bit the first day, and make sure that it doesn't make them feel bad.
 
#17 ·
Forgive the slide into gdg, but. . . A few years back, my parents, (in their 80's), we're delighted to find a steak in the back of the freezer. Mom couldn't quite make out the date on the package, due to onset of glaucoma. My Dad, super frugal, (hell, let's just say it, tight as a tick), said lets cook it! So they dutifully thawed it out, Pop got the grill going while Mom made the salad. When he brought the meat in, sizzling and smelling wonderful, they plopped it down on the carving plate and cut it in half, sat down at the table and tucked into dinner. 15 minutes later, Mom calls and asks my sister why her T-bone steak would be so tough and tasteless. Sis says, "don't eat anymore, I'm coming over". Dad refused to "waste" food so kept chewing until he choked down every last bit. Sis rushed in and dug the package out of the garbage. That t-bone had gone into the freezer 5 years before! Nobody got sick, but they kind of lost their taste for steak.😝😝😝
 
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