Deer scraps

[BAMCB]

Hubs just came in with some deer scraps! Such a good man Anyways, I have nearly 100 lbs of meat thawing for a mass grinding tomorrow and I am wondering if I could add in this 8 lbs of deer before it has been frozen. The whole mix will be frozen after the grinding but some may be consumed within the first 2 weeks. Most likely very small amounts as long as we mix properly. Also, he came with the neck intact, can they consume this whole? Or shave the meat off for grinding and discard the bones? And lastly, the legs, will be frozen for 2 weeks and then put outside for them to chew on. I am very excited!! Which means wow, my life must be really boring lol

 

[CeeCee]

Hubs just came in with some deer scraps! Such a good man Anyways, I have nearly 100 lbs of meat thawing for a mass grinding tomorrow and I am wondering if I could add in this 8 lbs of deer before it has been frozen. The whole mix will be frozen after the grinding but some may be consumed within the first 2 weeks. Most likely very small amounts as long as we mix properly. Also, he came with the neck intact, can they consume this whole? Or shave the meat off for grinding and discard the bones? And lastly, the legs, will be frozen for 2 weeks and then put outside for them to chew on. I am very excited!! Which means wow, my life must be really boring lol

Can Lila come sniff in your back yard in about two weeks? Hee Hee Hee

 

[DennasMom]

Was the deer ever frozen? You could check with the local game authority (and/or with friends/neighbors that hunt) for parasite activity in your area... If you can't find anything out, I'd probably freeze solid for a week or two, just to be safe. // Lucky dog!!!

 

[TricAP]

2nd the checking with Game Warden or other wild life department in your area. Deer can carry some parasites and diseases you wouldn't want your dogs to have. We do feed venison but only ground and in small amounts that has been frozen for at least 2 weeks - last batch came from my brothers freezer and I have no idea how long it had been in there...maybe years! It can be a bit "richer" than what your dogs are used to so go easy introducing it.

 

[angelbears]

THat is excellent. So happy for you and the pups. I agree with DennasMom. I would freeze to be on the safe side.

 

[karennj]

FYI - Freezing meat is not a sure way to prevent bacteria. Most bacteria and viruses aren't destroyed by normal freezing. It's an interesting issue for raw feeders. The below information is from the USDA regarding freezing meat and bacteria.

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
"Does Freezing Destroy Bacteria & Parasites?

Freezing to 0 °F inactivates any microbes — bacteria, yeasts and molds — present in food. Once thawed, however, these microbes can again become active, multiplying under the right conditions to levels that can lead to foodborne illness. Since they will then grow at about the same rate as microorganisms on fresh food, you must handle thawed items as you would any perishable food.

Trichina and other parasites can be destroyed by sub-zero freezing temperatures. However, very strict government-supervised conditions must be met. Home freezing cannot be relied upon to destroy trichina. Thorough cooking, however, will destroy all parasites."


This is also of interest specific to Deer and lyme disease if you have it in your area:

Borrelia burgdorferi: another cause of foodborne illness?

Farrell GM, Marth EH.
Int J Food Microbiol 1991 Dec; 14(3-4): 247-60 PMID: 1790102

Dairy cattle and other food animals can be infected with B. burgdorferi and hence some raw foods of animal origin might be contaminated with the pathogen. Recent findings indicate that the pathogen may be transmitted orally to laboratory animals, without an arthropod vector.
Redirecting to [url]http://lymerick/newsite - please update your links ....[/url] Transmission-Bb-contact.htm

Also, I found something really interesting regarding lyme. There was a study of the lyme bacteria viability in frozen semen. They basically refrigerated (41F) one group for 48hrs and deep froze (-321F) the other for 3 months and many of the spirochetes survived and there was not a significant difference in the samples after being brought to 98F. The reference can be found here (Transmission-Bb-contact.htm near the bottom) along with some other interesting observations/studies regarding lab animals being infected with the bacteria without an arthropod vector.


Honestly I don't think freezing meat is a fool proof way to keep your dog from being exposed to harmful bacteria.

 

[karennj]

Sorry that broken link is Transmission-Bb-contact.htm