Dog poop, an unscientific observation

[Jhg]

We feed our dogs (English pointer, Rescue hodgepodge) the best dog food we can afford and it is pretty good food. Not cheap. Probably near the high end in cost.

When I process my elk I try to trim as I can in the field and during the wrapping back at home. But if you trimmed it all when you wrapped it that job would be forever, so we just get the big obvious easy stuff and then get fussy when we pull out a package after its thawed.

But we still have some good freeze bags of trimmings and the dogs get those. Being lazy, and having run out of dog food, I fed the lazy curs (4 days twice a day) just elk.

Here is what I observed:

1) they go crazy for elk

2) the issues we are having with King Fred's eyes, (the mutt) went away. We were giving him Benadryl but with marginal results. His eys are clear and weep free.

3) This is the big one no pun intended. The back yard poop patrol (15 yr old daughter) reported a significant reduction in poops. Significant. She can tend toward the dramatic, but only to make a little work seem like a lot. Never the other way around. Ever. So the less poop must have been a LOT less.



My take on this? It goes to show how much filler even "good" dog foods use. Being fed elk, the dogs system is using most of what goes in and a lot less comes out. Poppycock you say?!

I say all the more reason to get two elk a year and not just one elk. Start scouting start planning start getting ready.

[Tom Grates]

I agree with you on that to a point. Yes, they go crazy over it, yes they leave less minefields, it is better to a point, but add some whole grain rice (not instant), and some veggies. An all protein diet is not good for them in the long run.
I feed my dogs regular amounts of venison, elk, basically whatever I kill. Yes, extra whitetails are always on the demand for the labs!

[Swede]

Doesn't it make you wonder how much we benefit from elk meat in our diet? Maybe we need three elk per year?

[Jhg]

My wife and kids went back to visit her Dad for a week. Since they are so much fun to be around (no, really) and being left behind to work (so I can take Sept off, remember?) I pulled a nice 5lb roast and smoked/rotisseried it on the grill. That means two meals a day elk. Elk roast, elk sandwiches, elk fajitas, elk tear off a piece and go for the whole week.

Sacrifice has its benefits.

Sorta looked like this one I did earlier in the year

BE5B9C37-8C53-4667-A3B3-DA06C87531AF.jpeg (119.67 KiB) Viewed 1143 times

[Tigger]

JHG,
That begs a question about your habits......

[saddlesore]

We feed our mutt Costco Kirkland brand. Supposedly it is highly rated.Feeding a dog that Blue Buffalo is like a human eating T bone every day. Every once in awhile we get a new city person in our area that thinks every one else should put up with their dog or dogs.
Come hunting season,I take all the trimmings along with a lot of fat and throw them out in the pasture.

That will plug a dog up pretty go0d and when it breaks free it is real mess.I figure Fido goes home, gets in the house and everything lets go before they can get the dog outside.That kinda takes care of the loose dog problem fairly quick. As Tom posted dogs need other feed also

[Jhg]

We wash our hands around here.

Tigger, who resides in a glass house, is throwing stones again.

[7mmfan]

My dog gets ample trimmings as well. I have fed her straight up deer/elk/duck many times. She has a grain allergy, so she has been on grain free food since a pup. The doctor warned of some health issues associated with that diet, and some have been realized, but she has lived to a ripe old 13.5, so I feel like it was the right decision for her. I wish she still hunted, she got almost all the duck meat from the ducks we killed.

[Tigger]

Ah you may have misinterpreted my question.

I meant does eating elk result in less bathroom visits for you too?

I do not live in a glass house. That would be cold!

[Lefty]

Like people , dogs need a healthy diet.

We save lots of trimmings from red meat game for the dogs.
The past two weeks my dog Daisy is getting about 4 oz. Of cooked med rare .snow goose.

Canines need their veggies too..