[SarahR]

Our pigs are off to their destiny tomorrow.  Just wondered what parts of them would be good for dog food (obv. ears) but is there anything that us humans may not eat that can be utilised and therefore not wasted?

It's our first time and am actually not feeling too sentimental at the moment, maybe that's because for the last week they've escaped nearly every night and I'm ready to let them go!  We have some more coming in November and I think we've learnt our lessons with the fencing etc.

Thanks,
Sarah
 

[MiriMaran]

Heart, lungs - infact anything you don't fancy eating yourself!  My friend has deer and she always gives their heads to the dogs to chew - not a pleasant thing to find in someone's garden - especially if your children have found it first!!!!!

[little blue]

Yep, feed anything and everything you dont eat yourselves.
What sort of dog do you have?
Our german shepherd has supplementary raw food - bones and all, many of my gsd-owning (and staffy/lab/large x breeds) friends feed a totally raw meat diet.
Obviously, be carefull giving bones to older or very young dogs, and small dogs... I'd give a small amount, supervised and check the effects on your doggies' digestion!

[shetlandpaul]

everything can be used hugh would be shocked from blackpudding to faggots to pate don't waste it the dogs are happy with the odd bit of left overs. did hugh not make some fried pigs ears and then there is haslet. yes i bet there could be raised voices if the kids found deer heads in the garden poor bambi. but the most important bit is enjoy.

[MiriMaran]

Yes Harry was swinging it by the antler whilst Oliver beat the neck with a stick - hey I've just realised that on some occassions my children can work as a team!

[SarahR]

Thanks, will get them to keep anything we don't use.  Maybe a silly question but do we have boil up the bones we use for the dog?  My dog is a Jack Russell cross something - possibly Lurcher as his legs are too long for him and he kept on growing!  He's only 3.

[shetlandpaul]

Yes Harry was swinging it by the antler whilst Oliver beat the neck with a stick - hey I've just realised that on some occassions my children can work as a team!

hope thats not your slaughter technique.

[SarahR]

No, don't worry they are going to the proper place!!

[Hilarysmum]

Ours has liver, kidney, heart, lungs & spleen.  Heads are too big for us to cope with.  I use the bones to make stock. 

[Sylvia]

SarahR, bones should only be fed raw. They can splinter when cooked as well as having all the goodness boiled out of them. All my dogs have a raw bone and meat diet, the pugs eating exactly the same diet as the deerhounds, albeit in tiny quantities, but they can tackle a huge bone with the best of them!

[Womble]

Everything except the Oink isn't it? 

[MiriMaran]

Oh Sylvia please please please can we have a photo of your dogs - a pug and a deerhound together - what a combination!!

[Sylvia]

I will have to get my son to do the pics. I'm a bit of a coputer dyslextic er dislectic. Oh well I'm not very bright!!

[SarahR]

Thanks everyone.  Fudge will be very happy.

[MiriMaran]

and smelly no doubt after all the xtra rations!!!!