Meat is an important food in household rations. It is rich in proteins of high biological value and provides essential amino acids

Meat is an important food in household rations. It is rich in proteins of high biological value and provides essential amino acids.

Meat is one of the best sources of iron, vitamin B (B12, B3, B6) and also provides mineral nutrients (zinc, selenium).

The differences

The nutritional composition of the different types of meat is of course variable. To help you choose, we have prepared a short summary for you. You can also consider your dog's taste and health or allergies.

Depending on the type and color of the meat, it is referred to as white or red meat. The difference is seen in the iron content. In general, red meat has a higher iron content and is often also fatty. Meat intake varies depending on the type and diet of the animal.

The lipid content depends on the type of meat, but also on the selected pieces. Lean meat contains less than 3% fat, most types of meat contain between 3 and 8% fat. The fat of meat is not interesting for the diet, on the contrary, it is saturated fats that bring bad cholesterol. It is good to feed your dog with low-fat meat and pieces.

Tip: Poultry stores fat under the skin and in the liver. Always remove the skin before using this meat! The other species prefer to store fat in their meat, for pork under the skin. Always remove fat when it is visible to effectively reduce the amount of unwanted fat.

In household rations, we prefer to bring fat in a really useful form with rapeseed oil (essential fatty acids).

Which meat and which pieces should be preferred?

In addition to the general information on this or that type of meat, always check which piece of meat is used, as not all of them are comparable in terms of nutrition and especially in terms of fat. If in doubt, stick to chicken, turkey and light minced meat!

For your information, nothing beats a few good official websites that offer regularly updated nutrient composition tables, such as that of AFFSA. Above all, remember to get advice from your nutritionist.

There are several poultry among the lean meats, prefer the turkey escalope, the chicken breast and why not even try the ostrich. The duck is thicker, but can be given occasionally, and it is better to forget about the goose, chicken, capon and rooster, which are really very fat.

For beef, it is very dependent on the pieces selected, they must be lean. When buying minced meat, pay attention to the fat composition. 5% chopped steak is still good. Occasionally low-fat meat and pieces such as ham, steaks and fillets can be given.

There is something for everyone for lean rabbits, bison and horses. It can be nice for dogs to benefit from roast pork or veal schnitzel, but we prevent pork chops from becoming too fat again. And it is better to forget the sheep and the lamb.

Cold cuts, sausage rillettes, foie gras and company are of course to be avoided. Meat that is sold "for dogs" in supermarkets is often too fat.

Under the organ meat (article follows) we can also find interesting pieces. Do not hesitate to mix the muscle and meat pieces with organ meat.

In pieces or chopped?

Some dogs like to have pieces of meat in the bowl, others prefer minced meat (usually especially beginners in rations). However, it is necessary to check the fat composition of the meat that has already been minced. Fresh minced meat can be stored shorter, a problem that can easily be overcome by freezing!

We first chopped our rations to get our dogs used to it, but now we mainly give them pieces. The mechanical effect of chewing these pieces is beneficial to them.

Cooked or raw?

Cooking is mainly used to calm down your health. On the other hand, the meat should not be overcooked from a nutritional point of view, since there is a risk that certain nutrients will be destroyed and their digestibility reduced. The good compromise is to fry the meat briefly so that it hardly shakes for a few minutes. Personally, we like to add it in the last minute of cooking vegetables.

If there is a health risk of parasitism, for example in game or horses, it is better to freeze the meat for a few days. In the case of poultry, it is also possible to wash it in cold water and vinegar. However, we avoid giving our dogs questionable, especially raw, meat. And then some dogs just don't like it or aren't used to eating raw. It happens that beginners hairdressers have to cook their meat easily.

Cooked or raw? Ultimately, several parameters matter!
What quantities?

The amount of meat depends on each dog, various factors are taken into account, such as. B. his weight, age, health. For household rations, you should generally count between 13 and 20 grams of meat per kg of body weight. However, it is inversely proportional and also depends on the meat used. For Baika and Milo we are generally 18 grams per kg. Of course, this meal balances itself with others.

Phosphorus and calcium

Calcium is an essential nutrient in the diet, just like phosphorus. They are inextricably linked and must be present and balanced in the diet of young dogs as adults. In household rations, the meat provides part of the necessary phosphorus, but calcium is lacking. This is one of the reasons (among other things) why it is necessary to supplement the diet effectively: by compensating for the phosphorus and adding calcium. The mineral / vitamin supplements differ from those used only for BARF (since this diet contains part of the bone).

Buy meat

We personally choose the meat according to its origin in order to consume a maximum of "responsible". At home, people are vegetarians, so meat is only for Baika and Milo. However, buying organic products for your dog is a matter of choice. We prefer quality meat with less environmental impact. Poultry has up to 6 times less ecological footprint than beef! Dog meat is quickly becoming part of the family budget. You also need to think about buying cheap and finding good plans. We like to take advantage of good opportunities and freeze the meat in portions or in pre-prepared rations.