Whole Beef Tripe Strips from Hare Today
Let me say this first and foremost. Hare Today is an amazing company and I admire them so much for doing what they are doing. I fully support their mission and their dedication to providing our carnivores with a raw diet---their hormone-free, antibiotic-free, free-range dedication, etc. The products I would not recommend do not reflect upon the company in any way whatsoever. We will continue to order from them indefinitely. The choices I would not recommend are listed, followed by the reasons why. This is based on our carnivores and their eating style, the prey nutrient content, or our carnivores not liking the actual prey. Your experience may be different, so don't let our experiences and opinions sway you from ordering a specific mix or prey.
1. Ground Whole Duck (meat/organs/bone): Ducks are waterfowl members and are closely related to geese and swans. They need insulation during the colder months and have a thick layer of subcutaneous fat between the muscles and the skin. Now, it is true that many will argue that duck fat is amongst the healthiest fat, commonly compared to olive oil instead of pork fat or butter. Duck fat is a significant source of unsaturated AND saturated fats. Overall, it may not be as bad as pork fat or butter fat, but it is not anywhere close to olive oil fat. I go by what my eaters' bodies are telling me. After being fed whole ground duck, several endured intestinal issues, namely diarrhea. To me, that is fat overload.
Coarse Ground Whole Duck from Hare Today
Coarse Ground Whole Duck from Hare Today
Excess fat and large bones that were trashed
2. Ground Whole Beef (meat/organs/bone/tripe): Our guys did not care for beef at all. I should have anticipated this as they have been fed raw beef before and turn away from it. The meat, while fresh, felt dry (like all others I have dealt with before). I think raw beef confuses them---small predators do not hunt large prey in the wild.
Ground Whole Beef from Hare Today
3. Whole Beef Tripe Strips: While beef tripe is a welcomed treat in our home, the strips were not. Tripe is stretchy and rubbery; hard to chew through for them. We had to run the strips through a food processor to grind them down a bit. We'll be ordering ground tripe in the future.
Whole Beef Tripe Strips from Hare Today
Whole Beef Tripe Strips from Hare Today
4. Anything Coarse Ground: This was my biggest mistake---ordering whole "coarse" ground prey. Whole coarse ground may be a perfect meal for a large dog, smaller dogs and cats should not be fed this. The bone pieces were rather large, some being rounded and as big as a thumb nail (perfect choking hazard) and others being large and sharp (potential internal laceration). It was a painstaking task having to pick out the large and sharp bones from their bowls and trashing them. Lesson learned.
Coarse Raw Whole Mixes from Hare Today-Large/Sharp Bones
