# Feeding cooked rabbit "stew" to my dogs (LONG)



## Guest (Feb 9, 2010)

We have been raising rabbit for our own consumption since June 2009. Last night, dh couldn't take it anymore and spilled his guts. He said he loved the taste of rabbit, but it was such a pain to eat. It's IMPOSSIBLE to get all the little bones out of the meat. So, when you're eating, you're tensed up wondering when you'll bite down on a bone. All along, I had been thinking the same thing, but never said anything. I hate trying to debone it, as well. But they are my rabbits, I wanted them, and we spent most of the summer aquiring them, building hutches, boxes, etc. Seemed like such a waste if we just quit eating them. I was attempting to start cooking rabbit more often, as we have a stockpile in the freezer and more on the way.

I've attempted to feed my dogs raw on several occasions, but it's just not for me (or my dogs). I cannot handle the mess, handling raw meat on a daily basis, what it does to my dogs, my dogs don't know how to eat bones properly, etc. I've considered doing the home-cooked diet before, but I hate to cook for my own family, let alone for all the dogs too! 

But then, dh mentioned that I could cook the rabbit, bones and all in the pressure cooker until the bones litterally turned to mush. The dogs could have a great meat source, with the calcium and marrow from the bones too, without worrying about them choking or consuming them whole. Like I always do, I started researching it online last night. While I couldn't find anyone with info on rabbits, tons of people do this with chicken. Found a great site for boxers on how to do a complete home-cooked meal for dogs, all in one pot with no chopping and grinding. This is my kind of cooking! 

Anyway, I'm trying to find an amount to feed. We have 6 dogs, weighing between 65 and 85 lbs each. I will most likely NOT feed this solely, but added to their regular food. So does anyone know how I can go about finding the necessary amounts to feed? I know I'll basically just have to go by trial and error, but I need a starting point. Thanks!

Oh, here's the recipe I'm looking at, plan to substitute rabbit for chicken: http://www.boxerlife.com/recipe.htm


----------



## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

I looked into this a while back as we are planning on planting an extra garden just for animal consumption this year and I want to say I came up with ~12oz per 20 lbs of body weight per day -- but let me do some digging in my notes and get back to you. That of course would not be all meat -- I was planning to use meat (venison and chicken mostly here since that's what we have readily available, but you should be able to substitute your choice of meat) veggies and some whole grains.


----------



## Guest (Feb 9, 2010)

Actually, I'm planning on doing only meat (for now).


----------



## Oregon Julie (Nov 9, 2006)

You can feed the dogs the entire rabbit, raw and including bones, with no problem. No need to cook them in a cooker or debone them. I would give my eye teeth for a source of rabbit meat, just not willing to raise them and butcher myself just for my dogs.


----------



## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

I'm not sure I understand this problem. I cut the legs off the rabbit and never have any problems with the bones in them (love BBQ legs).

Then I cut down along the side of the backbone and slice along the ribcage and end up with two long chunks of meat with no bones. The backbone and ribcage get bagged up in meal sized portions and fed to the dog and cats (outdoor) and crunch it all up no problem. 

The first time I butchered I had no cleaver and could not find an easy way to cut through the bones, so I just cut around them. It was very simple but I suppose I "wasted" a lot of meat but I got enough boneless to feed the humans with little effort and the rest went to the animals. 

Cathy


----------



## simplepeace (Oct 29, 2005)

If you are set on cooking the meat with the bone/ making a "stew" to mix with the kibble, just pretend it is a condiment? I would give no more than 25% per each meal with the kibble (at least to start). So, for 1 c kibble I would add 1/4 c "stew" including the water. I wouldn't feed over 1/2 the daily intake ever since you wouldn't want to throw off the nutrition received in the kibble.
I feed raw, so don't know exactly what happens to cooked down bone (as far as calcium / phosphorus ratios go) so I wouldn't rely on it as anything but "extra" until you know for sure what they will be able to take from it. Maybe you will find some research already done? 
To be safe, If I were cooking it down I would remove as much of the mushy cooked-down bone as possible - I wouldn't pick every piece out!  and I would just add the meat & broth. Not because I would worry about the mushy bone, but because I would be wary of throwing off the calcium /phosphorus ratio.
Don't know if that is helpful, but it is an amount I would be comfortable with.
Good Luck


----------



## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Cooking the meat negates the benefits of raising your own meat. Raw meat has enzymes in it that help to digest the meat and bones. When you cook the meat, you destroy the enzymes, as well as much of the nutrition. Just give the rabbit to them without cooking. These aren't old animals with brittle bones, they are young rabbits with soft young bones, relatively speaking. I don't know how big your dogs are, but you want the portion to be bigger than the dog can swallow to force them to chew and chew and chew.

There are many of us who feed raw meaty bones to our dogs and cats. Raw is best.


----------



## Guest (Feb 11, 2010)

Feed your BARF meals and your kibble meals separately, as they are digested differently. Maybe one in the morning, and the other in the evening.


----------



## kareninaustria (Dec 22, 2008)

I'm with Macybaby on this one. All those little annoying bones are in the spine and ribcage area. If you only ever eat legs and loin meat you will never encounter any. The legs are easy to remove from the body, and so is the loin if you watch any of those numerous rabbit butchering videos. The dogs will be pleased with the rest, or you can make the best stock ever by boiling it and sieving it through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
I would add though, that I have noticed that rabbit bones are considerably harder than chicken bones. I'm not sure they would cook down to mush so easily.


----------

