Dog owners are increasingly curious as to whether or not venison is a healthy option for their canine companions. The benefits and drawbacks of including venison in your dog’s diet are discussed in our detailed guide.
Your dog will benefit greatly from adding venison to his or her diet because it is rich in protein and omega fatty acids. Your dog will benefit from the venison’s naturally low fat content as well.
Can Dogs Eat Venison?
In a nutshell, yes, venison is healthy for dogs to eat. There are many dog foods and treats that include venison because it is a lean, healthy meat.
What are the main drawbacks of venison for dogs?
Given that venison is a particularly rich type of meat, giving it to your dog in large quantities can cause diarrhoea and stomach upset, so it’s best to gradually incorporate it into your dog’s diet by mixing it with other foods.
The challenge of consistently sourcing a supply of high-quality, recent-kill venison is another of the meat’s major drawbacks.
In order to prevent harmful pathogens like E. coli from contaminating venison, it must be stored and handled properly.
Since this is the case, many pet parents opt to feed their canine companions processed venison or venison treats rather than whole-animal meat.
The cost of venison is higher than that of other meats. Unfortunately, it comes at a hefty price. Since most pet owners cannot afford to make venison their dog’s primary source of protein, it is more common to include it in the diet on an as-needed basis.
Mainly, venison is healthier than chicken because it has more healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. In addition, it has the amino acid taurine, which helps keep a dog’s heart beating normally.
You should keep a close eye on your dog’s weight if you feed him a lot of venison. Because of the high protein and fat content, venison is another good meat to slowly incorporate into their diet.
How Is Venison Good For Dogs?
In terms of your dog’s nutrition, venison is a red meat that provides vital vitamins and minerals. Vitamin B is abundant in this meat, which can help your dog’s body function at its best. Also present in venison are the minerals iron, zinc, and phosphorus.
Even though it is still a red meat, venison isn’t as high in protein as other options like beef. However, compared to beef, venison has fewer calories and fewer bad fats.
Your dog’s protein needs may be met by feeding it venison or dog food made with venison if your vet has recommended weight loss.
Is it OK to feed dogs venison occasionally?
Owners who want to provide variety in their dog’s diet often include venison, which has a slightly different nutritional profile than other meats and can provide benefits including more fat, omega 3, and crude protein.
Bear in mind that canines are considered omnivores. Similar to humans, dogs can get bored easily.
The question of whether or not venison is a safe and healthy meat to form part of an overall, mixed, variety-filled diet is the one we’re focusing on, not whether or not your dog likes venison.
Certainly, that is the case. Dogs can safely and healthily consume venison. However, because of its composition, price, and accessibility, it may be better to use it as a supplement to a balanced diet than as the primary source of protein on its own.
You should know that venison is a high protein meat if you plan on including it in your dog’s diet.
Dogs benefit from this because protein is essential to their diet. The daily protein content of our dog’s food should be roughly equal to 25% of its ideal body weight.
Since venison is typically leaner than beef or pork, the benefits of including it in your dog’s diet outweigh the risks for most dogs.
However, as with any significant dietary shift, it’s important to keep an eye on your dog’s health if you plan to feed it a lot of venison for a long time.
Do dogs actually like venison?
Do not immediately feed your dog venison if you are unsure of the meat’s acceptability. You should first try introducing it into their regular diet to see how they react, and only then try giving them a full serving on its own.
If your dog doesn’t have any negative reactions, you can gradually increase the amount of this meat they eat.
Game meat comes from a wide variety of wild animals, including deer, elk, and moose. Providing that it is 100% meat, any of these options is fine to feed your dog.
The best place to get venison for your dog on a regular basis is from a butcher or an animal specialty store.
You can find venison meat and venison dog treats at reputable online stores that don’t ship to your area if you don’t have access to these locations.
Many canine companions appear to have a preference for the gamey flavor of venison over that of other types of meat.
If you’ve ever tried venison, you know it has a unique flavor that’s hard to describe but is easily discernible compared to more common meats like chicken, turkey, pork, or beef.
Once again, just like humans, not all dogs will enjoy the exotic flavor of venison. It goes both ways; what we enjoy, you will too. To a similar extent, dogs are no exception.
Venison as a dog training aid
If you want to use venison as a training tool, it’s best to introduce your dog to the meat gradually. You could also add treats or other flavors to their regular food and mix the two together.
Training your dog with venison is not only a great way to incorporate this meat into his or her diet, but it’s also much more cost-effective than making it the main component of every meal.
Many trainers report that venison is more highly valued by their dogs than other types of meat used to make treats for dogs. Again, this is likely because of how distinctive it tastes.
Can venison trigger allergies in dogs?
Neither of these should be skipped if you want to successfully switch your dog’s diet.
- Consult your pet’s veterinarian.
- Don’t rush the process; take your time.
Signs that your dog’s food is causing an allergic reaction include:
- Experiencing a rash on your skin
- Problems with scratchy ears
- Scratchy toes and paws
- Bug bites in the trunk and groin area.
You should stop feeding your dog the new food and make an appointment with a veterinarian if you notice any signs of an allergic reaction.
If you or a loved one suffers from dog-related allergies, read our handy guide.
Weight gain should be avoided at all costs because venison lacks the nutritional density of other meats. Due to the high protein content, feeding your dog an excessive amount of venison will lead to weight gain.
However, venison can be a great source of muscle-building protein for your dog if given in the right quantity.
Very active dogs may benefit from the increased stamina provided by the high protein content. For other dogs, excessive servings could lead to weight gain and health problems.
Venison is a lean, low fat meat which can be ideal for some dogs
When compared to other red meats like beef, venison has a much lower fat content. However, it will provide more calories per gram than leaner meats like chicken or turkey because of its high protein content (and generally lower carbohydrate content). So, if you decide to feed venison to your dog, keep an eye on his or her weight.
Do dogs eat venison in the wild?
There isn’t much that wild dogs won’t eat. Wild dogs eat whatever they can find to eat, whether it be prey they kill themselves or the carcasses of animals they stumble upon.
They also enjoy eating the meat of other predators that they come across. Wildlife like rabbits, squirrels, and even other wild dogs fall into this category.
Your dog probably would enjoy venison if given the chance. You should make sure your dog gets enough venison in his diet because he is not likely to go out and hunt or scavenge for himself.
It is not reasonable to try to feed domesticated dogs the same foods that wild dogs eat. Domestication has allowed us to better understand what each dog needs to thrive, which has helped us provide them with the best possible diet.
By appealing to dogs’ instincts to “hunt” and “scavenge,” we can make mealtimes more exciting for them. Products like Snuffle mats and dog food puzzle toys exist to help with this very problem.
Moreover, we can encourage our dogs to perform physical work to eat by scattering food in clean areas and letting them find it. Many canines find this method of self-feeding to be more fun and enjoyable than traditional bowls.
How Can I Safely Give Venison To My Dog?
While it is debatable whether or not it is safe to feed a dog raw venison, it is perfectly fine to give your dog cooked venison.
Even though some dogs can tolerate raw venison, most do not. Wild deer may be more likely to carry diseases that can make your dog sick, so you shouldn’t feed it to your dog raw if you’ve hunted it.
Preparing venison for a dog is the same as preparing it for human consumption, with the exception of the addition of butter and seasonings. A touch of oil won’t hurt.
You can also make venison jerky, which your dog will love, by drying the meat. Sharing a snack of venison jerky with your dog is a great idea.
How much venison should I feed my dog?
With any new diet, it’s best to ease your dog into it.
Don’t overfeed your dog venison because it’s a richer meat than most dogs are used to. Overfeeding him too frequently can cause diarrhoea, while overfeeding him all at once can lead to obesity.
Add venison to your dog’s diet gradually, and keep in mind that he may only need a very small amount at first.
If your dog prefers ground venison to chunks of meat, you can measure out the appropriate amount using a standard measuring cup (such as 1/3 cup) and his weight.
Instead of trying to be exact with weights and measures when serving your dog chunks or strips cut from a deer roast or steak, use your judgment based on what looks like a good size piece for your dog.
The golden rule for determining how much venison to feed your dog is to consult with your veterinarian. You can trust their judgment because it is expert.
Should venison be fed to dogs raw or cooked?
This topic merits discussion on its own.
Raw (uncooked) meats and other uncooked foods, including vegetables, are often given to dogs by their owners.
Some pet parents believe that only cooked meats should be given to their canine companions.
In summary – is venison good for dogs?
The primary gains from giving your dog venison are:
- You can get some healthy protein from it.
- There is a lot of iron and other minerals in there.
- It’s higher in calories than other kinds of meat, making it a good choice for high-energy dogs.
- It has been observed that many canines place a high value on venison as a food source because of how much they enjoy the flavor.
- It’s fine to use as a reward or supplement to your dog’s regular healthy diet.
The primary problems with giving venison to your dog are:
- The fat content may be quite high.
- Overfeeding a dog can lead to weight gain.
- In order to get your hands on some, you might have to seek out a specialized butcher or place an online order.
- In comparison to the more common sources of protein in today’s canine diets, it is quite pricey.
- Some canine species do not do well on such a rich diet.