# Old frozen meat for raw feeding?



## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

My neighbour dated/lived with a hunter for about 10 years, but around 5 years ago they broke up, he moved out and left her with a freezer full of venison that she is looking to throw out. I hate to see meat go to waste and know that an animal died for nothing. 
Assuming it was all frozen in a timely manner, how old is too old for raw frozen meat to be fed to a dog? I know freezer burn is nbd but this meat is likely at least 5 years old. Harmful?


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## WonderBreadDots (Jun 26, 2012)

I don't feed exclusively raw, but about 35-50% of the time. Family members regularly give me old freezer burned meat, Tula has never turned her nose up at it. I also feed it frozen.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Assuming it has been consistently frozen or if it has ever thawed, it has not warmed past refrigerator temps, then its safe basically forever.

USDA Food Safety guidelines:


> Freezer Storage Time
> Because freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only. Refer to the freezer storage chart at the end of this document, which lists optimum freezing times for best quality.
> 
> If a food is not listed on the chart, you may determine its quality after thawing. First check the odor. Some foods will develop a rancid or off odor when frozen too long and should be discarded. Some may not look picture perfect or be of high enough quality to serve alone but may be edible; use them to make soups or stews.





> Freezer Burn
> Freezer burn does not make food unsafe, merely dry in spots. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots and is caused by air coming in contact with the surface of the food. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food. Heavily freezer-burned foods may have to be discarded for quality reasons.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

it wont kill them, don't feel the nutritional value is there for them eating it.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

PatriciafromCO said:


> it wont kill them, don't feel the nutritional value is there for them eating it.


It probably still has actually quite good nutritional value if it was sealed well and frozen quickly. Heck, I've eaten steak frozen for 4 years and it tasted just the same as steak frozen 6 months since it was wrapped well and had no freezer burn.

From the Food and Agricultural Organization (UN):


"Nutritional Changes by Freezing

Meat is frozen without any prior treatment, unlike vegetables which have to undergo a preliminary blanching process to destroy enzymes involving considerable loss of water-soluble nutrients. So there is little or no loss of nutrients during the freezing procedure, nor, so far as there is reliable evidence, during frozen storage - apart from vitamin E.

Proteins are unchanged during frozen storage but fats are susceptible to rancidity. Pork and poultry meat are more susceptible since they are richer in unsaturated fatty acids than other meats, and comminuted meat is also very susceptible to rancidity because of the large surface area which is accessible to oxygen.

The vitamin E is damaged because the first products of fat rancidity, hydroperoxides, are stable at the low temperature and oxidise the vitamin. At room temperature they break down to harmless peroxides, aldehydes and ketones, so that vitamin E is more stable at room temperature than during frozen storage.

The losses incurred in frozen meat mostly take place when the meat is thawed, and juices are exuded containing soluble proteins, vitamins and minerals. This is termed "dripthaw" and the amount depends on the length of time of ageing (time between slaughter and freezing), whether frozen as carcass or meat cuts, conditions of freezing and speed of thawing; it varies between 1% and 10% of the weight of the meat and is usually about 5%.

There is some loss of nutrients when the meat is cooked after thawing; results published in the scientific literature tend to measure the combined losses from the original fresh meat to the final cooked product. Unfortunately the results vary so much that it is not possible to draw conclusions."


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

^^^^^ Thumbs Up ^^^^^ 

seen too much buying in bulk feeding raw for 11 GSDs on how broken down and tampered with/ injected our commercial food sources are by the time we purchase them in the store.. I don't even want to look at the meat department in many stores.... With the outrageous prices you find in the store it really isn't that big of a difference to purchase straight from the source..


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## domika (Jul 1, 2012)

I thawed some old venison from 2010-2011 in the back of our freezer to use up as a kibble topper. Didn't really seem too freezer burnt (but we process the deer here at home so it is quite fresh when processed and we place it in clear ziplock bags) and Rosco gobbled it up, so it must taste ok. It still had that classic venison smell  I'd be ok with it as long as it smelled/looked ok.


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## Kritter (Jan 28, 2015)

I feed 90% raw, homemade and commercial. I would only consider feeding it as 1-2 meals per week depending on how it looks and smells. Meat oxidizes and loses its nutritional value when frozen.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

I had a big hunk of extremely freezer burnt meat from a freezer clean out. It looked really bad but when I cut into it the ugly was only 1/8" deep so I just fed through it. Dog was delighted to get it, this freezer burnt beef was much tastier than chicken or pork! The meat may not even be freezer burnt if professionally wrapped, you won't know until you get it.

Ginger weighs 14 pounds and goes through 10 pounds of food a month where I buy 40-60 pounds of raw meats and meat grinds at a time. So long as it doesn't thaw and go bad meat lasts a long time frozen.


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