Duck hearts - graphic! (Pic heavy)

[ldg]

Duck hearts prep in our home.

I date the baggies when I portion them. When I take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge to dethaw for serving, I put on the date they went into the fridge.




I have to get Flowerbelle's ready first, as she starts eating the minute something is in a bowl. Her ADD issue is completely resolved (KNOCK WOOD :lol3: ) now that I let her eat on the counter.

Spooned into the bowl (don't mind the scale - Gary broke it. But it works fine without the platter on it LOL):



Cut up:



With calcium supplement (tonight it was MCHA) sprinkled on top:



And she goes at it LOL:



Spooned into the rest of the bowls (the empty bowl is Spooky's. She had Wellness chicken for her late night meal - I fix hers last):

From left-to-right and top-to-bottom:

Tuxedo's (1.5oz), Sheldon's (1.5oz), Ming Loy's (1.0oz)
Billy's (1.0oz), Lazlo's (1.5oz), Spooky's (no hearts), Chumley's (1.35oz), Flowerbelle's (1.0oz)



A more close-up view:



I spoon the juice that's left in the baggie into their bowls, roughly dividing it between them. If this were ground, I'd be mixing it back in before serving. Carolina came up with the idea - it's great, because now they completely lick their bowls when done, so I'm sure they got all the calcium and/or probiotic (which I add to the morning meal).

Cut up:



Yep - Flowerbelle is almost finished! Just taking a quick break:



With calcium supplement added, and now ready to serve! Flowerbelle decided Sheldon's looked better LOL. I put the camera down, handed out the bowls, and she finished that last piece in hers. :lol3:



I didn't take a picture of the bowls in the sink - but there were 8 empty bowls. :lol3: This is their favorite meal.

 

[carolina]

Love that you say "graphic"! :lol3::lol3::lol3:
Favorite meal over here too! Kitties love it They love Turkey hearts too, but Duck is their favorite, I think.
I don't find it graphic or gross at all - I actually think they are kind of cute
Here they eat it whole - the Turkey I cut as they are way too big :nod:
Awesome meal, super rich in taurine!

 

[ldg]

That was for Lauren. But they're really not scary or gross! (At least I don't think so).

I think Shel would probably eat his without being cut. I just cut his in half. Billy would definitely eat them without being cut up. His I cut small, just so it takes him longer to eat.

 

[feralvr]

OH LAURIE!!!!!!!!! You have me in stitches only because you knew that I wanted to see the hearts. :lol3: Even without me asking Seriously, I really appreciate it even though I was a bit nervous to look. :lol3:

OK - so THANK YOU That does not look bad or gross as all. Just looks like liver and that is what I will tell myself after my first order. Duck hearts it will be. I will be ordering from Hare Today after my vacation. I can't risk the meat not coming by this Friday. I will be very anxious to see how it goes over with my kitties. I just can't wait. I should video tape Perla eating on some days. She is SO DRAMATIC!!! This morning she literally spit out each piece of RC Lamb that I tried to hide in her breakfast. It was even on the wall So.... not sure if she will follow Flowerbelle's lead on the hearts. But we will see. We can HOPE :rofl: I guess I had better get that supplement - Wysong Call of the Wild.

OH and to Flowerbelle - LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!!! She is just toooooooooo darn precious. GO GIRL GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ldg]

Oh the hearts are WAY less gross than liver!!!!! Hearts - like meat - are a little slippery. But they are FIRM. Just juicy. :lol3:

And Lauren? If you can handle giving Wilbur green tripe, you can SO handle this!!!! :lol3:

 

[pat]

I have to admit I find the smell a bit hard to take, but I'm using freeze-dried raw duck hearts.  My kitties sure did like when they were getting these!

 

[ldg]

I think that must be something to do with the freeze-drying? The fresh hearts seem to have no smell. I find the same thing with chicken liver and freeze dried chicken liver. I don't mind the smell of FD chicken liver, but it HAS a definite liver smell. The fresh liver, though, doesn't smell when I take it out, and portion or cut it up. :dk:

 

[ritz]

Thanks for the pics.

The duck hearts count as meat, right (versus non organ meat/liver)?  Any idea the sodium content?  I thought chicken hearts were high in sodium, which is why I quit feeding them to Ritz.

I need to use up the food in my freezer before ordering from HareToday.  I gave Ritz some goat the other day--she loved it.  She's become a little picky these days, some meals I've had to resort to sprinkling freeze-dried beef liver on top of chicken or beef or lamb.

 

[ldg]

Yep, heart is a muscle meal, not an organ meal. :nod: I feed hearts three times a week: duck heart once, chicken heart once, and turkey heart once.

Well, Hare-Today describes all the hearts as low sodium. But let's take a look...

Chicken heart: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/794 74mg per 100g
Turkey heart: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/944 94mg per 100g
Beef heart: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3833 98mg per 100g
They don't have duck heart info

This compares to

Chicken meat, raw ("Chicken, broilers or fryers, meat only, raw") http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/780 77mg per 100g
Turkey meat, raw ("Turkey, all classes, meat only, raw") http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/936 70mg per 100g
Duck meat, raw ("Duck, domesticated, meat only, raw") http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/910 74mg per 100g
Beef, "Beef, retail cuts, separable fat, raw" http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3800 26mg per 100g

Compared to.... let's say...

salted butter: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/1 714mg per 100g :lol3:

Maybe you're thinking of the difference between sodium in "beef" vs beef heart? :dk:

 

[ritz]

Thanks a lot for this information.  I'll definitely look for beef hearts, and order other varieties from HareToday.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

couple questions:

1)  why don't you cut of those hearts BEFORE freezing, since you cut them up for everyone?

2)  aren't Turkey hearts reallly high in Vitamin A, or is that Turkey liver?  I recall around Thanksgiving a warning came out from AC to remind us about something in the turkey that was really high in Vitamin A and not to overfeed it to our furkids, but can't remember what it was. 

Gosh, I'm amazed that you don't even have to wait until the MCHA kind of dissolves until you serve it up!  I would think just the texture of that powder would turn them off.  You have very good cats, Laurie! 

Great pics.  So in the end, was Shel short one piece

 

[ldg]

I cut the meat or hearts or organs as little as possible before freezing, because of the potential loss of nutrients from oxidation (more surface space). That's one of the ... "things" between grinding vs. frankenprey. Most frankenprey feeders don't supplement taurine: most people who grind do. For freezing, I portion the amount I'll need at each meal, not per cat, and I do it as chunky as possible. When I buy meat, I try to cut it into the 10oz chunks I'll need for a meal whenever possible. :nod: (But that's also why it won't dethaw so quickly LOL). Hare-Today chicken breast, turkey thigh, venison, and pork chunks all come in pieces. That's part of why I'm only buying the venison and turkey thigh from HT now. The texture of the "chunk" of meat is closer to fresh meat - when cut up before being frozen, it seems to be a little mushier when dethawed. Lazlo definitely likes it firmer. The others don't seem to care though. :lol3:

And it's turkey liver that's higher in Vitamin A than other livers. :nod:

And funny thing about the eggshell or MCHA - or probiotic, or lysine - or taurine LOL. If I try to put ANY kind of medication in my cats' foods (other than Chumley or Billy), they will NOT eat it. I cannot hide medicine in treats, I have to pill them.

The lysine and taurine must have no real taste, because it doesn't stop anyone from eating it. The calcium? I think they like eggshell - and the MCHA they definitely like, because when I started using it at some meals instead of the eggshell, they all licked the little bit of powder left in the bowl after the meat was gone. :lol3:

And the probiotic they also must like the taste. :dk: The morning meal is just heaped with powders - between the taurine, calcium, lysine (for Bill and Ming Loy) and probiotic. :lol3:

As to the texture... must not bother them. But WL adds a texture when sprinkled on....

 

[ldg]

As to Shel - he ALMOST was! I got to the bowl in time. :lol3:

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Hmmm.  you're right about the WL adding a texture.  It's just such a fine powder that I think of it as dust.   For some reason,  think of the calcium supplements and other stuff as being gritty.  Don't know why

.  Al I know is I mix it up really well into their ground raw meals (and I'm only talking about their probiotics and digestive enzymes!)

Thank's for the info on the turkey livers, AND the fact about the oxidation.  I'll TRY to remember, in case I ever get to the point of Frankenprey (although today two of mine did me proud

)

Glad Shel wasn't shorted his quack quack hearts

 

[ldg]

The only one that actually seems gritty is the lysine. :nod: The others are very powdery, like the WL dust. :nod: The eggshell, in particular, is VERY finely ground. :nod:

 

[turks rule!]

Why do you add calcium etc to your cats raw meals?  I dont need a lecture or anything ( i have been feeding frankenpray for over a year now) just curious...

 

[feralvr]

Oh the hearts are WAY less gross than liver!!!!! Hearts - like meat - are a little slippery. But they are FIRM. Just juicy. :lol3:
And Lauren? If you can handle giving Wilbur green tripe, you can SO handle this!!!! :lol3:

OH Laurie, I was trying to forget about the frozen raw Green Cow Tripe BUT excellent point :nod: and SOOOO true !!!!!!

 

[feralvr]

I have to admit I find the smell a bit hard to take, but I'm using freeze-dried raw duck hearts.  My kitties sure did like when they were getting these!

Hi Pat You should smell Green Tripe..... I imagine the hearts cannot smell half as bad as that I am warming up to the idea of the duck hearts now :nod:

 

[feralvr]

Yep, heart is a muscle meal, not an organ meal. :nod: I feed hearts three times a week: duck heart once, chicken heart once, and turkey heart once.
Well, Hare-Today describes all the hearts as low sodium. But let's take a look...
Chicken heart: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/794 74mg per 100g
Turkey heart: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/944 94mg per 100g
Beef heart: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3833 98mg per 100g
They don't have duck heart info
This compares to
Chicken meat, raw ("Chicken, broilers or fryers, meat only, raw") http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/780 77mg per 100g
Turkey meat, raw ("Turkey, all classes, meat only, raw") http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/936 70mg per 100g
Duck meat, raw ("Duck, domesticated, meat only, raw") http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/910 74mg per 100g
Beef, "Beef, retail cuts, separable fat, raw" http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3800 26mg per 100g
Compared to.... let's say...
salted butter: http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/1 714mg per 100g :lol3:
Maybe you're thinking of the difference between sodium in "beef" vs beef heart? :dk:

Thank you for clarifying as I had the same question as Cindy!!! Wonderful that the hearts CAN be a whole meal :nod: Thanks for the info. too, Laurie :winkblue:

 

[turks rule!]

Why is everyone so freaked out by the smell ( by the way, fresh meat should not smell at all ) and texture of raw meat???

How do you prepare your own meals???

Why are all these additives being added?