Wondering if you can give your dog some of the leftover meat that’s freezer burned instead of throwing it away?
Turns out, it’s perfectly safe to feed your dog freezer burned meat. Plus, dogs love that stuff!
In this post, I’ll give you a quick rundown of why freezer burned meat is safe for your furry friends and the potential pros and cons of feeding them freezer burned meat. I’ll also talk about how to prepare the meat.
Table of Contents
Is Freezer Burned Meat Safe For Dogs?
Yes, it’s ok to feed your dog’s freezer burned meat and it will not cause any issues.
Freezer burn will not make the meat unsafe for consumption (for both humans and dogs) but we can’t say the same for its taste and quality.
Also Read: Cane Corso feeding guide
Freezer burn happens when meat is improperly stored in the freezer for an extended period of time causing the moisture of meat to evaporate. As a result the meat will become discolored, dry and it may get covered in ice.
This dehydration has a huge effect on the flavor and texture of the meat, making it dryer, tough and taste really bad. Plus, freezer burn will strip away some of the nutrients of the meat.
While it will taste really bad for us humans, dogs don’t seem to mind the taste or the freshness of the meat. In fact they seem to love it, or at least my cane corso pup does.
However, if the meat is older than a year, I wouldn’t recommend feeding it to your dog. If the meat is less than a year old, you are good to go.
Pros And Cons Of Giving Your Dog Freezer Burned Meat
Let’s now take a look at some of the pros and potential cons of giving your furry friend freezer burned meat.
Also Read: Best dog food for mastiffs
| Pros | Cons |
| Makes a good tasty snack or treat | Reduced nutritional values |
| No food waste | Super hard and might hurt your dog’s teeth |
| You could buy freezer burned meat for cheap | Takes time to defrost |
| ZERO bacteria, but thaw correctly |
In very very rare circumstances, I have read that it could cause small digestive issues. But again it’s super rare, I mean they are dogs! Street dogs even eat dead fish and squirrel guts and even rotten meat.
How To Prepare Freezer Burned Meat For Dogs
You should avoid giving the freezer burned meat right out of the freezer because your dog could hurt its teeth by biting hard on the ice. Let it defrost at the very least.
And you could trim away any visibly freezer burned or discolored portions of the meat if you are worried about it. The damage is usually not more than a quarter inch deep, so you could cut away the outer layer.
Here are a few tips for giving freezer burned meat for dogs:
- Thaw the meat in the refrigerator or in a bowl of water to avoid bacterial growth.
- Trim the burned parts if you want.
- Wash the meat
- Cut the meat into smaller pieces to match your dog’s size to make it easier to eat.
- You could brine it to reduce the dryness of the meat.
Bottom Line
Freezer burned meat is generally safe for dogs, and dogs love them as much as they love normal meat. However the meat does lose some of its nutritional value, so don’t plan on making them a part of their diet and maybe use it as a treat IMHO.
But if you are worried, give them a little to see how they do the next day just to be on the safer side. If everything is fine, give them more. A dog’s stomach can usually handle it easily.
FAQs
I wouldn’t recommend giving your dog frozen meat that’s over 2 years old. According to the FDA it’s not safe for humans after a year, so I wouldn’t give it to my dog. However I am sure they could eat it just fine without any issues.
Frozen meat like steaks, chicken or even pork butts is good for up to 1 year. But after that it’s not safe to eat even if the meat is still frozen. Don’t give your mastiff frozen meat over a year old.
