Hello everyone ,iv,e been feeding barf for a few weeks now and wondered if anyone can tell me if pigs trotters and pork hock has any nutritional value also how safe is it to feed as i have heard that pork can contain parasites that can be passed to humans or is this just scaremongering.

Yes - Pork has nutritional value. Its rich in the vitamins B1,2 and 3 and has more protein and zinc than chicken. It is lacking in vitamin A.
Tapeworms are the parasites that can be passed to humans - true unfortunately :( so make sure that your dogs are regularly wormed.

Lara

Can't dogs get trichnosis from pork?
I was always under the impression they could

Theresa

Think any raw food carries risk or either infection or infestation, but puppies brought up on raw food should build some sort of imunity to the infections but infestation would have to be dealt with on a regular basis. ja:)kie

Theresa

Yes you are right they can - and probably a whole host of other nasties as well :( I personally don't feed pork, not even cooked pigs ears (gives my dogs the sh*ts) and I hate seeing those little puffed snouts in the shops, makes me feel really sorry for the poor pig.

Lara

Tradel ..you have just bought back memories of sitting at home in Germany (1960 or thereabouts) with my dad and both of us eating pigs trotters :D

Wouldn't touch one nowadays with a 10 foot barge pole , but at the time we thought they were lovely

Melody :)

Melody, a few years back I took my Nan an oven ready rabbit I had prepared. First thing she said when she opened the bag, was 'where's the head?'

Hi Tradel, my lot have been getting trotters for over 12mths now with no probs. They have them on average once a wk. I believe freezing pork kills the the sort of thing you are talking about & the food I feed my dogs is (usually) bought fresh human grade & then frozen by me. Am pretty sure that trotters are a natural form of glucosamine due to the fact they are made up of cartillage? Like any kind of unprocessed food it is full of nutrition can`t recall of hand just now the specifics.Any way my lot love them & don`t have worms & havnt been wormed for over a year now & the two 18mths old have never been wormed in their life.
Christine, Spain.

Kieras grandfather swallowed a trotter whole now that takes some doing. They thought that he had bloat :( He is fine now though :) He is one big dog lol

Thanks everyone for all you replies, decided to take the plunge and give them a try i,ll let you all know what the dogs reaction to them is