How Old Is Too Old?

[ChancetheGSD]

So, getting annoyed by the fact my grandparents deep freezer barley shuts anymore, I decided to pull out as much as I could fit on the counter (about 1/4th of their freezer, mind you they have a big freezer!) and throw away anything they wouldn't miss deep within the trash can, pull out all the old ice that's been left in there (they buy bagged ice and if it falls out of the bag it just gets left in the freezer, so Maggie is going to be drinking melted ice xDD Why waste it considering how much I got out?!) and just try to organize a little better. Now we actually have some space at the top of the freezer and don't have to move things around to try and shut it!!

Now, my grandpa is a hunter and a fisher. While there are a few other foods here and there, it's mostly full of meat. Considering I only made it 1/4th way down and was pulling out foods that expired 1-2 years ago and meat that was freezer burned, I can't imagine what the bottom looks like. I've told my grandma we need to defrost it and go through everything but I know she doesn't have the time. I'd be willing to do it but it's not my freezer and I don't know what needs to be kept. (If it was up to me, at least 90% of it would be fed to the dogs. Not because I'm a vegetarian and don't eat it but because THEY are never going to eat it! Especially the burned stuff! Why keep letting it sit??) I even said there is probably meat from 5-10 years ago at the bottom and she agreed there probably was.

So my question is, I'm planning to buy a deep freezer within the next month or so. If I can convince my grandparents to let me clean out their whole freezer (because it BADLY needs to be defrosted! There is about 5in thick of ice around the sides of it!!), is there anything I need to worry about with "old" meats? Everything has been kept frozen. But again, some of the meats could easily be 5+ years old. I know freezer burnt is ok for dogs but is there a "too old" limit if it's been frozen this whole time?

It's mostly deer meat. :/

[carmspack]

my freezer runeth over . The lid is kept on with a heavy cinder block.
I have friends who hunt and I get deer bits and pieces for the dogs .
I get organic , premium beef cuts from farmers at my market -- stuff that is freezer burned , great for the dogs.
Let the dogs feast . It won't be a problem.

Carmen
Carmspack Working German Shepherd Dogs

[Stevenzachsmom]

Freezing and Food Safety

Looks like some helpful information on this link, if it works.

[ChancetheGSD]

I'm not worried about WHAT I'm feeding them, my dogs all eat raw with a LARGE variety of proteins already. I've also fed plenty of freezer burnt foods. It's just the fact that some of the food could be well over 5 YEARS old. (Possibly upping since they got the freezer 10 or so years ago and have never bothered to defrost or clear it out) The link Stevenzachsmom posted seems to feel that it's ok as long as it's been frozen? And that's for people. So I'm assuming it would be ok for dogs too...I just know that *I* wouldn't touch meat that had been in there that long just because it doesn't sit right in my head. But I didn't know if it's ok for animals.

[onyx'girl]

There was a thread awhile back on this, and I am of the opinion that I won't feed something over 2 or 3 yrs old. I just think the nutritional value goes down. Others on that thread disagreed with me and said as long as it has been froze solid it should not lose any nutrients.
I guess when you thaw it, look it over before you feed it, and toss it if you think it isn't worth feeding.

[Jack's Dad]

I'm a throw away type person. Especially about food. If I have to question it at all it's gone. Same would go for using it for the dogs. Once it's in my head that it's questionable it's got to go.

[Lauri & The Gang]

Since dogs have very different digestive systems (and tastes) than we do you can't go by HUMAN requirements when it comes to raw meats.

I have fed meats that have been frozen, thawed, refrozen and thawed yet again.

I've fed chicken that had a green tinge to it and an odor would knock you on your patootie! The dogs especially loved that stuff!!

Now I wouldn't feed green chicken ALL the time (nor would I feed it to a sick dog) but I'm not one to throw out things that are perfectly usable for my dogs.

So, in regards to the several year old food - keep it. Just try to spread out the use of it over the course of a week - while using less old stuff in between.

That way you don't have to worry about loss of nutrients and you don't waste stuff!

[Lilie]

Your grandparents may come from an era in time when things were really tough and they weren't sure where their next meal would come from. Even if it never actually happened to them, it could be a mindset that is hard to shake. Cleaning out and destroying good food (to them) would be difficult. If they knew (or thought) you were going to feed it to your dogs, it might make it easier for them to turn it loose.

There is an older guy here at the office. Every year he gives me a boat load of deer meat for my dogs. He waits till it's two years old, then he pulls it out of his freezer for me. I'm talking about a great deal of deer meat. I can't understand why he wouldn't give the meat away to humans before it got so old. But I truly think that he thinks he has to make sure he has enough to last the year (he is an older guy). He is prefectly happy giving it to me for the dogs. My dogs love it too. So it's a win-win for me.