# Pig Ears



## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Any reports on pig ears from Mexico or China and being bad due to the processing methods and chemicals?


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## Becky Shilling (Jul 11, 2006)

Haven't heard anything specifically. I just never have liked them from anywhere. Seen more than a few dogs get pancreatitis after one of those greasy, oily buggers.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

If you mean processed packaged ones, rather than "part of a butchered hog," then you really need to read the label. Most are smoked and flavored, and long-roasted, making them similar to rawhide in their internal-damage and blocking potential. The smoking and flavoring also involves some pretty noxious chemicals.

Otherwise, the only toxin I know about is salmonella that humans get from handling them (I recall a bunch of cases in Canada about 6 years ago in humans from handling pig ears for their dogs). I don't know off hand of any pig-ear salmonella cases actually affecting the dog.

I don't buy them.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Becky Shilling said:


> Haven't heard anything specifically. I just never have liked them from anywhere. Seen more than a few dogs get pancreatitis after one of those greasy, oily buggers.


That too. Raw fat, and cooked or rancid fat, are very different in their effects on dogs. Hence the term "Thanksgiving pancreatitis" in dogs.


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## Matthew Grubb (Nov 16, 2007)

Connie... you feed raw right? Is there any issue with "raw" pig ears or how about traditionally smoked pig ears that you could get from your local butcher?


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Matthew Grubb said:


> Connie... you feed raw right? Is there any issue with "raw" pig ears or how about traditionally smoked pig ears that you could get from your local butcher?


I can't think what issue there would be with straight raw pig ears. I mean, Yuko feeds whole hog heads! In the living room!

:lol:

(OK, not in the living room.)

http://www.WorkingDogForum.com/vBulletin/f25/raw-pork-9830/index3.html

Check out the photo in post #26.


Smoked is always a question. You know how fish can be cold- or hot-smoked and one is cooked and one is not? I would always be inclined to assume that "smoked" also means long-cooked and therefore not something I'd feel safe giving, for all the reasons above.

Yes, I feed raw.


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

P.S. There are dogs who don't do well with pork.* But I believe that most are just fine. 


* same thread: http://www.WorkingDogForum.com/vBulletin/f25/raw-pork-9830/index3.html


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

The biggest hazard to feeding raw pork ears is the hog that they are attached to. Dogs tend to sustain multple injuries in the process of getting the ears, but, they have never gotten sick eating them.


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## Kyle Sprag (Jan 10, 2008)

I have fed one of these a day to all my dogs for several years, Sharpei, Dobe, Corso, and Mals.

Never had a problem


http://cgi.ebay.com/200-PREMIUM-PIG...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:0|293:1|294:50


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## Yuko Blum (Dec 20, 2007)

Matthew, if your dog has no issue eating "regular" pork meat, then ears, heads and so on are just fine.

I never give any smoked meats to my dogs and I'm also very careful to avoid feeding cooked fats (the pancreatitis concern). Fatty meats are fine, as long as they're raw.

Lol, I believe this is the photo Connie is referring to:











I usually just feed it outside though, see below (happy Connie?? ):




















As for a dog injuring itself trying to eat pig ears... seriously? On a dead pig?
How is that even possible?


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## Dan Long (Jan 10, 2008)

I haven't given the dried out smoked ears in a long time. Today I saw raw pig ears in the grocery store, which was strange. They also had pig stomachs. Not things you normally see.


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

Fresh pig ears. Got to be carefull getting these. In the second picture you can see the second hog from the left has no ears and the third is missing just a part of one. There were about 10 hogs together for 3 dogs. Those ears cost about $850. The dog in the first picture, Winchester was hooked in the stomach and had to be opened up and everything checked and steralized. These are "fresh" pig ears .


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## Julie Ann Alvarez (Aug 4, 2007)

Wow Don great pics.

I usually only see those kinds of pics the AB board. I didn't know you hog hunted with your dogs. Very Cool.

Julie


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## Don Turnipseed (Oct 8, 2006)

That is how I test em Julie. Thanks


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## Yuko Blum (Dec 20, 2007)

That's amazing Don. Great pictures!
What a test of a dog's toughness, too  

I'm glad your dog pulled through. No one can say your dogs aren't earning those pig ears!


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Yuko Blum said:


> I never give any smoked meats to my dogs and I'm also very careful to avoid feeding cooked fats (the pancreatitis concern). Fatty meats are fine, as long as they're raw.
> *I usually just feed it outside though, see below (happy Connie?? *):


NO NO!

I loved the idea of pig-head-as-yummy-furniture! :lol:

And yes, you say very succinctly what I was saying at boring length. Smoked meats, not so great. Raw, good.


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

don--were you hunting in CA when those pics were taken? (do they have wild hogs in CA??) that first pic is impressive !!!


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## Gary Garner (Jun 30, 2007)

I used to feed Xena pig's ears.... I stopped and now give her the occasional cow's ear.

They are cheaper and reportedly less fatty...

Any thoughts on cow's ears? Dangers etc?


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## Tina Rempel (Feb 13, 2008)

For a while I was feeding processed, not smoked, in the U.S. lambs ears, I never have like the processed pigs ears. 

Don, Those are some awesome hog hunting pictures! That is something I want to try sometime. Those look more like wild hog then the smaller Javalina?


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## David Scholes (Jul 12, 2008)

Tina Rempel said:


> ... Those look more like wild hog then the smaller Javalina?


Definitely not javalina (peccary). They are not related but look similar. Those look like feral pigs/hogs.


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## Tina Rempel (Feb 13, 2008)

I've seen some pictures of some huge wild hogs. A place I stayed in Tuscan had lots of javalina around. They were always getting into peoples garbage cans....

While "window shopping" at Cabela's I saw these. Pork skin knotz, oven roasted, no preservatives or additives, made in the USA. I may give them a try. I hope the link works.......

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...parentType=index&indexId=cat603429&hasJS=true


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## ann schnerre (Aug 24, 2006)

the worst part about "big agribusiness" is the disappearance of the local locker plant and ppl growing/butchering their own animals. i miss it. 

and i hate butchering my own. but perhaps one tiny step, ie, grow/kill your own, will spread out a bit and ppl will become a bit more self-sufficient, eh? can we say "Mother Earth News"??


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## Dwyras Brown (Nov 21, 2008)

Lots of wild hogs in San Diego County. No license needed and kill all you want. Just have to take what you kill. They've been fouling the water reservoirs, so they want them killed.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Wild hogs are becomming a huge problem in many states. 
Before 911 it was easy/ welcomed if you hunted them on Ft. Lenardwood in Missouri. They
ve become a bit touchy about anyone on the fort grounds now.
We've had a problem in Missouri with people turning hogs loose in order to hunt.
A hog can become totally feral in a very short time and will even revert to a "wild" looking animal.


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## Dwyras Brown (Nov 21, 2008)

The hogs here are a mixture of feral hogs that were tamed and Russian boars that someone intentionally releasede for a hunt. Do a lot of damage and from what I hear screw up the turkey hunting.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

And quail hunting.
Any ground nesting bird or ANY critter a hog can overpower it will!
As my grandfather would say;
"It's hard to find a snake in a hog pen". :-o


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

Don Turnipseed said:


> The biggest hazard to feeding raw pork ears is the hog that they are attached to. Dogs tend to sustain multple injuries in the process of getting the ears, but, they have never gotten sick eating them.


HAHAHA Don that's where I was going to go! Connine I don't use oodles of them but do use the smoked ones.


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## Meng Xiong (Jan 21, 2009)

she loves pig ears!


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## Anne Vaini (Mar 15, 2007)

Gross! :lol:

I buy raw pig ears whenever I see them at a grocery store. (Correction, I wait a week until they are marked down, 'cause I know that no one else will buy them!)


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

Pigs are about the only animal I'm actually nervous about working around. Too opportunistic and intelligent.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Maren Bell Jones said:


> Pigs are about the only animal I'm actually nervous about working around. Too opportunistic and intelligent.


And they have long memories.............


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