Okay I decided to check out the notion that stomach contents is important to a dog (or in the case of these sources - The Wolf), and it is the first thing consumed in the wild. There is a book by Wolf expert L David Mech titled Wolves: Behavior Ecology & Conservation that says this: "Wolves usually tear into the body cavity of large prey and...consume the larger internal organs, such as lungs, heart, and liver. The large rumen [, which is the main stomach compartment in large herbivores except horses,]...is usually punctured during removal and its contents spilled. The vegetation in the intestinal tract is of no interest to the wolves, but the stomach lining and intestinal wall are consumed, and their contents further strewn about the kill site." (pg.123) and To grow and maintain their own bodies, wolves need to ingest all the major parts of their herbivorous prey, except the plants in the digestive system." (pg 124) I also emailed the International Wolf Center in Ely MN which is a renowned research facility and asked them directly if wolves consume stomach contents. Here is my question and their response copied from my work email.... On Apr 3, 2007, at 5:21 PM, Cindy Muehlbauer wrote: > Tuesday, April 03, 2007 > > Cindy Muehlbauer has filled out the contact form. > > ------------------------------------------------------ > > Name: Cindy Muehlbauer > E-mail: cynthia.muehlbauer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > Comments: Okay I know this question is not relevant to what you do, > but if a "wolf expert" could reply, it would be much appreciated. > > When a wolf pack makes a kill in the wild do they eat all their > prey? More specifically, do they eat the stomach AND it's contents > including all particially digested vegetation? This is a big > controversy when it comes to raw feeding in dogs and I thought I > would just ask the question of experts. Thank you > > ------------------------------------------------------ > > Dear Cindy, Thank you for contacting the International Wolf Center. Typically, wolves will consume almost the entire prey animal killed (bones, hair, meat, organs), however if they leave anything behind it is usually the stomach contents. Rumen from deer and moose (or other ungulates) is often "dumped" out as the wolves eat the stomach and intestinal linings. Their digestive system is evolved to digest protein with 95% efficiency. If the wolf or wolves are in short supply of a food source, they may eat everything. We are able to provide these information services thanks to the members of the International Wolf Center. Their contributions make our work possible. Thanks. Jess Edberg Information & Program Specialist Copyright 1995-2007 International Wolf Center Teaching the world about wolves. 1396 Highway 169, Ely, MN 55731 http://www.wolf.org "Supporting the survival of wolves through education since 1985" I do not feed raw but this might be of interest to some on this list. I know there is also a big research facility in Yellowstone, so if anyone still has doubts they might want to try contacting them directly as well. Cindy www.cinosamgsd.com ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2007. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - www.showgsd.org ============================================================================