St. John's woman feeding dogs wild game sourced on Facebook

If there is wild game in your freezer only fit for a dog, you're in luck. A dog lover on the Avalon Peninsula is looking for your leftovers.

Darcy Cull, dogmother of two, is a member of Avalon Raw Feeding. The Facebook group now has more than 200 members focused on finding organic alternatives to store-bought dog food.

"A few years ago, my dog Ellie had a bad reaction after eating some kibble," Cull said. "So I started looking into homemade diet options."

Cull began preparing food for her dog, but soon began looking online for cheaper options. Grocery store meat is expensive, as is raw pet food from a pet store.

"After a little while of feeding them some homemade food, I was curious if there were any hunters around who would give me some free scraps," she said.

"I feed my dog a homemade diet due to severe allergies she has to kibble," the ad reads. "I'm looking for any hunters to give me free scraps ... Moose, rabbit, turrs, anything will do. Freezer burnt meat & organ meats are also fine as well."

Within a week, a hunter reached out and offered her 15 pounds of moose meat from his freezer.

The dogs took to the meat right away, she said.

"They loved it. They really like moose, it's probably their favourite."

Breakfast of champions

Cull namedoff the various meats in her freezer as she pickedthrough for food. Her dogs Ellie, a husky mix, and Finn, a setter mix enjoyed a hen'segg and some moose for breakfast.

• Raw food pet diet becomes trendy even as vets question safety

Amongthe veterinary community, reaction to the wild game diet is mixed.

"Different vets have different opinions," Cull said. "Some are very supportive and some are not."

The veterinarians she's consulted have assured her it is safe, as long as the dogs are getting proper nutrients and the meat is clean and cooked.

"It's not nearly as easy as feeding them just kibble," she said. "Feeding them an unbalanced diet will definitely do more harm than good."

Reaction from hunters has been overwhelming. One man topped off her freezer with 100 pounds of moose and trout.

"I guess there are people out there who are hunting more than they need, but at the same time they are very generous and they don't want to waste it," Cull said. "They are always very happy giving it to me."