While it may make certain people squeamish, organ meat is very healthy and nutritious food. In fact, there are tons of recipes from all around the world that utilize organ meat as the main protein.
Still, if you would rather stay away from organ meat in your meals, you might want to incorporate it into your dog’s regular diet.
Keeping your pet is priority number one for dog owners, and the best way to do that is with a healthy and balanced diet. And by adding organ meat to a couple of their meals every week or using them as treats, you can introduce very healthy and nutritious food to your favorite pet.
On top of that, dogs seem to enjoy eating organ meat much more than humans do. And in this guide, we’ll be going through a couple of the best organ meat choices for dogs and some other information to help you better incorporate them into their diet.
So, Why Is Organ Meat Good for Dogs?
In the wild, dogs eat other animals, since they are carnivores by nature. And when they consume an animal, they usually don’t leave any scraps. That means wild dogs regularly eat organ meat whenever they catch prey, which makes them an integral part of any dog’s diet, domesticated or otherwise.
Since a lot of humans stay away from organ meat, their benefits usually fly right over our heads. However, organ meat is absolutely packed with different nutrients and protein. Adding this to your dog’s diet you might save some money on vet bills in the future.
The liver, kidneys, and lungs all have a great set of vitamins and other nutrients such as iron and zinc that are great for your dogs.
Should I Cook Organ Meat Before Feeding It To My Dog?
One very important thing to remember before feeding organ meat to your dog is to cook it first. Domesticated dogs aren’t accustomed to raw diets like their wild counterparts, so to be on the safe side, we always recommend cooking the meat first.
The best way to do this is to simply boil it without salt and other additives. Boil the meat for around 15-20 minutes, cool it down, chop it into bite-sized pieces, then you can feed it to your dog.
Best Organ Meat Choices for Dogs
If you’re considering adding organ meat to your dog’s diet, you might wonder what kind of organ meats to feed them. Honestly, dogs need to have a wide variety of different organs to complete their diet that including eyeballs, brains, and even reproductive organs.
Understandably, a lot of people aren’t too keen on stocking up their freezer with eyeballs and other undesirable organs. So, here are a couple of organ meat choices that are great for dogs, easily accessible, and aren’t as jarring as the other options out there.
Liver
Livers are generally a great option for dogs. You can usually find these meats in your local grocery or butcher shop, or you can order them online. Animal livers contain a lot of iron, protein, and vitamins A and B, which makes them great for your dogs.
Any grass-fed animal’s liver would be all right for dogs. Pet parents have reported adding beef livers, pork livers, chicken livers, and even lamb livers to their dog’s diet and reaping positive results.
However, among all these choices, we highly recommend beef livers for dogs. For more information about the benefits of beef liver for dogs, you can read this guide here: https://whatthepup.spotandtango.com/is-beef-liver-good-for-dogs/
Kidney
Another great option for animals is kidneys. These organs contain tons of vitamin A, phosphorous, and potassium, all of which are great health boosters for dogs. Just like with livers, you can feed your pet any grass-fed animal’s kidney and reap a bunch of health benefits.
Heart
Animal hearts make a great addition to any dog’s diet. The main reason for this is that they contain a lot of vitamin B12, phosphorous, and potassium. Adding animal hearts to your dog’s diet will reap a lot of the same benefits as feeding them kidneys, with the added bonus of vitamin B12.
We recommend feeding your dog chicken hearts, as they are very small and can be used as a sort of treat for your dogs. However, it’s always best to experiment with different animal organs for your dog until you find the one that works best.
Conclusion
Organ meats are a great option for any dog. They are an essential part of their diet because they contain tons of nutrients. You can easily find a variety of organ meats by asking your local butcher or going to your local grocery store, which makes them a very convenient option for many dog owners.
If you plan on adding organ meat to your dog’s diet, feel free to try any one of the options on this list. However, always make sure to consult your vet before adding anything new to your dog’s diet. That way, you’ll know the proper preparation, precautions, and dosage to keep your dog safe and healthy!