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Can dogs eat offal or organ meats?

Should Your Dogs be Eating Offal or Organ Meats?

Written by: Dr. Kathryn Dench

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Time to read 6 min

Have you ever wondered whether your dogs should have organ meats in their diet plans and whether it would add nutritional value? We know that nutrition and a balanced diet play a key role in helping dogs live healthy lives, but are organ meats an important part of that?

Organ or offal meats, such as liver and kidney, contain a range of essential nutrients for your dog, including vitamins, essential fatty acids, and minerals. In this article, we explore the landscape of organ meats and the best organ meat supplements for your pet. We will also discuss the health benefits of feeding offal meat to your dog.

Understanding Organ Meats

What do you need to know about organ meat?

Organ meat is the edible parts of an animal's internal organs, apart from the muscle that we think of as meat in the human food chain. These organs include:

  • liver

  • brain

  • kidneys

  • heart

  • spleen

  • pancreas

  • stomach and intestines

  • bones

For the majority of dog owners, their top priority is giving their dogs the best quality and nutritious diet. Organ meats come with all the essential nutrients for a dog’s healthy living.

Compared to lean meat and commercial foods, offal meat is more nutritious. It contains quality protein, fat, vitamins A, B, D, and E, and minerals like zinc, iron, and phosphorus. Also, it has trace minerals like selenium.

Dogs are omnivorous and need both plants and meat in their diet to be healthy. They need a balanced diet of proteins, vitamins, fats, minerals, and carbohydrates. Organ meat is the superpower food with all the nutrients it contains.

Benefits of Organ Meat

dog with raw meat on food bowl

The top priority for most dog owners is giving their dogs the best, which includes a quality and nutritional diet. They need a balanced diet of proteins, vitamins, fats, minerals, and carbohydrates. Whether you feed your dog with  raw food or go the supplement way, offal meat has the following benefits:

Proteins

Your dog needs protein for tissue repair, muscle growth, and transporting oxygen in the blood. Your dog's body can't produce essential amino acids. A diet of proteins from organ meat will fill this nutrition gap.

Vitamins

Vitamins are necessary for bone formation, eyesight, and cell membrane functioning. They can be fat-soluble, like vitamins A, D, E, and K, or water-soluble, like vitamins B and C. Your dog must consume water-soluble vitamins daily as they are not stored in the body.

Minerals

Minerals are necessary for bone formation, muscle development, hormone production, and nerve functions. Organ meat contains both minerals and trace minerals.

Offal meat contains a combination of all these nutrients. Compared to muscle meat, it is densely packed with all the key nutritional requirements.

How to Feed Organ Meat to Your Dog

As more dog owners become aware of the benefits of organ meats, the pressure to find the best quality product for your dog can be overwhelming.

Your dog can eat organ meat as raw meat, cooked meat, or as processed supplements. You can get raw meat from your local abattoir, while the  treats and supplements can be found online. But there are important things you need to know before feeding your dog organ meat:

dog with raw meat

Know the precautions in feeding organ meat to dogs

Before you feed your dog offal meat, ensure that he has no  food allergies. It is also vital to source the offal from a hygienic source. Chicken liver and turkey bones might be available at your local butcher, but other by-product materials like chicken heart or lamb tongue may be harder to source.

If you choose to give your dog raw organ meat, ensure that it's finely chopped. If you decide to cook, ensure that you don't add onions or garlic to your recipe, as these are toxic to dogs.

Know how much organ meat to give your dog

Although organ meats should be part of your dog's food, balance is critical. Ensure that your dogs eat approximately 25% of their diet as organ meats. It would be best not to give your dog a single organ that accounts for more than 5-10%. For supplements, follow the feeding guidelines provided.Allow it to cool, then serve.

The Best Organ Meat Supplement

Over the years, researchers have identified three essential parts lacking in dog food across the value chain. The missing links were identified in:

  • Processing and preservation, which devalued vital vitamins

  • The majority of commercial foods lacked micronutrients

  • Dog food companies producing band-aid and synthetic dog food

For most dog food companies, it's about business and profits and not dogs' optimal health. This led to a nutrition gap, which can have adverse long-term effects on dogs.

That's where  Primal-Vitality™ Beef Organ Complex comes in. Made from GMO-free and vet-formulated ingredients, it seeks to close the nutrition gap. It's made from a blend of beef organs, including the heart, pancreas, spleen, and liver. Also, it's topped with rich bone broth protein.

Its process, advanced hydrolysis, ensures that the nutrients are maintained and aren't degraded or eliminated. This makes it the perfect organ meat for your dog's diet plan. It's a powerhouse of key nutrients for your canine health.

Available in powder form, this product can be easily and conveniently added to regular dog food. It will boost your dog's longevity and vitality. Also, if you are a pet parent who believes in holistic dog health, this product was made with you in mind.

Benefits of Using Primal-Vitality™ Beef Organ Complex

 Primal-Vitality™ Beef Organ Complex in dog

Paw Origins'  Primal-Vitality™ Beef Organ Complex supplement is made from organs and is loved by our trusted customers. They testify how their dogs love licking Primal Vitality and the remarkable improvement. Nutritionally, your dog will benefit from the following:

  • Improved organ health and function

  • Improved vitality and digestive efficiency

  • Better tissue health and joint mobility

Let's break down the key ingredients of Primal Vitality and the health benefits for your dog.

Bone broth protein

The high-quality protein in  bone broth is rich in gelatin and collagen, which help with  joint regeneration, mobility, gut lining, and nutrient absorption.

Healthy beef liver

The liver filters toxins so they don't remain in the body. Beef liver contains vitamin A and vitamin B, as well as minerals like iron. These key nutrients will boost your dog's  skin health, neurological functions, red blood cell production, and vision.

Beef heart

This consists of  coenzyme Q10 that supports the cardiovascular and nervous system. This improves your dog's heart function. Also, it has selenium that maintains muscle health and boosts longevity.

Beef kidney

The  kidney contains selenium, which supports the immune system.

Beef pancreas

 pancreasThe beef  pancreas contains digestive enzymes that assist with the proper breakdown and absorption of nutrients. This ensures that your dog gets the full package of nutrients from its food.

Beef spleen

The spleen contains huge amounts of iron, which helps transfer oxygen through the blood. Our beef organ supplement is packed with all the key ingredients necessary for your dog's maximum health.


Finally decided to include organ meat supplements in your dog's diet? Try Paw Origins'  Primal-Vitality™ Beef Organ Complex now!

Conclusion

As the debate about raw food continues, adding organ meat to your dog's food is integral to their diet plan. The nutrients found in organ meats are of higher quality than muscle meat. You can make it part of your dog's raw diet or go with the supplement or treats method.

If you decide to go the supplement way, you can try our  quality product

Dr. Kathryn Rosalie Dench, MA VetMB MRCVS

Dr. Kathryn Rosalie Dench

With nearly two decades of experience, Cambridge veterinarian Dr. Kathryn Dench is dedicated to enhancing animal health through holistic practices. A member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, she focuses on preventive care over traditional methods, particularly for long-term wellness solutions in pets suffering from anxiety and chronic conditions. As Chief Scientific Advisor at Paw Origins, she champions holistic strategies and education to revolutionize pet care practices.

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