Is Liver Good For Your Dog?
Every family that brings our puppies home is encouraged to read through our blogs especially on how to feed their puppy. There are many dog food companies and dog supplement companies such as NuVet that I would recommend. But the liver is arguably the best natural vitamin due to the many nutrients available. It is also something that our dogs absolutely love and need no coaxing to consume. Freeze-dried liver is sold widely but is completely unnecessary if you want to buy it fresh and cut it up yourself.
I have a friend that supplies me with as many cow livers as we want. We cut them into small cubes and freeze them on a tray or place 5-10 of them directly in a Ziploc bag and thaw them later in hot water. We then feed it 1-2 times per week to our adults.
In the wild, canines naturally open the belly and eat organ meat first. It is the most nutritious part of an animal. However, there is nothing wasted and the entire carcass is consumed. It is recommended to feed no more liver than 10% of the diet.1 The primary concern is getting too much vitamin A which is fat-soluble and is stored in the body and is typically found in dogs only fed table scraps or a diet solely of liver.2
You will not need to worry about this if you are feeding a high-quality dog food. So, if you are looking for a way to use organ meat after hunting or just want to buy some liver at the grocery store you may want to give it a try. Just make sure to slowly add it to the diet in small amounts and keep it in their diet regularly.
Several weeks ago I gave a marble-sized piece of liver to 7-week old puppies. They liked it the very first time they tried it. Several days later I gave it to them again and they absolutely loved it.
Up North Pyrenees strives to make you the very best puppy not just through great genetics, careful breeding, and lots of positive socialization. We feed your puppy and their parents highly nutritious foods to set them up for a lifetime of health.
1. Henriques J. Why Your Dog Should Eat More Liver. Dogs Naturally. https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/why-you-need-to-feed-your-dog-liver/. Published 2021. Accessed April 7, 2021.
2. Vitamin A Toxicosis in Dogs. vca_corporate. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/vitamin-a-toxicosis-in-dogs. Published 2021. Accessed April 7, 2021.