Why your dog needs organ meats

Kidney, liver, lungs, pancreas and hearts may not sound very appealing to us humans but to our fur kids, organ meats are a culinary delight. Compared to regular cuts of muscle meat, organ meats are more densely packed with just about every nutrient, including heavy doses of B vitamins such as: B1, B2, B6, folic acid and vitamin B12. They are also loaded with minerals like phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium and iodine, and provide the important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Organ meats also contain high amounts of the essential fatty acids such as arachidonic acid, and omega-3 fats, including EPA and DHA.

Organ meats are easier to handle and cut when it is slightly frozen. It can be lightly boiled, sautéed or baked and added to your dog’s meal. Organ meats should form 10% of your dog’s diet.

Don’t forget the heart!

The heart is a very concentrated source of the super nutrient CoQ10. Coenzyme Q10 is necessary for the basic functioning of cells as well as optimizing the heart’s rhythm. Beef and lamb heart also contains selenium, phosphorus and zinc, along with essential amino acids that help build muscle, store energy and boost stamina and endurance. It also contains high levels of taurine and L-carnitine, which are both key defenders against heart disease.  The heart also contains twice as much collagen and elastin than regular meat, which is important for healthy joints.

Holistic veterinarians believe that it is beneficial to feed glandulars or tissue extracts to your dogs for specific healing purposes, for example if your dog has a heart problem, feed him some heart. If he has a kidney or liver problem, feed him some kidney or liver. Research has shown that the active compounds found in organs, like specific hormones and enzymes can exert a positive action on the same organs from which they are derived.

Liver is another nutrient dense food and the addition of liver to a dog’s meal is a sure fire way to whet up their appetite. Our dogs go absolutely crazy with the smell of liver, especially when we bake our Liver Bow-wownies, a nutritionally dense and healthy treat. Dogs treasure the moment, not the size of the treats and our Liver Bow-wownies are baked in small bite sized morsels that are great as a training treat.  Our dehydrated organ meats, i.e. Lamb Hearts and Beef Lung are made using only human grade meats from Australia.

Paws fur life, canine massage & nutrition. A healthy dog is a happy dog!