Which Organ Meats Should Be In The Raw Diet?
Not only are organ meats more nutritious, they carry other important health benefits. Let’s look at the brain as an example.
This table compares brain to fish. And what’s most interesting is the DHA content.
DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) is an important omega-3 fatty acid that fights inflammation. Most dog owners add fish oil to their dogs’ meals because it’s super rich in DHA. Not only is brain much richer in minerals than fish, it contains nearly as much DHA.
If you fed your dog all the organs in the animal, you wouldn’t have to supplement with fish oil. You wouldn’t need to fill those nutritional gaps with a heated and processed product.
DHA is also super important for brain health. Its presence in the diet can make puppies smarter and improve cognition in older dogs.
But DHA isn’t found in any real amount in liver or most other organs. Except for these little organs …
Feeding your dog eyes can be super gross. But eyes are also rich in DHA, just like brain. And if nothing else, it’s fun to have a freezer full of eyeballs for when company comes over!
Now if you were to Google research on the benefits of DHA, you’d find that it’s good for the brain, nervous system and eyes. Is it a coincidence that the brain and eyes are rich in a nutrient that helps them function?
In fact, this is the entire concept behind glandular therapy. Eating brain helps your dog’s brain and eating eyes helps your dog’s eyes.
This isn’t a novel concept. We’ve been using chondroitin for years to support joint and soft tissue health … and chondroitin comes from joint cartilage. So does hyaluronic acid.
So if you want your dog’s joints to be healthy, feed him joints. If you want your dog to have a healthy heart, feed him heart.
If you only feed your dog liver and a couple of other organs that happen to be on sale, he’s missing out. The presences or absence of glands and hormones will impact your dog’s hormones.
Here are some glands that are an important part of your dog’s hormonal (endocrine) system:
How Much Organ Meat Should Be In The Raw Diet?
Most raw feeders follow the 80-10-10 guideline … 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% organ meat. They call this diet “prey model” or “species appropriate.” The assumption is that this mimics what dogs would eat in the wild if they were to eat wild prey.
But this just isn’t true …
Muscle accounts for about 50% of most wild animals, while bone would account for about 12%. Of course, this would vary with the type, sex and condition of the animal. Skin would account for about 16%.
This means most animals are about 25% organ meat by weight. So if your goal is 10% organ meat, your dog is missing out on 15% of his diet … and it’s an important 15%. Look at this …
This table compares the vitamins in a few organ meats vs muscle meats. You can see that, across the board, organs are more nutrient dense than meats. It’s true … the organs are Mother Nature’s multivitamins!
But there’s something else I want you to note … each organ is unique in its nutritional composition. And compared to muscle meats, they’re often richer in key vitamins like vitamin D and B12. Now let’s look at the mineral content of organ meats …
Organ meats are much richer in minerals and trace minerals than muscle meat too. And again, each organ is different. Chicken heart is rich in zinc, and chicken liver is rich in iron, while beef liver is rich in copper. Pound for pound, organs are much more nutritious than muscle meat. This is why most wild carnivores eat the organs first … they’re the most valuable part of the carcass.
If you feed 10% organ meat, your dog is missing out on more than half the organ meats Mother Nature wants him to eat. So how much organ meat should your dog get?
I’d say a lot more than 10% … more like 25%. But if you’re feeding more than 10% organ meat, you need a large variety of organs, not just liver.
Which leads us to question #1, “which organ meats should dogs eat?” And the simple answer is, all of them!
Frozen organ mix for raw dog food
Raw Feeding Miami also offers a ground organ mix called “Monstermash Organ Grind” which consists of beef liver, kidney, green tripe, and 2 other organs that it rotates.
The “Montstermash” is the most convenient form of feeding the right ratio of organ meat I’ve come across in my 5+ years as a raw feeder.
It’s perfect for starting out if you’re new to raw feeding and concerned you might not be getting the organ balance right.
It’s also a great option for dogs with weak teeth or those that are more finicky when eating whole or larger cuts of certain organ meats.
The Monstermash is available in pre-portioned 1 and 2.5 lb bags. I’d typically order the 2.5 lb bags and would thaw it out once it was delivered. Then I’d divide it into smaller food storage containers to re-freeze and then thaw as needed.
The only downside as far as the “Monstermash” is concerned is that it only consists of beef. Ideally you should rotate the protein sources you feed your dogs, so I didn’t solely rely on this organ grind.
Does Your Raw Dog Food Have Enough Organ Meat?
Eat some organ meats! Did you just wrinkle up your nose? To humans, consuming organ meats may seem like a thing of the past, but don’t assume the same for your dogs! The meats often considered inedible by humans are actually some of the most nutritious parts of the animal. While you may not be ready to jump in line for a plateful of beef liver or kidney, it’s likely just what your pooch needs to round out their diet!
The thought of eating liver sounds gross, we know, but it’s one of the top organ meats you can give your dog. A serving of liver contains 10 to 100 times the nutrients found in a serving of muscle meat. One of the most nutrient-rich organs available, it’s loaded with protein, iron, B vitamins, vitamin A, CoQ10 and essential fatty acids, so tell your pup to eat up!
The CoQ10 found in liver is twofold in important uses! It improves joint health, which is especially beneficial for large breeds and dogs who suffer from arthritis. Secondly, Coenzyme Q10 is good for hearth health; increasing the “good cholesterol” in your dog’s body. It also helps to lower blood pressure and protect muscle tissue in the heart during cardiac trauma. Fatty acids improve coat health and all those B vitamins help your dog fully reap the benefits of the fat and protein found in liver. Since it is so densely packed with iron, it’s also effective in treating anemic animals.