liver?

Everyone keeps talking about giving their dogs Liver. I've never gave them that, but am interested to see if they like it. So my questions are how healthy is it? Is it generally cheap? And where would I get some? Also would I feed it raw or cook it? And how would I cook it if that's how to do it? And what to cook it with or just by itself?
Thanks

liver is a good addition to a dog's diet. it's very nutrient rich. you can feed it raw or cooked, depending on your preferences, and those of your dog. if you want to cook it, the best way to go is to bake it in the oven at relatively low temperature (250-300 degrees), since that way you minimize the loss of nutrients.

it's cheap and you can find it in the meat department of your grocery store, most commonly chicken or beef liver, but often also turkey and lamb.

one thing you absolutely need to be aware of is that liver is very rich in vitamin A, copper and iron, and feeding too much of it can cause serious toxicity problems. do not feed more than about 5% of the daily food ration or 20% of the weekly food ration. a little goes a long way.

Ok Thanks mordy!

I'm pretty wary of liver, keeping it to a once every 9 days or so ration, since the liver is the organ that ends up storing most of the toxins that get pumped into the commercial meat supply. The same goes for kidneys.

Ya, me too. I just cant get into the idea of eating an animals filter or feeding it to my animals. However, it is eaten in the wild and I am somewhat less brilliant than mother nature- In my best Jack Palance voice "believe it or not"

I think I'll buy a little to see how they like it, but just as an extra special little treat.....emphasize on the "little" part...lol

actually liver and kidney don't store toxins - they just filter them and release them into the urine.

sure, traces are left behind once an animal is slaughtered and the organs are affected, but it's not like the entire life worth of contamination is present. nevertheless - especially for organ meat, it's best to stick to organic sources, even if you don't feed organic otherwise.

I was reading in some beef farming info that there is some additive to the feed in feedlots that gets trapped in the liver, Mordy. I wish I could remember exactly what it was and where I found it . . . There was also some info years ago when I was bodybuilding about dessicated liver containing high amounts of contaminants (partially because of the concentrated nature of dessicated liver, of course). I've just never trusted commercial liver and kidneys ever since . . .

Some of the stuff they want us to do when we're raising beef is unbelievable . . . And that "certified Angus" that everyone is charging extra for - guess what? It only has to be 50% Angus, and even then there's not necessarily any proof other than the how the producer represents it at the stockyard. If it's mostly black, it'll pass as Angus.

renee, i know what you mean - but those animals get dosed with stuff pretty much until the day they are slaughtered. it's a bigger issue here in the US because so many treatments are legal.

You're right! They DO get dosed until the day they die. If the big producers had their way, they'd be dosed from the day they are conceived! We'd have all our cattle on hormones, antibiotics and all sorts of goodies . . . They claim that if we do all of that we'll be paid more per head . . . but it's not nearly enough to cover all the extra expenses, let alone time and expenses, plus we just don't want to do it!

The new "talk" is that the hormones in beef and milk may be contributing to the rise in the incidence of precocious puberty in children, and the hormones in 2% milk are being linked to severe acne . . .

Do you know if the milk they claim is RDH (not sure if that is the right hormone) free is actually free of that hormone or is it just another ploy to get more money out of me? I buy that for my boys, they'll go through puberty plenty fast for me already! Thank goodness I should at least have another five years before the first one starts. (Ages 2 and 5)

There is one brand called Organic Farms that seems to be pretty clean.

Too much liver will give a dog VERY loose stool. It is too "rich". It is also loaded with cholesterol......do dogs have problems with clogged arteries? If not, we need to find out why not, and bottle it for humans!!!!!!!!

I don't believe they do have the same problems handling fats, Manchesters. Shoot, I'd LOVE to have Kharma's metabolism . . . she just gets longer and taller and grows more muscles.

I've seen a lot of overweight dogs and I mean REALLY overweight, but your saying they don't get cholosteral?? That would be awesome! LOL

cholesterol isn't an issue for dogs. their digestive system and metabolism is well adapted to utilize fats as a source of energy.

Wow that must be nice!!

Wow, I have a high cholesterol from the genetics. I heard I have to watch what I eat, even tho I don't, lol. It will still be awesome to not have a prob with cholesterol

i feed liver as a part of a homemade diet and i take an extra trip to buy organic. because vitamins A and D are fat soluable vitamins, meaning they are stored in the fat and excess is not expelled in the urine, there is a possibility of overdose. it is important to not feed too much liver, especially if you are already feeding a commercial diet that is high in vitamin A.