The Nutritional Benefits of Organ Meat for Raw Fed Dogs

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As an skilled uncooked feeder, I can confidently say: organ meat is the key weapon in a really balanced canine weight-reduction plan. Whereas many new uncooked feeders concentrate on muscle meat and bones, the actual dietary magic is in organs.

Let’s discover why organ meat is so important, which organs are generally fed, what vitamins they ship, how a lot to feed, and the place you’ll find a wide range of organs to your canine.

Why Organ Meat Is Important

Organ meats are generally known as “nature’s multivitamins,” for good motive. They’re much more nutrient-dense than muscle meats, filled with important nutritional vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and cofactors that assist almost each system in your canine’s physique, together with:

Immune well being

Imaginative and prescient

Reproductive operate

Blood well being

Neurological operate

Pores and skin and coat high quality

Feeding organ meat is just not elective in a uncooked weight-reduction plan; it’s crucial to supply the vitamins canines can’t get from muscle meat and bone alone.

Widespread Organs Fed by Uncooked Feeders

Listed below are the most well-liked organs utilized in uncooked feeding, divided into two teams:

Required Organs (A part of Uncooked Food plan Steadiness)

These needs to be included in each uncooked weight-reduction plan:

Liver – all the time required; wealthy in vitamin A, iron, and B nutritional vitamins

Different secreting organs – to make up the second half of the “organ” portion:

Kidney

Spleen

Pancreas

Mind

Thymus

Testicles

Ovaries

Non-compulsory “Muscle-like” Organs

These are nutrient-rich however categorised as muscle meat:

Coronary heart – wealthy in taurine and CoQ10

Gizzard – glorious for digestion

Making an Organ Mix

I desire to make an organ mix, which I freeze till the primary of the month, after I do intensive meal preps of fifty to 100 lbs. I order a lot of the organ meat via a neighborhood uncooked meals co-op and in addition supply organ meat from native homesteaders. It is shocking what number of do not use the organs, so I can get them for a wonderful worth and sometimes totally free.

Every organ mix is totally different, as a result of it is based mostly on what organs I’ve entry to on the time. For instance, I’ve made the next blends:

beef liver, coronary heart, kidney, spleen

pork liver, coronary heart, kidney

lamb liver, coronary heart kidney

As a result of I haven’t got entry to all kinds of secreting organs, I take advantage of a base combine by Dr. Harvey’s and add all my elements to Animal Food plan Formulator software program to determine which entire meals the recipe wants, so I can keep away from utilizing artificial vitamins.

Nutritional vitamins and Minerals in Organ Meat

Organ meats ship a robust punch of important vitamins, together with:

Vitamin A – liver, kidney (helps imaginative and prescient, pores and skin, immune system)

Vitamin B12 – liver, kidney, spleen (helps nerve operate, pink blood cells)

Folate (B9) – liver, spleen (important for cell restore and replica)

Iron – spleen, liver, kidney (important for oxygen transport in blood)

Copper – liver (helps pink blood cells and connective tissue)

Zinc – kidney, liver (helps immune well being and pores and skin)

Selenium – kidney (essential for thyroid and antioxidant operate)

Taurine – coronary heart (helps coronary heart well being and eye operate)

How A lot Organ Meat Ought to You Feed?

It is important to get the quantity of organ meat right to keep away from risking including an excessive amount of copper and different vitamins to the weight-reduction plan (or too little). And organ meat is wealthy and might result in free stool and diarrhea if overfed.

In a Prey Mannequin Uncooked (PMR) or FrankenPrey weight-reduction plan, the final guideline is:

10% complete organ meat by weight, per week

Half of that (5%) needs to be liver

The opposite half (5%) needs to be different secreting organs (kidney, spleen, pancreas, and so forth.)

Instance for a 50-lb canine consuming ~1.5 lbs/day (~10.5 lbs/week):

1.05 lbs (10%) organs per week; 0.525 lbs liver + 0.525 lbs different organs

Feeding an excessive amount of liver can result in vitamin A toxicity, so sticking to the proper steadiness is important.

The place to Supply a Number of Organs

Sourcing organs could be essentially the most difficult a part of uncooked feeding, nevertheless it’s doable with creativity and connections!

Right here’s the place many skilled uncooked feeders discover organs:

Native butchers – Ask for “offal,” “selection meats,” or “odd bits.”

Ethnic grocery shops – Varied ethnic markets typically inventory a wide range of organs.

Farmers’ markets and native farms – Ask about offal when shopping for bulk meat.

Hunters or sport processors – Nice supply for wild organ meats (test legality).

Uncooked feeding co-ops – Be a part of native shopping for teams for bulk orders.

On-line uncooked pet meals suppliers – Many supply combined organ packs or unique meats.

Tip: Construct relationships along with your butcher. They’re typically glad to put aside objects they’ll’t promote to most of the people, that are good to your canine.

My Expertise Feeding Organ Meat

From my years of expertise, I can say confidently: organ meats are the dietary cornerstone of a balanced uncooked weight-reduction plan. They ship vitamins no complement can really substitute, assist your canine’s long-term well being, and add selection and pleasure to the bowl.

Sourcing and portioning organ meat takes additional effort, however the well being advantages — shiny coats, sturdy immune programs, vibrant vitality — make it fully value it.

Should you’re new to uncooked feeding, begin by studying how one can steadiness liver and different organs correctly, and don’t hesitate to ask your native butcher or uncooked feeding group for assist. Your canine will thanks!