The Nutritional Powerhouse of Organ Meat for Dogs: An In-Depth Guide

Have you heard about all the incredible benefits of organ meat for dogs? While some humans consider organ meat to be unappetizing, it’s a nutritional powerhouse for dogs and should be included in a nutritionally complete raw diet. Don’t want to feed raw? You can also include some cooked or freeze-dried organ meat in your dog’s diet as a treat or topper for their other food.

If you want to learn more about incorporating organ meat into your dog’s diet, keep reading this in-depth guide. If you’d rather not have to balance your dog’s diet yourself, choose the best dog food with organ meat: We Feed Raw. Each of our nutritionally complete and balanced recipes contains approximately 10% organ meat along with about 10% finely ground bone and 80% muscle meat (with associated fat and connective tissue).

What Is Organ Meat? Unpacking Offal

Also known as offal or entrails, organ meat refers to the edible parts of an animal’s internal organs, including the kidney, liver, brain, lungs, heart, tripe (stomach lining), and gizzards (specific to birds). Offal contains high levels of vitamins and minerals that are not found in muscle meat, making it an important part of a fully balanced diet.

The importance of organ meat is why you can’t just feed your dog hamburger from the grocery store; it doesn’t contain all the vitamins and minerals your pup needs to thrive. While We Feed Raw may look like hamburger, our patties include finely ground organ meat and bone in addition to the muscle meat found in grocery store hamburger.

The Canine Dietary Spectrum: Understanding Dogs' Nutritional Requirements

Dogs require a wide variety of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to truly thrive. 

According to the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), dog food must contain stated minimum levels of the following: protein, arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, methionine-cystine, phenylalanine, phenylalanine-tyrosine, threonine, tryptophan, valine, fat, linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic + docosahexaenoic acid, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chloride, magnesium, iron, copper, manganese, zinc, iodine, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, niacin, pyridoxine, folic acid, vitamin B12, and choline.

Notice that AAFCO does not require any carbohydrates. Dogs are carnivores who do not need carbs in their diet. They do, however, require all of the above vitamins and minerals, many of which are found in organ meat.

Nutritional Advantages of Organ Meats for Canine Health

Organ meats provide numerous nutritional benefits for dogs, including:

• •Amino acids—The building blocks of protein, amino acids help with nails, ligaments, bones, tendons, hair, immunity, and more.

• •Fat-soluble vitamins—Vitamins A, D, E, and K are stored in fatty tissues (such as the liver) rather than being flushed out in the urine like water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are critical for bone health, immune system health, vision, and more.

• •B vitamins—Essential for brain function, skin and coat health, metabolism, cardiac health, and digestion, vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12 are found in high levels in livers, kidneys, and hearts.

• •Trace minerals—Crucial for hormone regulation, immune function, wound healing, nerve function, protein synthesis, and more, iodine, manganese, copper, selenium, zinc, iron, and other trace minerals are found in higher levels in organ meats than muscle tissue.

Recommended Portions: How Much Organ Meat for Dogs?

While organ meat is excellent for dogs, too much of it can lead to vitamin toxicity, so offal should make up no more than 10-25% of your dog’s total diet, and each organ should make up a maximum of 10% of your dog’s total diet. Muscle meat, bone, and optional vegetables, fruits, or grains should make up the rest of your pup’s daily food intake.

Best Dog Foods with Organ Meat: Commercial Diet Inclusion

Some people like to create their dog’s raw diet themselves by carefully selecting each individual ingredient to create a balanced diet that may include supplements. If you want to skip all that hassle and choose a commercial raw dog food that includes organ meat, choose We Feed Raw.

We use USDA-certified meat from animals raised in the United States or New Zealand. Each recipe contains about 10% organ meat, 10% finely ground bone, and 80% muscle meat (with associated connective tissue and fat). We also add a small amount of a vitamin and mineral premix to ensure your pup gets all the nutrients they need.

Additionally, we put our raw patties through a cold-pressure process to inactivate any potential pathogens in the food, making it safe for your dog. One concern with feeding raw organ meat is the potential for it to contain bacteria or parasites, so we take the extra step to ensure our food won’t make your dog or your family sick.

Selecting the Right Type: What Organ Meats Are Good for Dogs?

Every organ has different benefits for dogs, with some of the best organ meats including kidney, liver, stomach, brain, lung, trachea, and heart (which is more like a muscle meat than an organ meat, but is still a nutritious option for dogs).

The Validity of Organ Meat in Canine Diets: Is Organ Meat Good for Dogs?

Yes, organ meat is excellent for dogs as part of a balanced diet. Dogs need to eat more than just organ meat to get all the nutrients they need, so organs should make up no more than 10-25% of your pup’s diet. Organ meat should come from reputable sources and should be frozen for a few weeks before feeding to kill off potential pathogens if you aren’t feeding a food like We Feed Raw, which uses high-pressure processing to make raw food safe.

Preparing and Serving: Adding Raw Dog Food Organ Meat to Your Pet's Diet

If you’ve never given your dog raw organ meat before, start with small amounts first. Due to its high fat content, some dogs may have a bit of digestive upset if you add too much organ meat at once. For best results, choose a raw dog food that already includes organ meat, like We Feed Raw.

Safety First: Are Organ Meats Good for Dogs in All Forms?

Some websites and veterinarians express concern about feeding dogs raw organ meat out of fear that dogs could get sick from bacterial or parasitic infections. While dogs’ digestive tracts are well-suited to quickly pass pathogens through their system before they can multiply and make a dog sick, you might choose to take fewer chances by cooking organ meat before feeding it to your dog.

Or, you might choose a raw diet like We Feed Raw, which incorporates organ meat into the recipes and puts our food through a high-pressure process to inactivate any potential pathogens before shipping it to customers.

Organ Meats vs. Muscle Meats: A Comparative Nutritional Analysis

Since every organ meat and every muscle meat has different nutritional values, it’s difficult to do a one-to-one nutritional analysis. However, generally speaking, organ meats contain more vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, choline, copper, and coenzyme Q10 than muscle meats.

Closing Thoughts on Organ Meats for Dogs

As you can see, organ meats make an excellent addition to your dog’s diet. Remember that your pup’s daily food intake should include no more than 10-25% organ meat to prevent vitamin toxicity.

Don’t want to balance your dog’s raw diet yourself? Try the pre-portioned patties from We Feed Raw. Containing approximately 10% organ meat, 10% finely ground bone, 80% muscle meat, and added vitamins and minerals, dogs love our 6 recipes.

Best Dog Food With Organ Meat: We Feed Raw

If you’re still on the fence about choosing We Feed Raw versus making your dog’s raw diet yourself, here are some real customer reviews from Trustpilot to help you make up your mind:

“I started Moxie on We Feed Raw 7 days ago. Recently she had several cancerous tumors removed and has a history of pancreatitis. I decided to switch her from her prescription ID kibble to raw because I felt the kibble wasn’t nourishing her. By day 2, I could already see improvement in her eyes, coat, and energy level. Today is day 7, and she looks so healthy and even her breath has improved dramatically. She is feeling froggy once again and is back to her silly self. I can’t thank you enough for your product. Watching her zeal for her meals brings my son and I to tears.” -Lisa

“I just started my dog on We Feed Raw and I have to say that my dog is loving every bite. To be perfectly honest, I made the switch to raw because my Gigi has been scratching like crazy and I started thinking maybe it was allergies to her food. So I’m happy to say I see a reduction in her scratching and she loves her new food! Thank you We Feed Raw! I think the company is amazing from the care in the food to the representatives that contact us customers. I am extremely satisfied.” -Gema

“In regards to the quality of the food, my dog absolutely loves his new raw diet and I’ve seen tremendous benefits that range from the quality of his coat, meal time eagerness, and digestion. This review is more about the customer service; any questions I’ve had have been answered promptly via the texting service. You can tell that the people designated to respond to the text messages are knowledgeable and are diligent with the responses they provide. If you are considering a raw diet for your pup, this company should be your number one choice!” -Kel

“Very happy with We Feed Raw company. My dog loves the food and happily accepted it with no digestive issue. The work has already been done for me such as the amount to feed/calories per day that is needed which is a plus. Great service and arrived quickly.” -Kim

“We Feed Raw has made an impact on my older pup, Baxter. Since starting my pups on We Feed Raw, Baxter has lost 5 pounds and is acting more like he did when he was a puppy. He has more energy, is a lot happier, and is doing great. I have always strived to give my dogs the best of the best and the other mail-order food subscriptions (and I tried several) never seemed to make much of an impact to his overall health. This food has been an absolute God-send! As many other pet owners, I want (and NEED) to keep my pets around as long as possible and to provide them with a happy, healthy life. I feel like this food is helping me to do just that.” -Jen

Raw Dog Food With Organ Meat Included: We Feed Raw

Trying to ensure your dog’s diet contains the correct proportions of organ meat, bones, muscle meat, and all the vitamins and minerals they need can be tricky, messy, and time-consuming. We Feed Raw makes feeding raw dog food with organ meat as easy as thaw and serve.

Nutritionally complete and balanced for dogs of all life stages, including the growth of large-breed puppies, our 6 recipes all contain approximately 10% organ meat, 10% finely ground bone, and 80% muscle meat (with associated fat and connective tissue) along with a small amount of a vitamin and mineral premix.

Since we use a cold-pressure process to inactivate potential pathogens, you don’t need to worry about raw organ meat making your dog (or your family) sick.

When you sign up for a We Feed Raw meal plan, we ask you questions about your dog’s age, weight, body condition, activity level, and more to determine their perfect daily portions. You decide how many meals to split that portion into, we ship frozen raw dog food to your door, and you simply thaw and feed.

Buy raw dog food with organ meat already included. Take our quiz now for the easiest and tastiest raw dog food available.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How much organ meat for dogs should I include in their diet?

No more than 10-25% of your pooch’s diet should be organ meat for dogs. Organ meat is rich in fat, vitamins, and minerals, and too much of a good thing can be problematic, so make sure organ meat is just a small part of a complete and balanced diet for your dog.

What is the best dog food with organ meat?

The best dog food with organ meat is We Feed Raw. Our nutritionally complete and balanced raw patties include approximately 10% organ meat along with 10% finely ground bone and 80% muscle meat. We use a cold-pressure process to inactivate potential pathogens, making our food safe, and we deliver pre-portioned food to you, eliminating last-minute runs to the pet store for dog food.

What organ meats are good for dogs?

Nearly all organ meats are good for dogs, but some of the best include kidney, liver, spleen, trachea, lung, brain, and heart.

Is organ meat good for dogs?

Yes, organ meat is good for dogs as part of a complete and balanced diet. Dogs need to eat more than just organ meat to get all the nutrients they require, so limit organ meat to no more than 10-25% of your dog’s daily diet.

Are the benefits of organ meat substantial enough to consider it for my dog?

Yes, organ meat has many benefits and is great for dogs as part of their complete and balanced diet. Organ meat is rich in amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. However, organ meat should make up no more than 10-25% of their diet as too much organ meat may contribute to vitamin toxicity.

Are organ meats good for dogs with specific dietary requirements?

Generally, yes, organ meats are good for dogs with specific dietary requirements, but it depends on what those requirements are. If you have any concerns, you should talk to your dog’s veterinarian.

What's considered the best organ meat for dogs?

While liver is one of the most highly recommended organ meats for dogs, each organ provides unique benefits, so it’s best to feed your pup a variety of different organ meats for best results.

How should organ meats for dogs be prepared?

Organ meats can be fed raw (preferably after being frozen for a few weeks to kill potential pathogens), cooked, or freeze-dried. Or, you can choose a commercial raw diet like We Feed Raw, which incorporates organ meat into nutritionally complete and easy-to-feed finely ground patties.

Can I feed my dog raw organ meat for dogs?

Yes, you can feed your dog raw organ meat for dogs, preferably after it has been frozen for a while or incorporated into a commercial diet like We Feed Raw, which uses a cold-pressure process to inactivate potential pathogens.

What is organ meat, and how does it differ from muscle meat?

Organ meat is the edible parts of an animal’s internal organs, and it generally contains much higher levels of fat, vitamins, and minerals than muscle meat. However, it’s important to note that both organ meat and muscle meat are important aspects of a well-rounded raw diet.