Raw feeders - a question for you

[mistymama]

How important is liver - and if our dog can't tolerate liver, are there other organs that are easier to digest?

Beanie has a sensitive tummy and the smallest little bite of liver makes his poo runny.

Also, if he just can't tolerate liver, is it ok to not feed it? Or should I feed it occasionally and deal with runny poo? Is there another organ meat I can give him that would be less rich/easier on his system?

Thanks in advance - we are loving raw feeding and I can already tell such a difference - his coat is so soft it's just amazing. He's hardly shedding at all. But I worry that he's not getting all he needs because he has trouble with organ meats.

[angie7]

He needs organ meat. Liver is suggested b/c it's cheap and probably the most available to find. Have you tried kidney?

[mistymama]

We've tried calf and chicken liver - he didn't seem sick or anything but very runny poo.

I've seen kidney in one ethnic store - I guess that's what I'm looking for here, what alternatives to liver do we have? He can eat gizzards (heart) just fine - but I've read that is not considered an organ meat.

[Sailor]

Organ meat is important, but it does not have to be liver. The heart works as well. My butcher actually gives me beef hearts for free. Apparently, no one eats those around here. Kidney works too, as the other poster pointed out. Stomach, pancreas, intestines, etc., they're all organs.

I don't know if you ever buy entire birds, complete with organs. But, I do this for my dog. If you can find a local farmer near you, who is able to butcher chickens at his farm - this is a great way to get organs. A lot of people just want chicken, no organs. So, our farmer saves some of the organs for me, and sells them at a discounted rate to me.

[Ola_]

Liver is very rich in vitamins A and D and most of the raw-feeding advice I've read says that the organ portion should be half liver and half other stuff. So I personally wouldn't skip it.

You didn't say how long you've been feeding raw but I wouldn't worry about organs for the first few months, esp. if you're having problems. Then I'd start really slow - for my two I did a tablespoon each once or twice a week at first, but you might want to do a teaspoon's worth or even less depending on the size of your dog. Another strategy is to feed organ meat with extra bone in that meal to help firm up stools.

If you can't get his stools okay with the liver then I guess I'd do without, but I'd feel more comfortable with it in there. Other organs that are easy to find and I would definitely include are kidney and heart (though heart is a muscle, not an organ for dog feeding purposes).

[greenmagick]

Originally Posted by Sailor

Organ meat is important, but it does not have to be liver. The heart works as well. My butcher actually gives me beef hearts for free. Apparently, no one eats those around here. .

I thought heart was considered meat/muscle not organ?

You could try getting some ground liver mixes or ground organ mixes and see if she tolerates it in a blend better. It is more expensive this way, but you dont have to do it that often. Otherwise, I would do as other posters said....slowly add a tiny bit in at a time and add extra bone to that meal. Raw feeding is a lot of trial and error

[Magali]

Originally Posted by Ola_

Liver is very rich in vitamins A and D and most of the raw-feeding advice I've read says that the organ portion should be half liver and half other stuff. So I personally wouldn't skip it.

You didn't say how long you've been feeding raw but I wouldn't worry about organs for the first few months, esp. if you're having problems. Then I'd start really slow - for my two I did a tablespoon each once or twice a week at first, but you might want to do a teaspoon's worth or even less depending on the size of your dog. Another strategy is to feed organ meat with extra bone in that meal to help firm up stools.

If you can't get his stools okay with the liver then I guess I'd do without, but I'd feel more comfortable with it in there. Other organs that are easy to find and I would definitely include are kidney and heart (though heart is a muscle, not an organ for dog feeding purposes).

I agree with all of this. And from personal experience, it took both of my dogs a while to get used to eating liver. I remember they both had the most fowl smelling runny poo in the beginning. But now they are just fine.

[Sailor]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

I thought heart was considered meat/muscle not organ?

Oh ... well, I don't know. I always thought the heart was an organ. At least, from what I remember in high school anatomy!

But, I could be wrong.

[graceomalley]

My dogs would happily eat 90% offal! They love the stuff. I saw boxed brains at a local butcher recently but they were pretty expensive so I didn't buy any.

Along with liver, our dogs love tripe, kidney, lambs fry and heart. I dislike kidney (I gag) so I avoid it.

I'd try half a teaspoon of liver with some kidney just to get them used to it, then very gradually increase the amount.

Good luck!

[mistymama]

Thanks for the great suggestions everyone! I am learning that raw feeding is a lot of trial and error, for sure.

Beanie has been eating raw for about 5 weeks now. He's a mini dachshund and weighs about 10 pounds. He's still a puppy, his adult weight should be around 13-14pds.

I like the idea of feeding more bones with liver - bones really do firm things up so to speak, so that might actually work. He has the most sensitive tummy ever (it's why I started researching raw in the first place!) and it may just take him a little while to get used to it and for us to find the right balance for him.

Thanks again guys, you are the best!

[angie7]

Fed liver last nite and woke up to runny poo on my rug from my Great Dane...too much will do that :