Homemade dog food with liver is a vitamin-rich protein you can provide your pet.
Besides vitamins, it contains necessary acids, zinc, iron, and copper to support your puppy’s healthy growth.
Learning some dog food recipes with liver will add a great variety to his homemade diets and help him grow better.
Let’s explore how to make this tasty canine superfood for your furry friend!
I will give you some basic liver dog treats and suggestions on what type of livers to provide and how to feed your dog best. Let’s get started!
What Types Of Livers Should You Give Your Dog?
Before learning the liver recipe for dogs, let’s see what kinds of liver meet the nutritional requirements to give your pet!
You can find many types in most grocery stores, including beef liver, chicken liver, lamb liver, pork liver, and duck liver.
All of them have similar nutrition and the same methods of cooking.
However, I highly recommend you to go for the beef type, if not, then chicken one. They are the two most useful organ means for your puppy to consume.
Both types contain protein, minerals, vitamins, and iron. They have slightly low calories and saturated fat levels, making them a suitable option for your pet’s diet.
Beef liver recipes for dogs are a preferable choice between these two types as it has lower calories and fat. Furthermore, it also contains more vitamins A, B2, and B12 than this organ of chicken.
Plus, there’s one more thing to consider before choosing which organ to cook is the copper level.
It’s because copper can not be produced naturally and supports heart, brain, and skin functions. This level in beef is 20 times more than in chicken liver. So, go for beef if you can.
However, chicken organ meat has double iron and selenium levels than the organ of beef. Thus, it’s more suitable if your pet needs to increase its protein, selenium, and iron.
Homemade Dog Food With Liver
A liver dog food recipe can include any type of liver, such as beef, chicken, duck, goose, pork, and lamb.
Yet, the best one is the organ from beef and chicken as they are low in calories and fat.
They will also provide your dog with essential vitamins, zinc, copper, and iron, promoting your puppy’s growth.
What can I mix with liver for my dog? You can add different green vegetables to the recipe to make the dish colorful and bring more health benefits.
Let’s dig into the detailed homemade recipes!
With Beef Liver
Ingredients:
- Beef liver
- Chicken breasts
- Carrots: 2
- Sweet potatoes: 1
- Red pepper: 1
- Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
- Oats
Guideline of dog food recipes with livers:
Step 1. Peel the raw potato and chop it into cubes of 1 inch. Boil the cubes in a saucepan with a cover until they are soft.
Step 2. Cut the chicken breasts into chunks (2-3 inches) and boil in water until it’s cooked. Then, take out the chunks when they are done. If you have smaller dogs, you can leave this size or cut them into smaller pieces (of 1 inch).
Step 3. Pour coconut oil into a small skillet, add beef organ, and cook at medium heat. Flip each side after 2-4 mins until it’s fully done.
Step 4. Boil the oat for 2-3 minutes. Cook more oats if you have a bigger dog.
Step 5. Chop the beef organ and dice the red pepper and carrot.
Step 6. Once the oats are cooked, mix all the ingredients and serve to your puppy.
With Chicken Liver
With the homemade dog food with chicken liver, you’ll need:
- Raw chicken liver
- Chopped broccoli: 1 cup
- Chopped fresh carrot: 1 cup
- Cooked brown rice: 2 cups
- Olive oil: 1 tsp
- Water: 2 cups
Guideline:
Step 1. Start the chicken liver dog food recipe by chopping the organ, broccoli, and carrots into bite-size pieces.
Step 2. Add olive oil into a hot skillet, and put the chicken organ inside until it’s brown.
Step 3. Add water, set medium heat, and let the ingredients simmer. Once it’s fully cooked, add broccoli and carrots to cook for a few minutes.
Step 4. Wait for the mixture to cool down, take a proper portion, and give it to your pet. You don’t need to heat the dish before serving, as dogs can eat cold chicken.
How To Feed Your Dog With Livers?
No matter what dish, from meat, veggies, sardines in olive oil, to organs, it should be given moderation; otherwise, it can turn into something bad.
Animal organs can be bad for your puppy mostly because of the amount of vitamin A inside.
Too much vitamin A in your pet’s body may cause an overdose of A vitamins, also known as hypervitaminosis A.
It’s also the reason for many diseases, such as weight loss, digestive trouble, weakened muscles, spurs, or bone deformities.
Thus, I suggest no more than 5% of organs should be included in your pet’s daily diet.
Besides the home-cooked liver recipe for dogs I’ve mentioned above, you can also feed your pet dog food containing livers or freeze-dried raw liver.
Ask your local pet stores for the best dog treat brand.
Yet, keep in mind that you should give a proper portion to avoid side effects. One ounce of this organ per day is the maximum limitation if you have a medium-sized dog.
FAQs
Can I Give My Dog Cooked Liver Everyday?
Yes, you can. Livers of animals, especially beef, are a good source of healthy fat, essential nutrients, vitamin A, different B vitamins, iron, copper, and zinc, bringing lots of benefits to your dog’s health.
I’m sure your cooked dishes of livers can satisfy all dogs’ tummy, even a picky eater. They may always crave it. However, don’t rely on it as your pet’s only protein source.
Since dogs can be overloaded with vitamin A in the livers, ensure you only use it as a food topper or occasional treat.
It’s better to provide your puppy with other protein sources, such as beef, chicken, turkey, etc.
Should The Dish Be Served Hot Or Cold?
You can serve your dog either a hot or cold dish. I suggest you warm the food before giving it to your pet in winter, but in summer, you can offer it as a cold serve.
You can also make homemade meals ahead of time. I advise you to grab all the ingredients for one week at once, cook them, and store the food in Tupperware in the fridge.
Then, you just need to serve your dog a proper portion at mealtime.
Do Dogs Prefer Liver Cooked Or Raw?
Dogs can eat both raw and cooked livers. The former is known to provide the nutrition lost by the cooking process.
However, since dogs are domesticated, consuming raw livers can cause trouble for their digestive system.
Meanwhile, cooked liver dishes are tastier as you add different ingredients and species. Plus, bacteria are killed by cooking; thus, it is safer for your puppy to consume.
Conclusion
Homemade dog food with liver is a healthy treat for your pet in moderation. It satisfies the dietary requirements for your puppy’s body and brain development.
Follow my chicken and beef liver dog food recipes above to serve the best for your canine.
They are fast and easy ways of cooking so that you can save time and effort, and your pet is still well cared for.
