If your dog isn't eating liver now, they are missing out on something worth woofing about! Your pup may love the taste of these healthy treats and they're a fantastic source of nutrients, which will help fuel them for adventures! If you have a picky eater, that's not impressed by the benefits of liver, consider a high-quality food as your baseline for proper nutrition.
Liver from chicken, beef, pork, or lamb are all great choices for your dog. Though, it's best to avoid liver from wild game since you can't guarantee its overall quality. The liver from these sources may include parasites or toxins which would make the liver unsafe for your dog.
When buying liver for your dog (or yourself), stick to farm animals, preferably sourced from high-quality suppliers to avoid any unhealthy liver sources.
There are two kinds of livers, chicken and beef, which are readily available at most groceries. Both types of liver contain essential vitamins and minerals, proteins, and iron. They also contain relatively few calories and saturated fats. Each of these liver types makes an excellent choice for adding nutrition to your dog's diet, but there are some differences between them.
There are differences in nutrient content between beef and chicken liver. Beef liver, compared with chicken livers, is lower in calorie and fat content and higher in vitamins B2, B12, and A. It also contains nearly 20x the copper than chicken liver, a mineral that supports brain, heart and kidney functions and which the body doesn't produce naturally.
If you have a dog that needs an increase in protein, selenium, or iron, then chicken livers might be a better choice than beef liver. Selenium and iron levels are higher in this organ meat than in beef liver, and there are roughly four more grams of protein per ounce. We'll be focusing on the preparation of liver from chickens.
Now that we know chicken liver for dogs is good, let's look at some of the nutritional metrics that make up this fantastic food. For a complete breakout of all nutritional elements, check out the FDA Food Database.
Chicken Livers Simmered/Cooked: 100 Grams
Energy: 167 cal
Protein: 24.5 g
Fats/Lipids: 6.5 g
Water: 66.8 g
Carbohydrates: 0.87 g
Calcium : 11 mg
Iron: 11.6 mg
Vitamin C: 27.9 mg
Vitamin A: 3,980 µg
Magnesium: 25 mg
Phosphorus 405 mg
Vitamin B-12: 16.8 µg
Vitamin C: 27.9 mg
Vitamin E: 0.82 mg
Iron: 11.6 mg
Vitamin B-12: 16.8 µg
Sodium : 76 mg
Selenium: 82.4 mg
Potassium: 263 mg
Phosphorus: 405 mg
Zinc: 3.98 mg
Cholesterol : 563 mg
There are multiple benefits of feeding your dog cooked chicken livers, including a healthy dose of protein, and richness in vitamins and minerals. Puppies can enjoy these liver treats as they contribute to healthy muscle and tissue growth. Those dogs that are diabetic can rejoice, chicken livers contain no sugars making them a great option for diabetic dogs.
The prep and cooking of chicken liver treats is straightforward and requires little kitchen experience to prepare. Total time from start to finish is about 20 minutes for prep and cooking and 30 minutes to cool, chop and store.
Remove the raw chicken livers from the packaging and place them into a bowl. Add cool water and submerge the pieces of raw liver in water, stirring gently, to thoroughly rinse off any packaging bits or debris on the livers. Drain and rinse livers once more.
In a medium-sized pot, add cleaned chicken livers and about an inch of water, then place on the stove over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a light boil for about 10-15 minutes. Don't add any additional seasoning or ingredients- the livers will taste great to your dog all by themselves.
After being lightly boiled for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and drain the water from the livers using a colander. Let livers cool to room temperature on a plate before moving on to the next step.
Now that your livers are cooled enough, you can cut and dice them into suitable pieces for your dog. If serving as a treat, a rough chop may do. If serving within their food, consider smaller dices so you can easily mix it with their meal. You can also use a food processor if your pup needs a finer texture.
Store your cooked pieces of liver in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 2 days. If your pup needs more time to eat the prepared livers, you can freeze them for up to 3-4 months. To serve, it's best to take the frozen livers out of the freezer to thaw overnight in the fridge. For more insights into storage, check out of blog on the storage and handling of raw/fresh dog foods.
Off the bat, you should be aware if your current dog food contains liver. If that is the case, you can give your pup up to a couple of times per week. If there is no liver content in their current food, you can provide up to 5% of your dogs daily diet from liver per day.
Chicken livers are good for dogs because they're rich in amino acids and contain high-quality protein. It's also a great source of zinc, copper (which helps prevent anemia), iron, and vitamin B-complex. Omega-3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are responsible for your dog’s silky, smooth coat Vitamin A found in the liver is great for eye health. They will likely improve your dogs' appetite and improve their health if given in proper quantities.
There are so many reasons to give dogs chicken livers and preparation is fairly simple. You may be asking yourself why you haven't tried this before! It's never too late to start feeding healthy foods.
