Feeding RAW Liver???

[joquendo]

I have read article after article saying that RAW feeders should NOT feed RAW liver - UNLESS it is Organic! - due to the level of toxins that pass through the liver, feeding it raw only passes that onto the dogs....

I have no idea where I could get Organic liver from ( any suggestions would be welcome), is it OK to lightly cook the liver and give it to the dogs? - if I don;t feed liver - what can I substitute for it?

[shybird]

Check with your local butcher. They should be able to get it for you. You could also check your local health food store. I did read (and don't remember the reason) that you are should not feed liver in large quanity or often. Hopefully someone will remember the reason and post it for both of us.

[joquendo]

I do know that feeding large quantities of Liver due to the high level of iodine - the iodine regulates the thyroid, too much can cause the thyroid to become overactive - creating a multitude of problems, likewise, feeding too little iodine causes an underactive thyroid.. so getting the balance right is key, I don't know what else I can use to replace liver - is there anything else that has iodine which I can use?

Thanks also for that advice about obtaining organic liver, I will check with my butcher, he is awesome - and failing that I will try my local health food store.

Thanks again.

[Carol Burke]

I feed raw liver. Probably about one lb of liver mixed with ten lbs of other stuff. And I don't use it everytime I make food so my dogs each get maybe 1/2 lb of liver a month.

Certainly you could lightly cook it if it makes you feel better.

[DixieGrl113]

The key, as you said, to feeding liver is not to feed it everyday or too much of it. The liver is the filter of the body. Even if it is from an organic source, it has still filtered some kind of toxin in one form or another from something in the animals environment. I try to feed more of the other organs and not rely exclusively on liver for the offal meals for that very reason. But then again a lot of raw feeders say you shouldn't feed any meat that's not organic...since what we are trying to do by feeding raw is in essence trying to mimic their natural diet, I try to keep everything in proportion to how they would get it if they were eating the whole animal. If a dog eats a whole chicken they are not going to be eating 1/2cup of liver. They get 1 liver with 2 kidneys, 2 lungs, 1 heart etc. That's what I try to replicate when I make my meals. Since I've been following that line of thinking, I have found I have less digestive upsets with my dogs when the offal meal does come around. No gas or loose stools. But, then again, our favorite saying around here...what works for one doesn't work for all.

[rottnkidd]

Hi Janet - If you're concerned about the liver, you can feed beef and/or pork kidney. I don't feed alot of raw beef liver just because it's too rich for my girl, but I use it boiled & baked for training.
kathy

[mark_sherry]

It's OK to feed raw liver. I get my liver from my butcher, and I've been very happy with it as an organ meat. It's been mentioned already, but it's worth saying again. The key to feeding an organ meat of any kind is to keep it in proportion to what the grey wolf would eat in the wild. When you look at it like that, then it's pretty certain that you wouldn't want to feed large quantities of liver, organic or not. Liver is very rich, and that is the biggest concern of feeding it. Although it does process toxins, it usually passes them very quickly, so fed in the correct proportion to the whole diet, this should not be a concern. If I were to measure in ounces how much liver I give my dogs each day, it would probably be anywhere between 2-4 ounces, and that is for a dog that gets about 2.1 pounds of food per day. Since RMBs usually make up 60% of her daily diet, the meaty portion of her meal is about 12 ounces. So, as you can see, only 10% of the meaty meal is organ meat -- a very small amount. Variety is the key, as well as is looking at the diet from the long-term perspective. The only other negative thing with liver is the absolute mess that I make while cutting it up -- yuk! I've had to wash many white t-shirts immediately after cutting up liver. I seem to be a blood magnet!

Mark

[Teena]

"The only other negative thing with liver is the absolute mess that I make while cutting it up -- yuk! I've had to wash many white t-shirts immediately after cutting up liver. I seem to be a blood magnet!"

Semi-frozen is much easier to handle with less clean up. ;)

[mark_sherry]

Semi-frozen is much easier to handle with less clean up.

You're right, it would be, but I feed all of my dogs' food at or near room temperature. Their digestive systems don't do well on really cold food. When I get the liver from the butcher, it's not frozen, so even if I were to prep it before freezing, I'd still have the red stuff all over me. So, I thaw it out, cut it up, mix it all together (with ground meat) for each meaty meal, and add some warm water to give it a nice consistency. I've heard some people feeding right from the freezer, but it doesn't work well for my guys. I probably could come up with a system to cut it up before it thawed out completely, but for now, I don't have the patience to plan that far ahead. I guess it's easier for me to react to blood splattering on my shirts than to plan much more ahead. Or, I could always prepare their food without clothes on, but I think everyone would then be assured that I am crazy.

[Carolina]

mmm.. just a question.. what is "organic liver"? and what is not "organic liver"? I though liver was just liver, and it came from chicken, cows or pork. Any help is appreciated :D


Carolina :)

[mark_sherry]

Very misused term, organic is. In this case, it applies to how the cattle are fed and medicated.

[Roscoe's dad]

Originally posted by mark_sherry


Or, I could always prepare their food without clothes on, but I think everyone would then be assured that I am crazy.

[color=red]Just dont plan on getting on an airplane dressed like that.[/COLOR


I cut Guido's liver upwhile still semi frozen and give it to her when it is thawed out. If it is still semi frozen she won't touch it. ]

[mark_sherry]

Roscoe's Dad, I admire your time management skills. :) Liver thaws out pretty fast, and I can never "catch it" at the right time to cut it up semi-frozen. Guess I need to take a business course or something like that. And speaking of liver, do any of you ever have problems with that membrane on the outside of it? I've been tempted to cut it off, but that, too, is a messy ordeal.

Mark

[Teena]

Or, I could always prepare their food without clothes on,

Oh the kinky side comes out. LOL;)

Guess i'm lucky, my dogs eat anything any temp. that doesn't eat them first. :D