If you\u2019re confused about how to use secreting organ meat for dogs in raw feeding, this blog post is for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Besides sharing a secreting organ meat for dogs recipe you can use in your homemade raw dog food<\/a>, I\u2019ll also explain what secreting organs are and why raw-fed dogs need them.<\/p>\n And just in case you\u2019re wondering what qualifies me to talk about secreting organ meat apart from being a raw dog food nerd, I\u2019ve been making homemade raw dog food since 2015.<\/p>\n In 2020, I got my certification as a raw dog food nutrition specialist from Dogs Naturally Magazine, so I\u2019ve learned a thing or two about secreting organs!<\/p>\n Ready? Let\u2019s jump right in!<\/p>\n In raw feeding, all animal organs that secrete a substance are classified as secreting organs.\u00a0<\/p>\n The best known secreting organ meat for dogs is probably liver, but there\u2019s also:<\/p>\n Pancreas and thymus gland are also often referred to as sweetbreads<\/em>.<\/p>\n Non-secreting organ meats that are commonly confused with secreting cuts of organs are heart and lung.<\/p>\n Those belong to the muscle meat category in raw feeding, and you can feed up to 20% of your dog\u2019s daily raw dog food allowance of each.<\/p>\n The short answer is that secreting organ meat is chock full of valuable nutrients that other cuts of meat lack.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s why secreting organs like liver, kidney, spleen, brains, testicles, uterus and pancreas are considered Mother Nature\u2019s multivitamins.<\/p>\n As such, they\u2019re naturally rich in Vitamin A, B Vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium and other trace minerals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Additionally, brains are also a wonderful source of Omega-3 fatty acids and pancreas is naturally rich in digestive enzymes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vitamin A helps support:<\/p>\n B Vitamins are a group of essential nutrients that play various important roles in your dog’s body.\u00a0<\/p>\n They include:\u00a0<\/p>\n Iron is important for:<\/p>\n Zinc is important for:<\/p>\n Selenium is important for:<\/p>\n And you probably already know that digestive enzymes are important for gut health, and that Omega-3 fatty acids fight inflammation within the body.<\/p>\n So by feeding a large variety of secreting organ meats, raw feeders ensure there aren\u2019t any nutritional holes in their dogs\u2019 raw meals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nerd fact: Wild dogs and wolves who hunt their own prey instinctively eat the secreting organs first because they know what\u2019s good for them!<\/p>\n This depends on your dog\u2019s age and activity level.<\/p>\n But generally speaking, moderately active adult dogs will need 10% of their daily raw dog food allowance to be secreting organ meat.<\/p>\n For example, a 50 lb adult dog who goes for 2 hour walks everyday needs 2 oz of secreting organ meat per day.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to do the math:<\/p>\n Divide the dog\u2019s body weight by 100, then multiply the result with 2.5%.\u00a0<\/p>\n That gives you the dog\u2019s daily raw dog food amount.<\/p>\n Good to know: The percentage is known as \u201cmaintenance percentage\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n For dogs who are at their target body weight, we calculate their raw dog food needs with a 2.5% maintenance percentage that ensures the dog stays at their current weight.\u00a0<\/p>\n The daily raw dog food amount for dogs who need to lose weight is calculated at 1.5%-2%, and the percentage for working dogs and pregnant dogs can be as high as 4.5%.\u00a0<\/p>\n But either way, here\u2019s how you calculate how much raw dog food the 50 lb dog needs per day:<\/p>\n 50\/100 = 0.5 x 2.5% = 1.25 lb = 20 oz of daily raw dog food<\/p>\n Now, 10% of 20 oz is 2 oz, so that\u2019s the dog\u2019s daily secreting organ meat allowance.<\/p>\n One more caveat:<\/p>\n Half of those 10% needs to be liver, and the other half needs to be a different secreting organ such as:<\/p>\n That means that the dog would need 1 oz of liver and 1 oz of another secreting organ on a daily basis.<\/p>\n So overall, dogs need very little secreting organs in their daily diet, but they\u2019re still an essential component of balanced raw dog food.<\/p>\n For information on how much raw dog food puppies need to eat, read our puppy blog post here<\/a>.<\/p>\n OK, now it\u2019s time for some kitchen fun!<\/p>\n Besides the ingredients listed below, you\u2019ll also need a food processor<\/a> that grinds the secreting organ meat into a pur\u00e9e.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s the easiest way to ensure that your pup gets equal amounts of the secreting organ meats.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what you\u2019ll need for this particular recipe:<\/p>\n Secreting organ meat for dogs \u2013 recipe ingredients<\/p>\n That\u2019s a total of 16 oz = 1 lb. Remember, adult dogs need only 10% of their daily raw dog food allowance of this mix.\u00a0<\/p>\n The animal you get the cuts of meat from doesn\u2019t really matter because you should rotate your dog\u2019s protein sources either way.<\/p>\n So for example, you can switch it up between chicken liver, beef liver, rabbit liver and pork liver.<\/p>\n Rotate between beef kidney, pork kidney and rabbit kidneys.<\/p>\n Buy beef pancreas one month and pork pancreas the next.<\/p>\n Get any testicles you can. Those are a bit tricker to source and you\u2019re usually limited to either bull or goat testicles.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you can also get your hands on secreting organs from ducks and deer, do it.<\/p>\n You get the idea.<\/p>\n I used mostly beef (liver, testicles, pancreas) as the main protein source for this batch of secreting organs except for the kidneys which are pork kidneys.<\/p>\n When you\u2019ve cut up and measured out your ingredients, combine them in your food processor and mash them up.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve made your secreting organ meat mix, you can either use it right away for raw dog food meal prep or store it inside a food storage container<\/a> in the freezer for later.<\/p>\n Ready to pur\u00e9e the secreting organ meats<\/p>\n Pur\u00e9ed secreting organ meat blend<\/p>\n Transferring the secreting organ meat blend into a food storage container<\/p>\n I got the beef liver and pork kidneys from a local grocery store, and bought the beef pancreas and bull testicles from an online raw dog food retailer.<\/p>\n Now, regardless of where you\u2019re located in the US, you should at least find chicken liver in any local grocery store. As a matter of fact, many also carry beef and calf liver.<\/p>\n For other cuts of organ meat like kidneys, pancreas and testicles, you probably won\u2019t get lucky at a regular grocery store.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Ethnic grocery stores such as Asian supermarkets are known to carry those \u201codd\u201d cuts of meat, and butchers and farmers are often willing to part with them too.<\/p>\n During deer hunting season, see about making friends with hunters and\/or wildlife processors to get your hands on some fresh secreting organs.<\/p>\n Note: You\u2019ll want to freeze any cuts of meat from wildlife for 3 weeks prior to feeding it to your dog. That ensures that any potential parasites are killed off.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Dog](\"https:\/\/www.thatmutt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dog-eating-bowl.jpg\")
![\"Dog](\"https:\/\/www.thatmutt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/dog-eating-bowl.jpg.webp\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhat Are Secreting Organs?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Why Do Dogs Need Secreting Organs?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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How Much Secreting Organ Meat Do Dogs Need?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Secreting Organ Meat For Dogs Recipe<\/span><\/h2>\n
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![\"Secreting](\"https:\/\/www.thatmutt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/secreting-organ-meat-for-dogs.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Ready](\"https:\/\/www.thatmutt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/puree-secreting-organ-meat.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n![\"Pur\u00e9ed](\"https:\/\/www.thatmutt.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/secreting-organ-meat-blend.jpg\")
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<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhere To Buy Secreting Organ Meat For Dogs<\/span><\/h2>\n