Liver
Rebā • 牛レバー • Beef Liver
Can dogs eat liver? Yes! Not only can dogs eat liver, quite a lot of them love it. It’s a powerful source of nutrients with many benefits including fortifying the liver and boosting your dog’s liver health. Additionally, Liver supports bone and joint health, skin, coat, immunity.
Liver has many important nutrients:
Vitamin A – a powerful antioxidant. It supports digestion and reproductive organs.
Vitamin D – a vitally important nutrient for immune function. It helps protect against cancers, autoimmune and infectious diseases. It supports muscle and bone strength too.
Folic acid, B vitamins – support mental and nerve health. They help avoid fatigue and prevent anemia.
Iron – forms hemoglobin, brain function, regulates body temperature. Iron transports oxygen to the blood cells. This increases your dog’s endurance and strength. Lack of iron depletes antibodies and T-cells in the immune system.
Protein: Liver is a great source of protein that’s lower in fat than regular meat.
Other minerals (like calcium, choline, copper, magnesium, manganese, niacin, phosphorus, zinc).
Common Myth
Liver cleanses toxins from the animal’s body, it has toxins that might be harmful.
Untrue! Whilst it cleanses toxins, the liver doesn’t store those toxins and will not poison your dog.
Cautions
Like with any food, too much of a good thing can be bad. With liver, there is a common symptom of overdose - Copper Toxicity. And some breeds are a little more susceptible to it like Bedlington Terriers, Dobermans, West Highland Terriers, Skye Terriers, Dalmatians, Labrador Retrievers. If you own any of these breeds, it’s best to check with the vet before you proceed with feeding liver.
Another concern is Vitamin A excess as it can cause liver damage (ironically) decalcify bones and teeth, even though it is unlikely to cause this by eating liver.
With any new food, it’s always best to feed your dog only a little at first. Wait to see if there is any adverse reaction, if any before you let your dog eat more. When in doubt, please consult your veterinarian. The signs accumulate over time but may include weight loss, reduced appetite, excessive peeing, diarrhoea, and intermittent vomiting.
Some dogs do not like liver on its own and with these cautions, we don’t want the off chance of risking our dogs’ health. Which is why, after a few rigorous tests with a few subjects, it was decided that it was best to mix it with beef in the form of Rebā Bites by Kuro Snacks.
