# Beef liver



## 4dogs3cats (Dec 21, 2007)

Well the last time I bought calf liver for my dogs only the boys would eat it. Not Bailey. Now ONLY Chance will eat it. Not even reluctantly, he LOVES it. Kody will lick at it for a few minutes and then walk away, and Bailey won't touch it. My question:

Is liver an essential part of the raw diet?
Can it be substituted for something else?
How do you get your picky liver eaters to eat it?
What do dogs get from liver?

Do any of you have dogs that won't eat liver? What do you do?

Lots of questions there! But thanks in advance!


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## Shaina (Oct 28, 2007)

4dogs3cats said:


> Well the last time I bought calf liver for my dogs only the boys would eat it. Not Bailey. Now ONLY Chance will eat it. Not even reluctantly, he LOVES it. Kody will lick at it for a few minutes and then walk away, and Bailey won't touch it. My question:
> 
> Is liver an essential part of the raw diet?
> Can it be substituted for something else?
> ...


Yes, it's a really essential source of Vitamins A and D.

As far as I am aware, you need to supplement with vitamins if you don't feed liver.

One of mine wouldn't eat it at first, but when I gave it to her partially frozen she was fine with it - I think she didn't like the texture and wasn't sure how to go about it. Now she eats it either way.

"Vitamin A is necessary for normal growth, reproduction, mucous membranes, skin cell surface lining, immune functions and vision. Vitamin A-rich foods, such as liver or other organ meats, must be included in limited quantity in a dog's diet. However, both excess and a deficiency of Vitamin A can cause very serious problems. Deficiency symptoms include lack of appetite, stunted growth, skeletal abnormalities, weight loss, night blindness, skin lesions and brain damage. Excess (such as a diet mainly of liver) can cause a degenerative disease of the vertebrae and loss of teeth.

Vitamin D helps metabolize calcium and phosphorus. It is necessary for maintaining blood calcium levels and for the formation of bones. In puppies, a deficiency of this vitamin causes the bone-deforming disease called rickets. Dogs require controlled doses of Vitamin D added to their diets. Excess dose of vitamin D causes heavy calcium deposits to form on the organs such as kidneys, heart and blood vessels, which can result in death if not corrected in time. Calcium deposits on the kidneys are usually irreversible." [Ref]


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

My dogs will take that liver please! They love it. You could blend it and add it to something else, maybe ground meat. You could cook it and use it as treats, then cook less and less as they learn to enjoy the taste and texture. You could put little bits into chicken hearts or gizzards or even cut slits in meat and stick some in. You could try a different kind of liver. I much prefer chicken to beef liver but lamb or pork could suit your animals better. Think of adding liver like switching kibbles, a bit at a time.


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## zimandtakandgrrandmimi (May 8, 2008)

I have a liver snob.

I chop it very very fine and mix it with some ground beef and a tidbit of either applesauce or cooked sweetpotatoe.

then it goes right down no problems

also she will sometimes eat it straight if frozen solid. she will turn her nose up at it when thawed.


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## JohnnyBandit (Sep 19, 2008)

My dogs will practically to the electric slide for a piece of liver. Raw, cooked, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, venison, heck they don't care. 

I feed it in several ways. I puree it with greens, I feed it cooked as treats, I feed it raw. Mine don't care. They like it.


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## kelliope (Apr 4, 2008)

Mine won't touch it. No matter what I do. I have tried cooking, freezing, mincing, hiding. It's a no go. 

Oddly, there is almost nothing else they WON'T eat. They love all kinds of foods - even odd foods dogs don't normally like (such as garbanzo beans, almonds, bananas, etc.)

I've not yet found a solution. I'm going to try to slip a little in some brie cheese and see if that works. 

I do find it very hard to believe they are actually supposed to eat something they find so repulsive, but that's what everyone keeps telling me.


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