Liver

 Liver, my most hated organ and the dogs favorite. It's slimy, it's smelly, it's bloody. The dogs slurp it up like candy! Liver is also one of the most nutritious of organs and should be fed as at least half of the organs fed. A variety of liver sources (beef, pork, chicken, etc.) over time is of course, best (a variety of all foods over time is what you want to aim for!). Kidney is the next most nutritious organ, with lung and pancreas to follow. Heart and gizzard are not organs, but are in fact muscles. They should be fed as well, but remember that they're not organs but muscles!

Organ meats are high in vitamin D, a hormone precursor that regulates numerous functions in the body. Vitmain D deficiency is related to muscle weakness, fractures, common cancers, autoimmune diseases and infectious diseases. A lack of vitamin D is also known to cause depression, which is why depression is in higher rates in northern places (the sun being an optimal source of vitamin D). I'm not sure if dogs can suffer from depression, but I wouldn't be surprised. Humans share a lot of conditions and diseases with our canine friends. Supplementing a little extra vitamin D during the winter can help your dog avoid vitamin D deficiency due to the lack of sunshine during winter months.

Liver is known as the premium part of the animal because it's so full of vitamins and minerals. In New Zealand the livers of animals older than 2 years aren't allowed to be sold for human consumption. This is because the phosphate fertilizer historically applied to New Zealand soils had a higher cadmium content than that used in other parts of the world. The cadmium accumulates in the liver, and can exceed maximum recommended levels as the animal gets older. Calves liver is a "milder" taste. Liver from young, pasteurized cows is the best choice for not only your canine family but human too!

Liver from Silver Spring Country

I noticed the difference recently, between the liver I got from a local farmer and the liver I've bought at the super market. The liver from the farm was dark, rich and not nearly as slimy or smelly.  It was by far a lot easier to handle than the liver I'd gotten at the super market. The liver's job is to neutralize toxins in the body, so it only makes sense to avoid liver from animals that received a lot of antibiotics and hormones. Organic, grass fed animals is the best source for any meat, but especially liver.

Liver is an excellent source of high-quality protein. It is nature's most concentrated source of Vitamin A and contains all the B vitamins in abundance, especially vitamin B12. It's often known as the "cure for anemia" because of this (pernicious anemia is a debilitating disease caused by B12 deficiency). Vitamin A works to aid digestion, keep reproductive organs healthy, and is a powerful antioxidant.

Other amazing attributes of liver are:

• One of our best sources of folic acid
• A highly usable form of iron
• Trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium; liver is our best source of copper
• An unidentified anti-fatigue factor
• CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function
• A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA 

How to Serve Liver to your Dog:
Like most of the bones meat and organs you should be feeding your dog, liver should be fed raw. It's a nutrient dense organ and is very effected by heat. Cooking will lose the digestive enzymes and nutrients. Since the whole purpose of feeding organs to your dog is for their dense nutrient value, cooking them will remove the benefits you're feeding for in the first place!

Some dogs don't like the texture of organs, specifically liver (can you blame them?). If your dog refuses to eat liver whole, you can blend it in a food processor and add that to his regular food.



What Source of Liver is Best?
Weston A. Price Foundation has a liver comparison chart on their website (also available here). This is a great place to start when looking for what animal sources liver is best.

Resources:
Raw Feeding 101
The Natural Food Guide - Liver
The Weston A. Price Foundation - The Liver Files 
Dogs Naturally Magazine - Why Organ Meat is Important for the Raw Fed Dog