Offal

Offal is the name given to the innards of animals that aren't considered standard cuts of meat. Depending on the classification it can include the liver, kidneys, pancreas, spleen, heart, lungs, stomach, intestines and brain.

In practice, some organs — liver and kidney especially — are often separated out and sold individually rather than as general offal.

Offal is a great source of protein, and it contains proteins not found in muscle meat which your dog can still break down into amino acids — the building blocks for every cell in their body.

Because much of it comes from the digestive system, offal also carries a lot of digestive enzymes and a high concentration of good bacteria, both of which support gut health.

The vitamin content is where it really earns its place. Vitamin B12 is vital for producing red blood cells, which dogs need to replenish constantly. Vitamin A supports the immune system and eyesight. Offal is also rich in iron and phosphorus, and in vitamin D, which helps your dog absorb those minerals in the first place.

Raw, unprocessed offal is highly nutritious and can be included every day.

The most widely used guideline is the 80:10:10 split — 80% muscle meat by weight, 10% organ meat, and 10% bone. Organ meat is only needed in small quantities because the concentration of beneficial substances in it is so high.

Not everyone agrees on those exact figures. Some professionals advocate a higher proportion of organ and bone, on the basis that it more closely resembles the make-up of a whole animal — a wild bird, for instance, is roughly 25% bone and 20% organ.

Whichever split you follow, offal should make up a meaningful share of it.

Heart. Although it's an organ, the heart is primarily muscle, so it belongs in the muscle meat portion of the diet rather than the organ portion.

Kidneys. Rich in iron and zinc, and a good source of protein and useful fatty acids.

Liver. Should make up a significant share of the offal you feed. It's rich in vitamin A, good for eyes, teeth and bone development, high in iron, and it has a lot of flavour — most dogs enjoy it.

Everything else. Nutritional value varies, but on the whole other organs are a good source of healthy protein and fats and belong in a raw diet.

Meat suppliers generally class green tripe as offal, since offal covers the innards of slaughtered animals broadly.

For raw feeding purposes, though, the classification doesn't quite fit. Tripe is very high in muscle protein, so it should be counted in the 70–80% meat portion of the diet rather than the organ portion.

The same applies to heart, tongue and lung. All three are commonly thought of as offal, but their protein content is high enough that they belong in the meat portion.