Opting to include kidney meat, like lamb or beef, into your dog’s homemade foods is an excellent choice. They’re full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals that are excellent for your dog. Plus, dogs prefer the gamey flavor of things like meat kidneys. Use these tips and recipes to learn how to select, prepare and serve it to your dog.
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Selecting & Preparing Meat Kidneys for Dogs
Beef and lamb kidneys are excellent sources of protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B, phosphorus, copper and so much more! They’re low in calories however, they are high in cholesterol. So, if your pup has a heart condition or problems with blood pressure, be judicious in giving it.
If you have any doubts or questions about feeding your dog kidney meats, talk to your vet. Likewise, if you have any questions about the ingredients in the recipes below, confer with your vet or canine nutritionist. It’s the best way to ensure safety.
Shopping for Kidneys
When hunting down a quality meat kidney for your dog, first make sure that what you get comes from grass-fed and farm-raised cows and lambs. This will ensure they’re free of antibiotics and hormones that have the potential to be harmful to your pooch.
You can find them at supermarkets or your local processing plant. Ones sold at the store are often very clean with all external membranes removed and no smell. This may not be the case from the processing plant, so you may have to remove and treat these before preparing the kidneys for your dog.
Pre-Treating the Kidneys
If the lamb or beef have an intense smell and flavor, you can soak the kidneys in the fridge with cold water and lemon juice. Let this sit for a few hours before preparing. Place the kidneys in a colander and rinse well with cold running water. Pat the kidneys dry with paper towels.
Lamb vs. Beef Kidneys
Also lamb kidneys tend to be very soft, making them difficult to handle and cut. So, after soaking, put them in the freezer. This will make slicing and cutting much easier. Because beef kidneys are tougher, you may need to boil them first so they cook evenly if you plan on adding them in a recipe.
How to Serve Meat Kidneys to Your Dog
There are myriad of ways you can feed the kidneys to your dog. You can feed them raw after freezing them or make it part of a raw dog food recipe. You can make treats from the kidneys with a dehydrator or braise them. They are versatile and very safe for your dog.
Canine Kidney Treats
This quick and simple pan-fried recipe is great as training treats. It doesn’t take a lot of time or money and your dog will live for them. You only need a few items.
Items You’ll Need
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Spoons
- Frying Pan
- Storage Jar
- Freezer Bags
Ingredients
- ½ lb Meat Kidneys (Beef or Lamb)
- ½ tsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Clean, treat and freeze the kidneys.
- Once the kidneys are frozen, slice into ¼ inch strips or medallions.
- Heat the oil on the stove and add the prepared kidneys.
- Sear the meat until done to your dog’s liking.
- Store half in an airtight jar for the fridge and use within five days.
- Put the other half in a freezer-safe bag and store until needed.
Meaty Delight Rice Bowl
This is perfect to make after cooking a whole chicken or turkey dinner for yourself. You can use the bones to make the bone broth required for the recipe. Of course, you don’t have to make the broth if you can source one you know will be safe for your pup to consume.
Items You’ll Need
For the Bone Broth
- Stock Pot
- Crockpot
- Strainer or Slotted Spoon
For the Rice Bowl
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Large Boiling Pot
- Blender or Food Processor
- Freezer Bags or Other Container
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Meat (lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, pork or kangaroo), raw
- 1 lb Chicken or Turkey giblets (heart, liver and gizzards)
- 1 lb beef or lamb kidney, chopped
- 1 small Sweet Potato, chopped
- ½ Cup Wild or White Rice, organic
- ½ Cup Spinach, chopped
- ½ Cup Kale, chopped
- ¼ Cup Water
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- ½ Cup Homemade Bone Broth (or other Bone Broth safe for dogs to consume)
Instructions
For the Homemade Bone Broth
- Take a medium or large stockpot (depending on the bones you have) and cover the bones with water.
- Bring to a rolling boil and then lower the temperature.
- Cover and cook for four hours.
- Remove gray foam that builds up on the surface; these are impurities that you must remove.
- Take off the heat and allow it to cool.
- Remove all the bones and extra meat; discard the refuse.
- Put the liquid broth into a crock pot and set it on low; let cook for 24 hours.
For the Rice Bowl
- Clean and chop the Sweet Potato.
- Add Rice and Sweet Potato to the large boiling pot and put in enough water to cover them.
- Bring to a brief boil and then lower the temperature to a low heat and simmer for about an hour or until soft.
- Puree the Spinach and Kale with ¼ cup of water.
- Add the pureed greens to the pot along with the bone broth, meat, kidneys and giblets.
- Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes and remove from heat for 20 minutes.
- Put the mixture into the blender or food processor along with the Coconut and Olive Oils.
- Give it a quick blend to break up the chunks.
- Allow it to finish cooling completely, portion out into serving sizes and then put it in the refrigerator and/or freezer.
My name is Ken and I’m one of the staff writers at Petloverguy.com. I’ve cared for pets most of my life starting with hamsters, turtles, and snakes. Then moving up to parakeets, guinea pigs, and even ducks.
I currently live with two yorkies and a chihuahua mix.