Secreting organs for dogs are a specific type of organ that – you guessed it – secretes a substance.
That makes them different from other types of muscular organ meat like heart, gizzards, tongue and lung.
But since they’re super nutritious, they’re a valuable raw dog food ingredient and are also known as natural multivitamins!
Keeping that in mind, secreting organ meat is only a small component of raw dog food besides:
- Muscle meat
- Raw meaty bones
- Optional plant matter
Why Do Dogs Need Secreting Organs?
…and that’s your first clue as to why dogs need to eat secreting organs as part of their raw dog food.
They are naturally rich in a variety of essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin A, B Vitamins, iron, copper, zinc, selenium, etc.
Dogs need all of these so that their bodies can function properly.
Since other cuts of meat don’t have these nutrients, you really can’t ignore secreting organs when you make homemade raw dog food, and I can’t emphasise the importance of adding organs during the raw feeding transition enough!
Why It’s Important To Rotate Secreting Organ Meat For Dogs
But here’s the thing – not every secreting organ has the same (amount of) nutrients.
For instance, liver is very rich in Vitamin A while spleen is much richer in a variety of B Vitamins.
Or how about pancreas, which has an insane amount of digestive enzymes that other secreting organs don’t have.
That said, it’s important to feed your dog a variety of secreting organs. Not just liver and kidney.
Also!
Besides rotating the type of secreting organ meat you feed your dog, you should also rotate the animals you source it from.
That’s because the level of nutrients also differs from animal to animal.
Generally speaking, free-range, pastured animals always have a higher level of nutrients than their caged, corn- and soy-fed counterparts.
So for example, don’t just feed chicken liver, but also beef liver, duck liver, deer liver, etc.
The same applies for other cuts of secreting organs.
Different Types Of Secreting Organ Meat For Dogs
Secreting organs you can and should feed are:
- Liver
- Kidneys
- Spleen
- Eyeballs
- Brains
- Testicles
- Ovaries
- Pancreas
- Thymus glands
How Much Secreting Organs Does My Dog Need?
Healthy adult dogs need to eat 10% of their daily raw dog food allowance in secreting organs.
Specifically, 5% liver and 5% other secreting organs.
Here’s a couple examples.
Say your 30 lb dog eats 12 oz of raw dog food per day, then 1.2 oz of that would need to be secreting organs.
Of those 1.2 oz, half = 0.6 oz would be liver, and the other half = 0.6 oz would be another secreting organ, for example kidney.
If you have a 75 lb dog who eats 30 oz of raw dog food per day, then 3 oz of that would need to be secreting organs.
Of those 3 oz, half = 1.5 oz would be liver, and the remaining 1.5 oz would be a different secreting organ such as spleen.
If you didn’t follow the math, check out my blog post How to measure percentages in raw feeding.
More related reading: Easy raw dog food feeding charts & worksheets.
As far as puppies and their secreting organ requirements are concerned, that’s a different story.
Since they need more food in general during their growth phase, that includes a higher secreting organ meat allowance.
Read more about how much raw dog food puppies need here.
Where to Buy Secreting Organ Meat for Dogs
You can mostly find chicken liver, beef liver and calf liver at your local grocery store, including Walmart and Costco.
You can also check ethnic grocery stores for other secreting organs such as kidney or spleen. Many Asian supermarkets carry those “odd” cuts of meat.
Other than that, you can make friends with hunters and wildlife processors to get your hands on secreting organs from deer and hogs during hunting season.
Also check in with local beef and lamb farms to see if they offer any secreting organs for sale, or prefer to give them away instead of tossing them.
Last but certainly not least, browse the websites of online raw dog food retailers for their selection of secreting organs.
For example:
- Raw Paws Pet Food. Save 15% with my affiliate discount code K9Savings.
- Raw Feeding Miami
- My Pet Carnivore
- Hare Today
Besides buying individual secreting organs for homemade raw dog food, you can also buy them as part of premade raw dog food.
However, I strongly suggest reading the ingredient labels of any premade raw dog food you buy as recipes and secreting organs used vary quite a bit.
Secreting Organ Meat Library
Now without further ado, below you’ll find links to blog posts about different secreting organ meats for dogs.
Just click on the image and it’ll take you to a blog post about the respective secreting organ topic.
Tip: Bookmark this page and revisit it as it continues to grow!
Raw Liver For Dogs
In this blog entry, I answer all of your questions about raw liver for dogs.
How To Feed Raw Kidneys
Kidneys are fed alongside liver. Here’s everything you need to know about raw kidneys, including how much raw kidney you should feed your pup(py).
Raw Spleen for Dogs
This blog entry is about how to use raw spleen in raw feeding.
How to Feed Raw Beef Eyeballs
This cut of meat is not for the faint of heart – here’s how to feed raw beef eyeballs!
How To Feed Brains In Raw Dog Food
Find out how safe raw brains are in raw feeding.
Testicles For Raw Dog Food
Testicles aka testes are another unique cut of meat that can be fed alongside liver.
How To Use Raw Pancreas For Dogs For Digestive Health
Find out how to feed raw pancreas to support your dog’s digestive health.
Easy Hack For Storing Secreting Organ Meat For Dogs
Check out a creative way of how you can store your secreting organs.
Are you looking for specific information that wasn’t covered in the library?
Feel free to leave a note in the comment section below this blog post, and I’ll answer it asap.
Barbara Rivers is the founder of K9sOverCoffee and a raw feeding educator with over a decade of hands-on experience.
She has fed raw in the US and Europe since 2015, after her Boxer mix Missy’s cancer diagnosis led her to move away from processed kibble and commit to species-appropriate nutrition.
As a former professional dog walker, she developed deep insight into canine behavior, conditioning, and the essential link between proper exercise and long-term health.
Barbara completed online training with veterinarian Dr. Marion Smart and Labrador breeder Dana Scott and works for one of Germany’s leading raw dog food brands, BARFER’S.
In 2026–2027, she is completing a year-long raw nutrition certification for dogs and cats at THP School, founded by raw feeding pioneer Swanie Simon.
Through her blog and weekly newsletter, she provides clear, experience-based guidance to help dog owners feed raw safely and confidently.