Beef liver for dogs: a recipe with ground beef and brown rice
Beef liver for dogs with lean ground beef and brown rice: how much liver is safe, how to cook it, and what it can (and can't) do for anemia.
- Time
- 55 min + 15 min resting
- Makes
- About 1.3 kg / 2.9 lb (2 days for a 15 kg / 33 lb dog; almost 5 days for a 5 kg / 11 lb dog)
- Type
- Main meal
- Difficulty
- Easy
- 39 % lean ground beef
- 38 % brown rice
- 10 % carrot
- 10 % zucchini
Follows THE RULE. All 7 ingredients are on our safe list: nothing that could harm your dog.
Beef liver for dogs is one of those ingredients best used in measured amounts: it's very rich in iron, vitamin A and vitamin B12, but too much can lead to vitamin A overload. In this recipe it's an accent, 30 g (1 oz) for 570 g (1¼ lb) of ground beef, together with brown rice and vegetables, for a tasty, balanced everyday dish.
The smell of liver in the skillet is what brings even the pickiest dogs over to the bowl. Chop it very fine, almost to a purée, so it spreads through the whole mix: if it's left in chunks, your dog will eat those first and leave the rest. With brown rice you get a loose-grained dish, a lot like rice with meat.
Why it works
Lean ground beef provides the protein and a good share of the iron and zinc. Liver concentrates vitamin A, B12, folate, copper and heme iron, the best-absorbed form; that's why a little goes a long way: here it's about 5% of the meat, well below the absolute maximum of 10%. Brown rice provides energy and fiber, and zucchini and carrot add bulk. Meat, liver and brown rice are all high in phosphorus, so the eggshell is essential to bring calcium where it should be. Salmon oil rounds it out with omega-3.
Talk to your vet first. If your dog has anemia or is weak, this recipe can support treatment, but it doesn't replace it: your vet needs to find and treat the cause.
Step by step
Start the rice
Cook the brown rice in 700 ml (3 cups) of water over medium-low heat, covered, for 35-40 minutes, until the grains split open and are tender. If it dries out too early, add a splash of hot water.
Grate the vegetables
Meanwhile, peel and grate the carrot and zucchini on the coarse side of a box grater. Grated, they cook in a few minutes and blend in better with the ground meat.
Cook the beef
In a large nonstick skillet, without oil, cook the ground beef over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula, for 8-10 minutes, until there's no pink left. Add the grated vegetables and cook 3 more minutes.
Cook the liver and chop it
Cut the liver into strips and cook it in the same skillet for 2 minutes per side, until it's brown inside with no trace of pink. Chop it very fine with a knife or blend it with a little of the rice water.
Mix everything
Combine the rice, the meat with vegetables and the chopped liver. Stir until the liver is evenly spread and there are no loose pieces. Let it cool for 15 minutes.
Add the calcium
With the mix lukewarm, sprinkle over the ground eggshell and mix again. Divide into portions; the salmon oil goes in the bowl at serving time.
How much should I feed?
Approximate daily portion for a "spayed or neutered adult" profile. Split it into two meals (three or four for puppies).
— g a day
| Weight | 3 kg | 5 kg | 10 kg | 15 kg | 20 kg | 30 kg | 40 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grams/day | 195 | 285 | 475 | 645 | 800 | 1,085 | 1,345 |
Puppy, senior, very active or on a diet? Calculate the exact portion.
- Energy
- 132 kcal/100 g
- Protein
- 38 % dry matter
- Fat
- 11 % dry matter
- Calcium:phosphorus
- 1.4 : 1
Values estimated from the ingredients (BEDCA/USDA data). An everyday meal. To feed it daily as the only food, add a vitamin and mineral supplement for homemade diets.
Storage
Fridge: up to 3 days. Freezer: up to 3 months in daily portions. Thaw in the fridge overnight and warm in the microwave on low power, stirring so there are no hot spots. Don't refreeze anything that has already been thawed.
If you don't have…
- You can't find beef liver
- Chicken liver in the same amount (30 g / 1 oz)
- Your dog doesn't digest brown rice well
- White rice in the same amount, cooked for 18 minutes
- You want to change the meat
- Lean ground lamb in the same amount
Cooking tips
- Weigh the liver: it's very easy to overdo it by eye, and vitamin A builds up in a dog's body.
- If your dog isn't used to liver, use half (15 g / ½ oz) the first few times: it's very rich and loosens some dogs' stools.
- If you also give liver treats, count them: what matters is the total liver over the week, not in each bowl.
- To feed it every day as the only meal, add a vitamin and mineral supplement made for homemade diets, and check that it isn't high in vitamin A, since the liver already covers it.
Safety
- Liver always fully cooked: no pink in the center.
- Don't raise the amount of liver thinking you'll give more iron: excess vitamin A damages bones and joints.
- If your dog has liver disease or stores copper (as some Bedlington Terriers, Dalmatians and Labradors do), avoid this recipe: liver is very high in copper.
Frequently asked questions
Is beef liver good for dogs?
Yes, in small amounts. It's very rich in iron, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and copper, and almost every dog loves it. The problem is excess: it shouldn't go over 5% of the animal part of the diet (10% as the absolute maximum), because too much vitamin A over weeks can damage bones and joints. Always cooked and carefully weighed.
What can I feed a dog with anemia?
First, your vet needs to find the cause: anemia in dogs is usually due to parasites, blood loss, tick-borne diseases or other problems, and no diet fixes it unless the underlying cause is treated. In the meantime, a homemade meal with good protein and a little liver, like this one, provides iron and vitamin B12 that support treatment, but don't replace it.
My dog is weak and has no energy. Will liver help?
Not on its own. Weakness in a dog is a symptom, not a missing food: it can come from anemia, pain, infections, hormonal problems or heart disease. If your dog has been dull for days, tires quickly or is eating less, take them to the vet. Once anything serious is ruled out, an appealing dish like this one can encourage them to eat.
How much liver can a dog eat?
As a rule, liver shouldn't go over 5% of the animal part of the diet, and 10% is the absolute maximum. A 15 kg (33 lb) dog eating about 350 g (12 oz) of meat a day would have a reference of about 17 g of liver daily and never more than 35 g, or the equivalent spread over the week. This recipe is right around that 5% reference, so on days your dog eats it, skip any extra liver or liver treats.
What's in it, in detail
If they liked it, try
The fridge list
The foods your dog can eat, can have in moderation and must never eat, on a single printable page.