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The Benefits of Offal
Offal is a nutritional powerhouse!
It’s considered to be a vital part of our dog’s and cat’s nutritional requirements. Pets need to consume more than just raw muscle meat and bones to receive the full spectrum of nutrition.
Also, it’s important to note that the origin of meat varies with animals, like from chicken, turkey, duck, and fowl to cow, pig, lamb, etc.
Fresh offal from naturally raised, grass-fed animals is one of the most nutrient-rich foods your pet can eat. It far exceeds the nutrition found in processed pet food, which is often sprayed with synthetic vitamins and minerals.
But, What is Offal?
The literal definition of Offal, also commonly referred to as ‘organ meats,’ is to “fall off”—that is, whatever falls off the skeleton during the butchering process.
This includes the tongue, brain, heart, and all other abdominal organs to the tripe and tails, including the liver, lungs, kidneys, and pancreas. Even the testicles, yes!
Many people consider offal to be unsafe, waste organs, or even a taboo in some Western cultures. In reality, though, organ meats are superfoods, jam-packed with vitamins and minerals essential for pet health.
With the appropriate knowledge and handling, offal is a great addition to both pet and human diets. And it’s quite popular in many Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African countries.
What are the Benefits of Offal?
Offal consists of a wide spectrum of nutrients, ranging from vitamins E, D and K2, amino acids, and iron, to B-complex vitamins, and trace minerals like copper, chromium, and zinc.
There is a reason dogs and cats ate offal as part of their Ancestral Diet. It kept them healthy and helped them thrive in the wild.
Following the same along with advanced scientific research and working with global experts in pet nutrition, Furchild uses parts of offal (mentioned below) for their health benefits in the formulation of its complete and balanced fresh raw meals and holistic menu.
- Livers are a great source of copper, folic acid, and iron. It’s packed with protein at 20 g per serving and contains the Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), which has a cardiovascular benefit. It improves endurance, strength as well as a “fatigue-fighting” effect.
- Kidneys are also low in fat, high in protein, vitamin B12, riboflavin, and iron, and contain B6, folate, and niacin.
- Hearts contain amino acids and possess a high amount of protein, thiamine, folate, selenium, phosphorus, and zinc — a combination proven to build muscle and stamina, improve metabolism, and provide an anti-ageing effect.
- Green Tripe is low in fat and high in essential fatty acids. It’s a great source of vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and an ideal calcium-phosphorus ratio. Also, it contains lactobacillus acidophilus which aids in digestion.
With the above nutrient breakdown, it’s clear how offal is considered rich and jam-packed with nutrients, which is why certain precautions must be taken into consideration before feeding it to your pet.
- If you prepare a homemade diet, ensure that you are using high-quality meat, that is ethically sourced from hormone-free, antibiotic-free, and grass-fed animals.
- As a general rule for a homemade raw diet, the percentage of offal in the diet should not exceed 10% and of that offal, no more than 50% should be liver.
- Although hearts are offal, they are not included in the 10% mentioned above. When formulating, they are grouped in the muscle meat category.
- Feeding offal in excessive amounts can bring about undesirable outcomes, like diarrhoea in sensitive animals or worse, toxic levels of some nutrients. For example, feeding excessive amounts of liver can cause Vitamin A toxicity, particularly in cats.
Furchild Meals take all these precautions into consideration and make it easy for you to feed the right variety, quality, and quantities of organ meats and other premium ingredients to your pets.
And if you are looking for new ways to incorporate organ meats into your (human) diet, let us help.
Finding a tasty offal recipe can be tricky, as they are more of a niche speciality today — but they are out there! Here are a few we stumbled upon and believe they are worth a try.
But if cooking isn’t your thing, here are a couple of restaurants in the UAE that feature organ meats on their main menus.
- Boulevard Kitchen, Manzil Downtown Dubai, has a ‘nose-to-tail’ concept – where nothing is wasted.
Lamb Organs: tongue, grain, kidney, heart, liver, and even lamb “fries” (testicles). - Reform Social and Grill, The Lakes, Dubai.
Chicken Liver
Please note, the lists below are not endorsed by us. If you know of any or have positive reviews, let us know too!
Help us spread the word about the benefits of offal by sharing this blog with other pet parents. And here’s some food for thought before you go - Quality organ meats are not only healthy for humans but essential for dogs and cats!
Have a question or comment? We would love to hear about it.
FURCHILD is the first raw pet food company of its kind in the Middle East.
Discover the transformative power of our fresh, healthy, balanced meals, raw bones, all-natural chews, and premium handcrafted freeze-dried treats. Our Meals for Dogs and Meals for Cats are formulated by the world's leading pet food experts, approved by veterinarians, and are made of the highest quality ingredients.
- Human grade ingredients
- Organic vegetables and fruits
- Ethically sourced grass-fed, free-range and cage-free meats and poultry
- No antibiotics. No hormones. No preservatives. Absolutely no nasties!
- Grain-free and gluten-free
- Suitable for dogs and cats, puppies and kittens
- Home delivery anywhere in the UAE
- Monthly subscription plans and bulk order discount offerings
Starter Kit = Up to 40% off of Meals + FREE Nutritional Tips for AED 99