# Why Feed Heart?



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

Is the main reason to feed heart to add variety? I know it is a nutrient-dense muscle, but if I can get the proteins from other muscle meats and the nutrients from organs, I may feed heart less often.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

I wouldnt trade heart out for other muscle meats and organs in my opinion. First off, it's our main source of beef (cheap and the girls love it). Second, it's full of nutrients and especially taurine for heart health. Lastly, we feed it more often because our dogs love it and *hate* organs. We still feed organs just not as often as heart and I feel that with the added nutrients it helps give us more time between organ feedings (once every two weeks or so).

Why don't you want to feed heart as often?


----------



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

My situation is the opposite: heart is difficult to find and more expensive, and my dog loves organs (for the record, she also loves heart). Right now she's getting heart once/week, but I may go reduce to once/2 weeks, if her diet will not lack nutrients.


----------



## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

I agree with Natalie! Heart is almost like a superfood. Plus, I find red meat to be expensive, but I can get beef hearts for $1/lb!


----------



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

RachelsaurusRexU said:


> I agree with Natalie! Heart is almost like a superfood. Plus, I find red meat to be expensive, but I can get beef hearts for $1/lb!


I'm jealous...most heart around here is something like $4/lb and up. Must be in high demand :frown:


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Where are you guys getting your meats?


----------



## List (Oct 28, 2008)

We feed beef and pork heart regularly. Its our biggest meat staple. Even at the chain grocery stores, beef heart is under $1.50/lbs (and this is in Canada, where everything is expensive). I buy it in bulk though for anywhere from $0.50 to 0.85/lbs. 

Its nutrient dense. The dogs love. As do the cats. And my dogs do well on it.


----------



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

I guess it's just regional differences in price. I shop a variety of sources: Walmart, chain grocery stores, Asian/Latino/Pakistani grocery stores, butcher shops, and my local raw buying coop. Although I can get most meats and organs for under $1.50/lb, heart costs $3-4/lb, depending on the animal.

If I'm not losing out on nutrients, I'll reduce the amount of heart that I feed.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

Have you looked into a wholesale meat distributor? That's where we get heart by the tons for under $1 per pound.


----------



## SpooOwner (Oct 1, 2010)

I'll talk to my buying coop about wholesale meat distributors. Obviously, we all have the same problem, and this question has come up more than once. From the responses, it seems like a desireable addition, but not essential.

For those of you for whom heart is cheap, how often do you feed it?


----------



## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

SpooOwner said:


> For those of you for whom heart is cheap, how often do you feed it?


I get beef hearts from a distributor for between $.79- $.89 per pound. 
I feed a fist sized chunk of it to Annie almost daily, and I really credit her ability to hold weight a little better to the heart, plus it's her favorite thing to eat, so we both win!


----------



## RachelsaurusRexU (Sep 4, 2010)

I've been feeding it once a week, but I'm really considering dropping one of their chicken days and feeding it twice a week.


----------



## DaneMama (Jun 27, 2008)

We feed it once a week at the very least (we only feed once daily). We give a beef heart exclusive meal "sandwiched" between two high bone content meals. I don't suggest anyone try this right away....it takes time to build up a dogs tolerance to very rich meals.


----------



## schtuffy (May 17, 2010)

Yea, must be a regional thing. I've looked in many places, from Whole Foods to Asian markets, and usually it's around $3-4 a lb. Wholesale wouldn't work for me due to storage space, but it's ok...I will still find a way to incorporate it into his diet!


----------



## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

I get it by the 60lb case and pay around $1/lb for it. I feed a heart meal once a week.


----------



## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

As far as meat goes, heart is a superfood. Beef heart, even the grainfed variety, has far more L-carnitine and CoQ10 than any meat, be it poultry, pork, lamb, venison, etc. 

Kane gets a chunk of beef heart heart as well as CoQ10 supplements everyday and that's what keeping him from having to use medication for his heart condition. The stuff is incredible.



schtuffy said:


> Yea, must be a regional thing. I've looked in many places, from Whole Foods to Asian markets, and usually it's around $3-4 a lb. Wholesale wouldn't work for me due to storage space, but it's ok...I will still find a way to incorporate it into his diet!


The guy I get my raw food from sells it for $1.65 a pound and they come in these tidy, 1lb. vacuum sealed packages.


----------



## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

we were fortunate enough to get venison hearts....they eat it at least once a week...

when we have beef or pork hearts....or lamb hearts...same thing...

our co op has beef, so we're pretty lucky to be able to get it regularly at a decent price.


----------



## mike487 (Mar 30, 2010)

How much heart is too much? 
If 20% of my dog's daily food is beef heart would that be too much? She also gets about 5-10% of her daily food as grass-fed beef or bison liver. She is 40lbs so were talking about @4oz heart and 1-2oz liver.


----------



## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Her bowels will tell you if it's too much. I suspect that will happen pretty soon. However, it may never happen.


----------



## mike487 (Mar 30, 2010)

Great answer RFD, I'm not giving her that much heart at the moment, right now I give her about 2 oz every day.


----------



## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

mike487 said:


> Great answer RFD, I'm not giving her that much heart at the moment, right now I give her about 2 oz every day.


Hehe ... you said 20% ... that sounded like a lot. 2 oz doesn't sound like so much. I give my Great Danes about a pound each per week in one feeding. Their stools are not as solid the next day but nowhere near cow pies.


----------



## AdrianVall (Aug 26, 2010)

I feed beef hearts probably 4 times a week. I feed two meals a day as well. I get my beef hearts from Publix at $0.99/lb.  If I can feed these more often, I probably would.. I just don't know how much is to much.


----------



## cprcheetah (Jul 14, 2010)

I feed heart several times a week, I think it's chock full of nutrients, I have an EXTREMELY hard time getting my chihuahua to eat organs so I think it helps, and my Golden LOVES it, I get mine from a distributor for about $.79/#


----------

