# Overfeeding liver



## SonyaBullyDog (Jun 6, 2011)

Several people have told me to be careful when feeding too much liver, but I never had the time to ask why. Does any one know what they were referring to?

Thanks!


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Cannon butt!! I guess if you overfeed liver by a HUGE amount your dog could get vitamin A toxicity, the animal sourced form is not water soluble.


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## SonyaBullyDog (Jun 6, 2011)

Thanks!! Should we be worried about the Vit A? Does anyone know how much you need to feed to overdose?

Thanks again!


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

You need to feed more than your dog would be capable of consuming and not puking up. :] It really isn't anything to worry about. Liver regulates itself, you'll have poop on your ceiling before you have a dead dog from feeding too much liver.


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

CavePaws said:


> You need to feed more than your dog would be capable of consuming and not puking up. :] It really isn't anything to worry about. Liver regulates itself, you'll have poop on your ceiling before you have a dead dog from feeding too much liver.


Nice visual! That puts it all into perspective. 

All kidding aside, it's very strange...I used to be able to feed Acana and about 10 grams of beef liver or chicken liver without issue. Since I have switched to 100% PMR for the past 3 months, I can no longer feed that amount of liver without loose stools. I have decreased to about 1/4th of a "pinkie" size. I only do that about every few days. I think it will take a while to slowly, and i mean slowlyyyyyyy, progress to the point of 10%.


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## trikerdon (May 14, 2011)

Sheba will only eat chicken livers, but a very small amount mixed in with whatever else I am giving her and only once or twice a week or she gets loose stools.


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## lucky (Jan 8, 2011)

Lucky gets liver as a whole meal about once a week (sometimes twice), she usually has it from ox or chicken


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

ya like others have said... you'll have splatters on your crate walls before you have toxic amount of A vitamins.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

All my guys are different. Rocky can only eat a very small amount of liver at a time (I mean tiny pieces) or he gets the runs. Chelsy can get HUGE amounts for her size (about three times what Rocky gets), in fact she actually gets extra just to make it easier for her to poo. Shade can get anything and everything and not much seems to bother him. I've gotta watch him because I've actually made him fat and he's on a diet now.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Snorkels gets alot of liver also, because she needs it to poop. If I really want to blow her out, I give her salmon.

i have been a little concerned about the vitamin A, it's good to know I'm not going to overdo it.


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## lucky (Jan 8, 2011)

xellil said:


> Snorkels gets alot of liver also, because she needs it to poop. If I really want to blow her out, I give her salmon.
> 
> i have been a little concerned about the vitamin A, it's good to know I'm not going to overdo it.


I have always thought they can't have it more than twice a week (don't know where I heard that) good to know that she can have a bit extra now and again


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

Avery's chucks are the size of a small apple, he used to have no problem with this but now I have to split it. Too much liver for him turns his poops to tar. But liver is his most favorite meal (weirdo).


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## minnieme (Jul 6, 2011)

Thanks for this thread -- I was concerned about not getting to organs soon enough for Minnie and what kind of effects this could have on her, particularly in relation to liver (we have been on solely chicken for a month and a half now)...but I feel very reassured now. Thanks, everyone.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

tem_sat said:


> Nice visual! That puts it all into perspective.
> 
> All kidding aside, it's very strange...I used to be able to feed Acana and about 10 grams of beef liver or chicken liver without issue. Since I have switched to 100% PMR for the past 3 months, I can no longer feed that amount of liver without loose stools. I have decreased to about 1/4th of a "pinkie" size. I only do that about every few days. I think it will take a while to slowly, and i mean slowlyyyyyyy, progress to the point of 10%.


I would assume that the kibble helped bind up the poo, even though it was grainfree it did still have a binder in there. 

I feed liver as a meal once a week with no issues, but I don't feed beef or chicken.


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

it isn't just vitamin a, it's all fat soluble vitamins that are stored and excreted through the liver. its function isn't very different from human livers....

if your dog were human and weighed 100 lbs, 5000 iu of vitamin x five years would be about the time the dog would show signs of toxicity...

the little bit we give our dogs is simply not enough...and as everyone said, you'd have cannon butt before getting close to toxicity. nice little fail safe, eh?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

lucky said:


> I have always thought they can't have it more than twice a week (don't know where I heard that) good to know that she can have a bit extra now and again


She gets organ meat every day - but it could be tripe, kidney, spleen etc rather than liver. I started giving her liver the second day on raw. She has a constipation problem. I try not to make it more than 10% per day, and often less, but she gets something every day. 

the only reason I ever read not to start your dog on organ meat right at the first is because of diarrhea - she sure doesn't have that problem. I have to supplement her food with eggshells because even with the liver, she can't eat much bone or she gets constipated.

Every dog is just different - although my OTHER dog had explosive diarrhea in the kitchen last night because of salmon, also. I gotta quit feeding them salmon.


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## tem_sat (Jun 20, 2010)

whiteleo said:


> I would assume that the kibble helped bind up the poo, even though it was grainfree it did still have a binder in there.
> 
> I feed liver as a meal once a week with no issues, but I don't feed beef or chicken.


I am sure you are correct! It just is a bit suprising to me. I have not tried anything other than beef liver, chicken liver, and pork kidney. All have the same effect. I have to feed theee tiniest bit to him to avoid a stool issue, so far. 

To be 100% honest, and possibly a bit yucky, I know that he will have loose stool when he......he......has a smelly fart! lol So......so....I assume that when I can't smell the fart (lmao), that I probably can increase the amount that I am currently feeding.

lol...can anyone tell me if they agree with that? :twitch:


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## magicre (Apr 7, 2010)

tem_sat said:


> I am sure you are correct! It just is a bit suprising to me. I have not tried anything other than beef liver, chicken liver, and pork kidney. All have the same effect. I have to feed theee tiniest bit to him to avoid a stool issue, so far.
> 
> To be 100% honest, and possibly a bit yucky, I know that he will have loose stool when he......he......has a smelly fart! lol So......so....I assume that when I can't smell the fart (lmao), that I probably can increase the amount that I am currently feeding.
> 
> lol...can anyone tell me if they agree with that? :twitch:


LOL...we all have standards by which we measure amounts or how much bone or when they need more or less...if farting is how you measure liver, i think that's a fine thing....


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

It does depend what kind of liver, too. Polar bear liver can give you vitamin A toxicity pretty easy!

HowStuffWorks "Vitamin A in Polar Bear Liver"


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