Is Raw Beef Liver Good for My Pit Bull Puppy?

Pit Bull Terriers are known for their muscularity and strength. High-protein diets are popular for such an athletic breed, and some owners have been known to supplement some of their pet's diet with fresh organ meats, like liver. Growing puppies need higher levels of certain nutrients than adult dogs do. Low in fat and high in protein, vitamins and minerals, liver can make for a healthy snack, but you should cook it before feeding it to your puppy.

  1. Raw Versus Cooked

    • Typically, liver is cooked or specially processed before it's eaten, but some dog owners insist on feeding it raw to their pet. Many advocates of raw feeding believe that such diets are higher in nutrition and closer to a dog's natural diet. However, there are no legitimate scientific studies to date that confirm that feeding raw pieces of meat has more long-term health benefits than feeding cooked pieces of meat.

    Inadequacies of a Raw Diet

    • According to a study by the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, raw diets are more likely to have essential nutrients that are below the minimum recommendations of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The study also showed that some had excessive concentrations of some vitamins as well as inappropriate ratios of calcium and phosphorus -- minerals that are essential to growing bones, like those of a puppy.

    Bacterial Infections

    • Raw meats such as liver can be a source of dangerous bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli or Campylobacter. These types of food-borne bacteria can cause a severe intestinal infection, and potentially be lethal in a puppy with a developing immune system. An adult dog with a mature immune system may not show illness, or develop only mild signs of diarrhea, if infected.

    Dangers to Humans

    • An adult Pit Bull or puppy that eats raw meat containing bacteria and is fortunate enough to not become sick has a higher chance of eliminating the dangerous bacteria into the environment through its feces, potentially infecting other animals or humans. For example, cleaning an area where a dog has soiled or even frequent cleaning of dog bowls that routinely hold raw meat is probably not sufficient to eradicate food-borne bacteria, according to a study in The Canadian Veterinary Journal.