How to Cook Turkey Giblets for Dogs
Learn how to cook turkey giblets for dogs this Thanksgiving. Reduce waste while giving your dog a tasty treat or delicious food topper while using up that organ meat.
If you are looking for more dog food recipes, check out some of John John’s other favorites like Turkey Dog Food Recipe, Dog Burger Bowl (Homemade Beef Dog Food), or Chicken and Pumpkin Dinner for Dogs. And, be sure to check out our course How to Cook Homemade Dog Food (Vet-Approved, Balanced and Simple).
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: How to Cook Turkey Giblets for Dogs
- Ready In: 15 minutes
- Makes: organ meat servings for about a week for a small dog
- Main Ingredients: turkey giblets
- Dietary Info: gluten free, dairy free, no seed oils
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: Perfect for a high reward treat or a food topper.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Reduces Food Waste: Use up every part of the bird and cook up those giblets for your pup!
- Superfood for Dogs: Turkey giblets are organ meats (liver, kidney, heart) which are a very healthy treat for your dog. They contain protein, vitamin A, D, iron and more!
- Easy: It’s so easy to cook up these giblets, while providing your dog with tasty treats or an added food topper.
- Dogs Love: While the organ meats may not smell particularly delicious to you, trust me, your dog will go nuts when they notice you cooking them up! Dogs love this tasty and nutritious meat! Dogs love this tasty and nutritious meat! Just be sure to introduce new foods to your furry friends slowly to avoid GI upset.
Ingredients
- Turkey Giblets: Make sure to remove the neck (as this has bones) so we don’t want to cook this. Just keep the liver, kidney, and heart.
- Coconut Oil: I use organic coconut oil to cook the giblets in. John John loves the added flavor here. Olive oil also works too and is dog safe.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Tips
- Save the turkey giblets from your turkey.
- Toss the neck (because it has bones) and keep the liver, kidney, and heart.
- You don’t need to cook these the day you cook your turkey. You can store raw giblets in the fridge for a couple days before cooking, if needed.
- Once cooked, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up a week.
- Giblets are organ meats, which should not make up more than 10% of your dog’s daily diet. So, spread out giblets throughout the week.
- Use cooked giblets as a food topper or high reward treat.
- You can boil the turkey giblets if you prefer instead of cooking them in a skillet. But, the added oil adds even more flavor your pup will love!
How to Make Turkey Giblets for Dogs
- In a small skillet, add the coconut oil and put over medium heat. Once the coconut oil has melted, add in the giblets.
- Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low/medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- The giblets will be lightly browned and firm once done. They may be a light pink or brown in the center.
- Remove giblets from the heat and cut into small pieces. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
How to Serve To Your Dog
- It’s important to remember that organ meats should not make up more than 10% of your dog’s daily diet. Treat them like a supplement. I like to tell people they are like human gummy vitamins, super great when eaten in moderation, not good if you eat the whole bottle!
- Use as a high reward treat, like How to Cook Ground Turkey For Dogs.
- Use as a food topper. Try it on top of homemade dog food recipes like Thanksgiving Dinner for Dogs, Homemade Turkey Meatloaf for Dogs, or Chicken Dinner Recipe for Dogs. Or, add it into your own homemade food mix with your dog's favorite protein, veggies, and learn How to Cook Sweet Potatoes for Dogs or How to Cook Rice For Dogs for the carbs.
- We add organ meats such as this into John John’s meals daily. Also, check out How to Cook
Turkey Giblets for Dogs FAQ's
Yes, turkey giblets contain the turkey's organ meats (kidney, liver and heart) and organ meats are a superfood for your dog.
The turkey giblets are the turkey's organ meats. This includes the liver, kidney and heart. Sometimes the neck is also included in the giblet bag, but the neck has bones and doesn't have any benefits for your dog, so you can just toss it.
Yes, the liver, kidney and heart are all safe for your dog to eat. If you have the neck in there (sometimes it's in the bag, but most time it is separate), you want to just toss that as the turkey necks are full of bones and not safe for your dog.
Organ meats are superfoods for your dog. They are a lean protein with vitamin B12 which is an essential vitamin for dogs. Organ meats also provide essential nutrients and minerals like iron, zinc, and selenium, vitamin A, B, D, and more.
Yes, you can also boil turkey giblets. John John likes them cooked with a little oil for flavor here, but if your dog is sensitive to fats, then boiling is the best option.
No, it's best to cook the giblets in a skillet with coconut oil (like I do here) or even boil them. Dog's do best with gently cooked food as it's easiest to absorb all the nutrients.
Yes, so long as they do not make up more than 10% of your dog's diet each day. They are a great addition to daily meals for your dog when fed in moderation.
Turkey giblets are an organ meat, which should not make up more than 10% of your dog's daily diet. If you are feeding your dog homemade food, you can check out our dog food calculator in our post How Much Homemade Food Should I Feed My Dog?.
Organ meats are high in vitamin A, so if your dog eats too many over a long period of time that can cause an overload of vitamin A and become toxic. While organ meats are superfood, they really should be treated like a supplement for your dog. Small amounts is incredibly healthy but too much is not good. So, just think of it that way!
Yes, they can! Just be sure that they don't make up more than 10% of your dog's daily diet.
You can store raw turkey giblets in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days after removing from the turkey. You can store cooked giblets in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. And, you can freeze cooked turkey giblets in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Just thaw and then they are ready to serve to your dog.
More Homemade Dog Treat Recipes
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How to Cook Turkey Giblets for Dogs
Equipment
- Small Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 bag turkey giblets (liver, kidney, heart)
Instructions
- Remove the giblets from the turkey. Discard the neck and keep the liver, kidney and heart. (You do not have to cook right away, you can store raw giblets in an airtight contains for a day or two if needed.)
- In a small skillet, add the coconut oil and put over medium heat.
- Once the coconut oil has melted, add in the giblets.
- Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low/medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- The giblets will be lightly browned and firm once done. They may be a light pink or brown in the center.
- Remove giblets from the heat and cut into small pieces.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Video
Notes
- Save the turkey giblets from your turkey.
- Toss the neck (because it has bones) and keep the liver, kidney, and heart.
- You don’t need to cook these the day you cook your turkey. You can store raw giblets in the fridge for a couple days before cooking, if needed.
- Once cooked, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up a week.
- Giblets are organ meats, which should not make up more than 10% of your dog’s daily diet. So, spread out giblets throughout the week.
- Use cooked giblets as a food topper or high reward treat.
Nutrition
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