Dogs can safely eat most plain, unseasoned meats, including chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, and fish. Meat is a natural protein source for dogs, and protein should make up at least 18% of an adult dog’s diet on a dry matter basis (22.5% for puppies). The key is how the meat is prepared: plain and cooked without seasoning, sauces, or bones.
Best Everyday Meats for Dogs
Chicken and turkey are two of the most widely used proteins in commercial dog food, and for good reason. They’re lean, affordable, and easy to digest. Boneless, skinless chicken breast is one of the leanest options you can offer, making it a go-to for dogs that need to watch their fat intake. Turkey is similarly lean and works well as a meal topper or training treat.
Beef is another solid choice. It’s nutrient-dense and most dogs love the taste. Leaner cuts like sirloin or ground beef with a low fat percentage are better options than fatty trimmings. Pork is safe as long as it’s fully cooked and served plain. Lamb rounds out the common proteins and tends to be slightly fattier, so smaller portions make sense.
Fish like salmon, whitefish, and sardines provide omega-3 fatty acids that support skin and coat health. Always cook fish thoroughly and remove all bones before serving. Avoid raw salmon specifically, as it can carry a parasite that causes a potentially fatal condition in dogs.
Novel Proteins for Sensitive Dogs
If your dog has itchy skin, chronic ear infections, or digestive trouble, a food sensitivity could be the culprit. Beef, chicken, and dairy are among the most commonly identified sources of food sensitivities in dogs. Lamb, eggs, soy, and wheat also make the list.
Switching to a less common protein can help. These “novel” proteins include duck, venison, rabbit, bison, and herring. Because most dogs have never eaten these meats before, their immune systems are less likely to react to them. Duck is increasingly available in commercial dog foods and provides a rich, palatable alternative. Venison and rabbit are leaner options that work well for dogs on elimination diets. If you suspect a food allergy, working with your vet to do a proper elimination trial (feeding one new protein for 8 to 12 weeks) is more reliable than guessing.
Organ Meats: Nutritious but in Small Amounts
Liver, kidney, heart, and gizzards are packed with vitamins and minerals that muscle meat alone doesn’t provide. Liver is especially rich in vitamin A, iron, and B vitamins. Heart is an excellent source of taurine, an amino acid important for cardiac health. Many raw and homemade diet plans include organ meats for exactly these reasons.
The catch is that organ meats are so nutrient-dense they can cause problems in large quantities. Too much liver, for example, can lead to vitamin A toxicity over time. Treats and supplemental foods of any kind should stay under 10% of your dog’s daily caloric intake, and organ meats are no exception. It’s also smart to rotate between different organs rather than feeding the same one repeatedly.
Meats and Preparations to Avoid
Not all meat is created equal when it comes to dogs. The biggest risks come from how meat is prepared, not the meat itself.
- Processed meats: Hot dogs, bacon, sausage, deli meat, and other cured or processed meats are loaded with sodium and often contain garlic powder, onion powder, and preservatives. Even half a hot dog can push a dog past its daily sodium limit. The high salt content can lead to dehydration and elevated blood pressure.
- Seasoned or marinated meat: Garlic and onion, in any form (raw, cooked, powdered), are toxic to dogs. They belong to the allium family, and onions in particular contain a compound that breaks down red blood cells and causes anemia. Salt, heavy spices, and sugary glazes are also problematic.
- Cooked bones: Never give your dog cooked bones of any kind. Cooking makes bones brittle, and they splinter into sharp shards that can cause choking, puncture the mouth or throat, or perforate the intestines. Raw bones also carry risks, including bacterial contamination with salmonella, E. coli, and listeria, plus the potential to crack teeth.
- High-fat trimmings and skin: Large amounts of fat can trigger pancreatitis, a painful inflammation of the pancreas. Dogs with a history of pancreatitis typically need to stay on low-fat diets long term. Trim visible fat and remove poultry skin before sharing meat with your dog.
How to Prepare Meat Safely
Cook meat plain with no oil, butter, seasoning, garlic, onion, or sauce. Boiling, baking, and steaming are the simplest methods. Follow the same safe cooking temperatures you’d use for your own food: 165°F (73.9°C) for all poultry, 160°F (71.1°C) for ground meats, and 145°F (62.8°C) for whole cuts of beef, pork, veal, and lamb. A food thermometer takes the guesswork out of it.
Cut meat into pieces appropriate for your dog’s size to reduce choking risk. For small dogs, shred chicken or dice beef into pea-sized bits. Larger dogs can handle bigger chunks, but avoid giving them a whole slab they might try to swallow without chewing.
Raw meat is a more controversial topic. Proponents of raw diets point to ancestral eating patterns, but raw meat can carry bacteria like salmonella and E. coli that are harmful to both dogs and the humans handling the food. If you choose to feed raw, sourcing high-quality meat and following strict food safety practices is essential.
How Much Meat to Feed
If your dog eats a complete and balanced commercial diet, any extra meat you offer counts as a treat or supplement. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine recommends that treats and additional foods stay at or below 10% of a dog’s daily caloric intake, with the remaining 90% or more coming from nutritionally complete food. For a dog eating 500 calories a day, that means no more than about 50 calories from meat treats, which is roughly one to two ounces of cooked chicken breast.
Going over that 10% threshold occasionally won’t cause immediate harm, but doing it regularly can unbalance your dog’s overall nutrition. Commercial dog foods are formulated to deliver specific ratios of protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. When too many calories come from plain meat, your dog may get plenty of protein but miss out on other nutrients. Dogs on fully homemade diets need recipes designed by a veterinary nutritionist to avoid deficiencies, since muscle meat alone doesn’t cover all of a dog’s nutritional needs.