Can Grass-fed meat and organs create a Vitamin A imbalance

[KelWhit]

I’ve read that grass fed meats and organs have higher nutritional content (eg higher amounts of Vitamin A, B, E…). I’ve been following Lisa Piersons recipe, but using raw not cooked chicken thigh) for about a year now. I’ve recently started using grass fed liver and i’m wondering if my boys are getting too much vitamin A. They seem to be eating a bit less lately and I wonder if it’s due to too much vitamin A, which can be toxic in larger quantities and cause them to eat less.

Does anyone have thoughts on this in terms of reducing the amount of liver when I make the recipe? I think the egg yolks that I use might also be from chickens that are grass fed as well, therefore could also have higher levels of vitamin A.

I’m having a hard time trying to figure out how much vitamin A they should be getting daily. I’m reading myself into confusion…..

I appreciate any insight you might have.

 

[iPappy]

I don't use that particular recipe, but, I do use liver that comes from grass fed animals. Some of the meat I use is grass fed. Chickens aren't technically grass-fed, but free range (and they are definitely not vegetarians!)
From what I understand, vitamin A toxicity would happen if you fed nothing but large quantities of liver (probably more than most cats would voluntarily eat) over time. I am not an expert, but, feeding small quantities of liver with free-range meat and egg yolks has never harmed my dogs or cats.

 

[KelWhit]

I don't use that particular recipe, but, I do use liver that comes from grass fed animals. Some of the meat I use is grass fed. Chickens aren't technically grass-fed, but free range (and they are definitely not vegetarians!)
From what I understand, vitamin A toxicity would happen if you fed nothing but large quantities of liver (probably more than most cats would voluntarily eat) over time. I am not an expert, but, feeding small quantities of liver with free-range meat and egg yolks has never harmed my dogs or cats.

good to know. It’s really hard to find solid information on the internet. There are a lot of contradictions. I’m going to go to a vet nutritionist in the next few months but I want to get their bloodwork done first. Thank you for your reply.

 

[Jabzilla]

You can also check the usda food database to get an idea of how much vitamin A beef liver has in it. It doesn't have a separate entry for grass fed liver, but at least you'll have a solid idea of the amount instead of it being a complete mystery. FoodData Central (usda.gov) You can also compare it to the vit A content of other animal livers as well.

In addition to their free nutrition course, Raw Fed and Nerdy also has flash cards with important info on all of the vitamins and minerals in the food for our pets. You can check out the one they have on vitamin A. It also talks about signs of excess vit A too. NUTRIENT FLASH CARDS - Raw Fed and Nerdy

Lastly, Perfectly Rawsome has information in vitamin A (among all the others) and lists the minimum recommended amount and the maximum amount of it for cats and kittens. Fat-Soluble Vitamins, NRC Essential Nutrients for Pets, Canine Nutrition (perfectlyrawsome.com)

 

[KelWhit]

You can also check the usda food database to get an idea of how much vitamin A beef liver has in it. It doesn't have a separate entry for grass fed liver, but at least you'll have a solid idea of the amount instead of it being a complete mystery. FoodData Central (usda.gov) You can also compare it to the vit A content of other animal livers as well.

In addition to their free nutrition course, Raw Fed and Nerdy also has flash cards with important info on all of the vitamins and minerals in the food for our pets. You can check out the one they have on vitamin A. It also talks about signs of excess vit A too. NUTRIENT FLASH CARDS - Raw Fed and Nerdy

Lastly, Perfectly Rawsome has information in vitamin A (among all the others) and lists the minimum recommended amount and the maximum amount of it for cats and kittens. Fat-Soluble Vitamins, NRC Essential Nutrients for Pets, Canine Nutrition (perfectlyrawsome.com)

great info, thank you for sharing

 

[Caspers Human]

I don't think that "grass fed" makes much difference, at all. All it means is that animals aren't sent to a feed lot before they are slaughtered. The idea might have started with good intentions but, today, it's mostly marketing BS.

I think that the important thing is to limit the amount of organ meat in the diet. Yes, we should feed some but not too much.

If you are feeding an, otherwise, balanced diet, adding organ meat, grass fed or not, shouldn't cause any problems.

 

[KelWhit]

I don't think that "grass fed" makes much difference, at all. All it means is that animals aren't sent to a feed lot before they are slaughtered. The idea might have started with good intentions but, today, it's mostly marketing BS.

I think that the important thing is to limit the amount of organ meat in the diet. Yes, we should feed some but not too much.

If you are feeding an, otherwise, balanced diet, adding organ meat, grass fed or not, shouldn't cause any problems.

thank you for your feedback.

 

[iPappy]

I don't think that "grass fed" makes much difference, at all. All it means is that animals aren't sent to a feed lot before they are slaughtered. The idea might have started with good intentions but, today, it's mostly marketing BS.

I think that the important thing is to limit the amount of organ meat in the diet. Yes, we should feed some but not too much.

If you are feeding an, otherwise, balanced diet, adding organ meat, grass fed or not, shouldn't cause any problems.

Unfortunately, the labeling has become more tricky and even "grass fed" can be finished in a feed lot. Grass finished I believe is more strict on this, but, it's getting almost impossible to get what you think you're paying for.

 

[Caspers Human]

"Grass-Fed" should mean that the cow ate nothing but grass or its mother's milk from the time it was born to the time when it gets butchered. Even though there are rules about what can be called Grass-Fed, there is virtually no enforcement.

The upshot is that a cow that eats but a single blade of grass in its lifetime can still be "technically" be called Grass-Fed.

That's why I said the notion is little more than marketing BS.

The only way to be certain that beef is Grass-Fed, is to buy your own calf that's just been weaned then grow it to maturity, yourself, before sending it to be butchered. There are just too many people, out there, who will say anything just to make an extra penny.

 

[KelWhit]

"Grass-Fed" should mean that the cow ate nothing but grass or its mother's milk from the time it was born to the time when it gets butchered. Even though there are rules about what can be called Grass-Fed, there is virtually no enforcement.

The upshot is that a cow that eats but a single blade of grass in its lifetime can still be "technically" be called Grass-Fed.

That's why I said the notion is little more than marketing BS.

The only way to be certain that beef is Grass-Fed, is to buy your own calf that's just been weaned then grow it to maturity, yourself, before sending it to be butchered. There are just too many people, out there, who will say anything just to make an extra penny.

sad, but so true

 

[sophie1]

It's almost impossible to overdose a cat on vitamin A from chicken livers - based on AAFCO nutrient min/max values, and the expected vitamin A content of chicken liver in the USDA database. Beef liver has a much higher amount of vitamin A, so you do have to be careful about excessively overfeeding that.

But, you really don't have to worry about this as long as you feed liver in correct proportions, i.e. ~10% of the diet (or ~5% if you match that with another secreting organ). More likely, your cats' reduced appetite is because they are getting more nutrients from the food - you always end up feeding less raw food than canned. Outside of that, a vet visit is probably in order if you're worried about something else, like they're not acting normally.

 

[KelWhit]

It's almost impossible to overdose a cat on vitamin A from chicken livers - based on AAFCO nutrient min/max values, and the expected vitamin A content of chicken liver in the USDA database. Beef liver has a much higher amount of vitamin A, so you do have to be careful about excessively overfeeding that.

But, you really don't have to worry about this as long as you feed liver in correct proportions, i.e. ~10% of the diet (or ~5% if you match that with another secreting organ). More likely, your cats' reduced appetite is because they are getting more nutrients from the food - you always end up feeding less raw food than canned. Outside of that, a vet visit is probably in order if you're worried about something else, like they're not acting normally.

He’s not acting any different and we did just go to the vet 2 weeks ago and they didn’t notice anything, no bloodwork was done just a physical. That’s why I’ve gone back through my recipes and info to ensure I’m not doing anything wrong.

He’s not a playful cat, he’s 6 YO, but he loves when we go outside for a walk (harnessed of course). I’ll watch his weight and any signs of lethargy.

Thank you for your input.