I’m Kayla. I live with two dogs who keep me honest about food. Milo is a shy, sensitive boy with a fussy stomach. Rosie is bold, high-energy, and a little princess about taste. I’ve cooked more meat for them than I have for myself some weeks. Wild, right?
I’ll share what worked, what flopped, and the little tricks that saved my sanity. I’ll keep it real and simple. And yes, I’ve fed every meat I mention here—many times.
For readers chasing an even deeper dive into my trials, I spell out the full saga of finding the best meat for dogs in a separate write-up.
Note: I’m not your vet. If your dog has allergies or health stuff, ask your vet first. Plain meat is not a full diet by itself. I mix meat with balanced food, or I use balanced recipes from trusted brands. If you're wondering which cuts tend to give the biggest nutrient bang for the buck, this concise FAQ from PetsCare breaks down the pros and cons of the most common meats.
For a deeper dive into the nutrient breakdown of each protein, I like to skim the charts over at Hats of Meat, because they lay out fat, protein, and calorie numbers in plain English. I also cross-check those numbers with this handy guide from Dog Food Advisor when I'm planning a new rotation.
Chicken: Easy Win… Until It Wasn’t
My starter meat was chicken. Cheap, fast, and my grocery store always has thighs. I simmered Costco chicken thighs, peeled off the skin, and shredded the meat. Milo handled it well. Firm poop, calm tummy. Rosie? She loved it, but after a week she started scratching more. Not dramatic. Just more. Her tear stains also deepened.
I also tried a fresh chicken recipe from a subscription. It smelled great, but it gave both dogs softer stools for a few days. We moved on. Chicken can be a “maybe” meat for us. Great for short runs, not for every day.
Tiny tip: I save the plain broth (no salt, no onions) and freeze it in ice cubes. Magic on hot days.
Beef: Party in a Pan, Gas in the Room
I browned 80/20 ground beef, then rinsed it under hot water to cut the fat. Tail wags all around. Beef has big flavor. Great for training days when I need them focused.
But beef runs rich for Milo. He gets gassy, and the stools get soft. Lean 90/10 works better. I’ve used ButcherBox ground beef and Aldi too. No big difference in dog reaction, but my wallet preferred Aldi. Rosie had zero complaints. Of course she didn’t.
On weeks when I have extra time, I slice lean beef into strips and dehydrate it for training treats—here’s the rundown of how I tested a bunch of meats for jerky and which ones actually chew right.
Turkey: The Peacekeeper
Turkey is our “fix it” meat. When Milo’s tummy goes sideways, I cook ground turkey and stir in a spoon of plain pumpkin. By the next day, he’s better. It’s gentle and lean.
On Thanksgiving, I gave both dogs plain turkey breast (no skin, no seasoning). They slept like warm stones and woke up happy. Turkey is boring in the best way.
Lamb: The Itch Truce
Lamb turned into a surprise hero. When Rosie’s scratching picked up, I tried a lamb week. I bought a small pack of ground lamb and also tested Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb as a topper. Within about 10 days, the scratching eased. Her coat looked fuller too. Milo tolerated lamb fine.
But lamb isn’t cheap. My fix: I rotate. Lamb two or three days a week, not daily. Also, lamb can smell strong. My hands smelled like a campfire burger after cooking. Worth it.
Price comparisons get wild once you wander into exotics like bison, and I’ve broken down what I actually pay for buffalo meat and when it’s worth it if you’re curious.
Fish (Salmon and Sardines): Shiny-Coat Magic, With Fish Breath
Twice a week, I bake Trader Joe’s frozen salmon (plain), flake it, and mix a small amount into dinner. I also keep canned sardines in water. Milo gets half a small sardine. Rosie gets one. That’s it. Small, steady boosts.
Results? Softer coats and less dry skin. But, yes, fish burps. I serve fish earlier in the day so the house airs out. Tiny bones in canned sardines are soft and safe. I still double-check with my fingers. Habit.
Pork: The Underrated Middle Child
Pork loin surprised me. I cut off fat, boil it, and shred it. It’s mellow and easy to chew, and both dogs did fine. No itch, no drama. The trick is to cook it all the way and trim big fat ribbons. Pork shoulder was too fatty for Milo. Loin is the sweet spot.
Duck and Rabbit: For Picky Days
Rosie will eat duck like a queen at brunch. I use Stella & Chewy’s Duck Duck Goose freeze-dried as a topper when she turns her nose up at dinner. It wakes up the bowl. I also tried raw rabbit from a local shop, cooked it gently, and both dogs went wild. Downside? Price. These are “special event” meats in my house.
With freeze-dried, I add warm water. If I don’t, the stools get dry and crumbly. Learned that the hard way.
Venison: Winter Favorite
My neighbor hunts and shared venison. It’s lean and clean. I cooked it well and mixed it with Milo’s usual base. His stomach handled it like a champ. The smell is a little gamey, but the dogs loved it. If you can find venison, it’s a great “novel protein” for sensitive pups.
If you’ve ever considered game like axis deer meat, it cooks and behaves a lot like venison in my experience.
Organ Meats: Powerful, But Easy Does It
Beef liver tasted like joy to my dogs and chaos to their guts when I gave too much. Now I go tiny. Think pinky-nail size cubes, frozen for treats. About 5% of the total meat portion is my cap. Hearts and gizzards work smoother than liver. Green tripe smells like gym socks in a swamp, but it got Milo to eat on picky days. I crack a window and move on.
What Flopped for Us
- Raw chicken wings. I tried once. I worried about bones and bacteria. My brain could not relax. I switched back to cooked, boneless meat.
- Mixed “mystery” meat bags from a discount bin. We had upset stomachs for two days. Never again.
- I got adventurous and once cooked squirrel meat. Spoiler: it wasn’t a total disaster, but the dogs voted “meh” with their bowls.
How I Actually Serve This Stuff
I don’t feed plain meat alone for long. I mix meat with:
- A balanced dog food base (I rotate between The Farmer’s Dog turkey, Open Farm beef, or my regular kibble)
- A spoon of pumpkin or mashed sweet potato, sometimes rice
- A few green beans or peas, cooked soft
A simple week looks like this:
- Mon: Turkey + kibble
- Tue: Beef + veggies
- Wed: Lamb + kibble
- Thu: Turkey with a little sardine
- Fri: Pork + pumpkin
- Sat: Chicken (short run) or duck topper
- Sun: Salmon flakes + kibble
I freeze cooked meat flat in zip bags. It thaws fast and saves me on busy nights.
Time-saving hacks matter beyond the kitchen, too. When I want my adult social life to be as streamlined as my meal prep, I swing by Planculfacile.com—its straightforward approach to casual meet-ups means I spend less time scrolling and more time tossing tennis balls for the dogs. If my travels take me through Louisiana, the hyper-local boards over at Backpage Shreveport help me connect with like-minded locals in minutes, saving me from endless swiping and giving me more free hours to spoil the pups.
Brand Bits I’ve Used (And Liked Enough to Mention)
- The Farmer’s Dog Turkey: gentle and smelled like real food. Milo-friendly.
- Ziwi Peak Air-Dried Lamb: pricey but a great topper. My quick fix for itch weeks.