Ingredient file // Animal protein
Turkey Giblets
Useful turkey organs, with modest label value
Turkey giblets usually combine the heart, liver and gizzard. They contribute animal protein, while liver adds vitamin A and iron. The label tells you where the wet ingredient ranks, but not how much of each organ reaches the bowl.
- What it is
- A mix of turkey heart, liver and usually gizzard, cleaned and supplied for pet food.
- Made from
- Turkey hearts, livers and gizzards
- Main job
- Animal protein and organ nutrients
- Typical amount
- Labels show weight rank, not a percentage
- Watch for
- Extra liver in homemade diets
- Not the same as
- Turkey by-product meal
Straight answer
Is Turkey Giblets safe for dogs?
Check the named organs, then the food
Turkey giblets are a useful animal ingredient. Check whether the bag names the organs in parentheses, then read the ingredients around them. Fresh giblets carry substantial water, so a high position is not a measure of turkey protein in the finished food. Judge that food by its analysis and nutritional adequacy statement.
- Why it is in the food
- Animal protein and organ nutrients
- How common
- Listed by 14 of the 3,204 foods we track
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 229 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
<1%
14 of the 3,204 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 2 brands. 13 dry dog food, 1 wet dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 14.5. In the top five of 5 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Price per lb
Median of the cheapest bag price across 14 priced foods, 36% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.
Who leans on it
64%
of the foods that list it are from Orijen. 2 brands use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Turkey processors remove edible organs while dressing birds. The organs are a separate stream from the carcass; pet food suppliers can clean, combine and grind them to a customer's recipe.3,9
- 01 // Source Turkey organs Hearts, livers and gizzards are taken from the viscera during turkey processing.
- 02 // Process Trim and clean The heart cap and gallbladder are removed. Gizzards are split, cleaned and flushed.
- 03 // Process Chill and grind Processors chill the organs separately from carcasses, then grind the selected mix for pet food.
- 04 // Output Fresh or frozen giblets The organ blend reaches the pet food maker fresh or frozen, according to the order.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
76
% protein
Calculated from USDA's raw turkey giblet composite after removing its water. A supplier's blend can differ.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Adds animal protein
Heart and gizzard are muscular tissues, and liver also supplies protein. A dog trial supports digestibility of processed liver protein but did not test intact turkey giblets.1,2
-
02
Adds liver nutrients
Liver brings preformed vitamin A and iron. The contribution to finished food depends on the liver share and how much giblet mix the recipe uses.2
-
03
Uses the organ stream
Processors already separate these organs. Grinding them for pet food gives an underused part of the bird another buyer; turkey liver has been described as lower priced than mammalian liver.3,5,9
How much Ingredient lists run from most to least by weight, so the giblet line shows its rank against other ingredients rather than a stated percentage.4
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
Giblets add vitamin A to the recipe
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
USDA lists 3,939 micrograms of retinol per 100 g of raw turkey giblets. That is a measurable vitamin A contribution. The label does not reveal the liver share or the vitamin A level in the finished food.2
-
Brands say
Giblets give dogs digestible animal protein
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
A 12-dog trial (n = 6 per diet), with three of seven authors from Kemin, which supplied the liver powder, found greater protein digestibility with hydrolyzed chicken liver than poultry by-product meal, but lower fat, carbohydrate and energy digestibility. It tested chicken liver powder, not turkey giblets.1
-
Brands say
Heart taurine protects a dog's heart
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Brands link turkey hearts and taurine to heart health. No feeding trial of turkey giblets shows protection from heart disease. Tufts notes that dogs also make taurine when their diets supply enough of its building blocks.6,11
-
Critics say
Giblets are low value filler
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
USDA's raw composite contains 18.18 g of protein per 100 g, along with iron and retinol. These organs contribute nutrients. The fair question is how much the recipe uses, which the ingredient list does not disclose.2,4
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoHeart, liver and gizzard supply protein, and liver adds vitamin A. Their place on the ingredient list ranks the weight added to the recipe; it does not measure their share of the finished food.2,4
-
Q02
Are necks and feet included?
Not ordinarilyGiblets ordinarily means heart, liver and gizzard. Turkey by-products is broader and may include heads and feet. Suppliers can make narrower giblet mixes, so look for organs named in parentheses.4,9,10
-
Q03
Does cooking change its list position?
Listed wetUSDA's raw giblet composite is about 76% water. The ingredient list ranks what goes into the recipe by weight, so fresh giblets lose much of the weight that earned their position when the food is cooked.2,4
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Foods that list it / all the brand's recipes we track.
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Chicken 100%
- Turkey 86%
- Chicken Liver 57%
- Whole Herring 50%
- Salmon 50%
- Liver 43%
- Dehydrated Chicken 43%
- Dehydrated Eggs 43%
- Oat Groats 36%
- Chicken Meal 36%
- Chicken Fat 36%
- Catfish Meal 36%
On the shelf
Foods that list Turkey Giblets
14 foods in our catalog list it, highest on the label first.
OrijenOrijen FreshPrey Turkey, Salmon & Pork Recipe Grain-Free Wet Dog Food
OrijenOrijen Fit & Trim Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
AcanaAcana Highest Protein Meadowland Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
AcanaAcana Free-Run Poultry Recipe Grain-Free Dry Dog Food Show 10 more
OrijenOrijen Small Breed Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
OrijenOrijen Amazing Grains, Fit & Trim Dry Dog Food
OrijenOrijen Amazing Grains, Puppy Large Dry Dog Food
OrijenOrijen Original Small Breed Puppy With WholePrey Nutrition Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
AcanaAcana Wholesome Grains, Small Breed Recipe Dry Dog Food
AcanaAcana Wholesome Grains Free-Run Poultry & Grains Recipe Dry Dog Food
AcanaAcana Wholesome Grains Healthy Grains Puppy Recipe Dry Dog Food
OrijenOrijen Senior Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
OrijenOrijen Puppy Large Grain-Free Dry Dog Food
OrijenOrijen Puppy Grain-Free Dry Dog Food Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 Effects of hydrolyzed chicken liver on digestibility, fecal and urinary characteristics, and fecal metabolites of adult dogs
- 2 USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28: Poultry Products
- 3 Entry Level Poultry Slaughter Inspection Training
- 4 What's in the Ingredients List?
- 5 Turkey liver: Physicochemical characteristics and functional properties of protein fractions
- 6 Heart Disease - Nutrition
- 7 Biological Contaminants
- 8 Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals
- 9 Cooper Farms ventures into pet food with turkey ingredients
- 10 Amazing Grains, Original Dog and Cat Food
- 11 Freeze-Dried Raw Bar Turkey Hearts Single Ingredient Dog Chews