Christmas
Putting a sealed bag of liver in a dog's stocking
Updated
A liver treat stocking stuffer works best as a sealed bag, since freeze-dried liver is shelf stable and the best-by date, one year from production, is printed on it. The 1.5 ounce bag is the smallest size. Hang the stocking out of the dog's reach, and start the 30 days only when the bag is opened.
Which liver bag size makes sense for a stocking?
Pick by the household, not by the stocking. The single bag comes in 1.5, 3 and 6 ounces, and the same liver is in all of them.
- The 1.5 ounce bag is the smallest, and the easiest to tuck into a stocking.
- The 3 ounce bag is the middle size, for a dog who gets a few bits at a time.
- The 6 ounce bag is the largest, for a bigger dog or a house that goes through more liver.
If the stocking belongs to a house with more than one dog, the Beef Liver 3-Pack is three bags of the same size, which splits easily into one bag per stocking.
A smaller bag is not a lesser gift. Liver is measured out in bits, and a bag the dog's household can finish within our 30 day open-bag rule is a better fit than a large one it cannot.
Can a sealed bag of liver wait until Christmas morning?
Yes. The liver is shelf stable and needs no refrigeration, so a sealed bag has no need to wait in the cold. What matters is the date on the bag.
Each bag has a best-by date printed on it, one year from the production date. Read it when you buy. If it covers the holiday with room to spare, the bag can wait in a drawer or on a shelf that is cool and dry, as the label asks, until it goes into the stocking. Go by that printed date and nothing else.
Where should a dog's stocking hang?
Out of the dog's reach until morning, because sealed or not, the bag still holds liver. If the dog can reach the stocking, hang it somewhere higher, or hang it only on the morning itself.
When it is time, open the bag and hand it out yourself, in small bits. The bag says: "Always supervise while feeding and provide fresh drinking water." That means you stay with the dog while the liver is out and you have water down, which is easy to do when everyone is standing around the tree anyway.
The pieces are medium sized and break apart by hand, so you can make them as small as the dog needs. Wash your hands afterward, as the back label asks. Keep the opening short, then put the bag back, sealed, somewhere cool and dry.
What should the person getting the gift know about liver?
Three things. First, it is a treat, not a meal. The label says the liver is for intermittent or supplemental feeding, and that it is not intended as a complete and balanced diet.
Second, the bits count toward the day. According to VCA Animal Hospitals, treats of every kind should stay at or under 10 percent of daily calories, with complete and balanced food making up the other 90 percent. {{src:https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pet-health-articles/dog-treats|2026-10-15}} The giftee can work out the weight from the dog's own daily calories.
Third, the clock. Once the bag is open, we suggest using it within 30 days, and resealing it after every use. That rule is ours, not the label's; what the back label prints is the cool, dry storage line and the reminder to reseal.
A small card with those three things in your own words helps anyone new to liver treats.
When does the open-bag clock start?
On opening, not on purchase and not on Christmas Eve. A sealed bag goes by its printed best-by date. The 30 days begin when somebody breaks the seal.
That is why a gift bag is easy to plan around: while it stays sealed, only the printed date applies. If the bag is going to a friend, tell them to count from the day they open it. For the printed date and the open-bag rule side by side, see how long freeze-dried liver treats last.
Holiday meals bring their own questions about what a dog can have, and we cover those on our Thanksgiving page. For the rest of our liver guides, the guide hub has the list, and the beef liver page has the sizes.
Questions
Is a bag of liver a good stocking stuffer for someone else's dog?
It can be, if you ask the owner first about new treats. Some dogs have rules at home, and the owner knows them. If the owner says yes, a sealed bag with the best-by date showing is easy to hand over, and the owner decides when to open it.
Where is this liver made?
Sniff and Shift makes it in Malvern, Pennsylvania, freeze-drying the liver raw in small batches. The beef comes from a Pennsylvania farm. It is a single ingredient, with no preservatives, fillers or additives listed in the product data.
What does the bag say about feeding?
The back label asks that the liver be fed as a treat, reward or topper, only now and then, with supervision and fresh drinking water. It also states: "Not intended as a complete and balanced diet." The giftee should read the back of the bag.
Can the dog have some liver on Christmas Day?
A few small bits, yes, as long as they come out of the day's treat budget and you are watching. Count them like any other day. If the day also has guests handing out treats, one person should keep the tally.
Does the best-by date matter while the bag stays sealed?
Yes. The date is printed on the bag, one year from production, and it is the one to go by while the bag is sealed. Read it when you buy, and read it again when you wrap or hang the bag. Once opened, our 30 day rule applies.
Will a bag bought now keep until Christmas?
Read the best-by date printed on the bag. A sealed bag goes by that date, and we do not promise past it. The liver is shelf stable, so it needs no refrigeration while it waits, and a cool, dry place is what the label asks for.