Small dogs
Sizing freeze-dried liver for a small dog's mouth
Updated
Liver treats for small dogs are the same freeze-dried beef liver we sell for every size of dog, broken down by hand into bits a small mouth takes in one go. The bag does not change, the piece does. How many bits a day is set by the dog's treat budget, not by the size of the bag.
How small should a liver bit be for a small dog?
Smaller than the piece in the bag, and usually smaller than your first guess. Our pieces come out medium sized and break apart by hand, which is the whole reason they suit a small dog at all. Hold one between thumb and finger and press. It splits along the grain, and each half splits again the same way.
The measure we use is the dog's own kibble. If a bit of liver is about the size of one kibble from the bowl, it goes down in one go and the dog is looking at you for the next. Bigger than that and a small dog stands over it, drops it and picks it up again. For toy breeds go smaller still, down to a flake. Nothing is lost by going too small, because a flake smells exactly like a chunk to the dog. The pieces are photographed on the beef liver page if you want a look before you order.
Should you break the whole bag at once or as you go?
As you go, a few days at a time. Breaking the whole bag turns it into crumbs that pack down and are hard to pinch out singly, and it opens every surface to the air at once. Left whole in the sealed bag, the pieces keep their shape until you need them.
A good rhythm is to break a small container's worth while the coffee brews. Do it over a bowl so the dust is caught, then seal the main bag straight away. The back label asks for a cool, dry place and a resealed bag, and that is the whole storage routine. A small tin in the car door holds a few days' worth for walks that start somewhere other than the front step.
How does a small dog's treat budget work?
The same way a big dog's does, with smaller numbers. VCA Animal Hospitals puts treats and snacks at no more than 10 percent of a dog's daily calories, with 90 percent coming from complete and balanced food. A small dog's daily calories are a small number, so 10 percent of it is smaller still, and liver should take only part of that.
This is where piece size stops being a convenience and becomes the method. On our label the figure is 81.6 kcal ME per ounce. Enter your dog's daily calorie figure, from your vet or the food bag, into the calculator on how much liver a dog can eat, and it hands back a weight of liver for the day. Weigh that out once. For a small dog it is a modest pinch of bits, and having seen it is what keeps the hand honest at the bag. Liver treats for small dogs are a weight question, never a handful question.
Which bag size does a small dog get through?
Three sizes, 1.5, 3 and 6 ounces, with the same liver in each. For one small dog, start with the 1.5 ounce bag. An open bag should be used within 30 days, and a small dog on kibble-sized bits will not get through a big bag inside that window without help. The 3 ounce bag suits a house where a bigger dog shares it. The 6 ounce bag is for several dogs or a trainer's pouch.
Whichever you pick, the bag is shelf stable and needs no refrigeration. Keep it sealed somewhere cool and dry, and note the best by date printed on it, set one year from production. Buy the size you will finish, not the size that looks most generous.
What do you do with the crumbs?
Use them. Every bag of freeze-dried liver ends with a layer of crumbs and dust in the bottom corner, because dry liver rubs against itself in the mail. For a small dog those crumbs are the best part of the bag, since they are already the right size. Tip them into a small jar with a lid and pinch them out as rewards.
The other use is on top of a meal. The first line on the bag says: "Feed as a treat, reward, or topper." A pinch of crumbs over dinner is the topper half of that line. Count it against the treat budget all the same, because liver on the food is still liver. Dust too fine to pinch goes over the bowl as well.
Questions
Are freeze-dried liver treats too hard for a small dog?
No, and hard is the wrong word for them. Freeze-drying leaves liver light and brittle, with a crunch we rate 3 of 5 on our own scorecard. A bit breaks under thumb pressure, so you set the size before the dog ever sees it. Break it to kibble size or smaller and there is nothing left for the dog to work at.
How many liver treats can a small dog have?
Weight is our answer, since pieces vary so much once broken. Take 10 percent of the dog's daily calories as the ceiling for all treats, following VCA, and give liver only a share of it. The calculator on the portion guide turns that share into grams or ounces. For a small dog, expect a small figure.
Is the small bag the same liver as the bigger bags?
Yes. The 1.5, 3 and 6 ounce bags hold the same freeze-dried beef liver, with the same single ingredient and the same back label. Only the quantity changes. The small bag exists so a small dog's household can finish a bag within 30 days of opening instead of throwing away the end of a big one.
Should I watch my small dog while it eats liver?
Yes. On that point the bag says, "Always supervise while feeding and provide fresh drinking water." That line is printed on every size of bag and applies to every size of dog. For a small dog it mostly means handing over one bit at a time and waiting for the swallow before the next, with the water bowl full.
Can I use liver crumbs to train a toy breed?
Yes, and crumbs are already the right size for it. Keep a session's worth in a closed container, hand out one flake per rep, and count the session against the day's budget, since a session is where treats pile up. Our guide to liver as a high-value training treat covers pairing it with a plainer reward.
Do small dogs need a different liver than big dogs?
No. The product is listed for all dog sizes, and the liver in the bag is identical whatever the dog weighs. The difference is entirely in your fingers. A big dog may take a whole piece, while a small dog takes a flake from the same piece. Pick the bag size you will finish, not a different product.