Lamb in Dog Food - Dog Nutrition DB

Lamb is a common ingredient in dog foods, used as a source of animal protein. But is it good for your dog?

Contents

Fresh Lamb

Lamb is not as common as chicken, beef, or turkey^[2].

The US produces lots of lamb meat, but Australia and New Zealand are the world’s largest producers of pasture-raised lamb.

Sheep are called lamb or mutton depending on their age. But in the US, any meat produced from sheep can be called lamb^[3].

Lamb is a source of protein for dogs. It provides vitamins and minerals including riboflavin, vitamin B₁₂, thiamine, selenium, zinc, and copper.

Nutrients in 100 g^[7]	Lamb^a
Water	59.5 g
Energy	282 kcal
Protein	16.6 g
Fat	23.4 g
Ash	0.87 g
Amino acids
Arginine	0.984 g
Histidine	0.524 g
Isoleucine	0.799 g
Leucine	1.29 g
Lysine	1.46 g
Methionine	0.425 g
Threonine	0.709 g
Phenylalanine	0.674 g
Tryptophan	0.193 g
Valine	0.893 g
Fatty acids
Saturated	10.2 g
Monounsaturated	9.6 g
Polyunsaturated	1.85 g
Cholesterol	73 mg
Minerals
Calcium	16 mg
Iron	1.55 mg
Magnesium	21 mg
Phosphorus	157 mg
Potassium	222 mg
Sodium	59 mg
Zinc	3.41 mg
Copper	0.101 mg
Manganese	0.019 mg
Selenium	18.8 µg
Vitamins
Vitamin C	0 mg
Vitamin A	µg
Vitamin E	0.2 mg
Vitamin K	3.6 µg
Thiamin	0.11 mg
Riboflavin	0.21 mg
Niacin	5.96 mg
Pantothenic acid	0.65 mg
Vitamin B₆	0.13 mg
Vitamin B₁₂	2.31 µg
Folate	18 µg
Choline	69.3 mg
Betaine	10.2 mg

^aground, raw

Like beef, lamb is a red meat that is a great source of iron for dogs. It also contains varying amounts of saturated and monounsaturated fats, making it an abundant source of energy.

Lamb provides many essential amino acids dogs need in their diet. And dogs have a preference for lamb over chicken^[6].

But…

The protein quality and essential amino acid content of lamb meal seem to be lower than those of poultry meal and fish meal!

A 2016 study found lamb meal to be less digestible overall when compared to poultry and fish meal. And it is lacking in digestible methionine and cysteine, essential precursors of taurine^[5].

And that’s quite alarming if you consider lamb is one of dog food’s most widely used animal protein sources ^[2]!

If a dog food lists lamb as an ingredient, it typically refers to fresh lamb meat that has been deboned and includes only small amounts of fatty tissue, sinew, nerves, skin, or blood vessels attached to the clean flesh^[1].

So, “deboned lamb” is basically the same as “lamb“.

If the manufacturer wants to include some lamb bone, the ingredient may be labeled as lamb with ground bone.

Some manufacturers may use dehydrated or dried lamb protein in their dog food, as it is easier to store and handle than fresh lamb.

In the last century, few dogs had eaten lab before and manufacturers began to source it as a novel protein for pet food.

And until today, lamb and rice dog foods have a reputation as being hypoallergenic.

But that’s nonsense. Today, lots of dogs are fed lamb. And the higher the level of exposure the more dogs can develop an allergy.

Lamb By-Products

Lamb by-products refer to all the parts of the animal “other than meat” that are not commonly used for human consumption.

This includes organ meats, blood, bone, or fatty tissues. However, parts like hair, hooves, horns, and teeth are not included.

There is a wide variety of lamb by-products that companies can use in dog food, including organs such as lung, kidney, spleen, liver, brain, and tripe, as well as lamb bone and cartilage.

Lamb cartilage can provide collagen, chondroitin, and glucosamine.

While some dog owners believe that by-products are nutritionally inferior and recycled leftovers are not good enough for their dogs, these ingredients are actually highly nutritious and a good source of animal-based nutrients.

By-products are a sustainable way to use parts of the animal that would otherwise go to waste, making it a more environmentally friendly option.

It’s worth noting that lamb by-products can vary in quality, so it’s important to buy from a dog food brand you trust.

Lamb Meal

Lamb meal can be a good source of protein for dogs. It is a type of protein powder, a concentrated form of lamb.

To make lamb meal, lamb tissues are cooked down at high temperatures to remove moisture and fat.

This process is known as rendering and recycles lamb by-products into a high-protein meat meal to be used in pet food.

Lamb meal is a cost-effective way to provide animal protein to dogs and is generally considered to be safe and nutritious.

However, the quality of rendered lamb meal can vary depending on the quality of the raw materials or the rendering process.

And lamb meal seems to be poorly digested compared to other meals and may provide inadequate levels of methionine, an essential amino acid^[5]!

Lamb Fat

Lamb fat is the animal fat separated during rendering. But pure lamb fat is very rarely used in dog food^[2].

It’s high in saturated fatty acids but contains a little more linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic acid (omega-3) than beef tallow.

Fresh Lamb

Lamb By-Products

Lamb Meal

Lamb Fat

Further Reading