Freeze-Dried Turkey Heart

It removes the water at very low temperature, so the heart stays close to raw while becoming shelf stable.

Freeze-dried turkey heart is turkey heart dried at very low temperature, which keeps it close to raw. Tufts veterinary nutritionists describe a study that cultured viable bacteria from all forms of raw cat food, including freeze-dried products. Heart muscle is a natural source of taurine, which cats need from their diet. For a cat with a medical condition, ask your veterinarian.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Turkey heart adds muscle-quality protein along with taurine, iron, zinc and B vitamins. The heart works constantly, so its protein is similar to other muscle meat. Freeze-drying removes the water and makes it shelf stable, so pieces can be added to dry food. Recipes that include hearts aim to come closer to a whole prey diet.

Freeze-drying is not a reliable way to kill bacteria. Tufts veterinary nutritionists report that viable bacteria were cultured from all forms of raw cat food in a study, including freeze-dried products. They note that some makers use high-pressure processing to reduce bacteria and viruses. Wash your hands after handling freeze-dried raw pieces, as you would with raw meat.

Source: sites.tufts.edu

Yes, turkey is one of the regular protein sources in cat food. Cornell Feline Health Center lists beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey and eggs among the most commonly used protein sources in cat food. Because it is common, turkey is not usually treated as a novel protein for allergy testing. Turkey heart, as an organ, is less common than turkey meat.

Source: vet.cornell.edu

Pettings gives freeze-dried turkey heart 5 out of 5 and lists it as a named animal protein. It appears on 1 of the 149 dry cat foods we list. The score is for the ingredient alone. Each food's page shows how it scores overall.