chicken heart

What it is

Chicken hearts are cardiac muscle — technically an organ, nutritionally closer to very rich meat, and one of the naturally taurine-dense tissues in the food supply. They appear fresh in recipes and freeze-dried as single-ingredient treats.

Why it's in pet food

Hearts bring named protein plus meaningful natural taurine — of particular interest in cat food, where taurine is non-negotiable. Freeze-dried hearts have also become the enthusiast treat of choice: one ingredient, no mysteries.

How Bowlmark scores it

Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.

Chicken heart is a named protein source to the engine — the word "chicken" is what it reads. When it is the first ingredient it earns the 15-point fresh named-protein bonus on the ingredient-quality pillar; in any other slot it earns nothing, because only named meals score in the second and third slots. No deduction applies — an organ sold under its own name is the transparent version of what "by-product" hides.

Read the full methodology

Foods that list chicken heart

Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.

• ACANA Indoor Entrée Recipe with Poultry & Fish90
• ACANA Light & Fit Recipe88
• ORIJEN Fit & Trim88
• ORIJEN Kitten Formula88
• ORIJEN Original Cat88
• ORIJEN Original Entrée Wet Cat Food88
• ORIJEN Puppy88
• ORIJEN Senior88

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet food
• ACVN — taurine essentiality in cats

Related ingredients

• beef spleen
• beef tripe
• chicken gizzard
• chicken liver
• duck liver
• lamb kidney

Further reading

• By-products and meals, without the panic
• Protein quality vs quantity — why the % is only half the story