Ingredient file // Animal protein
Rabbit Lung
Real organ protein, neither junk nor a cure
Rabbit lung is the raw lung of meat rabbits, ground into frozen and freeze-dried dog foods. It adds lean protein, iron and some taurine. No one has studied it in dogs, and as a raw ingredient it carries raw meat's germs.
- What it is
- The raw lungs of meat rabbits, used as an organ ingredient in frozen and freeze-dried dog foods.
- Made from
- Lungs removed from rabbits at slaughter
- Main job
- Lean organ protein
- Typical amount
- Not published
- Watch for
- Raw germs; freeze-drying does not remove them
- Not the same as
- Rabbit meat or rabbit liver
Our read // In our catalog
In 1 of every 614 foods we track
Share of foods that list it
0%
5 of the 3,068 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 2 brands. 4 frozen dog food, 1 freeze-dried dog food.
Each square is 1% of the catalog
Where it sits on the label
Median position 13. In the top five of 1 food, so it is usually a minor ingredient.
Above the salt
Almost always listed before the salt, so there is more of it than a pinch.
Who leans on it
80%
of the foods that list it are from Instinct. 2 brands use it in total.
What it is
How it is made
Rabbit lung comes from the slaughter of meat rabbits. Raw dog foods do not render it into a meal as kibble plants do. It is ground raw with meat, bone and organs, then frozen or freeze-dried.9,10,11
- 01 // Source Meat rabbits Lungs come out with the other organs when a rabbit is dressed. Under voluntary USDA inspection, each rabbit's organs are checked for disease.
- 02 // Process Chilled raw Unlike the meals in kibble, the lung is not rendered. It stays raw and cold until it is ground.
- 03 // Process Ground and blended It is ground with meat, bone and other organs into a raw mix, often with other species.
- 04 // Process Frozen or freeze-dried The mix is frozen, or freeze-dried under vacuum. Neither step reliably kills Salmonella or Listeria.
- 05 // Output Raw nuggets or patties It reaches the bowl inside a frozen or freeze-dried raw food, with no cooking step in between.
What is in it
Composition, dry matter
69-84
% protein
Protein in dried-down beef, veal and pork lung, from USDA data. No one has published rabbit lung, so read this as the likely range.
Why it is in the bag
What the manufacturer gets
-
01
Lean protein
USDA data put beef, veal and pork lung at about 69 to 84% protein on a dry basis, with beef lung near 12% fat. It adds protein without much fat. Rabbit lung itself is unmeasured.4,5,6
-
02
Keeps the label on rabbit
By-products from animals other than cattle, pigs, sheep or goats must name the species. Rabbit lung lets a rabbit recipe add organ tissue under the rabbit name.1
-
03
Adds taurine and iron
In one rabbit analyzed at UC Davis for cat diets, lung met cat taurine targets that whole carcasses missed. Lung from other species is high in iron, 386 to 922 mg per kg dry.4,6,7
How much No study or regulator publishes a typical amount, and no dog trial has tested rabbit lung at any inclusion level.
Our read // The claims
What the evidence supports
Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.
-
Brands say
Lung is a lean, high-protein meat
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
USDA data for beef, veal and pork lung put protein at about 69 to 84% of dry matter and fat near 12%. Rabbit lung itself has never been published, so the rabbit figure is borrowed from other species.4,5,6
-
Owners say
Lung is a rich source of iron
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Beef lung holds about 386 mg of iron per kg dry and pork lung about 922. Those are other species. Rabbit lung has not been analyzed, and a complete food's mineral premix sets the final iron level anyway.4,6
-
Brands say
Rabbit is a hypoallergenic novel protein
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
Rabbit was the trigger in 1 of 297 dogs with proven food reactions, against 102 for beef. That mostly reflects how rarely dogs eat rabbit. It is novel only to a dog that has never had it, in a food without other proteins.8
-
Brands say
Rabbit lung supplies taurine for the heart
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
In a UC Davis study of rabbit for cat diets, heart and lung from one rabbit met cat taurine targets, while whole carcasses supplied only 50 to 70% of the cat level. No study links lung to heart health in dogs.7
-
Critics say
Lungs are junk, banned even for people
Outruns the evidence
Evidence
- Strong
- Some
- Thin
- None
The rule barring livestock lungs from human food, published in 1970, followed USDA studies from about 1969 that found dust and spores in airways. It does not cover rabbits, and AAFCO calls lungs safe and nutritious for animals.1,2,3,11
Straight answers
What owners ask
-
Q01
Is it just filler?
NoLung from other species runs about 69 to 84% protein on a dry basis, with iron to spare. It is lean organ meat doing a protein job. Filler would have no job.4,5,6
-
Q02
Why can't people eat lungs?
Livestock ruleA federal rule first published in 1970, after USDA studies found dust and spores in airways, bars livestock lungs from human food. Rabbits fall outside it: their inspection is voluntary and checks each rabbit's organs for disease.2,3,11
-
Q03
Is rabbit good for allergic dogs?
Only if newRabbit allergy is rare, 1 dog in 297 in one review, because few dogs eat rabbit. It works for an elimination diet only if your dog has never had it and the food lists no other proteins.8
-
Q04
Does freeze-dried mean germ-free?
NoFreeze-drying is how labs preserve bacteria. A veterinary infectious disease specialist at Guelph says it probably makes no difference for Salmonella and Listeria. Handle freeze-dried raw like raw meat.10
Who uses it
Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps
Top brands, by foods that list it
Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it
- Rabbit 100%
- Pork Liver 80%
- Pork Heart 80%
- Pork Fat 80%
- Pork Bone 80%
- Apples 80%
- Carrots 80%
- Rabbit Liver 60%
- Yellow Squash 40%
- Ground Miscanthus Grass 40%
- Montmorillonite Clay 40%
- Yeast Culture 40%
On the shelf
Foods that list it
5 foods in our reviews list it. Here are some of them.
Show 4 more
Instinct Raw Longevity Patties Farm-Raised Rabbit Recipe Frozen Dog Food40.6% proteinInstinct Raw Longevity Bites Farm-Raised Rabbit Recipe Frozen Dog Food40.6% proteinInstinct Raw Signature Patties Real Rabbit Recipe Frozen Dog Food44.1% proteinInstinct Raw Signature Bites Real Rabbit Recipe Frozen Dog Food44.1% proteinOur read // On the bag
Count it as rabbit protein, then check the rest
Rabbit lung sits beside rabbit meat and other organs in raw and freeze-dried foods. It is real protein, not filler. Judge the recipe by its complete and balanced statement and the other proteins listed: if pork or chicken appears too, it is not a single-protein food. Handle it as raw meat.
Sources
What we read
Checked October 1, 2026.
- 1 What's in the Ingredients List?
- 2 9 CFR 310.16 Disposition of lungs
- 3 Would you like some lungs with that?
- 4 Beef, variety meats and by-products, lungs, raw (USDA SR Legacy, FDC 168628)
- 5 Veal, variety meats and by-products, lungs, raw (USDA SR Legacy, FDC 174361)
- 6 Pork, fresh, variety meats and by-products, lungs, raw
- 7 Rabbit Carcasses for Use in Feline Diets: Amino Acid Concentrations in Fresh and Frozen Carcasses With and Without Gastrointestinal Tracts
- 8 Critically appraised topic on adverse food reactions of companion animals (2): common food allergen sources in dogs and cats
- 9 Get the Facts! Raw Pet Food Diets can be Dangerous to You and Your Pet
- 10 Freeze dried vs fresh vs frozen raw pet foods
- 11 Rabbit From Farm to Table