Raw Feeding Your Pet

I am sure you see the continuous posts, articles, and blogs about feeding your dog raw food instead of kibble.  It seems to be popular, yet confusing.  I personally stayed away from raw feeding for many years due to the confusion between the Barf diet and Prey Model feeding. Then there was the % of this and that, the multiple discussions online about the dangers of bacteria, and all I could see was a headache!

What I Have Learned

I am certified in pet nutrition, have owned dogs all of my life, shown, trained and groomed dogs for 40 years, yet it has taken me 7 years of practice to figure out the right ways to feed raw diet to my pets.  Why is it so hard?  Simple answer is that I was overthinking it.  There are clear-cut rules to raw feeding your pet.  If you follow the rules you can expand on many variations to suit your pet’s needs.  It’s actually fun! My dogs and cats love it and it shows in their coat, body composition, and energy.

Raw feeding is the most natural way to feed dogs and cats.  It absorbs immediately into their digestive tract, is easy to formulate with allergies, only little “leftovers” in the yard, and it is clean eating at its best.

Best Raw Food for Dogs

The best raw diet for your pets depends on your choice of the path you follow. Let’s talk about the Prey Model vs Barf Diet and how not to follow their rules.  Prey Model is just as it sounds.  The prey is an animal, in the wild, that is hunted and eaten by the wolf or large cat.  They eat the muscle meat after eating the organs.  When studying wild animals, it is evident that they eat meat, not vegetables as their main source.  Therefore, the Prey Model consists of muscle meat, organs, bone, and fat, all in the right proportions.  Barf Diet contains all of the same but also includes vegetables, supplements, and some dairy.  There are many debates on why each model of feeding is right. 

I have been feeding raw for a little over seven years now.  I have tried both Prey and Barf diets as well as an in-between. Based on 40 years of studying pet nutrition, I have found that it is better to meet the needs of your pet vs trying to fit a mold.  The best raw food for pets is the one that you adapt to their needs.  The proof will be in your pet.

The Important Things

Healthy eating for dogs and cats comes from proper balance.  Learning the proper balance for your individual pet is very important.  I will give you the balance of muscle meat vs bone and organ, as well as how you can incorporate supplements, and veggies if you want.  It is also important to understand that feeding raw only provides higher nutrition if you feed high-quality meat.  If you feed meat full of hormones or meat from improperly fed animals, your pet will be directly ingesting this. Always source your meat from stores or butchers that use grass-fed, hormone-free meats.  An inexpensive raw diet for dogs is possible if you make a deal with a local butcher, or shop sales at stores such as Earth fare.  I personally find great deals on low-fat hamburger and stew meat there.  

Ratios

The golden rule for raw feeding ratios is:

50% muscle meat, The Foundation.

This can be beef, chicken, lamb, fish, or venison. If you have access to goat, that is great also.  You can combine several or feed individually, changing as the sales come your way. Always chop meat so that it isn’t a choking hazard, yet leave it so they have to chew it to help clean the teeth.

30% organ meat.  Included in this is no more than 10% liver. 

Liver, if given more than 10%, will cause diarrhea. Use kidney, spleen, pancreas, brain, lung and heart.  Heart is more of a muscle meat but is a great source of taurine. I add heart to all of my meals. The organs are where all of their vitamins and minerals come from. 

I also recommend using less than 30% organ for the first week. Ease into the liver and other organs slowly so that you do not upset their bellies. 

10% Bone or calcium-rich food

You can use ground bone, or whole eggs, shell and all, to get the calcium needed.  You can also feed raw chicken or duck wings or feet, chicken, goat, or lamb necks if your dog will chew them before swallowing them.  My Doberman loved to swallow duck feet whole. This is worrisome due to the intestinal tract's twists and turns. If you see whole bones in your dog’s stool, they are not getting any benefits from it. It is more of a danger than nutrition at that point.

The last 10% is yours to be creative with. I like to change that up daily. You must have added fat which can be done by using whole fish or even just raw fish pieces. You can use canned sardines if you rinse them first to eliminate sodium.  You can also add some veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, carrots, or squash for fiber and antioxidants. Chlorophyll, Carotenoids, Lutein, and Flavonoids are all found in different colored vegetables. All are important antioxidants.  A tablespoon of pumpkin is also a great source of needed fiber. Raw-fed dogs can become constipated if there is too much bone in the diet.  Pumpkin can help with that too!  

To Supplement or Not to Supplement?

Supplements are war words for many who feed a raw diet to their pets.  Many say you do not need them because the raw diet if balanced, will cover it all.  I believe that adding a digestive enzyme/probiotic, such as Nature’s Farmacy’s Probiotic Max is very important.  They have a very clean, well-absorbed, granulated product that will cover all the bases for absorption.  If you are not fond of feeding bone, you can also incorporate their Ultimate Vitamin mix that has all of the calcium, vitamins, and minerals needed and is also an easily absorbed, granulated product. If you chose to not feed bone, this vitamin mix is essential, as is adding some pumpkin for fiber to keep the stool firm.

How Much Do I FEED?

Dogs and cats are to be fed by their adult weight.  Feeding 2-3 % of their weight, depending on activity levels. Example: My 63-pound, very active and somewhat crazy, Doberman eats 2.5% of her weight by eating 1 pound twice a day. If she is looking on the thin side, I bump it up a tad for a while.  Puppies and kittens are fed by their predicted adult weight.  Young puppies should eat on the lower side of 2% until reaching the four to six months of age growth spirt. At this time bump up to 2.5 or 3 % depending on the needed nutrients. Let their weight be your guide. Important puppy feeding is calcium.  I really feel that adding the above-mentioned Ultimate vitamin mixture for puppies is important for proper growth.  It is always a good idea to feed raw, or dehydrated, duck or chicken feet as a treat between meals for added calcium and teething needs. 

 Last but not least puppy feeding tip!  Until 4 months of age, it is better for digestion to feed three meals a day.  Simply divide the total pounds for the day by 3 instead of two.

Salutations!

It’s time to say goodbye and send you on your way to digesting all of this information. I know it was a lot to take in but trust me, this is a condensed, tried and true version of raw feeding for dogs and cats. It can be done inexpensively if you shop for sales. The health benefits will shine through in just a few months of raw feeding!

Annette Clark

Certified Pet Nutritionist, Pet Allergy Specialist, Master Groomer

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Contact – Naturally Holistic Pets