New To Raw Feeding
First of all.....pat yourself on the back that you're doing a great thing for your dog by offering them a great diet that has not artificial flavours or preservatives in it. Best of all, you can customise this diet to THEM.
Second of all......some people can make raw feeding sound REALLY complicated. It's NOT! Please don't let this put you off
Honestly, its really not as complicated, confusing or daunting to feed raw as it may seem at first. But, you need to have a little idea about what you are feeding to get an idea of a balanced diet - key words here BALANCED DIET
There are alot of great quality raw food brands out there that cater to all budgets. Different brands use different mincing methods for textures - some are mushier, some are chunkier, some are just meat, some will have vegetables and herbs mixed in. For most raw feeders, they choose meals that are already made up and you simply defrost & serve - this is the easiest and most popular choice
You'll see & hear the words 'Complete Meal"......"80:10:10"......and I think this is where people start to get confused or worried - they're both the same....right? Well....the main difference between an 80:10:10 raw meal and a Complete raw meal comes down to balance & formulation:
80:10:10 simply means the mix contains:
80% Meat
10% Bone
10% Offal (usually liver and another secreting organ - more on that later)
This mirrors a 'whole prey' ratio diet and provides the natural base for a raw diet. It's brilliant for DIY feeders who like to mix and match proteins, add their own extras (like veg, herbs, oily fish, or supplements) or feed variety throughout the week
A Complete raw, on the other hand, could have the same 80:10:10 base, PLUS added ingredients to meet all the essential vitamins and minerals your dog needs to meet FEDIAF nutritional guidelines.
This can include extra vegetables, seeds, herbs,or natural supplements to make is a balanced "ready-to-serve" meal without needing to add anything else
So, in short:
80:10:10 = great DIY base, or those looking to stay away from extras due to intolerances / allergies, or needing an exclusion diet
Complete = nutritionally balanced & ready to serve
Both are great options, it really depends on how you like to feed and what works best for your dog
But honestly, I'm a big fan of mixing it up and feeding a variety of proteins and meals and rotating raw food brands. That way you are sure to be getting a wide and balanced diet of everything - variety is the key to life (and happy tummies!) and you can never offer too much variety, different proteins, textures and nutrients all play their part
The Golden Rules of Raw Feeding:
Variety of Proteins = Balanced Diet
The key words again and the main objective here. Variety is the spice of life....aim for at least 4-5 different proteins (turkey, chicken, lamb etc that is what we mean when you hear the word proteins) the more the better. This also includes ALL different parts of the animals, as there are many different nutrients, vitamins, Amino Acids etc contained in different meats and different parts - the more you include, the larger the net you are casting to gain a lovely, all round well balanced diet. Think of it this way - look at ourselves for an example, if we just ate one particular thing and nothing else....we would become deficient in something......the same goes for our pets. This is also a good place to mention allergies to meat - this is something I am seeing more and more over the years, if you suspect your pet may have allergies to certain proteins give me a message as we can talk about an elimination diet
Aim for Balance Over Time
The ultimate goal in raw feeding is to aim to get a balance of all the necessary nutrients, vitamins & amino acids over a period of time....weeks.....it doesn't need to be achieved over days or in every meal - our fur friends are designed differently to us!
Your Pet's Weight
You will need to have an idea of how much your pet weighs as you'll be working out how much to feed. A good place to start is 2 – 3% of the body weight of an adult dog (don't worry - I've included a handy formula to work this out further down!) This can be split over 2 meals.
Remember these are guidelines - all dogs are individuals and they are different to each other - also take into account activity levels. If they are very active, they'll burn through more calories so will need to be fed more. Keep an eye on their body condition - with a healthy dog you will be able to feel the ribs (not see them) and they will have a waist when you look from above. You can slightly increase/decrease the amount by keeping an eye on your dogs weight
What is a Raw Diet?
You'll hear many terms used - raw feeding, BARF diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food), whole prey feeding, DIY feeding, meat, bones, offal.....lots!
The idea behind the raw diet is that it closely resembles the diet of wolves, of which all dogs descend from. It includes, meat, bone, offal and (depending on your dog) vegetable, seeds, herbs etc (but surely wolves didn't eat these in the wild I hear you say - in this day and age there is ALOT of evidence of the power of adding these to the diet, and many choose to do so to add a boost of goodness. A raw diet, free from artificial fillers/ grains that are often put into dry kibble or wet pet food, helps to compliment how the dog is built to cope with food too:
Canines
Look at the jaw & teeth of your dog....pretty pointy and designed for tearing and crunching. The jaw itself is designed to go up and down (no side to side movement like a herbivore that needs to grind matter between the teeth to start the breaking down process that is continued further in the gut), with immense crushing power between those jaws.
Shorter Intestines
Wolves have evolved with a shorter intestine compared to herbivores, as the diet they consume (meat) easily digests, and they also have digestive enzymes designed to break down this diet and absorb the necessary nutrients. Herbivores on the other hand, have a longer intestine as they need to allow their food to pass through slowly, to break down easier (as plant matter is harder to digest) and then making it easier to absorb through the gut.
What is Included in a Raw Diet?
Fresh meat, raw meaty bones, and offal but at different amounts to get an overall well balanced diet, often referred to as 'ratios'.
80:10:10 meals are usually made up of some of the following:
Examples of Meat/Muscle for the 80%:
Green Tripe
Heart (but no more than 20% in the overall diet, remember balance)
Meaty trim/ offcuts / chunks
Tongue / cheek
Gizzards
Tracheas
Breast / fillets
Examples of Bone for the 10%:
Chicken, Duck, Turkey Wings
Carcasses / backs
Necks
Ribs
Chicken & duck feet
NO WEIGHT BEARING BONES - as in legs of cows, sheep etc...the bones are thicker, and more likely to break a tooth!
Examples of Offal for the 10%
Liver - always needs to be 5% in the diet
Other secreting offal to include in the other 5% are:
Spleen
Kidney
Pancreas
Brain
Testicles
Dont Forget the Fish & Eggs!
Thats right!
Fresh oily fish full of healthy Omega fats - go for Sprats, Sardines, Mackeral. Add to a meal (whole or chopped up) twice a week or use a fish complete meal
Eggs - raw eggs, shell, yolk and all! A raw egg, twice a week is again like an extra little tonic on top of the diet. You can either crack the egg and mix it all up (some dogs are not keen on the egg shell, so can always try without)
Thats the Meat Part, What About Vegetables/ Herbs / Seeds?
"Complete raw meals" will have these added in
The idea of adding vegetables, herbs and 'superfoods' is to add a wellbeing boost to what is already a great diet base -there are many benefits from certain veg (spinach for example, full of iron) and herbs that help and support the immune system. Some dogs appreciate these added bonuses, while others do not like the taste of veg! OR they may have an intolerance to certain veg (if you have a dog affected by yeast, its best to not feed a sugary veg like carrot for example)
There are plenty of raw dog food brands that offer both a '80:10:10' and 'Complete raw meals' - your dog will let you know which one they prefer!
Besides, you can always add supplements (these are a great way to build a healthy gut), fish and eggs to suit the needs of your dog
Mixing it up between different proteins, different brands, and different meals is the best way to offer a raw diet
