How To Choose The Best Raw Diet For Your Dog
With an almost overwhelming number of raw feeding choices, it can seem daunting to find the diet that is right for your dog. There are many styles, formats, and flavours of raw food, each with its own pros and cons.
Start by narrowing down your options. What are your pet’s specific needs? What are you looking for in dog food? After you determine how to support your dog’s health, consider things like price, quantity, and ease of preparation.
Avoid Health Issues Associated With Processed Pet Food
When you consider the health issues associated with processed pet foods, raw diets are much better for puppies.
From allergies to digestive problems and disease, poor diets are causing illnesses in dogs to rise dramatically. For instance:
- Allergies. Poor quality and inappropriate ingredients found in processed foods can cause allergies in puppies, such as itchy skin, vomiting, diarrhoea or digestive problems.
- Periodontal disease. Commercial pet food is a cause of periodontal disease in dogs that can lead to gum infections, bone loss, teeth loss, and more.
- Obesity. Often called junk food for dogs, commercial dog food contains lots of unnecessary carbohydrates and synthetic nutrients that lead to obesity issues.
Although you can never fully prevent your puppy from getting sick, choosing raw dog food diets can help them avoid the health issues associated with commercially processed food.
Raw Diet Isnt A Miracle Diet
Before concluding this article, Id like to make one final point on the raw diet its not a miracle diet.
Dogs can live a long and healthy life on dry kibble or cooked homemade meals. In fact, if you arent careful, your dog might put on more fat on a raw diet if you overfeed them because raw food is more calorie-dense.
Sure, there are a lot of upsides to the raw diet. I am not trying to discourage anyone from giving it a shot. What Im saying is that If you arent excited about making the switch to the raw diet or if you feel like it will put too much of a financial burden on you and your family, dont do it. Staying on dry kibble doesnt make you a bad pet parent. Only make the switch if you are excited about it, have the time for it, and can afford it.
There are two ways to determine how much raw food your dog should eat per day. The first method is having your dog eat 2-3% of their body weight in raw food. This method is easy, but not optimal. The optimal approach is to figure out how many calories your dog has been eating per day, then match that with raw food. For example, if your dog has been eating 1,000 calories of dry kibble per day, feed them 1,000 calories of raw food.
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Raw Food Diets Are How Nature Intended
There are over 8 million different species on Earth. And just about all of them live off raw food diets.
In fact, its only humans and the domesticated animals we feed that regularly eat processed foods at all.
When we think of animals living in nature, birds, lions or wolves, for example, they all eat raw. As too, do their offspring.
And since dogs are descendants of wolves, its entirely natural that their diets should consist of raw foods.
Before dogs became domesticated, they survived for thousands of years by scavenging and hunting whatever food was available.
Their diet of bones, organs and partially digested raw vegetables gave them a natural, balanced and healthy diet.
Of course, these days, the domesticated dog doesnt rely on hunting or scavenging for food. Instead, it relies on its owner to provide balance and nutrition.
And choosing raw food for your puppy that consists of live, fresh food means their diet is just how nature intended it to be.
Health Benefits Of Feeding Your Dog Raw Food
Are you wondering whether raw food is a good option for your dog? The following are some health benefits for feeding raw foods to dogs:
- Compatible with the biological needs naturally, the digestive system of dogs is designed to digest raw meat because they are descendants of raw meat-eating ancestors.
- Healthy coat and skin raw foods contain plenty of zinc, proteins, fresh fats, and vitamin that promote healthier coat and skin.
- Improved oral health and breath with raw foods, dogs have to tear and rip it up. They also gnaw the bones, removing the tartar and plaque on their teeth. This leads to improved oral health and healthier teeth.
- Improved digestion raw foods promote maximum absorption of nutrients than dry kibble. Kibble takes 7 to 8 hours to be digested while raw foods take about 2 hours.
- Fewer toxins raw foods are natural, unprocessed, and do not contain any fillers and artificial flavors which can be dangerous for your dog.
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Now Lets Break Down The Recipe For My Easy Homemade Dog Food Shall We
The recipe box below contains a printable version of my go-to recipe for homemade dog food, which consist of lean ground sirloin, brown rice, carrots, hard boiled eggs, parsley, and a few tablespoons of oil that is high in Omegas. But sometimes, especially since social distancing, Ive found that it is helpful to have a list of easy substitutes for when ingredients run low. Plug in or swap out any of the items below based on what foods your pup likes/needs and what you have on hand to create your pups ideal dog food flavor profile.
Meat || Lean ground beef, ground chicken, ground white or dark meat turkey, & ground pork are all great options. Just be sure to make sure that any meat you feed your animals is free of seasonings when purchasing! Dogs living with a kidney disease diagnosis need meals that are lower in phosphorus so for us a lean ground beef like ground sirloin is best the way to go!
Eggs || Eggs are one the top 5 allergens for dogs and the yolks are very high in phosphorus -which you want to limit in dogs with kidney disease. But, eggs are also one of the highest quality forms of protein you can feed your pet! Ultimately, a hard boiled egg is Hoochs favorite thing on the planet so, with our vets approval we opted to leave them in his food.
Why Arent There Any Grains In Some Raw Meals
There are conflicting views on the use of grains as part of a natural diet. Some vets advocate no grain at all but lots of vegetables instead, and some believe a diet based on just raw meaty bones is all a dog needs. Others recommend a small portion of grain in the diet. So what is the truth?
The basic controversy has arisen because of the very high cereal content used in processed pet foods. Many canned and dry dog foods contain up to four times as much cereal content as meat. There is little doubt that grain is the cheapest source of energy for dogs but they are not designed to eat such a high content of carbohydrate. Even worse, cheap cereals are often used as fillers. Cheap cereal has little nutritional value other than its calories.
It is this fact that has led some vets and nutritionists to broaden the issue on cheap carbohydrates to encompass grains in general and to suggest that dogs should not, and in fact cannot, digest grains.
Dogs often ingest grains when they catch and eat live prey, however no canine in nature accesses grain as a significant food source. An important point to mention here is that dogs cannot digest whole grains. They do not graze fields of barley and eat the grains. The same goes for plant material and fruit. Dogs have a poor ability to digest intact plant and fruit material .
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The Caloric Approach To Raw Feeding
While the percentage of body weight is the most common way to know how much to feed your dog, some experts recommend the caloric approach for a dogs diet.
Pet Nutrition Alliance has a greatCalorie Calculator for Dogs. Just know that when you use the calculator, the right amount of food can go 20% either way. Again, the number of calories a dog needs per day varies depending on the same factors identified above when using the bodyweight percentage approach.
The reason many people do not use the caloric approach for raw diets is that it can be hard to know what the calorie amount is for it. Calories are affected by the preparation of the raw meat and what its mixed with so calorie information is always just an estimate.
Despite the above, many dog owners use the caloric approach when they first start to feed their dogs a raw, natural diet to achieve ideal body weight.
Homemade Raw Dog Food
Home » Guides » Homemade Raw Dog Food
An easy recipe and guidelines for making homemade raw dog food that you can tweak as necessary to what best fits your dog.
For as health conscious as I am about what kind of foods I put in my own body, I have to admit for the better part of six of her seven years, I pretty much fed Ginger the equivalent of fast food to humans.
Sure, it was the good fast food but after awhile, even Chick-Fil-A isnt healthy any more if you know what I mean.
Of course, occasionally I made her homemade pumpkin dog treats but more often than not her food was anything but homemade.
Then one day earlier this year it was like a switch got flipped.
The guy who sold us our water softener system was sitting in our kitchen and as Ulysses looked over models trying to figure out which one made the most sense, the sales guy and I started talking about dog food.
He explained how he starting feeding a raw food diet for his dogs and how their energy levels were through the roof , their coats were shinier than ever and their teeth in great shape.
It made sense.
I completely buy into the same theories from a human perspective, why wouldnt it be the same for dogs?
So, next trip to Petco, I was forking over some serious money for frozen raw dog food patties and giving this whole thing a shot.
The first meal I gave her the homemade raw dog food, she came running back into the kitchen after licking the bowl clean as if she was begging for more.
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Natural Food For Dogs Help Build Fitness And Strength
Dog owners know just how much energy puppies have. And building their fitness through raw food diets and effective play is key to ensuring puppies develop strong and healthy body compositions.
As mentioned, puppies with poor diets can develop issues when overweight. And if not addressed, these weight issues can contribute to more health problems, such as diabetes, chronic digestive problems and cancer.
To help prevent this, its important to make sure puppies are consuming food that contributes to a balanced diet.
The right raw food diet will ensure they are fit and lean from a young age, letting them grow into happy adult dogs
How Much To Feed The Adult Raw Fed Dog
You got your first delivery of Doggy Moggy Beef – now what? How much do you feed your dog?
GUIDELINES NOT RULES
When deciding how much to feed your dog, think in terms of guidelines not rules. Consider all the variables that might affect your decision. Age of the dog and its level of physical activity. Are they healthy? Is your dog in heat? Is your dog pregnant/nursing? Are they currently at a healthy weight? Are they lay-abouts indoors or are they roaming the property outdoors? What other food are they receiving during the day?
Take for example our Bernedoodle, Philly. It was a no brainer that when she was pregnant and nursing she required more food to fuel her body and her puppies. After the puppies were weaned, it became obvious she was gaining weight and we needed to reduce the amount she was being fed as the demands on her body returned to normal. What worked before, wasnt working any more. We lowered her food intake, added some more exercise and she is now back to her ideal weight.
The variables in your dogs life can change so its important to keep an eye on your dogs food intake depending on what season of life they are in. The percentages below are guidelines, not rules. Much like monitoring our own weight and food intake, we need to pay attention to our dogs and take action when it is obvious that changes need to be made.
IS YOUR DOG AN IDEAL WEIGHT
Its important to weigh your dog when you start them on a raw food diet for the following reasons:
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How Much And When Should You Feed Your Dog
This will vary from dog to dog, but a general rule of thumb is for every 10 lbs your dog weighs they should be fed roughly 1 cup of prepared food.
For our 80 lb Hooch, that means 2 meals a day each containing 4 cups of food. It is important to note that, dogs with kidney problems often feel better when fed several small meals throughout the dayrather than just one or two large meals, so you may find that you need to adjust your feeding schedule as time goes on accordingly to keep your pup comfy!
Did You Make This Recipe
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Home Made Dog Food recipe for the Holidays
This 100% human grade home made dog food recipe utilizes some of the best fall produce for your dog like sweet potatoes, cranberries, rosemary, and sage. Its perfect for every day feedings and does double duty as a really delicious holiday meal for your dog!
Pumpkin and Yogurt Bowl for Dogs Recipe
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for all of us, even our dogs! Get your dogs day off to a great start with a healthy dose of protein, vitamins, and minerals by feeding him/her a delicious Pumpkin and Yogurt Bowl for Dogs. These yogurt bowls are filled with good for your dog ingredients like fat free Greek yogurt, 100% pure pumpkin puree, plant based vitamin and mineral powder, and my Homemade Dog Food Seasoning which is a blend of 5 herbs that have extraordinary health benefits for your dog!
Homemade Dog Food Seasoning Blend recipe
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Transitioning To Raw Pet Food
The length of your pet’s transition process to raw food will depend on their overall health, digestive issues, and how finicky they may be.
A healthy dog with no signs of digestive issues could be transitioned within a week by just gradually adding more raw food and less of the original food to each meal.
Cats may take longer since they tend to be more discriminating about their food and can become habituated to dry food specifically. Cats on dry food only should be transitioned to 2 meals per day of wet cat food first, then slowly transitioned to raw starting with as little as ¼ – ½ teaspoon of raw mixed in with their wet food and gradually increasing the amount of raw food over the course of 2-3 weeks or more. Some cats may prefer the raw on its own, and you can offer them a teaspoon or so before offering their regular meal to see if they show interest.
Pets with digestive issues will need a very gradual transition. It may be best to very lightly cook the food for the first week also, then gradually cook it less and less until you are feeding it completely raw. Start with no more than 1/8 of one meal as raw or lightly cooked raw, and increase gradually over the course of at least 2 weeks.
Benefit Of Raw Feeding Dogs
For years, many pet owners have turned to raw diets as a solution food, and the results have been amazing. Feeding your dog as nature intended means that they will get nutrients from sources that their bodies are designed to digest, leading to improved overall health.
If you are looking for honest answers to your burning raw food questions, then this guide is for you. You will be able to understand why everyone is so obsessed with raw feeding and be able to confidently decide if feeding raw dog food is right for your pet.
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How Much Raw Food To Feed Dog
Dogs need between 2 to 3 percent of their body weight in pounds converted to raw dog food. The number will vary depending on your dogs activity level. If your dog is very active, it will burn more calories needing more food. If your dog is the opposite and overweight, it will eat less.
For example, if your adult dog weighs 30 pounds and is moderately active, it will need between a half of a cup to one cup per day of raw dog food.
*Adult dogs need 2% to 3% of their weight in pounds for food.
*Senior dogs over the age of ten will need 1.5% of their weight in pounds for food.
*Very active dogs with lots of energy should get 3% of their weight in pounds for food.
You will want to break the daily food allowed into two meals. This will replenish your dogs lost calories later on in the day, and they wont feel so hungry. I suggest feeding your dog once in the morning and once at night.
If you are ever unsure how much raw food to feed your dog, you can consult your veterinarian. The vet will guide you in the right direction and let you know exactly how much to feed your dog.
There are big name commercial raw dog food brands that have their own feeding guidelines you can follow.
Check out our raw dog food chart below that way, you can get an idea of how much to feed your dog based on its weight.