Raw food for dog

Feeding raw food for dog means giving him uncooked food like meaty bones, raw eggs, animal organs and some vegetables.  Feeding raw food for dog is good because dogs are omnivores, like wolves, evolved with digestive systems meant for raw food.  In the wild, they eat a variety of grass, berries and vegetables in addition to prey.  In addition to being more fresh and natural, raw food for dog doesn’t have preservatives and unneeded carbohydrates found in commercial food.

Feeding raw food for dog has been common practice for many years until commercial dog food was invented and marketing campaigns created to stem fear of raw food.  Advertisements and kick-backs offered to pet shops and vets continue to promote commercial dog food but in recent years many dog owners have started to look at raw food for dog as a healthy alternative for their dogs. 

Supporters of raw food for dog are divided between two schools: prey model (dogs are carnivores) and BARF model (dogs are omnivores).  BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) supporters believe dogs should eat vegetables and fruits in addition to raw meat.  Even with this difference both schools believe raw food for dog can bring similar benefits to a dog’s health.

Benefits of feeding raw food for dog include:
Less odor Shinier, healthier skin Cleaner teeth – raw bones scraps plaque and cleans teeth Fresher breath Less allergies – some dogs are allergic to grain used in commercial dog food Improved digestion, making less and firmer stools Decreased shedding Improvement in overall health

 

Concerns about raw food for dog

The most common concern about feeding raw food for dog is whether it is hygienic.  It is a valid concern because humans cannot eat raw food due to bacteria like E-coli and Salmonella.  But wolves and dogs have strong acid in their digestive systems that kills most bacteria and short intestinal tracks that prevents residual bacterial from building up.  Simply said, dogs’ digestive systems are evolved to eat raw food (including raw meat and raw vegetables) and not baked pellets of meat mixed with grain.

Another concern about raw fodo for dog is that bones, especially chicken bones, are dangerous for dogs.  That is right to some degree because cooked chicken bones can splinter and damage a dog’s intestines.  The same goes for other types of bones so it is important to remember never feed cooked bones to a dog. 

How much to feed my dog when using raw food

How much to feed your dog is based on his energy requirement.  It will differ for what dog breed you have, how old he is, how much work your dog does and what their metabolism is like.  As a general rule of raw diet, a healthy adult dog should eat 2-3% of its weight daily while puppies require up to 10% of their weight.  You can always adjust how much you feed your dog if he starts to look overweight or too thin.  The ideal condition should be a healthy layer of fat that covers the ribs but not so thick that you cannot feel the ribs. 

What ingredients are used in raw food for dog

Poultry – Chicken, Turkey, Quail, Pheasant, Duck, Goose Eggs Yogurt or probiotics - to introduce healthy bacteria to the digestive system Beef – except very dense bones Pork Lamb, Goat – except very dense bones Fish – only if not too oily or salty.  Avoid salmons Green tripe – intestine linings of herbivores Organs– liver or kidney should make up 10% of the raw diet Vegetables and fruits should make up 15-20% of the raw diet (some people don’t feed greens as they believe dogs are strictly carnivores)

You can find the ingredients for a raw diet at your supermarket or local butcher.  Most of items can be bought in bulk and kept in the freezer for a while. 

How to start feeding raw food for dog

If you are starting raw diet with a puppy, you can follow the 10% body weight rule.  For example, if your puppy is 10 pounds, you feed him 1 pound of raw food per day.  Another rule people use for puppies is to feed them 2-3% of his expected adult body weight per day.  A puppy under 5 months old that is expected to grow into a 50 pound adult should eat between 1 to 1.5 pounds of raw food per day divided into 3 meals.  Dogs over 6 months of age only need to eat twice a day.  Don’t be too concerned if this is ambiguous compared to the detailed instructions commercial dog food provide.  Puppies under 4 months old are very good at self-regulating food intake and you will be able to take away leftover food.  As always, remember that you should be able to feel your dog’s ribs without being able to see all the ribs.

When transitting to raw food for dog, introduce raw food slowly into your dog’s diet over the course of three weeks.  Start with 1/20 raw diet (use lean meat like chicken and turkey at first) mixed with 19/20 of regular dog food and increase the proportion of raw food day by day until his meals are fully replaced by raw food.  When introducing raw bones, your dog may experience diarrhea or constipation as their systems adjust.  You can supplement with yogurt and probiotics for the first three weeks to help your dog build up enzymes that help digest raw food. 

In what form should the raw food for dog be in?

Whole prey model believe in serving food in whole, like organ meat including tripe, whole eggs, whole animals like chicken, rabbits or fish.  Others raw food for dog supporters are not as strict and serve slightly cut bits.  In general when using raw food for dog, you want to feed something that is bigger than the dog’s head to encourage chewing and prevent choking.  There is no need to grind bones or chop meat into small pieces and in doing so actually increases choke risk. 

You will also serve vegetables and fruits if you are following the BARF diet or other forms of the omnivore model.  Dogs cannot digest plants’ cell walls to get nutrients out of them.  So you need to crush veggies and fruits to destroy their cell walls before feeding to your dog.  The end product should represent vegetable matter found in the stomach of a prey animal.   

Other pointers when using raw food for dog

• What you want to feed is raw meaty bones that provide a good workout and force the dog to chew thoroughly.
• Avoid feeding small bony pieces like chicken wings, chicken backs and carcasses that have meat removed.
• Avoid feeding dense bones of large herbivores that can easily break a dog’s teeth.
• There is no need to feed grains to a dog.  Grains are not a natural food for dogs and are one of the major causes of allergies.
• When feeding wild game, first check thoroughly and remove all lead shots to prevent lead poisoning.  Then freeze the meat for 24 hours to kill any parasites.

• Wild rodents contain numerous parasites and diseases.  It is not recommended you feed squirrels, rats or mice to your dog unless you have a reliable clean supplier.
• Do not overdo organ meat when feeding raw food for dog.  It can lead to diarrhea and too much Vitamin A.
• Be careful when feeding fish to your dog.  Some salmons carry parasites that make dogs sick.  Carp, herring and catfish contain an enzyme that binds Vitamin B.
• Don’t be worried if your dog drinks less water after switching to a raw diet.  Raw food naturally has water that dry dog food doesn’t. 

Tips when handling raw food for dog

• Children and people with compromised immune systems should avoid handling raw food for dog.
• Feed your dog in a designated area that is easy to clean up and disinfect.  Don’t let your dog take raw food away from that area.
• Wash your hands with antibacterial soap after handing raw meat.
• Only thaw enough meat for 1 or 2 meals and through away leftovers.