top of page
Updated: Jan 20, 2023
My Raw Food Journey
Growing up with dogs in the 70’s and 80’s, our dogs were fed a combination of bones from the butcher, scraps and left-overs. They all lived long healthy lives.
This is how my Grandparents also fed their dogs and back then Veterinary teeth cleaning, dog allergies and cancers etc were not even considered.
That is not to say that allergies and cancers etc were not around but they seem so prevalent today. Taking a dog to the Vets to get their teeth cleaned was unheard of.
Binky at 14 has never had his teeth cleaned and his Vet always comments how amazing they look and that she see dogs as young as 2 with worse looking teeth.
So as an un-qualified but experienced raw feeder this is why we advocate a raw or natural way of feeding. Binky moved on to fresh cooked food some months ago due to aging and health issues attributed to age. For a large dog (38kgs) 14 is a very good age, however in my mind I wanted him to break the oldest dog in the world record.
Why choose RAW
The raw diet is both biological & species appropriate
There are over 8 million species on Earth & only 1, chooses to eat cooked & processed food.
When looking at the various species that are given processed foods. You see a huge % rise in obesity, dental decay, illness & cancers.
That is not to say there are not some good reasons to feed kibble instead of raw. If your lifestyle really cannot work around raw. Also, a badly managed raw diet is far worse than a good quality kibble.
My go to kibble if you cannot do raw is Orijen - 2
2022 Sadly Orijen sold out to Mars :(
They (in my opinion) do not have a good reputation for supplying decent food either for dogs or humans, so I can no longer in good faith recommend Orijen.
You can research various dog foods on the below link. When looking at ingredients, look for the % of meat, anything that says derivatives is not what you want to be feeding your dog www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk
So why are so many Vets not pro raw feeding.
The simple answer is, we do not do it properly.
If you feed incorrectly you can damage your dog’s health.
One of the biggest mistakes that Vets see is – Feeding too much bone. If the bone content is too high, it can compact itself in the intestine & then will need an operation to rectify. The other issue seen is malnutrition, we cannot feed just 1 protein and think that is balanced.
Oh golly now it sounds difficult.
It really is not difficult. There are a few rules to follow, which are listed below. I follow these guidelines but over the month not daily, sometimes my dogs will have a week of eating only beef but over a month they will have a mix of proteins. I also make sure that if my dog had a pig’s trotter for a meal, that for the next couple of meals they have boneless food, so not overloading them with bone & when they have liver – do not feed the months or weeks’ worth in one go as this will cause explosive bottoms.
Over the course of a month, you need to be aiming to be feeding at least 4 meat proteins & 1 oily fish EG: -
Chicken – Lamb – Rabbit – Pork – Salmon Beef – Mutton – Duck – Venison – Trout
Turkey – Horse – Buffalo – Hare - Sprats
A simple ratio to follow is: - 80% muscle meat (including Heart, Tripe & eggs) 10% bone 5% offal 5% liver
You should be aiming to be feeding between 1.5 - 2.5% of your Adult dogs weight per day
Below is a link to where we shop, which has a handy calculator - for those that are unsure.
The most important thing to always remember
Dogs DO NOT NEED GRAIN = NO NO NO
A dog’s digestion is not designed to cope with grain. Many cheap & middle, of the road kibbles, bulk out the ingredients with grain– such as wheat, corn, rice None of these are species appropriate. A dog is a scavenger so will probably eat most things, however if they are starving & unable to scavenge, they will lay down & die in a corn, wheat, rice paddy field.
That should tell us all we need to know about dogs not wanting/needing this in their diet.
Tripe is a super food for dogs so I make sure my dogs have at least 2 meals a week of this.
It must be GREEN TRIPE Yes, it is stinky, lamb is the worst. Just pop a peg on your Nose & remember how grateful your dog will be. Eggs are also a great food & I feed at least twice a week. Raw egg with the shell is the best.
Things to remember
Any fruits & vegetables added to the diet are extras & not part of the calculation of their daily requirement. I like to feed fruits & veg both fresh and defrosted & add to their meals. On hot days I do not defrost so it is like ice lollies for them.
Rule of thumb regarding bones: -
If your dog could take the animal down in the wild, then it can eat all the bones. If your dog could not do this, then no weight bearing bones.
EG:- chicken = eat everything
Cow = no to leg bones
(they can eat the marrow but then remove the bone & throw away)
Bones are safe when raw, they become deadly when cooked
I am also a great believer in adding SmartBarf I add the equivalent of a tablespoon weekly as opposed to their recommendations which would work out way to expensive for us.
We are also great fans of HEDGEROW HOUNDS - Natures Bounty
A blend of herbs, botanicals, seeds to help the body repel fleas & ticks
Follow the simple rules & you will never look back + you will have the happiest healthiest dog
Understanding Human Grade Meat
All meat sold for human or animal consumption within the EU must be Human Grade
However there are differences, as a rule most meat for human consumption is known as
Category A meat
This is not a grade on quality but on cuts of the meat.
Most meat for dog consumption is category C Category A = Fillet, Sirloin etc Category C = Testicles, Cheek, Lung etc
Why must meat be frozen?
The biggest reason for freezing meat is to kill off bacteria's & microbes
You must freeze for a minimum of 1 week all meat bought from a supermarket
The biggest misconception of meat quality
DEFRA HAVE FAR STRICTER RULES FOR MEAT QUALITY BEING FED TO ANIMALS
THAN THE FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY (FSA) HAVE FOR MEAT SOLD FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION
WHY = WE COOK OUR MEAT SO THE FSA ALLOW MORE BACTERIA AS IT WILL BE KILLED IN THE COOKING PROCESS
But what about the GERMS 🤢
Forget about what germs you may get from raw & let’s focus on what germs we already get from dogs.
Ok so they walk on pavements. These pavements are wee’d & pooped on by other dogs but also humans. Especially men weeing after the pub. Then there is vomit. Oh yes how much vomit has gone over our pavements. So after we have walked along these pavements. We get home & possibly take our shoes off. Dogs don’t take their paws off, they get in, walk all over your floors get on the sofa. Lick their paws & whilst cleaning their paws they have a bit of a butt lick for good measure. Then your children arrive home from school. Play on the floor, sit on the sofa playing & loving your dog. You have visitors who sit on the sofa, stroke kiss cuddle your dog. Guess what, you're are all alive & kicking having suffered no ill effects from all those germs walked into your house daily. So Germs is not something I have ever worried about re RAW feeding. Just practice normal hygiene whilst preparing the food as you do when preparing your own dinner.
& FINALLY,
All dogs are different some may need more food some may need less. Just remember it is not an exact science - look at your dog & judge accordingly
For more info:
Where I buy much of my RAW, ran by 2 very experienced qualified ladies, who will always help to point you in the right direction - https://www.greensforhealthypets.co.uk/
&
REAL FOOD THAT DOGS WERE BORN TO LOVE
Dogs enjoy eating natural, raw food. Chewing on a bone or our chunky minces is what their teeth were designed for and it gives their jaws a great work out. Raw food gives dogs immense pleasure when eating and contributes to improved oral hygiene, digestion and better coats and skin. From our facility in the heart of Devon, we send over 20 tonnes of raw food every week to dogs all over the country. All meat is hand picked from around Devon, Cornwall and The South West before being packaged by hand, frozen and delivered within 24/48 hours Tuesday – Friday.
Or once a month in their Own Van - Hampshire is the FIRST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH
bottom of page