The Basics of a Prey Model Raw Diet for Dogs

First and foremost if you are reading this post I want to say “Thank you!” on behalf of your dog. Just the fact that you are exploring a raw diet for your dog means that you are taking the steps to giving them a healthier, happier and longer life. You have also probably been bombarded with counter-productive information that is holding you back from making the switch to a raw diet. Should you give vegetables? How much should I feed? Am I going to mess this up? All these questions and more are going to be answered in this very simplified post on The Basics of a Raw Diet for Dogs.

1. Your dog’s overall diet should consist of:

80% Meat

10% Bone

10% Organ (5% Liver, 5% other)

And that means, you guessed it, no vegetables, fruits, or carbs are needed for your dog to thrive. A dog's biological design is not made to digest such waste, and therefore, they are completely useless. Now, at first sight you may say to yourself “I hate percentages! What does this mean?!” All this means is that your dog should be fed MOSTLY meat, some bone, and about the same amount of organ as bone, half of that amount being liver, and the other half being another organ. What this ratio doesn’t mean is that you literally have to calculate your dog’s daily intake, and then multiply it by .80, .10, .5, and .5 and then weigh everything, and then put it in a bowl. I promise, you will not mess up your dog if you don’t have the ratios perfectly perfect 100% of the time. Most dogs don’t even stick to this ratio. Some dogs need more bone in order to have firm stool, some need less bone. You will determine all that in time and practice by just being observant of your dog. Remember: These ratios are to describe your dog's overall diet, not every meal.

2. In a day, you should feed 2-3% of your dog’s Ideal body weight:

What will your puppy grow to weigh? What should your overweight dog weigh? These are the questions you ask yourself when determining the amount of food to give per day. Give 2% of that weight if they are on the lazier side, and give 3% if they are on the more active side. Again, these are just guidelines and most dogs do not abide by the rules! Some dogs need 1.5% in order to stay lean, and other dogs are so active they need 4%. I repeat: You will learn these things as you go. You do not need to be a master Raw feeder the first day. It takes practice like everything else!

3. You should start with Chicken for 2-3wks, then slowly integrate other proteins over 2-3wk intervals:

All this means is feed your dog chicken boneless and bone in until their poop is a good consistency. Don’t over think your dog’s poop! Do you have someone examining your poop every day looking for imperfections? That would just be weird! Once you see your dog have a normal looking poop (meaning not diarrhea, and not straining for 10min hard as rocks) then you’re ready to introduce another protein. Once you’ve introduced 2 proteins I would say you can start giving small amounts of organ. Start small with rich meat such as liver, as an overload too soon will give a diarrhea spell. BUT, if this happens, it is not the end of the world! Just cut back on it next time, and give a bit more bone to firm him up. Your overall goal is to have three staple proteins that he gets weekly (ie chicken, beef and pork) with fish being fed 1-2 times a week, as well as including other various proteins as you can afford/come upon them. I will say it again: It’s a learning process! Rome was not built in a day!

4. Do you have a big dog or a little dog?

If you have a small dog, you’re lucky! Small dogs can eat, digest, and benefit from a raw diet just like a big dog can. Only difference? Smaller food! Instead of feeding large bones like turkey necks, you feed smaller bones (which are usually more available) like chicken necks and chicken wings. Eventually you should be able to hand your small dog a whole rabbit and he would eat it just like a larger dog would. Only difference? It may last him 3-4 days as a larger dog probably only enjoys it for 1-2 days! Lucky small dogs..

5. Do not mix raw and kibble when transitioning/Do not feed cooked bones:

Unlike switching from kibble to kibble, once you decide to give your dog raw meat you can kiss the kibble good-bye. If you mix the two, it could mean digestive upset and potential gastrointestinal problems! Why? Because the acidity levels needed in the gut to break down kibble is way different than that needed to break down raw food. Meaning, they digest at different rates. It’s just overall not good so stay away from that! Also, never give your dog cooked bones. These are the horror stories you hear about dogs choking on bones, bones splintering, etc. Cooking completely alters the make-up of bone and makes it brittle and pretty nutrient-lacking to say the least so just remember to feed RAW everything and you will be ay-okay!

And there you have it! The Basics of a Raw Diet for Dogs summed up into just five key points! No fuss, no muss. If you’ve made it this far I feel you are ready to take the plunge into the raw diet world! I can’t reiterate this enough: You will not know every little thing about a raw diet before you start. You will not get everything perfect all the time. But guess what? Your dog will thank you any way! And he wont be harmed! I promise!

If you have any dog related (or raw feeding specific) questions, feel free to ask me! I am here to answer all your questions and no question is a bad one.

Thank you all for reading!

K9SavvyGirl

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