How to Feed Your Dog a Raw Diet
The raw food diet for dogs is also known as the BARF diet, which stands for Bone and Raw Foods or Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods diet. It is based on the assumption that the healthiest diet for a dog is one that mimics how a dog eats in the wild. Proponents claim that the raw diet has many health benefits, and is better than feeding commercially-prepared cooked foods with additives, fillers or grains. Beginning your dog on a raw food diet can seem like a daunting task. However, once you decide this is the route you want to go, knowledge, preparation and good food sources can make it easier.
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Things You'll Need
- Stainless steel, lead-free glass or ceramic bowls
- Frozen, prepared raw food for dogs
- Raw organ meats
- Raw meats
- Raw bones with meat
- Raw vegetables
- Fruits
- Eggs
- Yogurt
- Cod liver oil
- Essential fatty acids
- Vitamin C
Instructions
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Pre-Made Raw Food Diet
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Purchase a pre-made raw food diet for your dog. Look in the frozen section at many specialty dog food stores as well as certain holistic supermarkets. Select a pre-made formula that contains muscle meats, meaty bones and calcium rich organic ingredients, organ meats and ground raw fruits and vegetables formed in patties, rolls or nuggets.
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Choose the protein that suits your dog the best. Choose your protein (formula) by addressing your pet's needs, such as allergies to certain proteins or sensitivities to foods, or if your dog likes a particular protein. Choose a manufacturer's diet formula of chicken, turkey, beef, pork, rabbit, bison, fish and others.
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Transition your dog into the diet. Start slowly for finicky or sensitive dogs. Fast your dog for one day prior to starting, if you like, or incorporate small amounts of the raw meat diet into the dog's existing food.
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Read the guidelines on the packaging to understand the appropriate amount of food to feed your dog, which is based on its weight. Start off with manufacturer's suggestions, and make adjustments as necessary. Watch your dog's signals to see what it prefers, either one meal or twice a day. Feed only one meal per day if it rejects the second meal.
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Rotate the manufacturer's different formulas for variety, as well as your dog can tolerate them. Choose one meat for a week or two, then alternate other formulas, keeping in mind the importance of feeding a variety of proteins (formulas) to your dog.
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Keep food frozen at all times. Thaw only a few days' portion of food in the refrigerator overnight. Use all thawed food before the fifth day, at the very latest. Smell the food to see if it is still okay.
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Feed in a stainless steel, lead-free or ceramic bowl. Pick up any remaining food that the dog does not eat, and discard.
Homemade Diet
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Research books or online for recipes to use for a homemade diet. Every dog is different and there is a learning curve to preparing meals that work best for your dog.
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Purchase meat, bones, organs, oils, vegetables and supplements to use to prepare the diet. Visit a butcher shop or farm and ask for appropriate cuts of meats or organs. Select one meat for a week or two, then alternate other formulas, keeping in mind the importance of feeding a variety of proteins (formulas) to your dog.
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Chop both raw meats and muscle meats. Grind raw vegetables to a pulp and mix with meats. Add supplements, such as kelp and alfalfa, cod liver oil, essential fatty acids and Vitamin C as per your chosen recipe. Include in the raw diet, eggs with shells, fruit and yogurt. Freeze or keep refrigerated for up to five days.
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Feed meaty, raw bones, such as chicken necks, or knuckles bones with lots of meat as part of the diet as a major source of calcium and to keep pets' teeth clean and gums healthy. Feed daily or a few times a week, as desired.
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Feed in a stainless steel, lead-free or ceramic bowl. Pick up any remaining food that the dog does not eat, and discard. Follow suggested guidelines of amount to feed at approximately 2 to 4 percent of your dog's weight, and adjust from there. Remember that every dog is different, so feed only the amount that keeps your pet at optimal weight.
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Tips & Warnings
Give puppies non-weight-bearing bones, as their teeth are not fully formed and can't handle thicker bones.
Provide fresh water to your dog at all times.
Keep oils refrigerated.
Thawed meat will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Never microwave frozen food to thaw.
Never feed cooked bones, as they can splinter and cause injury.
Do not leave food out between meals as it will spoil.
Wash your hands before and after handling raw meats.
Clean up any surfaces in which raw food has come into contact, including dog food bowls.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hungry dog scavenging food image by Charles Jacques from Fotolia.com
