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You may have encountered some confusing terms and jargon if you're new to raw feeding. In this blog post, I will summarize some of the most common raw feeding terms to help provide clarity and understanding. Whether you're a seasoned raw feeder looking for a refresher or a curious dog lover interested in learning more, this post is for you!
Raw Feeding Glossary
The following are common raw feeding terms used in the raw feeding community:
Anal Gland Expression: The manual emptying of a pet’s anal glands, which may be related to their diet.
Balance Over Time: Providing a variety of different foods over time to ensure a pet receives all necessary nutrients.
Base Mix: A base mix for homemade dog food includes pre-mixed veggies, supplements, and grains (in some recipes) to provide essential nutrients, complementing fresh proteins for balanced nutrition.
BARF Diet: An acronym for “Biologically Appropriate Raw Food” or “Bones and Raw Food,” which describes a diet that includes raw meat, bones, fruits, and vegetables.
Biologically Appropriate Diet: refers to a diet or lifestyle that mimics the natural biological needs and behaviors of a canine, promoting optimal health and well-being.
Bone Content: The amount of bone provided by various in a raw diet, important for calcium and phosphorus balance.
Bumblefoot: A bacterial infection that affects the feet or footpads of birds like poultry and waterfowl. It causes swelling, ulcers, and abscesses that appear as a large dark or black bump.
Carnivore: An animal that primarily consumes meat as its diet, such as cats and dogs.
Chewing: The act of grinding and breaking down raw meaty bones to promote dental health in pets.
Chub: A type of packaging commonly used for raw or wet dog food. It typically consists of a cylindrical-shaped tube made of soft, flexible food-safe material.
Complete and Balanced: A marketing term that refers to a pet food that meets the nutritional requirements set by AAFCO or another governing body.
Dehydrated: Food that has been gently dried to remove moisture while maintaining its nutritional value.
Digestibility: The ability of a pet’s digestive system to break down and absorb nutrients from food effectively.
DIY Raw Feeding: Preparing a pet's raw diet at home using fresh ingredients.
Enzymes: Natural compounds that aid in the breakdown and absorption of nutrients in a pet’s digestive system.
Facultative Carnivore: A term used to describe a carnivorous animal (a dog) that can survive on a diet of animal and plant-based foods.
Fasting: Intentionally skipping a meal to allow an adult dog's digestive system to rest and detoxify.
Food Energetics: A practice that explores the energetic properties of foods based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, categorizing them as warming or cooling to balance the body's energy for health.
Functional Mushrooms: Medicinal mushrooms that have health benefits like immune support, stress reduction, and energy enhancement due to their bioactive compounds and adaptogenic properties.
Frankenprey: A raw feeding method combining different parts of prey animals to mimic a balanced diet.
Freeze-Dried: A process of removing moisture from food without cooking, preserving nutrients and flavors.
Green Tripe: The nutrient-rich stomach lining of ruminant animals like cows, often fed to pets for its probiotic benefits.
Grind: Refers to the texture of raw meat, bones, and organs after processing in a grinder for easier feeding.
Holistic: Viewing something as a whole rather than a sum of its parts, considering all interconnected aspects for a comprehensive understanding or approach.
Homeopathy: A holistic medical practice based on “like cures like,” using highly diluted natural substances to stimulate the body's self-healing abilities.
Integrative Veterinarian: An veterinarian who combines conventional veterinary medicine with alternative therapies like acupuncture, herbal medicine, and chiropractic care to provide comprehensive and holistic treatment for animals.
Offal: Organ meats like liver, kidney, heart, and spleen, which are nutrient-rich and essential in a raw diet.
Meal Prep: Preparing and portioning raw meals in advance for convenience and consistency.
Medicinal Mushrooms: Fungi with therapeutic properties, such as immune modulation, anti-inflammatory effects, and antioxidant activity, used in traditional medicine and modern health practices.
Mince: Finely ground raw meat, bones, and organs that are easier for pets to consume.
Nutrient Seizure: A phenomenon where an animal consumes certain foods in excess due to nutrient deficiencies.
Topper: Adding a small amount of fresh food (raw, cooked, dehydrated, freeze-dried, or air-dried) to supplement a pet's regular diet.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Essential fats for pets’ skin, coat, and overall health, commonly found in fish and flaxseed.
Opportunistic Carnivore: An animal that must consume a diet consisting primarily or exclusively of animal-based food to meet nutritional requirements properly for optimal health and survival.
Prey Model Diet: A raw feeding approach that mimics a prey animal’s diet, consisting mainly of meat, bones, and organs.
PMR Diet: An acronym for “Prey Model Raw,” a raw feeding approach that focuses on feeding whole prey-like items.
Prey Model Plus: A raw feeding approach that combines the Prey Model Diet with additional plant matter.
Probiotics: Beneficial bacteria that support a healthy gut microbiome in pets fed a raw diet.
Raw Feeding: Feeding pets with raw, uncooked ingredients like meat, bones, and organs as their main diet.
Raw Food Coop: A group of individuals who come together to purchase raw food items in bulk directly from farmers or distributors to achieve cost savings and access to quality products.
Raw Meaty Bones: Bones covered in meat, commonly fed to pets as part of a raw diet.
Resource Guarding: Behavior where a pet becomes protective of their food, potentially seen during feeding times.
RMB: Raw Meaty Bone, a term used for bones covered in meat that are part of a raw diet.
Species-Appropriate Diet: A diet that closely matches the natural diet of a pet’s wild ancestors.
Taurine: An essential amino acid-like compound found in animal tissues, particularly abundant in meat and seafood. It plays a crucial role in various physiological processes, especially heart and eye health.
Transition Period: The gradual shift from a pet’s current diet to a raw food diet to avoid digestive upset.
Transitioning: Introducing raw food slowly into a pet’s diet to allow their digestive system to adjust.
Weaning: Transitioning young animals from their mother's milk to solid food, which can include raw options.
