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Welcome to Raw Foodie Friday where I'll be sharing recipes of what I feed to my dogs. Every week, I receive an email from someone who wants me to give them a balanced raw food recipe. I've attempted to do this many times in the past, and I found that I didn't have the experience; especially back when all of my raw meals were made with a base mix. Today, I make raw meals on the fly daily, and my dogs are thriving, and I'm excited to share those meals with others who need inspiration.
I no longer focus on balance per meal. Instead, I balance over time which allows me more flexibility. If I'm running low on an ingredient, I don't panic because my dogs' raw meals will be out of balance. Instead, I add something else and adjust their diet later in the week or the following week.
Ask yourself – do you eat a balanced diet each meal or per day?
So here is a meal that I fed recently…please feel free to ask questions in the comments.
Easy Raw Dog Food Recipe
Duck Frames
I order a case of duck frames a few times a year (in the spring and summer months) through our local raw food co-op. I love the ducks we get because despite being frames, they have more meat on them than I expected. The original plan was to grind up the frames and mix with muscle meat, organ meat, and fermented vegetables, but the dogs were curious so I decided to see how they'd do on whole raw (this was last year) and they did great! Why was I so worried? They loved the frames. So the next step was to figure out how many frames to give each dog, and I wondered if I needed to create a second meal with muscle meat, liver and offal to make their meal balanced.
How Many Duck Frames Per Dog?
I usually store six duck frames per package in the freezer. I'm currently looking for a different option than plastic freezer bags, so if you have ideas, I'm open.
- Rodrigo is 62 pounds – he gets two duck frames because he has a high metabolism and eats the most out of all of our dogs despite being the smallest in weight.
- Sydney is 75 pounds – she gets one duck frame and one duck neck
- Scout is 79 pounds – he gets two duck frames
- Zoey is 69 pounds – she gets one duck frame and one duck neck
What Do I Feed with the Duck Frames?
NOTHING!!! I don't add anything additional when the dogs eat duck frames. I balance my dogs' diet over time and not per meal. I find it easier to allow them the joy of chewing up their duck frames (classified as raw meaty bones), and I adjust their next meal to include more muscle meat and organ meat to make sure that they're getting all of the nutrients they require for the week.
Where do I Feed the Duck Frames?
I feed my dogs outside to avoid the mess. Don't tell J, but when he isn't home, I'll feed the dogs inside on a couple of layers of towels. J is supportive of feeding raw but has trouble with the dogs laying around and eating raw meat no matter the precautions I take, so I don't do this when he's home.
When the dogs are finished, I toss the towels into the wash and mop the floors with a mix of white vinegar, water, and a couple of drops of essential oils – I prefer lemon or orange.
Supplements for DIY Raw Feeding
I don't add anything additional to our dogs' meals, and that includes supplements. The dogs do, receive supplements four days a week in their regular ground meals. I believe that we should supplement our dogs' meals based on their individual needs, so no two of my dogs get the same set of supplements.
Supplements can be purchased, or they can be provided through whole food sources. For instance, I can buy a joint supplement, or I can support my dogs' joints by adding more duck feet, beef trachea, and other foods high in glucosamine. I tend to add both.
Sourcing for Raw Meat for My Dogs
I purchase everything for my dogs through a local raw food co-op.
