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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 recent recipe…please feel free to ask questions in the comments.
Easy Raw Dog Food Recipe
Ground Duck Wings, Veggies, and Quail Eggs
Ground duck wings
I order two cases of duck wings (20 pounds each) and one case of duck necks (30 pounds) monthly through our local raw food co-op. I ground the duck wings because I'm nervous about my dogs eating the drummettes – I've found some sharp pieces in their poop, so now I grind. I leave the duck necks whole for the crunch and slight teeth cleaning benefits.
Organ blend
I have a hard time finding a good variety of organs (offal) so I add an organ blend from GreenTripe.com. The organ blend is a “freshly frozen blend of beef heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and pancreas with green tripe,” and comes in a 2-pound chub. I order this by the case.
Fermented vegetables
When I do meal prep, I thaw several packages of the protein of the week and mix it with fermented vegetables. I feed fermented vegetables instead of a standard vegetable mix because I'm not only getting the antioxidants, nutrients, and fiber, I'm also getting a natural source of probiotics which helps to promote a healthy gut biome. Many of the longest living pets are credited with having a healthy gut biome so that is my main focus when feeding my dogs.
Quail eggs
I have been seeing raw meals with quail eggs for years and decided to see how my dogs would like them. I found several local sources on the Facebook Marketplace and purchased two “cartons” from someone nearby. They are so small – a lot smaller than I realized. The shell is kind of soft, but my dogs weren't interested.
Given the size, I wondered if it's even worth feeding my dogs quail eggs; maybe these are just a novelty. But I did some research and found that quail eggs are a great protein source, with more protein than chicken eggs. And that's not all! I read that quail eggs also have six times Vitamin B1 and fifteen times Vitamin B2. The nutrients in quail eggs…
- boost the immune system
- prevents chronic disease
- improves vision
- boosts the metabolism
- increases energy
I don't plan to swap quail eggs for chicken eggs, but I do plan to add them as a regular part of my dogs' diet.
Raw Dog Food Ingredients
- 40 pounds of ground duck wings
- 4 2- pound chubs of the organ blend
- 4 containers of fermented vegetables
- duck necks and quail eggs are added when I'm feeding the dogs; amount depends on my mood that day, what I have available (if I'm running low on dog food, I'll supplement by adding more duck necks, for example)
Supplements for DIY Raw Feeding
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. However, I do believe that all of my dogs need the following:
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.
