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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 raw meal. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments.
Easy Raw Dog Food Recipe
Whole Rabbit and Raw Eggs
Whole rabbit
By whole rabbit, I mean that the meat and bone weren't ground before feeding the rabbit to the dogs. My rabbit supplier had an overstock of whole rabbit and offered it to me FOR FREE. This is the first time that I received free raw, and I'm so excited because the dogs loved it. Feeding whole raw has several benefits, and I'm thankful to fellow raw feeders who inspired me to make this switch (to adding whole raw to my dogs' diet) a couple of years ago.
Whole raw dog food slows down my dogs so that their gut isn't hit with a ton of food at once. The opportunity to chew seems to release endorphins because my dogs are super relaxed and calm after meal time. And chewing up the bones and meat helps to keep their teeth clean and white while strengthening their jaw and shoulder muscles.
Raw egg
I treat raw eggs as a multi-vitamin because they're packed full of nutrients. One thing I learned recently is that it doesn't matter if you feed raw eggs or boiled eggs – the act of cooking the egg doesn't change the nutrient profile by much – crazy, right? I choose to feed raw eggs because it's easy, however, if I had smaller dogs, I would boil the egg to allow me to feed in separate servings.
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- Boiled Egg
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- Raw Egg
Not only are raw eggs a good source of protein and fat, but they also add Vitamin A, B12, and D to our dogs' diet. Eggs support the heart, eyes, skin and coat, and the liver.
Supplements for DIY Raw Feeding
Although I didn't add supplements to this meal, I believe that we should add supplements to our dog's meals based on their individual needs. While each of my dogs is different, I believe that all of my dogs benefit from the following supplements, which I add to their meals at least four days a week:
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.
