No More Allergies
A raw food diet boosts immune system health, helping dogs combat allergies.
Cleaner Teeth
Enjoying raw meaty bones satisfies the chew drive while cleaning teeth and freshening breath.
Healthy Weight
Raw fed dogs eat natural, unprocessed foods and have more energy and focus.
Smaller Poop
A raw diet is easier to digest, dogs absorb more nutrients, leading to smaller poop.
Gorgeous Coat
The healthy fatty acids and nutrients in a raw diet for dogs improves skin and coat health.
Fewer Vet Visits
Switching to raw reduced vet visits from every other month to annual check-ups.
Raw Dog Food Models
There are several ways to feed your dog a raw food diet. The three that I'm most familiar with are BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) Model, Prey Model, and FrankenBARF (a diet I created to explain how I feed my dogs).
BARF (biologically appropriate raw food) Model Raw Feeding is a raw food diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and supplements. This is where many raw feeders start because it's easy to incorporate and many pre-made raw brands are based on the BARF model of raw feeding. BARF Model raw feeders believe that fruits and vegetables are in important part of a dog's diet and provide many nutrients that are beneficial to our dogs' health.
65%-75% muscle meat
10%-15% bone
5% offal
5% liver
5%-10% vegetables, dairy
Prey Model Raw Feeding is a raw food diet that includes meat, organ meat, and bone. This model more closely resembles what wolves eat in the wild. Prey Model raw feeders believe that vegetables and fruit aren't necessary for a dog's diet and only serve as fillers.
Prey Model ratio:
80% muscle meat
10% bone
5% offal
5% liver
This is the model that I now feed to my dogs. It's a mixture of mostly BARF Model with some Prey Model. After more than three years of feeding raw, I have come to the conclusion that vegetables and fruit are a beneficial part of my dogs' diet. I also add supplements to their meals. However, sometimes I like to feed them based on the Prey Model to provide more variety.
FrankenBARF Model ratio:
80% muscle meat
10% bone
5% offal
5% liver
Vegetables, goats milk, raw eggs, supplements – all added in addition to the above to provide additional nutrients and satisfy each dog's specific needs.
What Keep the Tail Wagging Readers are Saying
Don't just take it from us, let our readers do the talking!
“Because of your inspiring ways and sharing of knowledge, today is Day 1 of true raw feeding into our pups' diet. Woot for Day 1!”
“Woo Hoo. Kimberly is awesome. I've learned soo much from her trials and reviews. It's an awesome blog.”
“Kimberley, I want you to know I think you are one of the most sensible and balanced sources of Canine nutrition on the internet.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get started feeding raw?
I recommend starting with a reputable premade raw brand. This will allow you to transition your dogs to raw dog food easily while providing you time to research the diet in case you'd like to make your dog's meals.
What premade raw brands do you recommend?
I feed our dogs several premade raw brands, many of which I can order through our local raw food co-op. The brands I prefer include…
Darwin's Natural Pet Products
Answers Pet Food
Vital Essentials Raw
Primal Pet
Columbia Pet Food
Northwest Naturals
Raw Paws Pet Food
Steve's Real Food
What proteins do you feed your dogs?
I like to add variety to our dogs' diet because I believe that each protein offers different nutrients. Our dogs eat the following proteins:
duck
turkey liver and hearts
rabbit
elk
venison
pork liver, heart, and kidneys
sardines and mackerel
green beef tripe
green bison tripe
lamb
quail
emu
Is balancing a dog's diet hard?
If you try and balance your dog's diet daily, it can become challenging. Instead, it's recommended that you balance your dog's diet over time. Humans don't eat a balanced diet at every meal, so it's not surprising that dogs don't either.
For my dogs, keep track of their poop and how they look and behave to determine what they need and I adjust their diet accordingly. My goal with my dogs is to attain the below ratio in their diet:
80% muscle meat (alternated weekly)
10% raw meaty bones (duck necks, turkey necks)
5% offal (secreting organs)
5% liver
10% veggies, eggs, and/or raw goat milk
What does A Quick Start Guide to Raw Feeding cover?
I've received many questions on how to transition a dog to raw feeding and I tried to cover everything that I do with our dogs, including:
Where I buy the ingredients for our dogs' meals.
The supplements I add to our dogs' meals.
Common recipes I've created for my dogs.
How I calculate how much to feed my dogs.
And more. A lot more.
I'm excited to provide this guide for free to my readers and I hope that it gives you more insight into raw feeding for dogs.
