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Whether you’re new to raw feeding or looking for fresh ideas, these simple raw dog food recipes can help you build practical meals using ingredients commonly available in New Zealand.
Raw feeding can be as simple or as complicated as you make it. If your kitchen currently resembles a small meat laboratory, take a breath—it doesn’t need to!
This guide covers practical raw dog food meal ideas, common ingredients, batch preparation and safe storage for New Zealand dog owners.
A meal can contain plenty of good ingredients without automatically being nutritionally complete.
The recipes and meal ideas below are intended to show different ways raw ingredients can be used. They are not universal complete-and-balanced formulas for every dog.
A dog’s nutritional requirements can change according to their age, size, health, activity and life stage. Puppies, pregnant dogs and dogs with medical conditions require particular care.
If you want to formulate a complete homemade diet from scratch, ask your veterinarian or a suitably qualified canine nutrition professional for a recipe designed for your dog.
Prefer to have the preparation taken care of? Explore our Ready-Made Raw Dog Food Meals.
Depending on the feeding plan, a raw meal may include a combination of:
Muscle meat
An appropriate edible-bone or mineral component
Liver
Other secreting organs
Tripe
Fish
Eggs
Selected dog-safe vegetables and fruit
Toppers or supplements where they serve a genuine nutritional purpose
Different ingredients contribute different nutrients, which is why a bowl containing only boneless meat is not considered a balanced raw diet.
A commonly used prey-model framework is:
80% muscle meat
10% edible bone
10% organ, often divided between liver and another secreting organ
This is commonly shortened to 80:10:10.
It can provide a useful structure for adult raw feeding, but the ratio alone does not guarantee that every vitamin, mineral and essential fatty-acid requirement is being met.
This is particularly important for puppies. Growing dogs should not be fed according to a generic adult ratio without ensuring the overall diet is appropriate for growth.
For owners new to homemade raw feeding, the easiest starting point is often a prepared raw blend containing meat, bone and organ in stated proportions.
Use:
An appropriate daily portion of a prepared raw blend
A small amount of green tripe for variety
An optional natural topper such as thawed bone broth
Choose a product suited to your feeding plan and check its ingredients so you know exactly what it contains.
Use our Raw Dog Food Feeding Calculator to estimate an adult dog’s starting portion.
One of the enjoyable parts of raw feeding is the variety of proteins available.
Rather than combining everything in the freezer into one heroic bowl, introduce different proteins gradually and rotate them over time.
Your rotation might include:
Beef or veal
Chicken or duck
Lamb
Fish
Goat or venison
Possum, rabbit, hare or kangaroo
Each meal should still follow your dog’s overall feeding plan. Rotating proteins does not replace the need for appropriate bone, organs, fats, vitamins and minerals.
For dogs that are new to raw food—or those with sensitive digestion—introduce one unfamiliar protein at a time. That makes it considerably easier to work out what suits them.
Preparing food in batches can make homemade raw feeding much easier, particularly in a multi-dog household.
Start with your dog’s approximate daily requirement.
Many healthy adult dogs begin somewhere around 2–3% of their ideal body weight per day, but this is only a starting point.
Age, activity, body condition, metabolism and the energy content of the food all matter.
For more detailed guidance, read our Raw Dog Feeding Guide NZ.
Select the meat, bone or mineral component, organs and any other ingredients included in your dog’s established feeding plan.
Check whether a product already contains bone or organs before adding more. Two raw products can look very similar while containing quite different ingredients.
Divide the food into daily or meal-sized portions.
Label each container with:
Protein type
Portion weight
Preparation date
Any additional ingredients
Future-you will be grateful when confronted by six identical frozen containers.
Freeze the portions you won’t use immediately and defrost them safely in the refrigerator as needed.
Browse our Bulk Raw Dog Food NZ range for individual proteins available in larger quantities.
Bone broth can add moisture, flavour and variety to an established diet.
Simply thaw an appropriate amount and pour it over your dog’s usual meal.
Bone broth can be especially useful for dogs that prefer a little extra moisture or encouragement at mealtime. It should be used as a topper rather than assumed to make an otherwise incomplete diet balanced.
Always check that the broth is intended for pets and does not contain ingredients such as onion or excessive salt.
For a simple occasional topper:
Pour pet-appropriate goat milk into an ice-cube tray.
Add a small dog-safe extra such as a blueberry if desired.
Freeze until solid.
Offer in an amount suitable for your dog.
Introduce goat milk gradually, as not every dog tolerates dairy equally well.
Remember that toppers and treats add calories. They should complement the main diet rather than gradually take over the bowl.
Some raw feeding approaches include plant ingredients and others don’t.
Dog-safe options can include small amounts of:
Pumpkin
Carrot
Broccoli
Spinach
Courgette
Blueberries
Apple with the core and seeds removed
Finely chopping, blending or lightly preparing vegetables may make them easier for dogs to digest.
Fruit contains natural sugar, so only small quantities are needed.
Vegetables and fruit can add fibre and variety, but adding a handful of vegetables does not automatically turn an incomplete meat-based meal into a balanced diet.
Eggs are a useful whole-food addition for many dogs and provide protein, amino acids, fats and micronutrients.
They can be included occasionally as part of an established feeding plan.
If using eggshell as a calcium source in a homemade diet, the quantity needs to be calculated appropriately. Adding an arbitrary amount of crushed shell does not guarantee correct calcium or mineral balance.
Fish can provide protein and valuable fatty acids.
Suitable choices may include salmon and sardines, depending on your dog’s overall diet and individual needs.
Check whether the fish contains bone and account for that within the feeding plan. Introduce new fish gradually and avoid heavily salted, seasoned or smoked products.
Puppies are not simply smaller adult dogs.
They require carefully controlled energy and an appropriate balance of nutrients—including calcium and phosphorus—to support growth.
A generic adult raw ratio should not be assumed to meet the requirements of a growing puppy, particularly a large-breed puppy.
If you want to prepare homemade raw food for a puppy, use a properly formulated growth recipe created by a qualified professional. Otherwise, choose a product specifically formulated for growth and follow the manufacturer’s feeding guidance.
For many healthy adult dogs, approximately 2–3% of ideal body weight per day is commonly used as a starting range.
For example, a 20kg adult dog might begin somewhere between 400g and 600g per day.
The correct amount depends on:
Body condition
Activity
Age
Metabolism
Desexing status
The fat and calorie content of the food
Whether treats and toppers are also being fed
Monitor your dog’s body condition and adjust the amount gradually rather than treating a percentage as a permanent rule.
Raw animal products should be handled with the same care you would use for raw meat prepared for your household.
Store frozen raw dog food at a suitable freezer temperature until it is required.
Place the next portion in the fridge to thaw rather than leaving it on the bench for extended periods.
Wash hands, bowls, knives, utensils, containers and preparation surfaces thoroughly after contact with raw meat.
Remove food that has been sitting at room temperature and clean the bowl after feeding.
Young children, pregnant people, older adults and immunocompromised individuals may face greater risks from pathogens associated with raw animal products.
New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries provides standards and information concerning the microbiological safety of raw meat pet food. The WSAVA nutrition resources also explain nutritional and food-safety considerations associated with homemade and raw diets.
Homemade raw feeding offers flexibility and control, but it also makes you responsible for the nutritional suitability of the overall diet.
It may suit you if you:
Understand the role of the different ingredients
Enjoy preparing and portioning food
Have sufficient freezer space
Want to select individual proteins
Are prepared to follow a properly formulated feeding plan
If you would rather skip the calculations and preparation, our Ready-Made Raw Meals offer convenient portions based on dog weight.
If you enjoy building your own meals or feed several dogs, explore our Bulk Raw Dog Food and Raw Dog Food Value Boxes.
Start with a clear feeding plan, understand what each product contains and introduce new ingredients gradually.
Keep an eye on your dog’s weight and body condition, practise good food hygiene and ask for qualified advice when you need it.
Your dog may still behave as though every meal required hours of hunting and personal sacrifice. We won’t tell them otherwise.
Can dogs eat venison? Our NZ guide covers wild venison for dogs, novel proteins, 80:10:10 mince vs boneless meat, nutrition, sourcing, feeding and raw-food safety.
Can dogs eat horse meat? Our NZ guide covers horse meat for dogs, novel proteins, lean boneless raw meat, nutrition, feeding amounts, dietary balance and safe raw feeding.
Can dogs eat hare? Our NZ guide explains wild hare for dogs, hare vs rabbit, novel proteins, whole-hare raw food, meat, bone and organ, plus practical feeding, sourcing and safety advice.
