Updated August 2026
Raw feeding has become increasingly popular with Kiwi dog owners looking for more choice over what goes into their dog's bowl.
But if you're new to raw dog food, it can also feel a little overwhelming.
How much do you feed? Do dogs need bone? What about organs? Should you choose ready-made meals or build your own? And where do some of the more unusual proteins like goat, venison, possum and kangaroo fit in?
The good news is that raw feeding doesn't need to be complicated.
At The Raw Dog Food Co, we believe in keeping things practical: quality ingredients, plenty of variety, sensible feeding and options that work for both the dog and the person filling the bowl.
This guide covers the basics of raw dog food in New Zealand, the different ways you can feed raw, choosing proteins, food safety, getting started and where to find more detailed feeding guidance.
At its simplest, raw dog food uses uncooked animal-based ingredients as the foundation of the diet.
Depending on the feeding style, a raw diet may contain a combination of:
There isn't just one way to feed raw.
Some owners prefer ready-made meals because most of the preparation has been done for them.
Others enjoy choosing individual ingredients and building their dog's meals themselves.
And plenty of Kiwi dog owners sit somewhere in the middle.
There are plenty of reasons people decide to explore raw food.
For some, it's simply about knowing what they're feeding.
For others, it's the ability to choose individual proteins, rotate ingredients, avoid particular foods or have more control over their dog's diet.
Raw feeding can also offer an incredible amount of variety.
Instead of eating the same flavour or protein every day, dogs can enjoy everything from traditional proteins such as beef, chicken and lamb through to New Zealand wild proteins like goat, venison and possum.
Some owners particularly enjoy being able to see the ingredients they're putting into their dog's bowl.
Ultimately, though, the best diet is the one that is nutritionally appropriate for your individual dog and practical for your household.
One thing we love about raw feeding is that it can be adapted to suit different dogs and different households.
Ready-made raw dog food can be one of the easiest ways to get started.
The ingredients have already been combined, portioning is simpler and there is far less preparation involved.
This can be particularly useful for:
Always check the individual product description so you know whether a meal is intended as a complete diet or as one component of a broader feeding plan.
More experienced raw feeders often enjoy building their own meals.
This might involve selecting:
DIY feeding gives you plenty of flexibility, but it also means taking responsibility for the nutritional balance of the overall diet.
You may also see ratios such as 80:10:10 used within raw feeding.
This generally refers to a prey-model style ratio of approximately:
80% meat
10% bone
10% organ
Products based on ratios like this can make building meals easier, but a feeding ratio by itself doesn't automatically guarantee that every vitamin and mineral requirement is being met for every dog or life stage.
This is particularly important when feeding growing puppies.
A good raw diet isn't simply a bowl full of steak.
Different animal tissues provide different nutrients, which is why variety and balance matter.
Muscle meat provides high-quality animal protein along with fats, vitamins and minerals.
Depending on the cut and animal, the nutritional profile can vary enormously.
Lean goat, for example, is very different from a fattier cut of lamb.
That variety can be useful when choosing foods to suit the individual dog.
Organs are extremely nutrient dense and are generally fed in smaller amounts than muscle meat.
Liver and kidney, for example, provide important vitamins and minerals.
Because organs are so nutrient rich, feeding more isn't necessarily better. They should form an appropriate proportion of the overall diet.
Although we often think of heart alongside organs, nutritionally it is generally treated more like a muscle meat.
Heart is a useful source of protein and contains naturally occurring nutrients including taurine, iron and B vitamins.
Tripe is the stomach lining of grazing animals such as cattle, sheep and goats.
It provides another source of animal protein and is incredibly popular with many dogs.
Humans are generally rather less enthusiastic about the smell!
Some raw feeding approaches include appropriate raw meaty bones or bone-containing foods.
Bone can contribute minerals including calcium and phosphorus, but bone selection matters.
The size and type should be appropriate for the dog, and dogs should always be supervised when chewing bones.
Very hard bones can damage teeth, while inappropriate pieces can create choking or digestive risks.
Cooked bones should never be fed.
One of the advantages of raw feeding is the sheer variety of animal proteins available.
A dog's diet doesn't necessarily need to revolve around beef and chicken.
Depending on availability, you can explore proteins such as:
You don't need to feed every protein every day.
For many dogs, variety can be introduced across the diet over time.
Wild and less commonly fed proteins are a big part of what we do at The Raw Dog Food Co.
You may have heard the term novel protein used when talking about dog food.
A novel protein is essentially a protein that a particular dog hasn't commonly eaten before.
That means what counts as novel depends on the dog's feeding history.
For many New Zealand dogs, less commonly fed options might include:
These proteins are a great way to introduce variety and are also commonly explored by owners who want alternatives to heavily used proteins such as chicken or beef.
If your dog has a suspected food allergy or intolerance, however, it's worth talking to your veterinarian before trying to create your own elimination diet.
Explore our Wild & Novel Protein Raw Dog Food range for our current selection of less commonly fed proteins.
We're incredibly fortunate in New Zealand to have access to a diverse range of quality animal proteins.
Alongside our farmed proteins, New Zealand also gives us access to wild game that simply isn't commonly available in many other countries.
That allows Kiwi raw feeders to build genuine variety into their dog's diet.
When you're choosing raw dog food, look beyond the front of the packet.
Consider:
Two products labelled raw dog food can be nutritionally very different.
Neither approach is automatically better.
It really depends on you and your dog.
You want convenience, simple portions and less food preparation.
It's also a great option if you're new to raw feeding and don't want to immediately become an expert in every cut of meat in the freezer!
You enjoy controlling individual ingredients, have multiple dogs, buy food in bulk or already have a good understanding of raw feeding.
Many experienced raw feeders use a combination of both.
They might use convenient ready-made meals during busy days and individual raw ingredients at other times.
There is no prize for making feeding more complicated than it needs to be.
This is an area where different raw feeding philosophies vary.
Some raw feeders include vegetables and fruit while others don't.
Dog-safe vegetables can provide fibre and a range of naturally occurring plant nutrients.
Common options include:
Small amounts of dog-safe fruit can also be included.
Blueberries are a particularly easy option and make a handy little treat straight from the freezer.
Fruit contains natural sugars, so it doesn't need to form a large part of the diet.
Eggs are another easy whole-food addition for many dogs.
They provide high-quality protein, essential amino acids, fats and a range of micronutrients.
They can be fed as an occasional addition to a varied diet.
If you're using eggshell specifically as a calcium source in a homemade diet, remember that nutritional balance matters — adding a little shell doesn't automatically make an otherwise incomplete diet balanced.
Natural toppers can add flavour, moisture and variety without turning every meal into a science experiment.
Popular options include:
Bone broth is an easy way to add extra moisture and flavour to a meal.
It can be poured over raw food once thawed and is particularly useful for dogs that enjoy a little extra something in their bowl.
Goat milk is another popular natural topper.
It can be poured over food or offered separately in an appropriate amount.
Introduce any new food gradually and monitor how your individual dog responds.
Supplements are best chosen for a reason rather than simply added because more must be better.
Your dog's basic diet should provide the nutritional foundation.
You can then consider specific products based on your dog's diet, age and individual needs.
Browse our Natural Dog Supplements & Toppers for the options currently available.
This is probably the question we get asked more than any other.
Many adult dogs start somewhere around 2–2.5% of body weight per day, but that's only a starting point.
The correct amount depends on factors including:
A lean, very active dog may require considerably more food than a less active dog of exactly the same weight.
Rather than duplicating all the feeding tables here, we've created a dedicated guide covering portions, feeding by weight, puppies and meal frequency.
Read our Raw Dog Feeding Guide NZ – How Much Raw Food Should I Feed?
Puppies aren't simply small adult dogs.
They're growing rapidly and have specific requirements for energy, calcium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Getting nutritional balance right is particularly important during growth, especially for larger breeds.
If you're preparing a puppy's meals yourself, don't rely solely on a generic percentage or an 80:10:10 ratio and assume everything is covered.
Use an appropriately formulated diet or seek guidance from your veterinarian or a suitably qualified canine nutrition professional if you're unsure.
Our Raw Dog Feeding Guide NZ contains more practical information about feeding growing puppies.
There isn't one transition method that suits every dog.
Some healthy adult dogs change foods quickly without difficulty.
Others are better with a gradual introduction.
If you'd prefer to transition slowly, start by replacing a small amount of the existing diet with the new food and gradually increase it.
Whatever approach you take, we recommend keeping the beginning fairly simple.
Introducing:
five proteins + tripe + organs + goat milk + bone broth + three supplements
all on day one might be exciting, but it makes it very difficult to work out what your dog does or doesn't tolerate.
Start simply.
Then gradually add variety.
Raw animal products need to be handled sensibly.
The same basic hygiene principles you'd use when handling raw meat for your own household apply.
Store frozen raw dog food at an appropriate freezer temperature until you're ready to use it.
Defrost food in the refrigerator rather than leaving it sitting on the kitchen bench for extended periods.
Wash:
after contact with raw meat.
Once served, uneaten raw food shouldn't be left sitting at room temperature for long periods.
Households containing people who are very young, elderly, pregnant or immunocompromised may need to take additional precautions around raw animal products.
Good hygiene is a normal part of responsible raw feeding.
When you're choosing a raw dog food supplier, price shouldn't be the only thing you look at.
Consider the overall range, ingredient transparency, sourcing, storage and whether the supplier gives you enough information to understand what you're actually buying.
Ask:
What's in it?
Where does the protein come from?
Does it contain bone or organs?
Is it intended as a full meal or an ingredient?
How is it stored?
What options are available if my dog's needs change?
A broad protein range is also incredibly useful.
The food that suits your dog today may not necessarily be what you want to feed forever.
It doesn't have to be.
The cost of raw feeding varies enormously depending on:
Premium or unusual proteins can cost more, while buying commonly fed products or purchasing larger quantities can bring the cost per kilogram down.
Multi-dog households and experienced raw feeders often find bulk raw dog food particularly useful.
Yes, raw food can form an everyday diet provided the overall diet is nutritionally appropriate for your dog's life stage and needs.
The important part isn't simply that the ingredients are raw.
It's what those ingredients provide as a complete diet over time.
Absolutely.
Many raw feeders enjoy rotating proteins.
You might feed beef one day, lamb another, introduce fish during the week and occasionally offer wild proteins.
There is no requirement to feed every possible protein.
Introduce unfamiliar foods gradually, particularly with dogs that have sensitive digestion.
Different households use different feeding approaches.
Some dogs eat exclusively raw food while others have a mixed feeding routine.
What matters most is that the overall diet suits the dog and provides appropriate nutrition.
If you're making major dietary changes or feeding a dog with a medical condition, discuss the plan with your veterinarian.
No single feeding method is perfect for every dog.
Raw feeding can work very well for many households, but the dog's age, health, nutritional requirements and the household's ability to safely store and handle raw food all matter.
Dogs with medical conditions or specialised nutritional requirements may need individual veterinary advice.
There is a lot of information online about raw dog food.
Some of it is excellent.
Some of it makes feeding a dog sound like you need three spreadsheets, a laboratory and a degree in biochemistry!
We prefer to keep things sensible.
Choose good-quality ingredients.
Understand what you're feeding.
Feed an amount appropriate for your dog.
Watch their body condition.
Build variety gradually.
And ask for help when you're unsure.
That's really what good feeding comes down to.
Whether you're completely new to raw feeding or have had a freezer full of dog food for years, we've got options to make feeding easier.
An easy option for busy households or anyone who wants the preparation largely taken care of.
Build your own meals, stock up the freezer or feed multiple dogs more economically.
Explore goat, venison, possum, kangaroo, rabbit, hare and other less commonly fed proteins.
Browse bone broths, goat milk and our wider range of food toppers and nutritional support products.
If your main question is:
“How much raw food should I actually feed my dog?”
head over to our Raw Dog Feeding Guide NZ for feeding amounts by body weight, puppy information and practical feeding guidance.
Because ultimately, raw feeding should be something you enjoy doing for your dog — not something that makes you nervous every time you open the freezer.
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