Feeding Raw
I have a new Puppy, what do you recommend we start with?
Our Youthful Power Mix Pellets for Puppies is a great starting point! Puppies grow extremely fast so we need to make sure they have plenty of fuel every day. This mix provide lean white meat, beef organs and higher fat lamb meat for a well-rounded protein mix.
We also highly recommend feeding your pup meaty bones not only do they offer a huge amount of nutritional benefits but they also provide an excellent form of exercise especially while they’re so young and still growing it helps to promote correct development across their entire front end! A great meaty bone option to start with is Chicken Necks or Chicken Wings, they are much softer than other bones making them perfect for any age or experience but they also offer a good source of protein, bone marrow, calcium and iron. Remember, always feed RAW bones, NEVER cooked!!
Your food says it is human grade what is the difference between feed grade and human grade?
Human grade means it meets the same standards human food needs to from production and handling to being a premium, high quality, chemical free product. Feed grade virtually has no requirements to meet for production and handling, often containing traces of pesticides, chemicals and disease which is why so many dogs show signs of illness when fed foods like kibble.
My Vet advised me against Raw Feeding, why?
Many vets receive limited nutritional training while studying. Once they are qualified and working in a vet practice, pet food manufacturers who want vets to sell and promote their products then provide the main source of training on a regular basis. There are many misconceptions about feeding dogs a raw diet which has continued to gain momentum over many years, most of which come from myths or opinions rather than fact.
Why does raw food not contain any carbohydrates?
Your dog does not require ANY carbohydrates in their diet, in the wild they would forage for various fruits and vegetables providing them with all the fiber they require along with an array of meats in a variety of forms.
Does my dog need plenty of water on a raw diet?
Meat is naturally made of approximately 60% moisture which means your dog will not be constantly searching for their water bowl and drinking copious amounts of water as they would after eating a bowl of dry kibble. The other added benefit is that the likelihood of your dog developing kidney and bladder problems is significantly reduced because your dog will be flushing out their system with the water/moisture that is naturally in their food. Kibble fed dogs need to drink a lot more water just to assist them with processing their food let alone hydrate themselves.
Always wash your hands after handling and preparing your dogs food, store the food in the Freezer and ideally thaw what you require for the next feed the night/day before and then refrigerate once thawed, during the warmer months it is a good idea to thaw the food in the fridge.
How do I know my dog is getting a balanced diet with every meal?
Raw feeding doesn’t need to be difficult, don’t overthink it or overcomplicate it for yourself. The biggest thing to remember is providing a good balanced variety of offal’s, tripes, proteins fruits and vegetables across a 5-7 day period. Your dog doesn’t need a perfectly nutritionally balanced meal at every mealtime, this isn’t what they would get in the wild! They are genetically made up to eat a variety of raw wholesome foods across a number of days, within that time they should be eating a balanced variety. So be sure to give them a good variety across their 7 day period.
How do I know how much they should be eating of each thing?
A good guideline to assist you we have placed below:
- Muscle meats 60-70%
- Tripe 20%
- Offal 10%
- Meaty Bones 10%
- Superfood Toppers should ideally equate to 10% of the meal
What is a Topper?
Here is a little more info to help you with some perfect topper ideas!
We recommend adding a variety of superfood style toppers to each of your dogs meals, these don’t need to be large amounts to provide huge benefits to your dogs overall health. Fresh vegetables and low-sugar fruits are extremely important for dogs, they are excellent sources of crucial nutrients which provide not only good fibre but also a variety of nutritive substances not found in meats, bones and organs. Here is a few examples of superfood toppers you may like to introduce to your dogs daily meals, morsels of fresh food you can feed raw or gently cooked (steamed is perfect if your cooking for yourself anyway!)
- Raw or Cooked Organic Carrots & Parsnip Slices these make great training treats too
- Coriander, Parsley & Fennel can be minced and mixed into your dogs food
- Brussels Sprouts - Most prefer these gently steamed/cooked
- Cucumber Slices - Provide hydration, Vic C & K with Antioxidant properties to name a few!
- Broccoli Sprouts - Powerful Anti-ageing properties among a list of other health benefits - hide a pinch of these gems in your dogs meals for every 10pounds of body weight
- Eggs - AKA Nutrition Bombs are a great addition to your dogs meal several times a week
- Dried herbs also make excellent nutrition toppers - one shake for every 10pounds of dog is a great rule of thumb when using dried as they are more potent, fresh herbs feeding a quarter of a teaspoon per 20pounds of dog weight mixed into their food. Most dogs will readily accept both forms. Start with a light sprinkle until you learn your dogs preferences.
Some great nutritious options to kick start you off:
- Parsley
- Turmeric
- Rosemary
- Coriander
- Cinnamon
- Basil
- Oregano
- Thyme
- Ginger
Decaf Green Tea and Decaf Black tea along with Bone Broths a great additions to your dogs meal to add hydration and nutrition to meal times, especially if you are mix feeding. Both types of tea have similar effects on protecting the heart and boosting brain function along with the calming amino acid of L-theanine which alleviates stress and calms the body.
Remember there are a variety of superfoods that make excellent treat replacements too which also not only reward good behaviour but provide an incredible array of health benefits all of which increase your dogs life longevity too!
- Kiwifruit
- Apple slices
- Pineapple
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries and blueberries just to name a few!
TIP: Berries make excellent frozen treats for those super hot summer days too!