You may well be wondering how much food to feed your dog or dogs. The general rule of thumb is: for a fully grown dog who expends an average amount of energy you should feed them 2.5% of their body weight each day.
So, it’s very important that you know your dogs weight. The easiest way to determine your dogs weight is to jump on your domestic scales, weigh yourself and then pick up your dog. The difference being their weight. If you’re dog is too big or heavy, you can always check at your local vet or purchase suitable scales.
If your dog is very active, you will need to increase the percentage to suit. If your dog is a couch potato you may bring it back to around 2% per day. You’ll soon know if they are getting too little or too much.
To ensure that your dog receives the right amount of food on a daily basis and the right balance of nutrients we have all of the required information available throughout this site.
This chart is our interpretation of many voices and opinions from around the world and is a guide only. You, of course, know your dog very well and will know what’s right for them.
The natural well-balanced diet for your dog should include a good variety of Bones, Meat, Offal, Tripe, Vegetables, Fruit, Eggs, Flax seed oils, Kelp and supplements for their optimal health.
In this section we’ll explain what the benefits are of all these elements and also advise the quantities of each to create the perfect meal.
Bones
Bones are an essential component of a dog’s diet because they are a source of a wide range of much needed nutrients.
Raw bones are incredibly important for your dog’s oral health, keeping their teeth clean and white and their breath fresh. Bones also assist with your dog’s digestion.
Bone are not only nutritional for your dog but they provide great entertainment and are an essential form of exercise for their entire front end!
This is especially important for growing puppies! Not only does it provide them with the nutritional benefits but it also provide a huge amount of physical benefits for a developing puppy! It helps them to correctly develop their entire body posture, by utilising all their growing muscles and joints! Chicken bones are an excellent option for any age dog young or old as they’re a nice soft bone providing a good source of protein, bone marrow, calcium and iron.
We strongly promote adding bone broth to every raw meal. Bone broth helps your dog’s digestion process and supports healthy joint functionality.
Meat
For all dogs at all stages of their lives meat provides an essential source of first class protein. Meat does not contain any carbohydrates, starch, sugar or fibre.
It’s important to note that our meats are completely free of any antibiotics or preservatives. We insist on providing you with the purest products that are available on the market for this very important element of your dog’s raw diet.
Offal
Heart, liver, kidneys and intestines are an extremely valuable source of essential nutrients required in the raw diet. The diet requires only small mounts per day however it is a very important part.
The liver provides very high quality protein, essential fatty acids and various vitamins (A,D,E and K).
The kidney is a rich source of iron and all the important B vitamins.
Heart is also strong in Vitamin B, protein and iron plus levels of taurine….a very important heart health food.
Tripe
Tripe is the edible muscle lining from the stomach of farm animals such as cows, pigs and sheep. Tripe provides a further source of important vitamins, fats and protein.
Vegetables
It may well surprise you to learn that dogs enjoy and need a certain mix of vegetable in their diet. In particular, Omega 3 essential fatty acids, enzymes and anti-aging factors such as antioxidants. Dogs have always consumed a certain amount of vegetables (in days of old) and we feel that it’s important to ensure we include them also to further enhance your dog’s health.
In particular, the best raw vegetables are Spinach, Celery, Carrots and Cayenne Pepper for improved sight, iron content, anti-tumour factors and cancer prevention.
Fruit
Many fruits offer a variety of nutritional health benefits for your dog! Berries in particular are an excellent option, they are antioxidant rich and a great source of prebiotic fibers, Blueberries are also loaded with polyphenols too, Berries are the perfect addition to your dogs meals, fresh or frozen!
Adding fruit to your dogs diet will give them the benefits of vitamins, antioxidants and very important minerals which when consumed on a regular basis will enhance your dogs overall health and longevity.
TIP - Blueberries make a brilliant nutritious alternative treat, especially given frozen on a hot summer day!
Eggs (no shell)
Eggs are a very important element in a raw diet as they are a very good source of protein and calcium.
Egg yolks are an essential food for a dog experiencing skin problems as they contain sulphur-containing amino acids, biotin, vitamin A, fatty acids and zinc.
Probiotics
Natural Greek Yoghurt is a very good probiotic for dogs. It supports good tummy health. Try adding this to a meal every few days.
Supplements
Green lip muscle supplement for bone growth and joint health. While this is not included in our diet it is a very important supplement for any dog for their ongoing joint health.