First and foremost I promise I am not crazy and that my dog’s health is EXTREMELY important to me!

This is going to be shocking and is going to go against everything you have ever been told about feeding dogs and what is and isn’t healthy, but just keep reading with an open mind!

Dog food has not been around forever. Believe it or not dogs used to eat food that wasn’t out of a bag or can!  Your dog, whether it is a husky, chihuahua or any other breed is descended from wolves.    In the few thousand years it took dogs to be domesticated, they did not somehow genetically change to start needing to eat grains or vegetables. Your dog is a carnivore and should be eating like a carnivore.

Hai! I iz a carnivore!

You may have seen evidence of this, more and more dog food companies are starting to push grain free dog foods. Why? Because there is NO reason that dogs should be eating corn as a staple in their diet (or in their diet at all).  Unfortunately pretty much everything anyone knows about dog nutrition they learned from a dog food company. Dog food companies work hand in hand with veterinary schools to educate vets.

Because of this people are buying their dogs food from whichever company had the best commercial or something that was recommended by the vet.  Even high end dog foods use carbs and fillers to help bind the food together.

All you need to know about dog nutrition is this: dogs eat raw meat. Yup, just like a wolf.  Now there are MANY different models of raw feeding out there, I follow whole prey model.  This is meant to mimic what your dog would be eating in the wild. Lots of big pieces meat, a little bone and a little organ.

And my dog LOVES it.

As of right now he eats a rotation of raw chicken, pork, turkey and rabbit.

Why do I feed raw? Because I truly feel like I am making the best choice for my dog. He is eating what he is naturally meant to eat. He looks awesome, his fur looks great, he has no health problems and his teeth are as white as a puppy’s.  Oh and the poop! It is half the size!

For me! (what good manners!) (1/2 cornish game hen)

But what about:

The bones! OMG don’t bones kill dogs? Especially chicken bones?

Nope, RAW UNCOOKED bones are safe and do not splinter the way that cooked bones do. However beef bones aren’t recommended as they are very dense and can crack teeth.

The germs! Raw meat is full of salmonella and e.coli!  

Dogs digestive systems are stronger than ours as well as shorter.  Bacteria does not have the chance to multiply because raw meat is digested  very quickly.  Also how many dog food recalls have you heard of in the past few years due to salmonella? Dozens! Kibble has lots of problems!

Raw meat will make my dog vicious!

Nope, not at all.

munch munch munch

Thinking about it? Here are some basic guidelines.  Aim to feed 2-3% of your dog’s IDEAL ADULT weight per day.  So if your dog is a puppy you still feed that amount but spread it out over 4 meals.  If your dog is overweight calculate using the ideal weight.  There is no need to grind the meat or do anything but give it to your dog. Don’t underestimate your dog! My boxer was crunching into chicken drumsticks at 6 weeks old!

Also how dogs eat raw can take some getting used to, it is crunch crunch gulp.  Basically break the bones down and then swallow fairly good sized pieces.

Chicken is the ideal meat to start out with as it is cheap and easy to digest.  My dog eats about 1.6-1.8lbs per day so when I buy a whole chicken I try to buy one that is about 4 days worth.  That way I can get it home quarter it and stick it in the fridge.

This was a smaller chicken only about two meals worth. So I gave it to him whole then traded him for a treat when he was about halfway through. Stored the rest in the fridge until the next day.

The rule of thumb for meat/bone/organ ratio is 80/10/10.  Of the 10% organ needed half should be from liver as it has some essential nutrients in it.  Items like gizzards, heart and tongue are considered meat not organ. Good for me as I just got 3 kilos of pig heart from a butcher! My dog is super excited to get one of those!

Watching as I unpack the pig hearts

So yes, people think I am a little bit crazy but my dog loves me and LOVES mealtime!

One super spoiled puppy.

Raw feeding information!

Raw Feeding FB page –  FULL of tons of information and support!

Prey Model Raw

Raw Fed

Got a question? Let me know!