Raw Food Diet For Dogs: Made Simple!








So, you’re thinking of ditching the kibble and feeding your dog a raw food diet?

Good for you!

If you’ve been concerned about the complexities of raw dog food then don’t worry, it’s easier than you think.

And compared to kibble there will be no mysterious or ambiguous ingredients, no processing, and no nasties. Just real food for your dog as nature intended.

In this guide to feeding a raw food diet to your dog we’ll cover how to get started with homemade raw, but also easier introductions such as pre-made raw and BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food) as pioneered by Australian veterinarian Dr Ian Billinghurst.

Having reviewed all kinds of dog food over the last (almost) two decades, I say with confidence you’re on the right path if you’ve decided to embrace raw. Just take note of the important points in this article, and take your time to introduce raw to your dog and build confidence in feeding them raw.

Ready to start?

Let’s get stuck in!

What you will learn in this guide

Feeding your dog a raw food diet is easier than you may think – I personally see no reason to keep a complex spreadsheet or spend your mornings weighing guts and gore.

There is no reason for you to give up your dog’s regular food just yet. There’s no rush, and you can transition to a raw dog food diet in a timeframe which suits you and your dog.

You don’t need to become a raw dog food master overnight, and instead can start introducing pre-made raw or BARF patties until you feel confident in making homemade raw.

Your biggest concern will be raw meaty bones, but as long as you feed appropriate bones your dog will reap the rewards of first class dental hygiene in a way which is natural for them and full of enjoyment.

Feeding your dog a raw food diet doesn’t need to be expensive, and in some cases can be more affordable than commercial dog foods.

Lastly, don’t stress – Thousands of people now feed their dog a raw food diet, and the results can be incredible in terms of health, wellbeing, and happiness.

Why switch to a raw food diet?

Experience has taught me kibble is far from ideal for your dog.

Yes, kibble is convenient.

Yes, kibble is what most dogs are fed, and many of those dogs live a long, healthy life.

There are also some very good quality kibbles you can buy these days which offer you a simple way to feed your dog.

But I’m sure the reason you’re reading this is because you’ve heard a raw food diet is better and much healthier for your dog, and I agree.

Your dog’s teeth are a clear indicator nature designed them to eat prey, and the simple fact your dog’s digestive system is far more akin to carnivores than it is to our own as omnivores should tell you they should be catching and eating prey.

Obviously we don’t want our dogs roaming the neighbourhood hunting for chooks, which makes a raw food diet the next best thing.

Many years ago I made a list of all the long-winded vitamin and mineral names in a scientific dog food and researched the best and more natural sources of each one. Low and behold, the best sources were animal sources.

Next I considered that kibble as a whole – some meat, some fat, lots of grains, and then those required vitamins and minerals were added back in, as required by the pet food standard AAFCO.

Yes, all the nutrients were catered for, but around half the food was grains, and those grains were not a natural food for a dog to consume.

Simply put, the important nutrients were those which a dog (or wild dog) would source from prey, and the rest is what many would call “filler” – a cheap way to bulk up a dog food to make more profit.

With a raw food diet for dogs, you’re cutting out the pointless filler, processing (kibble is cooked at high temperatures), and list of additives used to colour or preserve a food for an unnatural amount of time.

It’s worth noting there are risks to feeding your dog raw, as there are risks to feeding kibble or wet mush in a can, but understanding those risks and taking precautions will set you up for success, and set your dog up for a happy and healthy life.

That’s why you should switch to a raw diet.

How to start feeding a raw food diet

A raw dog food diet isn’t about feeding your dog beef mince instead of kibble. That’s the worst thing you can do.

You want to achieve (roughly) one of the following ratios:

  • 80% muscle meat, 10% raw meaty bones, 10% organs
  • 70% muscle meat, 10% raw meaty bones, 10% organs, 10% fruits/vegetables/dairy

Note: Organs should include liver in moderation, and can also be heart, spleen, kidneys. We’ll cover appropriate bones and ratios of organs later.

For most raw feeders this is where spreadsheets get complicated, but my approach is different.

If you attempt to feed those ratios exactly every single day you’re going to spend a lot of time doing so. It may be your best way to start, especially if you’re embarking on homemade raw, but it’s important to note you don’t need to feed your dog all required nutrients every single day.

Consider what you eat every day. Do you make sure you consume every required nutrient every single day?

Of course you don’t.

I feed my dog a raw meaty bone (usually a chicken drumstick) every evening out of habit, which works for me, but it doesn’t matter if she misses a few days if I can’t get to the supermarket.

Perhaps once or twice a week I buy organs at the butchers (or if they’re on sale at the supermarket), and I chop them up and mix them with some beef mince.

Not once have I checked off weights, amounts, or ratios on a spreadsheet.

I’ll make a confession at this point as it may make your life easier – I don’t feed my dog a raw food diet all the time. I feed kibble (good brands), air-dried, freeze-dried, BARF, eggs, fish, appropriate table scraps, and more – this keeps costs down, and makes my life far easier. I don’t consider this a bad thing either – take a moment to consider the wonderful variety of food and nutrients I feed my dog!

Yes, you can transition to raw food at your own pace

One of my gripes with raw feeding groups is the belief it’s all or nothing, no middle ground, and a rigid belief your dog can’t eat kibble and raw at the same time.

Utter tosh.

In fact, over the years I’ve known many dog owners who have heard kibble is bad and transitioned to a diet of beef mince and nothing else.

A director of a multinational pet food company once said to me “The best diet for a dog is a balanced raw diet, and the worst diet for a dog is the wrong raw diet”.

Kibble, despite it’s inherent problems, is formulated to cover all the nutrient requirements of a dog in every meal, based on what we currently know and understand about canine nutrition.

From this we can consider two points – unlike the food we eat, dog food must contain all nutrients in every meal, and as most people feed their dog the same food every single meal it puts an onus on that food meeting those needs completely. What if a nutrient is lacking, and what is the effect on your dog over the long term?

Does “complete and balanced” really cover everything your dog needs to lead a healthy life?

The second point is the part I wrote in italics, which is rarely considered.

I’ve been involved in the pet food industry long enough to know “complete and balanced” isn’t perfect, and commercial pet foods aren’t as “complete and balanced” as they should be.

To skirt over one example, back in 2015 I had a discussion with that same pet food director about taurine deficiency in dogs. At that point it was understood cats required taurine in their diet, and dogs synthesized taurine.

We discussed how larger pet food manufacturers had become aware of this and started to supplement their products with taurine, while other smaller – shall we say boutique – pet food companies did not do this, they merely ticked off all the “complete and balanced” boxes as required by pet food standard AAFCO.

A few years later, evidence showed numerous dogs as being taurine deficient, and a slur hit the media suggesting certain brands – namely grain-free brands from smaller manufacturers – were the cause of a heart condition Canine DCM (or Canine Dilated Cardiomyopathy). Despite many affected dogs being found deficient in taurine, the slur was more targeted at the use of grain-free alternatives to grain in dog food.

My argument was always the lack of meat ingredients in dog food, and completely irrelevant of the rest being grains, potatoes, legumes, or whatever could be used to manufacture a cheaper product.

I realised I’ve gone a little off piste, but the point is kibble tends to lack animal ingredients, so gradually adding raw meat, organs, and raw meaty bones to your dog’s diet will immediately start adding nutrients.

What you don’t want to do, however, is cut out a “complete and balanced” kibble which will likely contain most if not all the nutrients your dog needs, and switch it for minced beef which definitely doesn’t contain all those nutrients.

If a slow transition is safer for you while you gain confidence feeding your dog a raw food diet, then that’s your safest path forward – is it now?

BARF vs Prey Model Diets – Pros and Cons

Many dog owners see BARF as the perfect solution, but I can tell you it definitely is not.

BARF has a serious flaw which thousands of pet owners overlook worldwide.

It’s actually a flaw which affects pretty much all commercial dog food, but it’s a flaw which can lead to illness, disease, and premature death.

Wet mushy food is the worst culprit, and I have witnessed the consequence of this issue with many dogs fed wet canned food and BARF, and I want you to take note and tell others.

Wet mushy food can lead to dental disease, and dental disease can lead to organ disease.

The biggest problem with BARF is the bone content being ground. When you consider wild-carnivores (and wild dogs) having impeccable teeth from chewing and gnawing on the bones of prey, you will understand grounding the bone into a wet mushy patty complete negates this wonderful and natural health benefit.

Many pet food companies have sprung up in recent years offering you wonderfully nutritious BARF and prey model diets, and they all tell you how amazing their food is.

Just keep in mind these diets may be very good nutritionally, much more so than most dry dog foods, but are fundamentally flawed from using ground bone.

I consider it better to feed raw meaty bones alongside a BARF or prey model mush which has been formulated without the ground bone content, but of course there is no such product.

This is where a homemade raw food diet for your dog, with raw meaty bones, is a very good solution as long as you formulated the diet with all required nutrients.

Homemade vs Pre-Made Raw Food

In the last section I raised vital concerns about pre-made raw dog food, but we must keep in mind these are far more appropriate diets for your dog – raw meat, organs, and bones.

Homemade raw dog food is risky, on the basis you can get it totally wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Raw meaty bones come with inherent risks, especially if you feed the wrong types of bones or your dog is the type of dog to inhale large chunks of bone which can cause an obstruction.

Liver is essential in a raw food diet for dogs, but can be fed in excess and lead to your dog being sick.

Over the long term – let’s say several years – if you miss a vital nutrient, this can result in illness or disease. This is a vital point, but I don’t want you to panic. It is easier than we think to feed a raw food diet to our dogs, we just need to cover the bases – raw meat, various organs, and raw meaty bones.

A homemade raw food diet, in my opinion, can include a variety of other healthy foods as long as the fundamental nutrients are covered.

I consider eggs a highly nutritious complete protein source for both us and our pets, and I regularly feed my dogs eggs (she actually has boiled eggs rather than raw out of preference).

Sardines, tuna (yes, I’ve heard the spiel about tuna, but it’s in moderation), and healthy species-appropriate table scraps.

Just like our own diet, I offer my dog (and cat) a variety. The only difference between my diet and my pets is I choose not to give my pets any of the unhealthy rubbish I eat because I know it isn’t necessary.

IMPORTANT: Understand the risks of raw food diets

The risks of a raw food diet for dogs aren’t as bad as you think.

Consider bones the greatest risk, and always monitor your dog while they consume bones if they may cause harm.

Cooked bones are dangerous, but you probably knew that anyway? They’re brittle, sharp, break, and can easily cause harm.

With raw meaty bones avoid weight-bearing bones which can break teeth and cause obstructions. Knuckle bones are the worst for causing obstructions and requiring costly and invasive medical attention.

For most dogs chicken necks are a good starting point, including for small and toy breed dogs.

For medium and larger breeds chicken necks are also an option, as are chicken drumsticks or chicken frames (often cheap).

You have lots of other options as well, so chicken doesn’t need to be your go-to choice, and bone broth is a wonderful way to extract the nutrients of bones and soften them even if this isn’t “raw”.

The second biggest risk is missing vital nutrients, so make sure you cover all your dog’s nutritional needs from raw meat, organs, and raw meaty bones.

Use the 80/10/10 or 70/10/10/10 (including vegetables etc) ratios as your guide.

To repeat:

  • 80% muscle meat, 10% raw meaty bones, 10% organs
  • 70% muscle meat, 10% raw meaty bones, 10% organs, 10% fruits/vegetables/dairy

Regular assessments by your veterinarian, and blood tests, are always a good idea. This can be once yearly for a younger dog, or twice yearly at a minimum for a senior dog.

Your veterinarian will detect health issues with your dog which us pet owners will often be unaware of, which means whatever diet you feed – kibble, wet mush in a can, BARF, or prey model raw – keeping tabs on your dog’s health with your veterinarian should be essential.

QUICK START: What raw foods should you feed for muscle meat, organs, raw meaty bones, and vegetables?

Let’s skirt over the basics, as the basics are actually a very good start:

Muscle meat (70% to 80%)

This is the main protein source, and can include cuts like chicken breast, beef chunks, or turkey thighs. Feel free to vary the type of protein meat depending on what suits you and your budget, or what’s available locally?

For example, if you’re in a rural area of Australia you may have access to kangaroo or rabbit, and both are great choices as long as the meat is clean.

Edible raw meaty bones (10%)

These don’t need to be meaty, but meaty bones are more exciting for your dog.

You must always feed raw bones, never cooked bones, and they should be non-weight bearing.

These can be chicken wings, necks, or turkey backs – all will supply your dog with calcium and other minerals. For larger breeds you may find chicken frames a cheap and effective solution, or buy whole chickens if you want to cater for muscle meat as well.

Organs (10%)

At least 5% should be liver (a nutrient powerhouse), with the remaining 5% from other organs like kidneys, spleen, or heart.

You shouldn’t feed liver every single day, but make sure you include it once or twice a week as part of a raw meat meal.

Vegetables and fruit (optional 10%)

I appreciate there are die hard raw feeders who would not feed fruit and vegetables to their dogs, and that’s fine. We often hear a wild dog would eat the gut content of prey, but I understand that isn’t often the case – wild dogs and wild carnivores often leave the guts.

However, I see many healthy foods beneficial in moderation, and fruits and vegetables can be a valuable source of vitamins, minerals, fibre for firm poops, and antioxidants.

You may already know what fruits and vegetables your dog likes, but suggestions include leafy greens, carrots, or kefir.

Is a raw food diet right for your dog?

Obviously this is up to you. Your dog is your responsibility, and whatever diet you choose to feed you need to have responsibility for.

If you feel confident feeding your dog a raw food diet then I highly encourage you to do so. Just be careful and use common sense.

If you’re uncertain, start adding BARF or pre-made raw to your dog’s regular diet of kibble. This is a very good start, and you can tackle more advance raw feeding later.

Let me know in the comments your thoughts, suggestions, or how you feed your dog!



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