Q. Do I only feed meat products or should I add veggies and grain?
A. Grains are not necessary at all in a dog or cat’s diet. With raw feeding, you have the choice to leave out ingredients that do not provide your pet with optimal nutrition. Vegetables and fruits can provide some benefits if prepared correctly. It is best to puree fresh vegetables for easier digestion. *Excessive vegetable content will produce large stools and gas. If you decide to feed veggies, wait until your dog is eating a variety of different meats before you add them to the diet.
Q. Why is the calcium to phosphorus ratio so important?
A. Phosphorus binds with calcium. Too much phosphorus will deplete your pet’s calcium reserves, which are stored in the bones. Calcium is especially important for bone and heart health. Muscle meat is high in phosphorus whereas bones are high in calcium. Raw meat bones fed as 40-50% of your pet’s daily ration can provide the correct ratio. Another option is to feed raw meat with ground bone added. If an all meat diet is fed with no raw meat bones or ground bone, then calcium must be supplemented to prevent an imbalance. More information.
Q. How do I supplement calcium?
A. There are three ways people who feed their pets a raw diet accomplish a balance of Calcium to Phosphorus when feeding boneless meats or eggs:
1. Mixing the raw boneless meats with ground Frames (carcass with meat removed). Preferred because it is the most natural form of Calcium.
2. Adding ground eggshell. (Calcium Carbonate – an antacid) Highly acidic stomach acids allow our pets to safely digest raw meat. Calcium
Carbonate reduces stomach acid. We suggest eggshell with cooked eggs or occasional cooked boneless meats only. Pure Bone Meal Calcium is the
safer choice for raw boneless meats and raw eggs.
3. Adding any other Calcium supplement. Least favorable because supplements may contain other ingredients that dogs and cats are sensitive to.
It is important to have more Calcium than Phosphorus in your pet’s overall
diet. Meat without bone (boneless meats) and especially organ meats are
much higher in Phosphorus than Calcium. Eggs are also slightly higher in
Phosphorus than Calcium. More information.
Q. How do I know the raw diet is complete and balanced?
A. The natural, complete and balanced diet of a carnivore is just what they would eat in the wild in prey form. Mostly meat, some bone and the occasional vegetable or green plant. Raw food is nutrition in its purest form and the best nutrients are found in whole, unprocessed foods. An alternative question could be, “How do I know a commercial pet food is complete and balanced?” Keep in mind that the properties of cooked food (be it human or pet food) are always altered by heat processing in one degree or another. It is nearly impossible to know to what extent each ingredient in each particular batch is affected. Ingredients might go into a product in a complete and balanced recipe but the end-result is a heat damaged pet food.
Q. How do I introduce my dog or cat to raw?
A. Be sure to introduce one protein source at a time. Feed chicken for a week, then beef for a week, and so on. This way you can easily detect a protein allergy. Once the food is properly introduced, you should have no problem varying meat daily during the week.
Q. How much do I feed?
A. Start by offering your cat or dog 2-3% of their ideal body weight in raw foods per day. Example: a 100-pound dog would receive 2-3 pounds of raw food daily. In most cases we prefer that you divide the recommended amount of raw in half and feed 50% raw and 50% quality, single protein kibble with no grains. This methhod will afford sufficient time for you and your pet to become accustomed to feeding raw prior to making the decsion to feed a 100% raw diet. Monitor your pet’s weight. If he/she is gaining too much weight, cut back. Feed more if your pet is losing too much weight. When feeding puppies or kittens you would feed 2-3% of their ideal ADULT body weight. This is where your food scale comes in handy. Seasoned raw feeders can typically eyeball the appropriate portion size. In the beginning, you should measure.
Q. How often should I feed my pet?
A. This really depends upon the pet. As a general rule of thumb, feed a medium or large adult dog one or two meals per day. A 100-pound dog would receive 1 – 1.5 pounds of raw food per meal if fed morning and evening which equals 2-3 pounds per day. Small breeds tend to have a higher metabolism so they may do better on two or three meals per day or just a little more than 2-3% of their body weight. Puppies and kittens need to eat more often, usually 3-5 meals per day depending upon their age and size. Some folks prefer to feed adult pets once daily and that is ok, too. When doing so just remember to “balance over time”. You can feed one day’s meal as ½ quality kibble and the other ½ raw with ground bone added.
Q. Do I switch gradually or cold turkey?
A. Switching can be done whichever way you are most comfortable. The gradual switch is made by adding a bit of raw food to the dog's meals each day, in increasing amounts while decreasing kibble. Keep everything very simple for the first few weeks by introducing one protein source at a time. Make sure your dog is digesting everything properly (no diarrhea or vomiting) before you add another type of food. It is probably wise to hold off on supplements for the first few weeks unless you are treating a specific condition.
Q. Should I fast my pet before starting a raw diet?
A. That is a personal decision that really depends upon the individual pet. Sometimes a day of fasting will encourage them to eat the new food eagerly. Keep in mind that young puppies or kittens should not fast more than 8 -12 hours at a time. Always have fresh water available.
Q. Can I just add raw to my pet’s kibble every now and then?
A. Sure, you can. However, you should not add carbohydrates because kibble already contains more than enough of this unnecessary ingredient. You can add a little fresh meat such as beef heart, ground beef, chicken, quail or rabbit. You can add up to 50% of fresh muscle meat without upsetting the calcium balance of the kibble. You can also add plain yogurt, cottage cheese or eggs. Feeding in this manner is ok as an occasional practice but remember that raw meat digests at a faster rate than kibble. If you do want to feed kibble and raw daily, we suggest you make the morning meal of one and the evening meal of the other.
Q. Can puppies and kittens eat raw?
A. Yes, they can be weaned directly on to raw from their mother’s milk. When given this opportunity little ones take right to it having never known any difference.
Q. My dog (cat) will not eat raw. What do I do?
A. There are several reasons why a pet may turn his nose up to raw. The most common reason is the temperature of the food. Try feeding foods at room temperature rather than right out of the refrigerator. However, DO NOT EVER put raw meat bones in a microwave even for a minute. Even a short time will begin cooking the food from the inside out – meaning the bone will become brittle and unsafe to eat. To heat up cold food, set the bag or container in a hot pan of water for a few minutes.
If you are anxious about switching to the raw diet, your pet can detect your apprehension. This is one reason we advise going at a pace with which you are comfortable. Make mealtime a stress free time.
In some cases, the pet may not know that a piece of raw chicken is food if they have been eating dry kibble all their life. You may need to use your imagination at first. Sprinkling parmesan cheese or lightly browning some ground hamburger meat usually will get them eating.
A healthy dog will not starve itself to death. Skipping a meal here or there is not a cause for alarm. Of course, if you have any doubts about your dog’s health please consult with your health care professional.
Cats on the other hand are known be more stubborn about eating and can hold out until it makes them sick. Do not let a cat go more than a day or two at the most without eating. Have some food that you know they will eat on standby and continue to encourage the raw gradually.
Q. What is the Detox Stage?
A. Some raw feeders believe there is a period of a couple of weeks that a pet rids their system from all the stored up chemicals and unnecessary ingredients of commercial foods. The signs of detox can be diarrhea, mucous from eyes, vomiting and a variety of other symptoms. Whether it is detox or simply transition, there can be a few minor upsets initially.
If your pet appears ill (has no energy, will not eat anything or keep anything down), see your health care specialist to rule out illness. Keep in mind that a large majority of traditional veterinarians are unfamiliar with home-prepared raw meals and may not support your decision to go against commercial pet food.
Q. Why does my pet have loose stools?
A. The most common cause of diarrhea or frequent loose stools is overfeeding. Dogs can be quite convincing sometimes that they need more to eat. Stick to the guidelines of feeding 2-3% of your pet’s ideal body weight. If, over time, you see that your pet is losing weight, then you can increase feedings.
The meat source could be too high in fat. If you are not overfeeding, try cutting back on fat.
Another cause could be trying to add too much variety too quickly.
Canned pumpkin or fresh pulped pumpkin is a natural stool forming remedy. Large dogs would get a maximum dose of 1 tablespoon. Medium sized dogs 1 teaspoon and toy breeds ½ teaspoon.
Q. My puppy or kitten came already weaned onto kibble. Do I need to do anything special to switch them over to raw?
A. Most of the rules for feeding adult pets a homemade raw diet are the same for puppies. Little ones often do best with the quick switch method onto raw food. If he will not eat raw, try mixing some ground meat (no bone) into his kibble. Bone is high in calcium and commercial food does not need additional calcium. Too much calcium for puppies is detrimental.
Q. Should I use supplements?
A. Most people use supplements to one degree or another. Here is a quick break down of the most commonly used dietary supplements.
1. Calcium: If you are not feeding 40-50% raw meat bone’s in your pets raw diet then you must supplement with calcium carbonate (or calcium citrate) at 800 mgs per 1 pound of boneless meat. Other sources of calcium are plain yogurt and cottage cheese. However, they contain enough calcium to balance themselves but not enough to balance an entire meat meal. More information.
A very convenient alternative is to feed raw meat with ground bone added. This is the prefered method.
2. Digestive Enzymes: These usually consist of amylase, protease and lipase. Amylase helps break down carbs, protease breaks down protein and lipase digests fats. Digestive enzymes can be particularly useful in the first 4-6 weeks of feeding raw as your pet’s system gets accustomed to this new way of eating.
3. Probiotics: Probiotics provide good bacteria, such as lactobacillus acidophilus and bulgaricus. They occur naturally in buttermilk, yogurt and some cheeses. These balance and neutralize bad bacteria thereby promoting effective digestion and a healthy digestive tract.
4. EFAs: This stands for essential fatty acids and the two most important ones are omega-6 and omega-3. Omega 6’s are plentiful and do not need to be added to a raw diet. Omega 3 EFAs on the other hand are not as available and should be added. Fish body oil such as salmon oil is the best choice. Fish oil is very fragile to light and air and should be refrigerated or better yet, used in capsule form. It may be best to wait until you pet is fully transitioned onto raw before adding EFAs.
5. Vitamin E: Vitamin E is needed to efficiently metabolize omega 3 fatty acids and should be used in conjunction with fish oils.
6. Vitamin/Mineral Supplement: Begin using these after the few first weeks of transition and continue using on a daily basis. Be sure the product has trace minerals, not just vitamins. The best source of trace minerals are sea vegetation such as kelp or blue/green algae. We recommend Nature's Farmacy as a source for all supplements. www.naturesfarmacy.com
Nourish the beast inside your pet
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How do I feed raw?
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Pet Nutrition
