Some rules for raw feeding your dog

Switching to a raw diet can make some dog owners a little nervous. You may worry about your dog will choke on the bone or that diet will not be balanced enough. However, when you see the benefits for your dog, you will forget all about any concerns you might have had. Follow these tips to get it right:

Getting the calcium balance right

Raw diet must contain calcium

Dogs, especially puppies, need a source of solid minerals, particularly calcium & phosphorus. A dog will be unable to survive without these important minerals. By giving your dog bones, you will generally get the right minerals. The essential thing to remember is calcium & phosphorus. Bone contains calcium and phosphorus. Meat is high in phosphorus but low in calcium too. So, an all-meat diet will cause problems in the spine and nervous system of your dog and issues for the bone growth in puppies. So, you need bone in the diet. To get enough calcium and maintain a healthy balance of minerals, a raw diet needs to contain about 12% to 15% bone.

Organs are the multi-vitamin

Raw feeders often make raw dog food that doesn’t contain enough organs. Organs are a nutrient-rich part of the animal and if these are omitted, a pet might be losing out on essential vitamins. A good goal is to aim for between 10% to 30% innards. But this depends on how much you can get. If you can only find the heart, just to feed 10% of organs. If you can find a kidney, brain, spleen and other tasty organs, make sure they form a third of your dog’s diet.

Adding organs and muscle meat

Muscle meat is the foundation

Once you have sorted the organs and bones, the remainder of the diet should be lean meat, between 33% and 50% of the total diet, depending on the amount of organ meat you have available. It is a part of your dog’s diet that is highly rich in protein, needed to build strong tissues. Find Healthy Dog Treats available at a site like https://theinnocentpet.co.uk/collections/healthy-dog-treats

Be aware of the fat

Healthy fats are great for your dog. They help with nerve and immune function and are essential for healthy skin. However, fat carries a downside – that it contains twice as many calories as protein whilst containing very few vitamins and minerals. If your dog’s diet is too high in fat, it is a risk that he will not get enough vitamins and minerals. Your dog needs fat, but not so much that it robs other essential nutrients.

Balancing fat and oily fish

Feed fish once a week

An alternative to fish oil, you can give whole fish such as sardines, herring and mackerel once or a couple of times each week or throw in a few small fish for food. On a weekly basis, you’ll want fish to be around 5% of the total diet of your dog as this is a good way to balance the fat in the diet.

Summary

This article sets out rules for feeding a dog a raw diet safely. It covers making sure the diet contains enough calcium and phosphorus from bones, including organ meat for essential vitamins, keeping muscle meat as the main protein source, watching how much fat is included, and adding oily fish once a week to help balance out the overall diet.

Questions this article raises

• How much organ meat should a raw-fed dog get compared to bone and muscle meat?
• What are the risks of feeding a dog an all-meat raw diet?
• How often should oily fish be added to a raw feeding plan?