Raw Feeding: Ratios, Balance and Hygiene

PETS · GLOBAL

Raw Feeding: Ratios, Balance and Hygiene

What a complete raw diet contains, bones, hygiene and who should be cautious

Raw feeding done properly is a considerable undertaking, and the risks come from getting the balance or the hygiene wrong rather than from raw meat itself.

Complete versus complementary

A complete raw food is formulated to meet a dog's full nutritional requirements for its life stage. Complementary products are components — plain minced meat, for instance — and do not provide everything.

Check the label states complete, since feeding complementary products alone causes deficiencies that appear over months.

The ratio approach

Home-prepared raw feeding commonly follows a ratio of muscle meat, bone and organ, with liver a defined part of the organ portion. Getting calcium, phosphorus and vitamin A wrong is the usual failure.

Studies analysing home-prepared raw diets have repeatedly found nutritional imbalances. If you prepare your own, work with a veterinary nutritionist rather than a formula from a forum.

Bones

Never cooked bones, which splinter. Raw bones carry a risk of fractured teeth, choking and obstruction, and should always be supervised and appropriate to the dog's size.

Hygiene is the public health point

Raw pet food has repeatedly been found to carry salmonella, listeria and campylobacter, and dogs can shed these without appearing ill. Public health bodies have issued handling guidance.

Wash hands after handling food and after contact with the dog's mouth and faeces, clean bowls and surfaces after every meal, and keep pet food preparation separate from human food.

Households with babies, young children, elderly or immunocompromised members should discuss raw feeding with a vet first.

Transitioning

Change gradually over one to two weeks, mixing increasing proportions, since a sudden switch causes digestive upset. Watch stool quality and appetite through the change.

Speak to a vet before switching a puppy, an older dog or any animal with a diagnosed condition.

Complete alternatives

Complete cooked and frozen foods, and good quality dry food, are formulated to the same nutritional standards without the handling risk. A dog does not need raw food to be healthy.

Whatever you feed, check the label states complete for the life stage and follow the feeding guide by weight.

Weight

You should feel the ribs easily without pressing hard and see a waist from above. Excess weight shortens dogs' lives measurably.

Cats specifically

Cats are obligate carnivores with requirements that differ from dogs, particularly for taurine, and a homemade raw diet without formulation causes serious deficiency. Use a complete product formulated for cats.

Never feed dog food to a cat as a substitute.

Storage

Keep frozen, defrost in a fridge, never refreeze, and discard anything left in the bowl.

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