A practical guide for dog owners who want to switch their pets to a raw meat diet. Written by a certified canine nutritionist with 16 years of experience, it explains the principles of raw feeding and walks through seven steps: understanding what raw feeding means, choosing portion sizes by body weight, using ideal nutritional ratios, selecting easy-to-digest proteins, transitioning gradually,…
This document is a practical guide for dog owners who want to switch their pets to a raw meat diet. It is written by a certified canine nutritionist with 16 years of experience, and it introduces the concept of raw feeding as a more natural, species-appropriate alternative to processed kibble. The guide is structured around seven simple steps, from understanding the basics to safe food handling.
The first step explains what raw feeding means for dogs, focusing on their anatomy: sharp carnassial teeth, strong jaws, and a digestive system designed for meat, fat, organs, and bones. It emphasizes that raw feeding respects the dog's natural biology and aims to provide balanced nutrition using fresh, unprocessed ingredients.
The second step gives guidelines for portion sizes based on body weight, with specific percentages for puppies at different ages, adult dogs, highly active dogs, and seniors. The third step details the ideal nutritional ratios for a balanced raw diet, including muscle meat, raw meaty bones, secreting organs, liver, and muscular organs, with separate ratios for puppies, adults, and seniors.
The guide also covers practical aspects: starting with easy-to-digest proteins like chicken, turkey, and duck, and transitioning gradually over 9 to 10 days to avoid digestive upset. It includes two example meal plans, one for a 16 kg adult dog and one for a 23 kg senior dog, showing how to calculate daily amounts and distribute them across different meat, bone, and organ components.
Finally, the document lists recommended raw meaty bones, boneless muscle meats, organs, and optional extras like seafood and low-glycemic vegetables, with a note on bone-to-meat ratios. It also stresses safe food handling practices, such as washing hands, cleaning surfaces, and storing raw food properly, and includes a disclaimer that the diet does not replace veterinary advice.