If you’ve been feeding your pet a raw diet for any length of time, chances are you’ve heard the phrase, “You aren’t feeding a raw diet correctly!” Guess what? You aren’t, “they” aren’t, and neither am I. None of us are right, but we’re not necessarily wrong either. The truth is, there is no perfect way to feed your pets a raw diet.
I can find a veterinary article or a pet nutritionist’s advice to support almost any feeding method out there. Similarly, I can also find an article or advice stating that any approach is wrong. There is no magical formula to feeding raw, and that’s because what one person eats in a day likely wouldn’t work nutritionally for someone else. So why would what someone else feeds their dog work perfectly for yours?
The Raw Truth
Every dog is unique, and so are their dietary needs. My dogs, for example, are fed differently depending on their current needs. If their coat looks dry, I may add more salmon. If their stool seems a bit too solid, I might reduce the amount of bone in their diet or limit the raw meaty bones they get. Sometimes, I’ll add pumpkin or other supplements.
If we’ve had a lot of outdoor activity, like hiking, I might increase their portion sizes or choose a food with higher fat content, or both. If a dog has just had surgery, I’ll increase their portions and add more tripe and kefir to their meals. This is especially important when they’re on antibiotics, as antibiotics kill all the good bacteria, so I ensure to replenish probiotics in their diet.
Customizing Their Meals
My dogs also get occasional snacks like baby carrots, green beans, or leftovers from the refrigerator, which could include cottage cheese, veggies, or boiled eggs. I limit organ meats to just once or twice a week or serve it in minuscule amounts, similar to how organ meats are included in BRB Complete or Puppy Mix.
Challenges of a Specialized Diet
One of my dogs, a 9-year-old pit/dane mix, has the most unbalanced diet of all. She’s allergic to many things, including beef, chickpeas, almonds, and wheat—the list goes on. She can’t even take multivitamins because they all contain ingredients she’s allergic to. Before I had her tested for allergies, she was so miserable that she didn’t want to be petted because it made her itch more.
Her diet primarily consists of venison and duck, which are considered cooling foods, and pork and salmon, which are neutral foods. She also tolerates fowl (turkey, quail, and chicken) and surprisingly doesn’t have a reaction to tripe, even though she’s allergic to beef.
When feeding her, I ask myself questions like:
Does her coat look good?
Does she have dry skin?
How’s her energy level?
What does her stool look like?
What does her bloodwork say?
If all these questions are answered satisfactorily, I consider her diet perfect for her. But would this same diet work for another one of my dogs? Absolutely not! For example, venison wouldn’t work for my Great Dane because he needs a diet higher in fat.
You’re Doing Great
If you’re feeding any type of raw or lightly cooked food to your pet—whether it’s once a week or every day—you’re doing a fantastic job. Your pet is healthier for it, and you don’t need to stress about “doing it right.” Feeding raw doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re looking for exact nutritional recipes, consider checking out The Forever Dog: Life, releasing June 4th, for more guidance.
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