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I’m interested in switching my dog to a raw diet. How do I get started?

Please visit Perfectly Rawsome for the most in-depth guide to the Prey Model Raw (PMR) diet.

You will need the following equipment to get started:

·      Food scale to accurately measure contents in your meals

·      A source for high-quality, low-sodium bone-in chicken

Stage 1: The First Week

1.    Fast your dog the day before the first raw feeding (or feed dry food the day prior and begin with raw the following day while your dog has an empty stomach). NEVER fast puppies!

2.    Begin with a small raw meal on day 1 (half or ¾ your dog’s typical daily amount) and stick to one protein source (bone in chicken parts recommended as this is cheap, easily sourced, and easily digestible. Use high quality chicken and avoid anything with more than 3% sodium). Chicken rib cages work well on day 1 because of their higher proportion of bone content, which firms up stools.

3.    On the 3rd day, add in a chicken leg quarter with a few ounces of rib cage every other meal to prevent constipation from too much bone! It’s also recommended to remove any skin and extra fat since these are more difficult to digest, at first.

4.    Stick to one protein source for the first two weeks. Continue feeding small amount of chicken rib cages with a larger amount of leg quarters. You are looking for consistently firm stools for 5-7 days straight.

5.    During this time, your dog may go through a “detox” stage as their body adjusts to the new diet and releases any built-up toxins (just as humans do when switching to a whole food diet). You may notice changes in their skin, increased eye gunk, increased licking and scratching.

Stage 2: After the First Week

1.    Start incorporating muscle meats, including gizzards and hearts, along with the few ounces of rib cages. If feeding a few ounces of chicken rib cages, mix in chicken hearts or gizzards or a mix of both. Experiment a bit to find good combinations.

2.    For dogs that have fully transitioned to the raw diet, the recommended proportions are 80% skeletal muscle meats, 10% raw meaty bones, and 10% raw organ meats. This 8:1:1 ratio reflects the proportions of bone, organ, and meat tissue found in prey animals. Don’t stress out about hitting these exact proportions. A little bit of rounding up or down when weighting out meals will not hurt your dog!

3.    Moving beyond chicken to other poultry, follow the same formula. Mix bone-in duck or turkey parts with boneless pieces (i.e., a few ounces duck neck with turkey gizzards or heart.)

4.    Sample measured meal for a dog on a 1 lb (16 oz) per day diet:

·      1.6 ounces bone (10% bone)

·      1.6 ounces organ (10% organ)

·      12.8 ounces boneless muscle meat (80% boneless muscle meat)

You can round up or down if that is easier (i.e., 2 oz. bone, 2 oz, organs, 12 oz. muscle meat).

5.    Skip the organs in the beginning until your dog has fully transitioned to the raw diet.

FYI

1.    The best rule of thumb in raw feeding is “know your dog.” Keep an eye on the stool.  If it comes out very hard, white, or crumbly, then you are feeding too much bone. Use less bone and increase the amount of muscle meat in the meals. If the stool is soft and not well-formed, increase the bone content in each meal. Every dog is different, some dogs may require a little more than 10% of bone in their diet, while others may require a little less.

2.    NEVER feed cooked bones.

3.    It is safe to thaw and refreeze meat. People avoid it because the texture changes when you thaw, refreeze, then cook meat. Since your dogs will receive raw meat, there is no issue.

Thawed meats last 4-5 days refrigerated. When meat begins to spoil, you will notice a change in smell and a slimy texture.

4.    In the beginning, expect to occasionally see pieces of bone in your dog’s stool. This is normal. Don’t panic! You will see less of this the longer your dog is rawfed. As they adjust to eating raw and their gut modifies its digestive enzymes and PH levels, their bodies will become more efficient at processing bone content.

5.    A number of helpful raw feeding support groups exist on Facebook. Consider joining one!

Adapted from Carla Boyadjian at Raw Feeding Miami.