Raw Feeding
By Victoria Johnson Moonfall
All our dogs are fed on a raw diet and our puppies are also raised on raw.
This document contains the basics for continuing a raw fed diet when you take one of our puppies
home.
We start the puppies on solids at three or four weeks, weaning mince and a little goat's milk at first and
introduce chicken necks, wings or both at five to six weeks.
At six weeks we also change from weaning food to puppy food.
We purchase all our puppy food from Nutriment because it is one of the most convenient for new
owners.
When you take your puppy home he or she will be having three meals a day. Three or four time a week
one of the mince meals is replaced with the wings or bones.
We will give you a voucher for some free puppy food from Nutriment and you can purchase chicken
wings, necks and lamb ribs from one of the suppliers or your local supermarket, the only place I have
found whole chicken necks is from www.theyloveit.co.uk and Nutriement.
So you will need to feed the following,
Three meals a day of mince and three or four times a week replace the mince with bones. (Wings or
necks)
Puppies should be fed roughly 10% of their body weight daily, depending on how active they are.
Adult dogs have roughly 3% to 4%. As your puppies’ growth slows down you can decrease the ratio of
food to body weight but remember to weigh them regularly.
A raw diet should consist of 80% mince, 10% organ meats and 10% RMB (Raw meaty bones)
This is overall, not daily.
You can continue with this diet or you can start to introduce different meats and foods.
I recommend letting them get used to a new meat (lamb ribs for instance) for about a month before
trying the next one. If something doesn't agree then stop and try it again in a couple of months.
Salmon oil is a good supplement and is great for shiny coats, good skin and joint mobility. You can
purchase this from fish4dogs
http://www.fish4dogs.com/Categories/Dog-Shop/salmon-oil-dog.aspx
I don't feed pork due to the risk of trichinosis which is a parasitic disease, rare but I don't take the
chance as the bones (according to my butcher) splinter even when raw and there is a large variety of
other meats I can give them anyway.
I also avoid dense, weight baring bones that may be too hard for little teeth and cause them to chip or
break.
Nearly all raw bones are fine for dogs, cooking bones changes the properties and they will splinter.
If I buy anything that is not frozen, ie hearts from the butcher. I freeze them first then defrost before I
give them. This lessens the chances of bacteria.
Do not mix dry food with raw, dry food takes roughly 12 hours to digest. Raw takes on average six
hours. The reason dogs can handle raw food is because they have short, acidic digestive tracts. If you
feed both kibble and raw, the raw will end up sitting in the dog's stomach for twice as long as it should.
Choking - Dogs can choke on bones but they can also choke on kibble. You should never leave your
dog unattended while eating whatever their diet.
A typical daily diet for my adult dogs is as follows;
Morning - Minced chicken with tripe and some salmon oil and some fresh or dried sprats.
Evening - Duck wing, whole egg with the shell and a chicken foot.
Eggs (Raw)
Contain the following
Vitamin A
Riboflavin
Folate
Vitamin B12
Iron
Selenium
Fatty Acids
Raw eggs should be given whole with the shell.
Egg whites contain enzyme inhibitors – One of the reasons pet owners are warned off eggs is that the
whites contain enzyme inhibitors which can interfere with digestion, especially in very young and old
animals. This is true, but it only means that eggs should not be the mainstay of the diet. It is
perfectly safe to feed several eggs a week to the average dog. If you don’t see evidence of digestive
upset when feeding eggs to dogs, then he should have no trouble if eggs are a regular part of his diet.
Cooking the egg white could solve this problem but much of the nutrition would be lost so it is best to
feed it raw.
Egg whites cause Biotin deficiency – Egg whites contain avidin, a Biotin (one of the B vitamins)
inhibitor. Biotin is one of the B vitamins and is important for cellular growth, fatty acid metabolism
and good skin and coat. Biotin deficiencies are quite rare and it would take an extraordinary amount
of eggs to create a deficiency. Moreover, egg yolks are very high in biotin, so as long as you feed the
entire egg, there are few worries. There are other sources of biotin in the diet as well. Liver is a
particularly good source. Once again, cooking the egg white will eliminate the risk but your dog will
lose much of the nutritional value. If feeding your dog eggs on a regular basis, simply make sure he
gets the whole egg, not just the white.
Eggs contain salmonella – Dogs are well equipped to handle the bacteria in raw foods. The health of
the hen is also important, so it is best to choose eggs from organic, free-range chickens. Proper
storage and keeping the eggs cool will also go a long way toward keeping the harmful bacteria at a
manageable level.
Don’t forget the shells – If eggs are fed with the shell on, they are a nearly complete food source for
dogs. The shells can also be valuable for dogs who have difficulty eating bones. Simply dry the
shells out and grind them in a clean coffee grinder until they are powdered and sprinkle the powder on
your dog’s food. It’s important to remember that many eggs are sprayed with a chemical to make
them look shiny, so it is best to get your eggs from a local organic farmer.
Eggs are cheap, easily obtained and an outstanding source of nutrition for your dog. The overall
consensus with raw feeders is that the health benefits of eggs certainly outweigh the risks – and feeding
eggs whole, the way nature intended, goes a long ways to counteract harmful imbalances. Try feeding
your dogs a few eggs a week and he will you’ll see better health, inside and out.