Raw Feeding Made Simple

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Raw Feeding Made Simple

What is the Goal?

The goal is to feed your carnivorous

“Matching your pet’s diet as closely as possible to their ancestral diet is essential if you want a healthy, thriving cat or dog.” Dr. Karen Becker

companion animal as close to nature’s recipe for good health as possible. If left to fend for themselves, our pets would eat a balance of the essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals they need for optimal health. To achieve this for them we strive to create the diet that our pets would instinctively eat if given the opportunity.

It helps to understand the basics of raw feeding. Once you feed your pet raw meals for a few weeks, you will get into a routine and it will become second nature.

Supplying your pet with good nutrition is as easy as feeding yourself.

Basic Raw Food Diet Guidelines:

•Eliminate Biologically Inappropriate Foods (i.e. grains and starches)
    There is no minimal carbohydrate requirement for our carnivorous
    companion animals. Energy is supplied through food sources that
    are bio-available to their carnivorous systems; through protein
    and fat. An excellent paper on this subject is offered by Carissa
    Kuehn. See Myths About Raw Feeding below. According to Waltham Book
    of Dog and Cat Nutrition (2nd edition, 1988) “There is no minimal
    dietary carbohydrate requirement for either the dog or the cat.
    Based on investigations in the dog and with other species it is
    likely that dogs and cats can be maintained without carbohydrates
    if the diet supplies enough fat or protein from which metabolic
    requirement for glucose is derived.” Foods such as rice, oats,
    wheat, corn and soy cause inflammation, nutrient uptake roadblocks,
    and metabolic stress for our pets.

•Transition your Pet’s Diet to a Raw Diet in a Sensible Manner

•Select Quality Meat Sources

•Offer a Wide Variety of Animal Proteins

•Keep Calcium intake higher than Phosphorus – boneless meats are high
    phosphorus. A source of Calcium should be added, preferably ground
    bone

•Provide Omega 3’s regularly

•Follow Safe Handling of Raw Food Measures

•Give up the “Complete Meal” Concept

The key to good nutrition for any species is eating a broad variety of biologically appropriate foods in appropriate quantities.

In order to stay healthy our carnivorous companion animals require the living enzymes, unadulterated amino acids, and other vital nutrients found in raw meat. A diet that closely resembles their instinctive eating habits will strengthen the immune system and very likely return them to health.

Basic Ingredients for a Wholesome RAW Diet:

A raw whole-prey diet is intended to mimic the approximate percentage of meat, organ and bone that the wild carnivore eats. Suggested percentages are guidelines and based solely on our research and years of experience.

     The Three Primary Daily Foods:

    •Muscle Meat with Fat - approximately 80% of daily rations
    •Organ Meat - approximately 10% of daily rations
    •Edible Bones – 7% to 13% of daily rations as tolerated

Our Carnivores ground whole-prey products offer the benefit and convenience of the bone ground in with the meat and organ

    Other Essential and Beneficial Foods and Supplements:

   •Tripe -15% to 18% of overall diet
   •Eggs – Once a week, preferably raw, the white and the yolk
   •Necks – Up to 10% of overall diet as tolerated
   •Vegetables and Fruits – For dogs: 1½ % of diet; about 1/2 to 1 tbsp
     of select vegetables per pound and a half of ground raw meat-
     organ-bone and an occasional select fruit treat. It is said
     that cats do not metabolize plant based foods
   •Recreational Bones – Several times a week for 20 to 30 minutes
   •Add Calcium to balance Calcium/Phosphorus Ratio when feeding

     boneless meats - Use ground carcass (bone with
     most of the meat removed) or if need be pure Bone
     Meal as an alternative
   •Omega 3 Fatty Acids - Sardines and the deep
     water fish like salmon, and mackerel. A daily
     Omega 3 supplement is also advised. See Krill
   •Taurine - Supplement your cat’s raw diet with
     Taurine. Cats cannot produce this essential amino
     acid



Pay attention to your animal companion's health: weight, energy level, skin condition, odor, coat quality, stool consistency and frequency, and oral health.

Hooch waiting for his wholesome raw meal … YUM!

Click Here to Read or Print this Full Report
Raw Feeding Made Simple

Links for Your Further Reference

An excellent work by Carissa Kuehn: Carissa holds a BS degree in Zoology and Biology with concentration in Anatomy and Physiology. Here she shares years of research on her Myths About Raw Feeding Pages. http://rawfed.com/myths/

What You Need To Know About Dog and Cat Nutrition, by Kymythy R. Schultze, Clinical Nutritionist and Animal Health Instructor http://www.kymythy.com/articles03.html

Feline Nutrition Education Society http://feline-nutrition.org/nutrition

Diet guide for domestic dogs and cats, by Tom Lonsdale, Veterinary Surgeon http://www.rawmeatybones.com/diet/exp-diet-guide.pdf

Nutrient Composition Of Whole Vertebrate Prey (excluding fish) Fed In Zoos, by E. Dierenfeld, PhD, H. Alcorn, BS, and K. Jacobsen, MS.
See pages 12 and 13 for mineral content of whole-prey. http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/zoo/WholePreyFinal02May29.pdf

“With Taurine and cats, a little excess is definitely preferable to not quite enough.” Tracy Lord, DVM
http://www.vetlord.org/taurine-is-essential-for-cats/

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