Introduction to Raw Feeding

Lots of people are intruiged by a raw pet food diet. They want what's best for their pets but find the task of making up their own diet daunting. There are so many different theories, camps, statistics, whack jobs, and opinions flying around that merely googling “raw pet food” will make your head spin! Lots of people simply give up after a few days of research claiming it is absolutely too complicted and no one is ever able to create a balanced diet for their pets. I hope to help shed some logical light to all of this mess.

There are two main types of raw feeding, BARF and Prey Model.

BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food and was created by Dr Ian Billinghurst. Most non raw feeders only know about this type. It's the most publized. The general make up of this diet is 60-80% raw meaty bones (chicken necks, chicken backs, chicken wings) 20-40% of fruits, veggies, organ meat, eggs, or dairy products. Just reasearching this type of diet makes my head spin. Lots of percentages and it seems very very complicated! I can see why so many people just give up.

The Prey Model diet is much simpler. It tried to mimic the natural percentages carnavores would naturally eat if they were actually hunting down their own prey. Lucky people can just toss dead chickens and rabbits to their pups. City dwellers like myself actually have to measure stuff out! I aim for 80% muscle meat (heart is a muscle not an organ), 5% liver meat, 5% other organ meat (kidney, gizzards, etc), and 10% bone. The great part about this is that you can balance the diet over a weeks time. No huge stressing about having exact amounts each meal or day. It's easy peasy! Once you get used to it it's just like feeding yourself or your kids a balanced diet. Honestly I think it's easier than that food pyramid thing for us people!

Of course you can always just buy prepackaged raw food. You can get BARF and the Prey Model. There are tons of places to order online. Even some local pet stores are starting to carry freezer sections that include prepackaged raw and dehydrated raw. The local pet food store around here that has a raw section is Concord Pet. You'll most likely have the most success with the upscale pet boutiques. The draw back is that if you have multiple dogs or larger dogs, this can get very expensice quickly!