When we first read up on puppy and canine diets available in Singapore, we were overwhelmed with the amount of information available on dry food, wet food, and raw dog food meals here. There were so many options to choose from and we were unsure of which was best for our dog.

One of the most popular, yet sometimes controversial topics of discussion amongst other pet parents, is on feeding our dogs raw food or BARF meals (biologically appropriate raw food). Raw feeding is the practice of feeding domesticated animals, including dogs, a diet that consists of uncooked meat, bones, and organs.

Here is a quick guide on what you should be feeding if you ever want to start your pup on a raw food diet.

Disclaimer: Always consult your vet or vet nutritionist before you feed your pets a new or novel diet.

What are the benefits of feeding raw?

Advocates of the raw dog food diet has claimed that their dogs enjoy a whole range of significant benefits from their diets. This includes shinier coats, healthier skin, improved dental health, increased energy, smaller stools, and most importantly fewer occurrences of illness such as fungal infections.

What goes into a typical raw diet for dogs?

With all meals that you prepare for your dog, remember that you are feeding them about 2% to 3% of their desired body weight. For example, if you would like to maintain your dog’s weight at 10 kilos, you should be feeding between 200g to 300g of raw food a day. Do note that each pup digests and absorbs nutrients differently, so you may have to increase or decrease the quantity of food you give accordingly.

The raw dog food diet usually consists of muscle meat, organ meat, bone, and other ingredients such as fruits and vegetables that provide essential nutrients. Here is a general guide on the ratios to feed your dog with, but always remember that with any diet, you will require some of your own adjustments to ensure that your pup is getting the right amount of nutrients.

Muscle Meat (80%-85%)

Muscle meat is the foundation of your furkid’s raw diet. You can choose to either mince them if you have a smaller breed, and for better absorption, or feed them whole which helps in your dog’s dental health.

Fat should also be included in your muscle meat, but ensure that fat does not go above 10% of your pup’s diet as it may cause indigestion due to excessive bile secreted by their digestive system.

You can include common meat cuts such as chicken breast, lamb shank, beef brisket, fillet, or even heart, cheek, lung, and stomach.

Organ Meat / Offals (5%-10%)

Aim for 5% liver meat, and 5% of other excreting organs. This provides the multivitamins and essential nutrients that your dog needs. Offals also help to soften your dog’s poo, so do watch out if it becomes too soft and black. This means that you should be decreasing the amount of offals in your dog’s diet. In addition, never include too much liver (>10%) in your dog’s diet as it contains a high amount of vitamin A which may lead to poisoning.

Organ meats include liver, brain, kidney, spleen, pancreas, and testicles.

Whole / Ground Bone (5%-10%)

Bones consist of calcium, and they also help to bind together your dog’s poop. A hard and white poo means that you have too much bone in your dog’s diet.

For smaller pooches, the easiest option for bones will be chicken feet or duck feet. You can find these in any supermarket here in singapore. For medium to large dogs, you can experiment with chicken leg bones, poultry necks, poultry wings, and even pork ribs and lamb shanks.

Ground bones are usually used for senior dogs or dogs who are unable to chew on whole bones. This comes in the form of bone meal if you purchase at a local supermarket, or you can also try grinding whole bones yourself with a bone grinder.

Note: Never feed your dogs cooked bones, as they easily splinter and may cause harm to their digestive system.

Fruits & Vegetables (Optional)

There is a whole range of healthy benefits in fruits and vegetables that are safe for your dog’s consumption. This includes prebiotics and probiotics for digestion, carotenoids and lutein for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

However, you can feed these occasionally as the muscle meat, organs, and bones provide sufficient nutrients for your pup already.

You do not need to get too hung up on the fruits and veggies, just include them whenever you are preparing them for your own meals too as a general rule of thumb.

Dairy & Supplements (Optional)

Just like fruits and vegetables, you can feed your pup with dairy and supplements occasionally for added benefits. Supplements such as fish oil, turmeric paste, coconut oil, and apple cider vinegar, all provide unique benefits for your dog when added to their diet.

Additional Tips

Always examine your dog’s poop the day after, you should be getting firm and moist segments that are mostly brown with some white colouration. This means that your pup is digesting and absorbing the nutrients well in their raw food diet.

Provide variety! Not everyone likes to have chicken rice or kaya toast every meal, and it will not provide a range of nutrients that we require. This is the same for your dog’s meals, there are many different types of meat such as fish, lamb, pork, beef, and kangaroo available at supermarkets to provide your pooches with enough variety every meal.

Should I Start My Dog On A Raw Diet?

Although the majority of the pet food industry is dominated by kibbles, and many of these brands are against the raw food diet, we strongly believe that a raw diet or even a fresh cooked food diet is much healthier than processed food like kibbles. The best way to know if your pup is getting real food is being able to visualise what goes into their diet instead of reading off a list of ingredients you are not familiar with on the kibble package. Do consult your vet if you would like to start your dogs on a raw food diet for a professional opinion.

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xo
Nellie