Don’t take your dog’s nutrition lightly. A good diet helps ensure your dog a long and healthy life, while a nutritionally deficient diet spells serious trouble! If you are thinking of switching your dog to a raw diet, here are 10 things you will first need to know:

They are prey model and Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF). A prey model diet recreates what a dog would eat in the wild; which means feeding whole carcasses of bones, organs, muscle meat, skin, hair/feathers, fat and connective tissue. However, mama says this is impractical for most dog owners. Which is why there’s BARF – a diet that includes fruits and vegetables, supplements, and dairy products, on top of chopped or grounded raw meat, organs, and bones.

A homemade diet can easily end up being terribly imbalanced or incomplete. Hence, it’s important to read up extensively on feeding a raw diet beforehand. For a start, we recommend picking up a book called Raw & Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson.

Also, read these online references:

The amount of food to feed in a raw diet is 2-3% of your dog’s ideal weight. It will take some trial and error to get the right amount. 

Now take that amount and divide it into the following portions (similar ratio to a whole prey):

Again, you will need to adjust the percentages accordingly by monitoring your dog’s poop. For example, too much skin and fat will result in loose stools and too much bone will result in constipation.

Start with a single protein and slowly work towards a variety.

Your pup needs time to adjust to a change in diet, so don’t be surprised by soft stools. Started by giving your dog minced beef before feeding them a completely raw diet

If you are going to feed DIY vegetables, SOME steam and chop or pulp them first. With a shorter digestive tract compared to humans, it is harder for dogs to break down the cell walls of vegetables.

Bones can be dangerous for dogs, and this is especially so for smaller dogs.

There is a list of nutrients that are essential for your dog’s health. There are also certain minerals, vitamins and fatty acids that need to be balanced with each other – calcium & phosphorous, zinc & copper, vitamin E & omega 3, potassium & sodium, and omega 3 & omega 6.

The biggest concern is usually with calcium & phosphorous. Phosphorous is abundant in meat and bone, and too much of it can deplete your dog’s calcium reserves; causing serious problems. The ideal ratio is 1:1. If you are not feeding bone in your dog’s diet, you will need to feed a calcium supplement.

A raw diet still requires supplementing. However, be careful not to overdo it as supplements usually come in blends, and overlaps may occur. Read the ingredient list properly.

When it comes to feeding a raw diet, it’s important to trust your common sense. For example, it’s written everywhere that raw meaty bones are an essential part of a raw diet. However, as much as dogs love raw bones, some dogs tend to swallow them, which can cause choking and obstruction.

If your dog can't eat bones or struggles, you can supplement the calcium intake instead. Don’t force it if it doesn’t work for your dog.

If you think a raw diet is right for your dog, find a holistic vet who is trained in canine nutrition. As much as online information and communities are helpful, you will need a trusted expert to guide you along the way.