How do you feed uncooked pet food?
As a passionate uncooked feeder, that’s a query I’m typically requested and blissful to reply!
It’s an necessary one too as a result of there are a number of other ways of feeding canine uncooked pet food.
The wonder is that none of them are fallacious and all have their upsides and downsides.
So right now, I’ll cowl the totally different uncooked feeding fashions and share how I personally feed uncooked pet food.
Spoiler alert: I rapidly transitioned from one mannequin to a different!
How Do You Feed Uncooked Canine Meals: BARF Food plan vs PMR
In uncooked feeding, you’ll be able to both feed what’s often known as a BARF weight-reduction plan or PMR, and the primary distinction is the addition/absence of plant matter.
BARF Food plan
Let’s have a look at the BARF weight-reduction plan first.
BARF stands for Biologically Applicable Uncooked Meals or Bones and Uncooked Meals.
It features a mixture of uncooked meat, bones, fruits, greens, nuts and seeds, in addition to non-compulsory grains.
This weight-reduction plan includes grinding or mixing the elements collectively into a combination or making ready them as whole-food meals.
Shopping for Premade BARF
Should you determine that you simply wish to feed your canine a BARF weight-reduction plan, the simplest means of feeding it’s to purchase it premade from a model that ships it to the doorstep.
For instance, from Darwin’s Pure Pet, a ThatMutt sponsor!
They’re situated in Tukwila, WA on the West Coast and ship their grain-free uncooked pet food throughout the continental US.
Enjoyable reality: I started my uncooked feeding journey with them in 2015.
Again then, I transitioned my Boxer mixes Missy & Buzz from kibble to uncooked pet food and in addition questioned, so how do you feed uncooked pet food?
Fortunately, a fellow uncooked feeder beneficial the model and they’re actually superior.
The best way it really works is you place your order on-line, they ship it to your property in frozen 8 oz pouches, and all you need to do is thaw and serve.
Tip: Get 10 kilos of meals for simply $14.95. That’s as much as 75% off. No code required.
Because the first order features a thaw tub, you don’t even have to make use of your individual tupperware to thaw the meat in.
That stated, Darwin’s has three totally different traces of BARF uncooked pet food:
- Pure Choices: That’s a free-range meat line that’s combined with natural greens.
- Biologics: That’s their typical meat & vegetable line.
- Intelligence: That’s a prescription line for canine identified with most cancers, kidney, liver and joint illnesses.
I’ve fed all three and my pups cherished each single line.
Observe: The Intelligence line is on the market by prescription solely, so your vet should name it in. Again when Missy was identified with most cancers, her homeopathic vet Dr. Charles Loops prescribed it for her.
@Colby: Insert image of Darwin’s most cancers prescription uncooked pet food (I’ve shared it earlier than with ThatMutt)
Right here’s what’s in it:
Whitefish (Pollock), Turkey Necks, Turkey Gizzards, Broccoli, Beef Liver, Turkey, Beef Kidney Fats, Complete Dried Eggs, Mushrooms (Maitake, Shitake), Blackberries, Blueberries, Parsley, Raspberries, Tomato Powder, Fish Oil (Supply of DHA), Cod Liver Oil, Sunflower Seed Oil, Turmeric, Spirulina, Oyster Shell Powder, Inexperienced Tea, Vitamin E, Zinc Proteinate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Black Pepper, Manganese Proteinate, Iodine (EDDI)
Now, whereas ordering premade uncooked pet food is probably the most handy and quickest possibility of feeding uncooked pet food, it’s additionally the costliest possibility.
Feeding Home made BARF
The expense of feeding my 50 lb & 75 lb canine premade uncooked pet food from Darwin’s solely wasn’t sustainable for me personally.
That’s why I seemed into making my very own selfmade uncooked pet food.
There’s a studying curve as you analysis the totally different parts of balanced uncooked pet food:
- 70% Muscle meat
- 10% Secreting organs
- 10% Uncooked meaty bones
- 10% Plant matter (veggies, fruit, nuts & seeds)
My most memorable AHA second was once I realized that organs like hearts and lungs aren’t fed as secreting organs however as muscle meat!
My very own selfmade uncooked pet food
All in all, it took me about 5 months to really feel comfy making my very own uncooked meals.
The best way I realized was by:
- Studying uncooked pet food books
- Becoming a member of uncooked pet food Fb teams
- Watching YouTube movies by professional uncooked vets
- Studying uncooked pet food articles in Canine Naturally Journal
Years later, I additionally took a category in uncooked pet food diet and acquired licensed as a uncooked pet food diet specialist, additionally by Canine Naturally Journal.
Prey Mannequin Uncooked (PMR) Feeding
Now that we’ve seemed on the BARF mannequin of uncooked feeding, let’s have a look at the PMR different.
Prey Mannequin Uncooked consists of complete cuts of meat, bones, and organs, however no greens, fruits, nuts and seeds.
That stated, right here’s what PMR consists of:
- 80% Muscle meat
- 10% Secreting organs
- 10% Uncooked meaty bones
Holding that in thoughts, there are two approaches to feeding PMR:
- Feeding precise complete prey, that means complete animals. For instance, complete goats, rabbits, chickens, quails and ducklings.
- Following the Frankenprey method that makes an attempt to copy an entire animal by utilizing varied components from totally different animals. For instance, a rabbit head, turkey neck, duck body, turkey hearts, rooster ft, and so on.
When it comes to sourcing complete animals, there are some on-line uncooked pet food retailers that promote complete animals like chicks, ducklings, quail, rabbits and fish.
For instance, Hare At this time and Uncooked Feeding Miami.
To get your palms on bigger complete animals like deer, sheep and goats, you can also make buddies with wildlife processors and hunters, or purchase them instantly from an area farmer or butcher.
Some on-line uncooked pet food retailers additionally carry floor complete prey, which is simply as handy as ordering the premade BARF meals from Darwin’s.
For instance, My Pet Carnivore and Uncooked Feeding Miami.
You too can purchase these and switch them into BARF meals by including your individual veggies, fruits, nuts & seeds. Or you’ll be able to mix them with a uncooked pet food base-mix like:
How Do You Feed Uncooked Canine Meals For Puppies
Should you’ve raised a pet, you realize that rising puppies want extra vitamins, i.e. extra meals, than grownup canine.
That’s true no matter whether or not you feed kibble, moist pet food, cooked pet food or uncooked pet food.
Equally to purchasing a bag of kibble, premade uncooked pet food like the sort from Darwin’s comes with feeding recommendations on the packaging.
Additionally they provide free menu consultations by telephone.
I had a type of once I first began feeding uncooked and do advocate them!
Now, in the event you make your pet’s personal uncooked pet food, you’ll be having to do some calculations to determine the quantity of uncooked pet food they should eat per day.
One possibility is to feed your pet 2-3% of their ADULT goal physique weight per day.
So for instance, if you realize that your feminine Labrador pet goes to weigh 60 lbs as an grownup, you are able to do the feeding math utilizing 2.5%:
Divide 2.5% by 100, then multiply it with 60. The result’s your pet’s each day uncooked pet food allowance:
2.5% / 100 x 60 = 1.5 lb = 24 oz
This pup would wish round 24 oz of uncooked pet food per day.
Now, clearly you’ll be able to solely guestimate your pet’s grownup weight, even in the event you test in along with your breeder and/or vet.
That’s why this isn’t my most well-liked means of doing uncooked feeding calculations for puppies.
For my part, a greater strategy to calculate a pet’s each day uncooked pet food allowance is by utilizing their present physique weight.
This suggests having to weigh your pet on a weekly foundation, and one of the simplest ways to do this at house is with a digital pet scale.
Intrigued?
Click on right here to study extra on how one can feed uncooked pet food to puppies, together with the formulation.
How Do You Feed Uncooked Canine Meals For Grownup Canine
Once more, in the event you’re feeding premade uncooked pet food from a model, you’ll discover feeding pointers for grownup canine on the packaging or their web site.
However in the event you make your individual BARF or PMR pet food, you’ll be doing the calculations with a selected method.
For reasonably energetic grownup canine, you feed them 2.5% of their goal physique weight per day.
This implies you divide their goal physique weight by 100, and you then multiply the outcome with 2.5% to get their each day uncooked pet food allowance.
In the event that they’re extra of a sofa potato, they’ll want much less meals and also you’ll be doing the calculations with 1.5% – 2%.
Likewise, extra energetic working canine or pregnant canine require rather more meals, so that you’ll be doing calculations with as much as 4% of their goal physique weight.
I do know this may be complicated, so right here’s an instance of the maths you’ll be doing for a reasonably energetic grownup canine who weighs 40 lbs and isn’t chubby (40 lbs is their goal physique weight):
40/100 = 0.4 x 2.5 = 1 lb = 16 oz
So this canine would wish to eat 16 oz of uncooked pet food per day.
Right here’s yet another math instance for an chubby 55 lb canine who doesn’t train a lot and must lose 5 lbs.
Since their goal physique weight is 50 lbs, you divide 50 by 100, you then multiply the outcome with 2%:
50/100 = 0.5 x 2 = 1 lb = 16 oz
This canine would additionally have to eat 16 oz of uncooked pet food per day.
How Do You Feed Uncooked Canine Meals – My Method
I already shared just a few bits and items of data so far as how I feed uncooked pet food.
In a nutshell, I started my uncooked feeding journey with premade BARF pet food from Darwin’s.
As soon as I realized how one can make selfmade uncooked pet food, I supplemented Darwin’s uncooked meals with my very own uncooked pet food.
As of late, I feed my Feist combine Wally following the identical method.
He will get about 75% of my selfmade uncooked pet food, and 25% of premade uncooked meals following the BARF mannequin.
After my transfer abroad, I can clearly now not purchase from Darwin’s however have to buy regionally right here in Germany.
Backside Line
That ought to reply the query of “how do you feed uncooked pet food”!
It’s at all times best to purchase premade uncooked pet food from a model like Darwin’s.
Particularly in the event you’re new to uncooked feeding and wish to be sure to’re feeding balanced uncooked pet food.
Nonetheless, this comfort comes at a premium, so a method of constructing it extra inexpensive is by supplementing their meals with your individual selfmade ones.
ThatMutt’s founder Lindsay follows the identical method and wrote an book on how one can feed uncooked pet food, together with 10 recipe concepts for small, medium and enormous canine!
Should you don’t wish to feed veggies, fruit, nuts & seeds, you’ll be feeding your canine the PMR means.
Bear in mind, this excludes plant matter and whereas many prey mannequin uncooked feeders feed complete animals, you may as well comply with the Frankenprey method.
Just like uncooked pet food model Darwin’s, there are manufacturers who promote floor PMR for comfort.
Now it’s your flip: Tell us how YOU feed uncooked pet food within the remark part beneath!
