The raw feeding (or BARF) movement has rapidly picked up pace in recent years and, contrary to what raw feeding advocates may state, many vets are now seeing an uptick of illnesses in dogs caused by raw feeding. This isn't because raw feeding your dog is bad for them per se - it's actually one of the best things that you could do if you want them to live a long and healthy life.
The problem is that so many people who go along with this craze neither consult a nutritionist nor do proper research as to what a nutritionally balanced raw meal should be comprised of. Many dog owners are getting it wrong and worse than that, the butchers and manufacturers of fresh, frozen and freeze dried "complete" raw foods, who so many pet owners trust to get it right also fail on this front. One thing you should know about pet food companies - conventional and raw alike (at least here in Germany) - is that most of them get it wrong and most foods marketed as "complete" are anything but¹.
While trying to extend their dog's lifespan, unfortunately many people are unwittingly leaving their pets more susceptible to disease and decline by feeding diets that lack many of the essential nutrients that are required for optimal health. Having reviewed the ingredients of pre-packed raw meals sold by quite a number of different German brands, I have yet to find a single raw food manufacturer or butcher who has a clean score and there are companies who do not have a single balanced product in their "complete and balanced" raw food range.
What Does A Balanced Raw Meal Look Like?
Several of the leading raw food nutritionists, such as Dr Conor Brady², author of Feeding Dogs and Scott Jay Marshall, author of Raw Feeding 101, recommend an 80:10:10 approach. Note: the 80:10:10 refers only to the meat component of the dog's diet, with an additional plant food component equivalent in weight to 20% of the meat needing to be added on top.
The 80:10:10 approach refers to 80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat and 10% bone and is referred to as "the prey model" but does not, in fact, actually reflect the proportions of meat types found in whole prey in nature. Even if it did, the prey model assumes that the ideal diet for a dog would be a diet comprising whole prey, in line with their nearest living relative, the grey wolf.
However, this is model does not adequately acknowledge the evolutionary diet of the domesticated dog, which evolved as a scavenger species. As scavengers, their evolutionary diets would therefore have been (and likely were in most cases until the invention of kibble) much lower in prized muscle meat but would have contained fresh nutrient sources in the form of carcasses and some carbohydrate rich foods. This was the reasoning behind the template put forward by the father of raw feeding, Dr Ian Billinghurst³, when he first "invented" raw feeding as a concept over 30 years ago.
I have also been told by my own vet, who was not familiar with Dr Billinghurst, that raw fed puppies are much healthier when fed a diet higher in cartilage and bone with less muscle meat than the conventional guidelines recommend. Their theory was that this is because growing wolf pups (again not dogs but in this case there's a parallel) feed predominantly on the carcasses of the prey animal and consume little muscle meat.
Many nutritionists here in Germany, in contrast to the prey model, recommend 10-15% organ meats, 50% muscle meat, 10-15% bone and 20 - 30% plant matter. This is somewhat closer than the prey model approach to the original template for raw feeding outlined by Dr Billinghurst.
The Billinghurst method recommends you feed your dog a raw diet comprised of 60% raw meaty bone, 10% offal, 15% crushed, raw veggies, 5% raw crushed fruits and the remainder of your dog's diet should be supplements and table scraps. You can find the full details of this method in his books, The BARF Diet and Give Your Dog A Bone.
The Benefits Of More Bone
60% raw meaty bone equates to roughly about 20% pure bone overall or around 28% of the total meat component. This means more dietary cartilage and synovial fluid and more nutrient rich bone marrow - a superfood that has marvellous benefits for overall health and a robust immune system (I'm sure you've all heard about the benefits of bone broth).
I have tried my dogs on all three methods and the Billinghurst method appears superior for them as individuals. On the other two methods, we had more or less the same frequency of illnesses as they would have gotten prior to going raw and Yoto was not quite as lean as I would have liked. On the Billinghurst method, their physiques improved significantly, they're more energetic and neither of them has gotten sick once in over a year. They each also lost around 5% of their body weight despite calorie intakes being maintained.
NB: with the exception of the Billinghurst method, the bone component only refers to bone that has been completely stripped of meat - pure bone mass only (so you'll need to do some calculations). Most butchers fuck this up because they lack attention to detail when looking at guidelines (which have been made over complicated) and their packaged mixes are can often include 10 - 15% meaty bone, in some cases equating to roughly only 3 - 5% pure bone, thereby making them likely to be deficient in calcium as well as lacking in sufficient bone marrow to support optimal functioning of a healthy immune system.
Making Sure You Feed The Right Organs
I'm assuming we all know what organs are. When you hear the word "organs", likely the lungs, the heart and the stomach are amongst the first to spring to mind. However, within raw feeding guidelines, these do not technically fit within the category of organ meats.
In all raw feeding methods, organs such as the lungs, stomach and heart are classed as muscle meats and it is only the secreting organs (liver, spleen, kidney, testicle, brain etc) that make up the organ component of the diet.
The organs are nutrient rich superfoods to carnivores. Half of the organ component should be comprised of liver and the rest can be a mix of the others. If you are feeding poultry liver, you'll have to feed more because only ruminant liver contains sufficient copper to meet the AAFCO recommended intake. However, the AAFCO guidelines could likely be bollocks because they're based on dogs fed ultra processed kibble that offers poor bioavailability of micronutrients.
It is important that you make sure to read the ingredients list carefully of any prepared meat mixes as the organ component is another aspect that butchers and manufacturers often fuck up because they're not quite sharp enough to grasp it. That said, I can understand the confusion that arises from nutritionists failing to be explicit in stating "secreting organs" right from the get-go as opposed to just saying "organs"(oh how they do like to give themselves a job).
What About Plants?
Some raw feeders feed their dogs meat only and no plant matter. Dogs evolved to have a much greater ability to process and utilise carbohydrates than is found in wolves. The dog genome contains between 3 and 32 more copies of genes coding for amylase production than wolves; their liver and pancreas produce an enzyme to digest sugar - a feature not present in obligate carnivores - and they are able to perform various metabolic conversions of nutrients that obligate carnivores cannot. To put it simply, dogs evolved into the species they are today eating some plant matter. To feed a dog the same diet as their nearest relative, the grey wolf; a diet of mostly meat that is very low in plant matter, has been found to be suboptimal for their overall health and detrimental to the health and diversity of their gut microbiomes.
As stated by Dr Karen Becker in The Forever Dog⁴, numerous studies have shown that the gut microflora are the foundation of a robust immune system and a calm, happy temperament. Both of my dogs are extremely calm and secure despite my own stress levels being at times rather elevated (and despite the way in which I tend to bark orders at them like a Nazi commandant). I attribute that in no small part to the health and diversity of their gut microbiomes. To support their gut health, I give them homemade milk kefir and milk kefir grains, as well as mud from peat bogs - "heilmoor" - which is recommended by vets over here. One holistic vet I recently heard on a podcast even recommended feeding freeze-dried shit to your dogs, which you'll be glad to know you can buy online - and you can even take it yourself! I don't know about you, but I think I'll stick with the kefir.
The Importance Of When To Feed Plant Foods
You should always feed some plant foods along with your dog's meat ration (I mostly buy ground poultry necks and mix thoroughly so it's easy to get the dogs to eat the pureed veggies). The reason for this is that bone⁵ and organ meats⁶ are reservoirs for heavy metals and the levels found within the bone and organ meats of industrially farmed animals are shockingly high. Most people cannot afford to feed their dogs organic meat and, frankly, despite there being an awful lot of dog butchers here in Berlin, very few of them stock much, if any, organic meat, so I've no fucking idea where these bougie nutritionists with their high-falutin recommendations are buying theirs. Fuck off!
Certain plant foods, especially cruciferous vegetables and herbs such as coriander and garlic⁷ or chlorella (a micro-algae available in pellet or powder form), contain high levels of compounds known as phytochelatins that have a high affinity for heavy metals and thereby reduce absorption. Garlic has even been found to help detoxify the body of lead by removing from tissues the lead that has already been absorbed⁸. If you are concerned about the safety of feeding your dog garlic, check out this post.
While it may be concerning to many pet owners that the meat that they are feeding their dogs has levels of heavy metals considered unsafe for humans, you should be aware that this is also the case with conventional kibble and canned meats. The best way to reduce the burden is to ensure you are feeding plant matter with the meat and you are opting for plant foods with an affinity for heavy metals. NB: if you are to cook the cruciferous vegetables before feeding them, they should be chopped at least 45 minutes prior to cooking so that the activating enzyme, myrosinase, is released and and has time to act on the precursor molecule, glucoraphanin, to create sulfuraphane⁹, the active compound that has myriad health benefits.
To summarise:
Raw Feeding With Extra Bone
If you go along with the Billinghurst method or the methods recommended by many nutritionists here in Germany, your dogs' diet should be comprised of:
10 - 15% secreting organs (of which 5% should be liver (more if it's poultry liver) and the rest can be any other secreting organ (spleen, kidney, testicle, brain etc. You might not want to feed thyroid too often as this can lead to hyperthyroidism))
Either 10 - 15% pure bone and 50% muscle meat or Dr Billinghurst's approach of 60% raw meaty bone
20% plant matter - cruciferous veggies are a big plus
The remaining 5 - 10% can be table scraps, treats and supplements
Note: If you feed your dog in line with the higher bone intake of either of these methods and their poop is too hard or they're getting constipated, you should reduce their bone intake slightly. If their poop is too soft on any of these methods - eg with a consistency more like blancmange - you can go ahead and increase their bone intake. A healthy dog poop should be firm and should hold its shape when you clear it up but should not be too hard and your dog should not have to strain. I'll write another post all about dog shit and how to judge your dog's digestive health by looking at it at a later date.
When it comes to the amount of bone they need to produce the perfect poop, every dog is slightly different. Prince does much better on the Billinghurst method to the letter, especially when given ground chicken necks, which is possibly because these are higher in calcium than other poultry. Yoto can do just about fine on the Billinghurst method, provided that not all of the meaty bones are ground and that he doesn't have too much chicken - otherwise he can often get constipated. Therefore, I vary their regimen and I sometimes offer Yoto more muscle meats.
The So-Called "Prey-Model"
The other raw feeding method is that works well for a lot of dogs is the 80:10:10 (+20), which is:
80% muscle meat
10% organ meats of which half is liver and the rest a mix of any other secreting organ
10% pure bone weight - either calculated or stripped of all meat
+ 20% plant foods (because everything (and everyone) wants to live the American Dream where more is more and bigger is better and waistlines don't matter and maths is math (which no one can do) so the the whole of your dog's diet is 120% of itself rather than 100%!).
Adapting the diet to your dogs needs as long as it stays more or less within the boundaries of one of these methods is absolutely fine. However, not feeding organ meats because your dog "doesn't like them" is a total cop out and you shouldn't be so limp if you want a healthy dog. There are ways to get around fussy eating habits - serving organ meats frozen is one option that often works. Another is blending then incorporating them thoroughly with the rest of the meat. If you really have no other option, no dog is going to reject a piece of gently cooked liver.
When feeding your dog these diets, you can meet the requirements on a weekly, rather than a daily, basis. Some days, they might get more organ or muscle meat, other days more bone. Realistically, few if any pack animal in the wild gets all of their nutrients perfectly balanced within a 24 hour basis. Mixing it up will also make it more interesting for your dog, but the key is to make sure you stay close to the guidelines overall.
Final Points
Supplements
Some supplements are broadly recommended for raw feeders. They include:
The active form of omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil or algal oil) if you do not feed fresh fish on a regular basis.
Kelp as a mineral supplement for its iodine content
B vitamins are sometimes recommended, but not everyone is in agreement, though being water-soluble, extra B vitamins in your dog's diet are unlikely to hurt them
Your dog should have a source (preferably a food source) of vitamin D. Ruminant liver contains some vitamin D. Some fish have high amounts of vitamin D. Some fish oils, such as Grizzly Salmon Oil, provide adequate vitamin D for your dog despite being high in DHA and EPA. Cod liver oil is also a source, but I should note that it is not a good source of omega 3s.
Note: Dr Gary Richter, author of The Ultimate Pet Health Guide and Longevity For Dogs, states that "easily 90% of the dogs" he has seen in his practice "that have not been on a vitamin D supplement have proven to be deficient". However, you should never give your dog over-the-counter vitamin D supplements unless you have tested their levels prior to supplementation. If you are concerned your dog may be deficient, then test. Otherwise, you should ensure they have dietary sources of vitamin D or else supplement with a fish oil that falls within the range of their recommended daily intake.
Fish:
If you are feeding small fish on a regular basis (sardines, sprats, herring etc) you should heat them in the oven to 70°C for 20 minutes prior to feeding. This is because many small fish contain an enzyme called thiaminase¹⁰, which breaks down vitamin B1, so regular feeding of raw small fish could deplete your dog's vitamin B1 levels. Enzymes are denatured by heat and heating to 70°C for this amount of time won't result in browning and excessive formation of Advanced Glycation End products ((AGEs) - more on them in a later post, I think).
Raw salmon, unless minced, should be frozen for several weeks to ensure that your dog does not ingest any living parasites.
Variety
In order to ensure that your raw dog has the greatest possible access to all of the nutrients they need to thrive, it is highly recommended to feed not only a variety of protein sources but also to occasionally to include parts of the animal that are perhaps less commonly thought of by butchers, including but not limited to:
Skin with fur or feathers
Tendons (if you buy these dried, better to soak them)
Brain
Hooves
Eyeballs (gross)
Testicles (I cannot emphasise enough how squeamish I felt cutting these up for the first time)
If you need advice on how to raw feed your dog, drop me an email and I'd be happy to help. If you live in the Berlin area, I can also offer advice on where to shop and what brands to avoid.
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