Raw Feeding Guide
WELCOME TO OUR RAW FEEDING GUIDE
So, you’ve heard about raw feeding. Perhaps you’ve heard about the potential benefits (we’ll get to those in a bit!) or maybe you’re not entirely satisfied with your dog’s current diet. You may have heard that some dog foods contain low quality ingredients or are processed with sugars, artificial colours and preservatives that aren’t ideal for a dog’s digestive system, and you are looking for a natural, better-quality way to feed your dog. Whatever has brought you here, we hope that in this article we will be able to take you through the basic principles and best practice when introducing a raw dog food diet plan.
A GENERAL RAW FEEDING GUIDE
1.Raw food can suit all breeds and life stages, including weaning, puppy and senior.
2.Raw feeding may also help some dogs with sensitive digestion.
3.Raw feeding requires some freezer space, in order to store the food.
4.You can defrost your dog’s food for each day the night before in the fridge, or on the counter if you need it to thaw more quickly.
5.The amount of food to give will depend on your dog’s age, breed and lifestyle (check out our raw food calculator to find out more!).
6. Our complete and balanced raw nuggets have everything your dog needs for a meal, or you can mix your own with our Home Prepare range, adding our Mixers. When starting out, our raw complete and balanced nuggets are by far the easiest and most popular choice.
7.Switching to a fully raw diet takes just seven days, which gives your dog’s digestive system time to adapt and prevents any upsets.
1.Raw food can suit all breeds and life stages, including weaning, puppy and senior.
2.Raw feeding may also help some dogs with sensitive digestion.
3.Raw feeding requires some freezer space, in order to store the food.
4.You can defrost your dog’s food for each day the night before in the fridge, or on the counter if you need it to thaw more quickly.
5.The amount of food to give will depend on your dog’s age, breed and lifestyle (check out our raw food calculator to find out more!).
6. Our complete and balanced raw nuggets have everything your dog needs for a meal, or you can mix your own with our Home Prepare range, adding our Mixers. When starting out, our raw complete and balanced nuggets are by far the easiest and most popular choice.
7.Switching to a fully raw diet takes just seven days, which gives your dog’s digestive system time to adapt and prevents any upsets.
SIMPLE STEPS TO MAKING THE SWITCH
For the first seven days, we suggest feeding their old food for one of their daily meals, then half of their daily raw ration for their other meal. Whether you swap their breakfast or dinner is entirely your call. Carry on like this for seven days, then on day eight, switch over to 100% raw
YOUR OWN PERSONALISED RAW FEEDING GUIDE
For a tailored raw feeding guide, such as how much to feed and which products we recommend, just pop a few details in here, and we’ll put one together for you that takes into account your dog’s breed, age and lifestyle.
Our complete and balanced ready-made raw meals come in convenient packs and nuggets; all you need to do is pour, thaw and serve. We recommend popping the decanted food into a glass or metal container with a lid. You can defrost overnight in the fridge or leave it covered for a few hours at room temperature for a quicker serve.
For the first seven days, we suggest feeding their old food for one of their daily meals, then half of their daily raw ration for their other meal. Whether you swap their breakfast or dinner is entirely your call. Carry on like this for seven days, then on day eight, switch over to 100% raw
YOUR OWN PERSONALISED RAW FEEDING GUIDE
For a tailored raw feeding guide, such as how much to feed and which products we recommend, just pop a few details in here, and we’ll put one together for you that takes into account your dog’s breed, age and lifestyle.
Our complete and balanced ready-made raw meals come in convenient packs and nuggets; all you need to do is pour, thaw and serve. We recommend popping the decanted food into a glass or metal container with a lid. You can defrost overnight in the fridge or leave it covered for a few hours at room temperature for a quicker serve.
RAW FEEDING GUIDE BEST HYGIENE PRACTICE
It’s always advisable to practice general hygiene when feeding raw. Hand washing, surface wiping and washing your dog’s bowl after they’ve eaten are all important, just as they would be if you were preparing food for anyone else. Our best-selling raw nuggets offer a complete meal in a convenient format, with easy portion control and minimal mess. You can just count out the number of nuggets you need, let them thaw then serve.
FOOD THEY’LL GO WILD FOR
Raw pet food diets are nothing new – in fact, nothing could be more natural! In the wild, the major component of a dog’s diet would be prey. However, dogs can and do eat other foods, and we believe their ideal natural diet has a good level and variety of fruits and vegetables. It’s also important to note that they’re scavengers, and if they are eating raw prey, they eat the lot! There are plenty of nutritional benefits in raw bones and offal. When you input your pet’s details, your personalised raw feeding guide will show the range of ingredients and products best suited to your dog.
RAW YOU CAN TRUST
So, we’ve established that the basis for a raw dog food diet is evidenced in nature. But why Natures Menu? Well, for starters, we have 40 years’ experience making high quality raw dog food and we are members of the PFMA, the leading trade body for the UK’s pet food industry. Our manufacturing facilities are DEFRA approved, and all our high-quality pet food is made to meet FEDIAF guidelines.
So, if you are considering switching your furry friend to a raw dog food diet plan, then you can do so with confidence when you choose our real, high-quality recipes.
Our raw feeding guide has been designed by our in-house animal and nutrition experts to ensure all our recipes contain everything your pet needs and nothing they don’t. This includes a careful blend of vitamins and minerals, so all our meals are complete and balanced, and never any added sugar or artificial colours or preservatives. We also avoid any unnecessary processes, keeping our recipes simple and our ingredients lists straight forward.
If you are considering a raw dog food diet plan, the simple fact is that the safest way to do so is to buy commercially produced raw food created specifically for the purpose, to strict health and safety guidelines. With simple feeding formulas, Natures Menu recipes mean that you can feed raw without any fuss or faff, knowing it's simple and safe to do so. Our raw feeding guide is a simple way to generate a meal plan to suit your dog.
SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST
We’ve mapped out a general raw feeding guide and talked about the principles of opting for a raw dog food diet plan. We’ve covered potential nutritional benefits and simple hygiene practices, how to help your dog transition onto their new raw diet, and how to get your own personalised Natures Menu raw feeding guide.
Now comes the best bit – the benefits, as told to us by our many happy customers (via their humans, naturally!) Some of our furry ambassadors have been with us since weaning, others have joined us along the journey, but regardless of age, breed or disposition, certain benefits keep popping up like an excitable terrier.
Improved dental hygiene is one to bark about – we believe that the absence of sugar in our recipes means the risks of bacteria and decay are reduced. Who doesn’t prefer non-stinky kisses?!
Another notable one we hear our customers mention is a glossy, shiny coat. You may find your dog checking themselves out in the shop fronts as you walk down the high street! Renewed energy levels make sense too – we all know we feel better when we eat better.
Last, but not least, we’d like to talk about poos. We’re not afraid to talk poo here at Natures Menu. As any dog owner knows, there’s nothing to make the stomach sink like having to scrape a smelly, sloppy poo off the pavement. Well, we’ve got good news. One of the benefits we hear most frequently mentioned is smaller, firmer, less smelly poos. As Natures Mate Otis’s human Alex tells us, “I’m often amazed at how glossy his coat is and how healthy his digestive system is - he has perfect poos and is rarely ever windy.” Now, that’s the kind of feedback we go to work for.
We hope our raw feeding guide has given you some information and background to raw pet food diets, and helped you feel confident and inspired about making the switch to raw. Furthermore, we wish you many perfect poos to come!