The following is the ratio of nutrients I want in my raw diet:
60% protein
30% fat
10% carbohydrate
What is wrong with everything I’m reading?
- Generic references to “meat” and not using standardized specific meats that are easy and cheap to get.
- Treating red meat and chicken meat identically from a nutrient stand point. Maybe they aren’t? (They aren’t. They vary greatly on fat, protein, IRON and especially cholesterol.)
- I do not regard “organ meat” as desirable in a raw diet. It throws off the ratios and it’s not really easy to get. For example beef kidney.
- Using cooked and raw meat interchangeably
- Not knowing the amino-acid profile of the meats being used, can lead to a deficiency or imbalance in AA profile and protein synthesis – so this has to be doped out.
Another ‘idea’ unsubstantiated:
Raw Dog Food Recipe Proportions
80% meat with fat
10% organs
5% vegetables/fruits
5% dairy/supplements
Dairy/supplements: Whole eggs (shell and all) are a great source of calcium. I’ll also use some plain yogurt to help bind the patties.
Vegetables
Carrots
Broccoli
Spinach
Green beans
Collards
Kale
Regarding fat:
A starting point – discussing the kinds of fats
There are five essential fatty acids (EFAs) for dogs. They’re all polyunsaturated fats and they’re essential because your dog can’t make them himself. They must be included in her diet. These are:
Alpha Linolenic Acid – an omega-3 fat found in flaxseeds and hempseeds
Linoleic Acid – an omega-6 fat found in things like hempseeds and sunflower seeds
Arachidonic Acid – an omega-6 fat found in meat, poultry and eggs
Docosahexaenoic Acid – an omega-3 fat found in oily fish like sardines
Eicosapetaenoic Acid– an omega-3 also found in oily fish
Feeding rate:
To start, feed your dog about one to three percent of her ideal weight. So, if your dog’s ideal weight is 50 lbs, one pound of food a day (or a little more) is good.
The above is one way to calculate how much to feed. What I did was calculate the calories of the food, and then the caloric requirement of a 20 pound dog. Then I figured out how much food to give the dog so it got all its calories.
Good things to add to a home diet
Almonds, Blueberries, Yogurt, Multivitamins, Omega 3,6,9 FA’s, Calcium, FOS / inulin
Chicken Neck
Raw Egg with Shell
Flank Steak
Beef Heart
Top Round Sirloin
Chicken Leg Quarter
1 tbsp FOS
1 Flintstone Complete
1/2 Apple
1 Shredded Carrot
1 Omega FA capsule
2 tbsp High Quality Blueberry Yogurt
A turkey neck has a 26:8 protein to fat ratio. It’s not very high in cholesterol. The analysis does not include ingestion of the bone so the calcium value is erroneous.
Unless they are absolutely free, I don’t see a reason to include a chicken or turkey neck in the deal.
A chicken leg has a decent bone in it, is available everywhere and features a good price.
Good to know:
The typical diet of normal adult dogs contains between 2.5 and 4.5% fiber. However,
the fiber content of some “diet” dog foods may be higher.
Canine Adult RER 20 lbs = @ 400 calories
I was able to add fish oil capsules with the Omega 3,6,9 fatty acids and use a capsule here and there to balance out the fat ratio in the diet. So, a good amount of the fat in the diet has the omegas SPECIFICALLY which is cool.
I do not endorse ground beef in raw dog food. I doubt the nutritional value of the meat and the safety of the meat It’s been over-handled and it’s quite fatty to the possible exclusion of other nutrients..
I don’t recommend the below:
Homemade raw dog food
PREP TIME
30 minutes
TOTAL TIME
30 minutes
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
4 ounces chicken livers
1 carrot, chopped
1 small apple, cored
1/2 cup baby spinach
2 whole eggs (including shell)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Add the carrot, apple and spinach to a food processor and process until finely chopped.
Add the remaining ingredients except the ground beef and process again until well combined.
Transfer the mixture into a large bowl. Add the ground beef and mix together with a spatula or your hands.
Form into patties about the size of your palm and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Freeze patties until solid, transfer to a storage container or plastic bag and keep frozen.
Remove one day’s worth of patties from the freezer the night before and place in the refrigerator to thaw before serving.