Raw Feeding

Why Raw?

Cats and dogs have biologically evolved to eat meat - specifically raw meats. We feed our dogs an appropriate balanced raw food diet for optimal health and well-being. We aim to feed a biologically accurate diet, that is something that your dog would have consumed in the wild, think whole prey rabbits/chickens/lambs etc.

The benefits of raw that we have noticed.

  • better food digestion - this results in smaller odorless poops (great for us!).

  • better body composition - we have noticed our dogs have more muscle and hold less fat

  • healthier teeth and skin, and less shedding

  • improved immune system - see gut biome below

How do we ensure a balanced healthy diet?

By ensuring we are feeding a wide variety of protein sources (chicken, lamb, salmon or other fish, veal, venison, possum, wallaby, etc), organs importantly secreting organs like kidneys and liver, tripe for digestion and size and age-appropriate raw meaty bones like brisket, chicken necks/frames.

Weaning Puppies on to Raw

We begin the weaning process at about 3 weeks of age, by this time the puppies can waddle around and lap up liquids. We mix raw goat’s milk with defrosted minced meat into a delicious (for puppies!) and loose sloppy mixture. We start with the Lamb Mix from Raw Essentials and when all goes well we also mix in the Chicken and Wild Mix, a fan favourite of our adult collies!

Mums still freely feed their pups and usually top them up after meals. By the time they are 5 weeks old puppies are eating 4 meals a day of a mix of minces, raw meaty bones, tripe and delicious died treats.

Gut health and improved immune system - we introduce additional foods to build our puppy’s gut biome for immunity.

  • probiotics - ripened cheeses, dried meats, brine from cheese like feta, double fermented kefir, dried uncured sausage/salami, fermented cabbage.

  • prebiotics - pumpkin, squash, banana, sweet potato.

Meat Minces and Mixes

Some of our favouite meat minces and mixes from Raw Essentials are:

  • Chicken and Wild Mix

  • Lamb Mix

  • Salmon mince

  • Venison, Veal, Salmon, and Tripe

  • Goat Mix

No Bones about it!

Our favourite bone recommendations for young puppies include:

  • chicken wings

  • chicken frames

  • veal brisket

  • venison brisket