Guest Written by: Perfectlyrawsome.com

Types of Raw Diets

Prey Model Raw (PMR)

The PMR Diet is designed to provide dogs with a species appropriate diet that replicates the diet of a wild candid. A complete PMR diet consists of 80% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organ, and can be accomplished by feeding Whole Prey or Franken Prey.

Whole prey is the entire animal with fur/feathers and innards intact. Whole prey such as Duck, Rabbit, and Quail provide a perfect balance of muscle, bone, and organs in a single meal. Where as Franken Prey consists of a variety of different cuts of meat to complete their dog’s meal to PMR guidelines. Franken Pray meals may consist of multiple animal proteins in a single feeding.

Biologically Appropriate Raw Foods (BARF)

The BARF Diet is designed to provide dogs with a homemade diet consisting of raw meat, bones, organs, vegetables, and fruit while eliminating grains. A complete BARF diet for dogs includes 70% muscle meat, 10% raw edible bone, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organ, 7% vegetables, and 3% fruit. BARF diets may have multiple animal proteins in a single feeding.

Benefits of Raw Feeding

All the time spent sourcing quality proteins, prepping meals, and cleaning is all worth it in the end when you see the benefits your dog receives through raw food. Discover the facts and benefits of raw feeding:

Stronger Immune System
Feeding raw provides a natural source of protein, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients. This improves immune function to serve as the foundation to fight present diseases and prevent against possible future illnesses.

White Teeth & Fresh Breath
Through the natural teeth cleaning benefits provided from a raw diet, dogs and cats experience fresh breath, healthy gums, and white teeth.

Improved Coat Condition
A balanced raw diet is free from processed foods, artificial preservatives, additives, and low quality proteins which provides pets with the essentials to maintain a thick and shiny coat.

Smaller & Less Odorous Stools
Raw diets do not consist of filler ingredients. PMR and BARF diets contain of natural sources of proteins and small amounts of carbohydrates leaving small, firm, and less odorous stool.

Stabilized Energy Levels
PMR and BARF diet provides a diet free from excessive sugars which aids in stabilizing clean and consistent energy levels.

Ideal Weight Maintenance
A natural, species appropriate, raw diet increases the metabolic rate in dogs. This process allows dogs to lose unwanted fat and gain a desirable increase in muscle mass.

Common Mistakes

Too Much, Too Soon!

When starting your dog on a raw diet use the KISS method, Keep It Super Simple! Avoid providing too much variety at once and gradually phase into raw feeding. It is natural to get excited and impatient but taking it slow is recommended when switching an adult dog from a processed diet to a raw diet. This is to allow your dog to adjust to the new food as well as allow you to lean more about raw feeding and your dog’s needs.

Learn how to transition an adult dog to a raw diet here.

Over Supplementing

Liver and organs in a raw diet are considered “Nature’s Multivitamins.” These internal organs are packed with beneficial nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin D, B complex, and Iron to name a few. When selecting to add a supplement to your dog’s raw diet, be mindful of the ingredients already being fed so you do not overfeed vitamins or minerals which harmful rather than beneficial.

Not Enough Red Meat

Chicken is a readily available meat in grocery stores and at a cheap price which many find attractive to save money. However dogs require red meat proteins for a healthy and complete balance. A minimum recommended guideline is 50% red meat for raw diets and anything greater is ideal.

Misunderstanding Bone Content

Raw Meaty Bones (RMB) are a combination of meat, fat, connective tissue, and bone. The recommended 10% bone content in PMR and BARF model diets refer to the Edible Bone found within a RMB. Many raw feeding beginners fail to factor in the RMB differences of meat to bone in the diet; ultimately overfeeding bone and resulting in a constipated dog.

Learn more about bone percentages found within common raw meaty bones.