Before we begin, please read the following as this will answer the most commonly asked questions.
Switching to raw? A straight switch works for over 97% of dogs so is the recommended process.
Whether your dog is 14 years or 8 weeks old, transitioning to a species appropriate diet can be of huge benefit to them.
As standard with any dietary change, we recommend having a health check completed on your dog by a veterinarian if you haven't had one done recently to ensure you can begin your journey knowing your dog is fit & healthy.
Where a dog has an existing health condition, please do work with a pro raw or holistic vet and / or a 1 on 1 nutritionist, to ensure there is no impact to the existing health condition. As we are a free advice & support group, we ethically can only recommend our transition process for dogs that are otherwise fit & healthy, unless your dogs vet has agreed it is safe to follow our process, including use of the supplements recommended. This is especially vital where medications are used for your dog.
Please note, HUA Dalmatians have a slightly different plan to follow due to their genetic code, so please for Dalmatians join the Facebook group Raw Fed Dalmatians for advice & support for them, our blog covers the basics here
Over several years of research & studies, (including, but not limited to the industry standard only OFQUAL regulated canine nutrition specific course, IPET), we have found the simplest way to transition is to use a soft & gentle brand that has 100% single species options. These allow a great start to happen before you then introduce other options after a few short weeks.
We list one budget brand of choice for those who need to restrict costs, and for those who wish to feed tripe we have 1 brand that is high quality but still follows the process, we only ask that if your dog becomes itchy or yeasty or stools are unstable that you feed tripe free options for at least 12 weeks as it may be a trigger for these issues for a small proportion of dogs.
The Brands
Budget Brand - Durham Animal Feeds 454g Blocks or 500g Trays as long as they are single protein i.e. Chicken meat, bone, offal
Tripe Free Options -
4PAWSRAW 801010
Dougies 801010
Cotswold Butchers Block Range
Naked Dog Pure Range
Prodog Raw Pure Range
Tripe Containing but high quality brand - Henley Raw Just Range (The Ox (beef), and Lamb both contain 30% tripe)
Please note, this is an option for those who prefer to use higher quality with tripe content. If your dog is prone to itching we recommend avoiding tripe, but understand some members want to enjoy the great benefits high quality tripe can bring so this allows that choice.
Henley Raw have tripe free options too and have a huge range of a massive 33 recipes, making this a great quality option with a wide variety catering to all dogs.
What if my dog has a suspected or known allergy to these proteins?
Most dogs with dry / wet food allergies do not have an issue when fed raw, so there is rarely a need to restrict the diet.
If your dog has a confirmed allergy to chicken, from a blood test carried out by your vet, we recommend you start with Cotswold Butchers Block Turkey. If the blood tests, at the vets, states your dog is allergic to all of the proteins listed above we recommend you seek support from a holistic vet as a true allergy for a dog to a protein is incredibly rare and it often not to the actual protein itself but ethically, we cannot advise you further at this time.
If your dog has suspected food intolerances or allergies or has not had it confirmed by a blood test at the vets, using raw proteins, we recommend following the above process with no restriction as the raw food is not likely to cause a reaction.
Having a dog with a true protein allergy is incredibly hard to manage especially on a budget as most raw brands that are cheaper use beef or lamb offal (such as Birmingham Raw), and chicken bone (such as Prime)
My puppy / dog has been fed raw before living with me, what should I feed?
If your dog has been fed raw by a previous owner or their breeder, as sadly we have seen many examples of poor-quality diets resulting in health concerns, we recommend still following this process but firstly feeding 3 days of boneless (also called meat only) chicken or turkey (whichever protein you are starting on.)
Doing this will help ensure your dogs gut is in top condition, and also ensure you have the chance to learn their needs as they grow
The Proteins
Week 1: Chicken or Turkey 801010 (80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal).
Week 2: Beef or Duck 801010 (80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal)
Week 3: Lamb or Pork 801010 (80% meat, 10% bone, 10% offal)
We give 2 options per week to account for dogs with intolerances, or incredibly rare allergies. Please only use 1 protein of the two mentioned though, not both.
Bone Content
Often chicken and turkey especially is slightly higher than 10%, some will be labelled as up to 15% bone content. This is ok to use still, some dogs will be fine with the higher bone content, but some may require a little more boneless content to be mixed into the food to avoid constipation. This is where “poo patrol” comes into play. Every dog will vary so watching the stools as they leave the body to ensure they are passed without straining. See our blog for more information.
Any brand can have larger pieces of bone in at any time, so just go through with a fork or spork and remove anything you aren’t happy to feed.
Top tips
Check the labels of what you buy to ensure they are 801010 & they are single protein I.e. chicken meat, chicken bone, chicken offal.
Pick up some boneless minces too, I.e. 801010 Chicken & Chicken 100% meat. This will mean you can swap out SOME of the 801010 to dilute the bone content in the event that your dog cannot tolerate it (struggling to poop, white or crumbly or very hard stools)
The process
Step 1: Weigh your dog, and use our Feeding Allowance calculator to figure out how much you need to feed daily and the amount of oily fish to feed in the Fish calculator. Use our Transition Breakdown calculator to figure out how much to buy including extra week 1 packets to use during week 2 & 3
Step 2: Pick which general health supplement & which gut support supplement you prefer to use for the first 3 weeks. (1 from each category). After the 3 weeks, you can keep the gut support for as and when it is needed and continue with the general health supplement until it runs out or look at alternative options from our supplements or fruit & veg blog.
Gut Health Supplement
For gut health, we recommend choosing either Dorwest Herbs Tree Barks, Proflax Tummy Tastic or River & Wren Botanical Digestive blend
If your dog has a particularly sensitive stomach, you could also look to add Colostrum such as Prodog or Aniforte
General Health Supplement
For general health support we recommend choosing either Dorwest Herbs Easy Greens, Dorwest Herbs Keepers Mix, Proflax Flax Range oil (puppy if under 1, or Immunity & Vitality for any others.), or River & Wren Botanical Everyday blend
Of course, you don't have to use these and can choose other options from our general health or gut support supplements list instead, however the greatest success stories do usually involve the above options being used to give dogs the very best support possible
Step 3: Look for a supplier near you by using our Supplier map , or look for nationwide online supplier, for example: Stefs Pet Pantry, Trusty Pet Supplies, Lavender Dog Shop or Poochie Park & Pantry
Step 4: Feed your dog their last non raw meal at night then the next day, begin this process.
Week 1:
Chicken or Turkey single protein (801010 mostly though some may be higher bone content, see above section on bone content for more on this)
For Gut Support, either of: Dorwest Herbs Tree Barks, Proflax Tummy Tastic or River & Wren Botanical Digestive blend
For general health support either of: Dorwest Herbs Easy Greens, Dorwest Herbs Keepers Mix, Proflax Flax Range oil (puppy if under 1, or Immunity & Vitality for anyone else.), or River & Wren Botanical Everyday blend
If UK Based some pre-made dog safe bone broth like Alexander's Natural or Karnlea or look to make your own using our bone broth blog
If using Proflax flax range oil to best suit your dogs needs such as Skin & Coat or Immunity & Vitality or Puppy feed on its own in one meal IF possible
2-3 times in the week add oily fish and egg. You can try these with meals or as snacks / treats.
⚠️ Your dog may vomit a yellow - white-ish foam at first between meals. This is normal as they adjust to the diet. A small snack between meal times or before bed such as JR Pet Products or Drool pate will help.
⚠️ If they vomit their food back up, a slow feeder or lick mat will slow them down. If they’re stool is loose, it should improve soon, if it's watery / urgent diarrhoea pop a post in to the group for help or if your dog is showing signs of pain, lethargy or illness please contact your vet, even if out of hours needs contacting it is always best to rule out emergencies than to risk a life as dogs, just like humans, can become very ill, very rapidly, especially the very young and elderly.
⚠️ If your dog struggles to poop, or their stools come out as hard, white or crumbly poop, they need some boneless adding. This can be any boneless, whichever protein you are feeding, from freezers in the supermarket even.
Week 2
Day 1 feed ¼ beef 801010 and ¾ the protein used in week 1.🐾 Day 2 feed ½ beef 801010 and ½ the protein used in week 1
Day 3 feed ¾ beef 801010 and ¼ the protein used in week 1
Day 4 -7 feed 100% beef 801010.
Use all the extras and supplements as you did in week 1.
Week 3
Repeat the process used in week 2, but using lamb 801010 with the week 1 protein.
At the end of week three you can stop using the marshmallow or tree barks unless stools need help firming up. Keep it though to use as and when required.
Congratulations Your dog is now transitioned to raw! Now things get exciting!
⚠️ If you have a blue, fawn, merle or lilac coloured dog we recommend using either Dorwest Herbs keepers mix or kelp seaweed or Easy Greens or River & Wren Seaweed Topper when feeding 801010, and that you are aware not to overlap ingredients from these. Do this on 2-3 days of the week to help defend against symptoms of colour dilution alopecia.
These products will not cure CDA, as it is a genetic condition, however they are highly respected products in the pet supplement industry that can help to reduce symptoms of CDA. It is a recommendation only.
Easy Greens is a great cooling option for dogs with hot, itchy skin
Seaweed is a great option for dogs who need extra support for coat growth, or with pigmentation.
Keepers Mix is a fabulous all-rounder with a special blend using 8 herbs, promoting all round health and maintaining natural balance.
If you suspect your dog has CDA, it is vital that you consult with a medical professional to confirm this as the symptoms can be associated with a multitude of other conditions too of varying severity.
You can now look to introduce raw meaty bones once or twice a week. To do this please use our bones guide and ensure the bones are appropriate to your dogs age & size.
You can also now look to feed different brands and include some completes too, using our raw brands guide for pros and cons to help you make an informed buying choice
Aim to introduce new proteins slowly using the same process you followed for beef & lamb, and look to be feeding 5 or more proteins a week across all food groups:
🐕 Red meat
🐕 White meat
🐕 Game meat
Now is also the time to look at adding vegetable and fruits, check out our blog for ideas on what to feed
You can also now look at different supplements (use our brands list and supplements list as a suggestion, but ultimately it is what works best for your dog and your budget) and even venture into feeding day old chick's or ducklings too!
Look for suppliers that offer deals on the transition brands we mentioned.
Join the Facebook group Raw Feeding For Dogs Made Simple (UK), go to the 3 dots / lines in the group to look for the ALBUMS section on Exclusive Group Discount Codes on various aspects of the Raw / Natural lifestyle for dogs or the Pinned / Featured Cost of Living post.
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