What Do Raw Fed Dogs Actually Eat?

Apart from the supplement, none of the above food items were purchased by us. We raise our own animals here on our homestead, and my husband provides us with hunted wild venison and in the summer, fish. 

Our aim is to avoid factory farmed meat with the suffering and carbon footprint that accompanies it. 

Our hens lay more eggs than we can eat in spring and summer. And the dogs get animal heads, bones and organs that we don’t consume. That means no part of the animal is wasted, and it costs us nothing. Though I suppose you could argue that the eggs our dogs eat have a value as there is a market for free range eggs in my area.  

Sometimes, when we are short of ribs, head etc, we do feed some of the nicer cuts of meat such as rabbit legs or saddles. But on the whole it’s a very economical way to feed our dogs. 

For most people, this is not the case. They have to purchase meaty bones and much of the items that their dog needs to eat. Which puts a different perspective on the money side of things, and we’ll consider that in the pros and cons below. 

How, when, and where, we feed our dogs

The dogs have two meals per day, so we divide their daily ration in half. This isn’t necessary but I feel it gives them pleasure and is something for them to look forward to each day. 

I’ve written an article on the pros and cons of feeding your dog once a day if you’d like to go a bit deeper into this topic

Splitting my dogs rations also means that they are never too full to want to exercise or train if I decide that’s what we are doing. 

Raw feeding is messy so our dogs eat outside in the yard, rain or shine. In hot weather we feed very early or very late to avoid them being pestered by yellow jackets which are attracted to meat towards the end of the summer.

I’ve heard of people who try to get their dogs to eat raw on designated mats or even out of a bowl, but in my experience dogs like to carry raw food around, and trying to keep them from doing so is something of a lost cause. 

There is a certain amount of supervision required when feeding meat to multiple dogs. If you simply give each dog their portion and walk away the greediest dog will finish first and may then mug one of the other dogs for all or some of their portion. At best this leads to one dog getting fatter and the others being underfed. At worst it can lead to fights. 

So I feed my dogs in a particular order. The slowest eater, our terrier Polly, gets hers first, followed by my lab Bonnie who eats the fastest but wouldn’t dream of taking food from the older dogs. And I feed Tig, the spaniel last. She eats quickly too, and if she thinks I’m not watching she’ll definitely try to steal from the others. 

If they have a very boney meal that I know is going to take them all a while, I don’t worry so much. But if their meal is easier to chew and swallow I stick around until they have all finished. 

The pros and cons of feeding dogs on a raw diet

I’ve actually written other articles on this topic, but some of it bears repeating. 

I have seen a great many different claims made for both the risks and benefits of feeding dogs on a raw diet. And very few of them are strongly supported by evidence. I have also seen a whole range of claims made on the risks and benefits of kibble. And the same applies there. 

The risks

There are risks on both sides. Yes, raw meat can be contaminated by bacteria. But for reasons we don’t entirely understand, these rarely have any effect at all on healthy dogs. And to complicate things further, there are regular recalls of contaminated kibble too. 

By far the greatest risk from contaminated meat is to you and your family. I always advise caution when it comes to feeding raw in families with small children. Kids are not known for their hygiene standards and dogs’ mouths and paws are pretty messy after eating raw meat. 

If you are going to feed raw, you need to be sensible about food hygiene, especially where raw chicken is concerned as it may be contaminated with salmonella or other pathogens. You need to have separate parts of your fridge to store your raw meat. I use a see-through box with a lid to keep mine away from other items. 

I would also avoid feeding raw chicken on days when you know that you will have small children in the house. If you live in an area where chicken eggs are a risk then the same applies to raw eggs. 

Another widespread belief is that eating bones is bad for dogs. Either because they can get stuck or sharp bits can penetrate the stomach or gut. Or because eating them can cause bone fragments to cause an intestinal blockage. 

Veterinarians are divided, with some saying they simply never see these issues, and other saying they do. I personally have not seen these issues in decades of feeding multiple dogs on a raw diet, but that is not to say the risk isn’t there. Rather, that it is likely to be a small one. 

There are some known risks to eating kibble that are supported by evidence. Eating large amounts of dry food may increase the risk of a dangerous condition called bloat. This is more common in large, deep-chested dogs. 

I have also noticed that my dogs get dirty teeth when fed on kibble for any length of time. Other than these two risks, I have not seen any evidence that supports kibble being harmful in any way. And I still feed kibble to my puppies. I’ll explain why when we look at the benefits of the different ways of feeding

The benefits

The benefits of feeding raw for me, are that it is virtually free, gives my dogs a ton of enjoyment (meals last many minutes rather than a few seconds) and keeps their teeth sparklingly clean.

Kibble on the other hand is extremely convenient. I feed my puppies on kibble for the first six months because I use all of their food as training treats. And the benefit of kibble is that it isn’t messy. I keep kibble in my pocket at all times so I can reward nice behavior in young dogs without delay. 

If I did not have access to free raw food and have plenty of freezer space I would feed a good quality kibble without any concerns, and have done so for several short periods of time throughout our lives. 

Remember that a good raw diet has plenty of bone in it, and therein lies much of the inconvenience. You can’t just go and buy some raw steak and give that to your dog. Its ok once in a while, but they need the range of nutrients that come from eating organs, fur, and bone. 

Could raw feeding work for you and your dog?

• Do you have an affordable supply of a range of raw foods?
• Do you have plenty of fridge and freezer space?
• Are you comfortable handling raw meat?
• Are your food hygiene standards good?
• Do you have somewhere that your dogs can eat messy food?
• Are you able to keep your dogs away from small children after eating raw meat?
• Do you have a large, deep-chested, dog?
• Is your dog basically healthy?

If you answer yes to these questions, raw feeding might be the best choice for you. Even if you don’t have a large, deep-chested dog, raw feeding looks like a good option.

If you answer no to several of these questions, then you might not be in the right place to make raw feeding work for you, at the moment. If that’s the case, don’t feel bad about feeding kibble. 

My personal opinion is that both raw meaty bones, and commercially produced kibble are reasonable choices to make when feeding your dog. And you don’t have to stick with one or the other for the lifetime of your dog.  You could try raw feeding and switch if you don’t enjoy it.  Most dogs live a long and happy life whichever way you feed.

So do what works for you and your family, and try not to listen to scaremongers and conspiracy theorists. Life is too short!