A Quick Guide To Raw Feeding

Transitioning an Adult Dog to Raw

First work out how much to feed your dog.

This should be 2-3% of the bodyweight of the adult dog, take into consideration the ideal weight your breed should be approximately, how they look (underweight / overweight), activity, exercise & age - adjust percentage as necessary.

We have veterinary weighing scales here at Perfectly Pawsome if you would like us to weigh & calculate your dog / pups daily feed allowance please book an appointment to bring them along, alternatively if placing an order for local delivery just let us know if you would like us to bring our scales along with us!

We recommend doing a straight swap onto raw, maybe skip a meal to make them hungry, or just start on the morning feed. If you really do have to use the last of that kibble up, do one feed raw & one feed kibble. Never mix kibble & raw together in one feed as this may result in an increase in gut acid pH, causing indigested protein or worse still bone entering the intestines.


For the first 4 to 5 days feed green tripe mince only. Stool may go a bit black during this time, nothing to worry about – its normal!

 Days 6 to 10 - feed 1/4 chicken mince with bone (or turkey mince with bone) and 3/4 green tripe mince.

 Day 10 to 14 – feed 1/2 chicken mince with bone (or turkey mince with bone) and 1/2 green tripe mince.

 On week 3 feed - chicken mince with bone (or Turkey mince with bone) and 3/4 boneless beef.

 Week 4 – ¼ duck mince with bone to ¾ boneless beef

 You can then start adding in offal - build up slowly over a few days to a max of 5% liver and 5% other offal like kidney.

 Continue to introduce a new protein every 4 -5 days and you can also introduce whole bones. You may at this point switch to 80:10:10 complete meals.

Complete meals are on average 80% meat 10% Offal 10% bone, you do not need to worry about missing out on nutrients and it is the easiest way to feed as the work is done for you.

Making your own meals, 80% should be made up of muscle meat including heart, 10% offal (split into 5% liver and 5% kidney, spleen, testicles, or pancreas), 10% bone

Once you have at least 5 proteins & offal on the go, start adding oily fish & raw egg (including shell - good for calcium & magnesium) to their diet 2-3 times a week for each. Oily fish is very good source of protein, oils, and vitamins to build and maintain health and to keep teeth strong. Stimulates growth of bone structure and helps provide a beautiful shiny coat, rich in Omega 3 and 6.  Heart and blood vessels also benefit from the polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Aim to have a good, varied diet of at least 5 proteins a week/fortnight, the more variety the better balance - less likely for your dog to miss out on important nutrients.

Keep an eye on your dogs’ poo, it may go white for a few days as the body is trying to digest the bone. After 3 days this should reduce and a normal colour resume. If it remains white, then reduce bone content by adding more boneless mince.

Senior dogs may need less than 10% bone, so be guided by the poo.

Raw feeding allows the dog to release toxins and impurities caused by kibble / poor diets - This Detox period may firstly come across as an initial deterioration in their health, symptoms may include itchy skin and vomiting / regurgitation, this will improve for the better in a short time.

If your dog starts itching more than normal / excessively, has ear infection, pinkness on feet or around eyes, he/she may have an allergic reaction to a certain protein. Eliminate that protein from diet. Check all products used & make sure they do not have any of that protein in.

Raw Meaty Bones are essential to raw diet but be careful not to give too much. See bone % guide on Raw Bones & Chunks page.

If dogs’ stool is very white, then reduce bone consumption. In the hot sun the stool will go white very quickly, so check stool as its done, not hours later.

If your dog becomes constipated this can be another sign of too much bone, feed more offal or boneless meat to get bowls moving again.

A good stool should be a lot smaller & firmer, thumb sized nuggets (obviously size will depend on breed), they should be easier to pick up & take your dog longer to do, which helps with the anal glands naturally emptying themselves.

Vegetables can be added into your dog’s diet to bulk it out, especially if it need to lose weight, but they are not essential as all the nutrients that are needed are in the stomach contents of the animal/meat consumed. If a dog has allergies vegetable can make it worse.

Kefir is a natural probiotic that contains strains of friendly bacteria, which are crucial for a healthy gut. Best to use raw goats’ milk to make or buy ready prepared.

Bone broth - contains a plethora of nutrients that can be beneficial to dogs. It's packed with vitamins and minerals and is a good source of protein, glycine, collagen, and glucosamine. It's also hydrating. Plus, dogs tend to like the flavour and find it easy on their tummies

If a dog gets overly hungry it can result in them throwing up bile (yellow foam). This tends to be overnight or early morning, known as hunger pukes! To avoid this feed a small supper just before bedtime. A few rabbit chunks, chicken wings or Turkey hearts should do the trick - this should also be counted as part of their daily allowance.

The information on this page is only a brief guide, please contact us for any further advice.

All the Best, Sian x 

Tel: 07850945994