Why Feed Raw?

Cats & Dogs have evolved to eat the way their ancestors did in the wild, raw and natural. From their teeth to their gut and digestive system, it is abundantly clear that cats and dogs are carnivores. The optimum diet for them is the one nature intended and best suited to fresh, high-protein, prey-based diets.
Vitamins and minerals from animal-based diets offer superior bio-availability, meaning your pets system is better able to absorb the nutrients from these sources.
This is called species-appropriate nutrition, which a natural, raw diet delivers. A quality raw food diet contains all the healthy fats, biologically appropriate proteins and valuable nutrients your canine companion needs to thrive.

We are in a time where we are marketed to by huge commercial entities that we blindly follow that would have us all believe that they are the experts in animal feeding and your pet cannot survive on anything else.
But they are a commercial entity - a business aimed at maximising profit by creating and maintaining their market.
They would wish us to believe there was no other way to feed our pets.
The reality is that Commercial pet food brands have not been around that long on the scale of things. Cats and dogs ate what they were given from scraps off the dinner table or what they caught in the wild.
Kibble was developed in the late 1800's and tinned pet food really only became a thing post war in the 50's.
You have to look at the food market as a whole then- war time and rationing effected all walks of life and commercial pet food brands often used really low grades of meat and added fillers, this started the path to pet food being served that was nutrient deficient and by the 70's cats were made very sick by the lack of taurine. This led to governing bodies being set up to regulate the pet food industry.
But there is still many discussions, arguments and differing opinions on what makes a pet food complete and balanced.
But even today some of the commercial brands on the market contain ingredients way beyond what we in the RAW community would say are beneficial with some as little as 4% protein. And a kibble only diet is to me beyond comprehension - waterless, flavourings.....!

Pet foods are generally labelled Complementary & Complete

Raw 80/10/10 sits somewhere in the middle of the complementary and complete - alot of people would say it is complete but there is always the concern that you cannot fully replicate the animals diet that they would eat in the wild and within the production process that nutrients are depleted.

What it is important to remember is that we as humans do not eat every RDA every single day - and we don't all of a sudden keel over if we don't.
Over long periods of time if fed limited nutrients there will of course be consequences on our health but in general if an 80/10/10 diet is fed then we are covering a very ideal diet.
Adding the optional few ingredients and we are complete!

Pet foods are generally labelled Complementary (recommended 2-3 days a week) or Complete

Where does Raw 80/10/10 come in? -a lot of people would say it is complete BUT there is always the concern that you cannot fully replicate the animals diet that they would eat in the wild and within the production process that nutrients are depleted.

What it is important to remember is that we as humans do not eat every RDA every single day - and we don't all of a sudden keel over if we don't.
In general if an 80/10/10 diet is fed to our pets then we are covering a very ideal diet.
Variety is KEY
Give a variety of proteins - aim for 5 across the board
Adding a few ingredients regularly and we are complete!

One of the major benefits of raw cat or dog food is that raw contains everything your pet needs to stay happy and healthy for as long as possible.
Responsible raw feeding incorporates four key components, meat, bone, offal and vegetables (dogs only) all combined to a ratio that suits your pet. To achieve optimal nutritional value, the ingredients are combined using minimal processing.

Muscle meat
Meat (including heart) contains essential proteins, amino acids, vitamins and minerals. All quality meats are building blocks and fuel for all body cells metabolism, functions, and systems.
Proteins are the most essential of all the macronutrients. As Cats & Dogs are carnivorous animals, this means that their bodies better extract nutrition from animal-based sources.

Ground bone
Feeding bone to our pets is vital. Bone is a critical source of crucial nutrients, gut fibre, glucosamine and minerals like calcium and phosphorus, zinc, boron, copper and dozens of others.
Bones provide fatty acids from their rich marrow. They also afford an incredibly nourishing nutrient combination for skin and bone health, joint mobility and digestion (leading to firmer stools and healthier gut).

Offal – Organ meat
Wild canines prize offal before anything else in their kill. Also called variety meats, pluck, viscera or organ meats, organs are the bodys work machines.
Offal options can include liver, kidney and pancreas and are a natural multivitamin for dogs, extra rich in macronutrients (fats, carbs and proteins) and micronutrients such as vitamins D, B, K, C and A and minerals such as iron, copper, zinc, selenium and magnesium.

Now you can see the benefits to feeding a raw diet read our starter guides to find out more.

There are a lot of differing opinions out there but the more you read the more you can decide what you agree with and what you don’t and therefore come up with your own way of feeding raw, as raw is all about being able to provide the very best food customised to your pets, and with time you WILL learn what works best for you and them.