Raw food recipes for dogs (and one week of feeding)

I sometimes get asked how hard and time consuming raw feeding is, if it is expensive and if it is dangerous to feed 50 / 50. I have answered to most questions in this blog already; it takes some time to get things right, but it isn't rocket sciense, it doesn't take more than feeding good quality kibble and 50 / 50 is an excellent way of feeding your dog. To give some practical example of how our raw feeding is, I decided to make a small post about how it can look. I left out calculated vitamins and minerals, but I will note some things you need to remember if you decide to try them out. Balance is everything and while you can leave something out one day and boost the other, you need to balance it the next day or in near future.
​

Vitamin boost

Egg, chopped beef, turkey, grounded salmon and veggie mash (cucumber, broccoli, lettuce) infused with zinc, calcium powder and coldpressed sunflower oil

This is something I do to boost the overall vitamins and minerals in the diet. 

Eggs supplement all but C-vitamin and dogs can use everything in the egg easily. It is kind of a superfood for them.

Grounded salmon keeps the amount of vitamin D high enough, so I can be sure today the need is not only met but exceeded.

Beef is rich in zinc, and giving it as chopped meat pieces I can be sure all the vitamins are there. Minced meats often use less rich parts of the carcass too and while those are beneficial in their own way, feeding real full meat is good at least every now and then. It also gives the dogs something to chew on, considering they don't just gulp all and swallow it.

Turkey is a nice light meat that is higher in fat than chicken, but also very well digested by most dogs.

Supplements add to the overall minerals and vitamin E.

Note that this food has no liver and even though an egg gives some vitamin A, you need to add more if you have a large dog or make sure you meet the needs in following days.

Low(er) Fat Happy Birthday dinner

Chopped chicken gizzards and hearts, minced turkey, grounded whitefish, liver casserole (raisin free), coldpressed sunflower oil, zinc

Ms. Dominance turned two years old, so I wanted to celebrate giving dogs their ultimate favorite food; liver casserole without raisins. Being ”human food” and all, it is pretty high is fats and salt, so I tried to balance this obvious trash food with some low fat meats.

Chicken gizzards and hearts are not organs for dogs. For them they are actually closer to muscle meat than anything else, since dogs don't need taurin (therefore chicken hearts are seen as organs when you feed ferrets, because they have taurin in them). They are also very low on fat, so they are a good way to raise up protein level without raising the fat level. They are also nice and chew-able food for the dogs to eat.

White fish has over double the amount of vitamin D as salmon. It is, in return, also much lower in fat. Therefore I like feeding it as salmon's replacement every now and then. The only problem is it is also double in prize, so it is a rare delicasy rather than something the dogs eat every day.

Turkey is added for the same reason as before; it is good easily digested meat fit for many dogs.

Basic mix 1

Chopped beef, grounded salmon, minced turkey and vegetables with coldpressed sunflower oil, zinc and calcium powder

A little less fatty choice for your ”everyday trusty dinner”. Beef has less fat than feeding minced pork/beef and is richer in overall zinc, salmon adds some D and E, turkey is good basic meat with OK vitamin and mineral amounts, and all the add ons balance the diet to meet the basics, if you feed them with ¼, ¼, 2/4 manner (beef, salmon, turkey).

Note that this dinner has no liver, so you need to add some or make sure you meet the needs in following days.

Basic mix 2

Minced pork, beef, liver and turkey, grounded salmon, vegetables, calcium powder, lactic acid bacteria powder and dried seaweed

At the moment our favorite go-to, because it meets all the needs, has liver for vitamin A, seaweed for iodin and balances the digestive system. Note: I don't add the lactic acid bacteria every day, only a couple of times a week, but I see it as an important part of the weekly diet so I wanted to note it's existence.

If you have an older dog and/or an overweight dog, note that this food is pretty high on fat. To reduce the fat you can replace beef/pork with just minced beef, and/or replace the salmon with white fish every now and then. 

Basic mix 3

Basic mix 2 plus an egg, for the added vitamin boost

---

Just to show how a balanced weekly diet would look with these recipes, here's a list for you. I have added mornings and evenings separate, because I feed mine twice a day, but if you only feed your dog once, go for the evening-portion.

Monday
Morning: Basic Mix 2
Evening:  Basic Mix 3

Tuesday
Morning: Basic Mix 1
Evening: Basic Mix 1
​
Wednesday
Morning: Basic Mix 1
Evening: Vitamin Boost
​
Thursday
Morning: Basic Mix 2
Evening: Birthday Dinner 
​
Friday
Morning: Basic Mix 2
Evening: Basic Mix 2
​
Saturday
Morning: Basic Mix 1
Evening: Basic Mix 1

Sunday
Morning: Basic Mix 3
Evening: Birthday Dinner (without casserole, replaced with grounded beef and a bit of liver)
​
So, having a few recipes at hand you are able to form a very balanced weekly diet for your dog that doesn't take that much time. Excluding the birthday dinner, which took some extra time, mixing the meats and dividing them takes so little time I am able to do it before work in the morning without problems. I CAN take my time in the evening, but in the morning we go with the fastest possible solution. Therefore I add supplements in the evening food, excluding oil which is usually divided in two and given both during the morning and the evening.

I hope this was somewhat helpful and also answered to some questions considering how it is to feed your dog with raw. It may seem like a hassle, but when you get down to it, it's pretty simple, fast and doesn't cost any more than any good quality kibble.