A raw dog food recipe can help your dog lose weight while providing plenty of other benefits. Many dogs on raw diets see a boost in energy, mood, and over physical health. Of course, if making your dog’s raw dinner was as simple as heating up a tv dinner, you wouldn’t be here, would you?
Don’t worry. We’re here to help. With an estimated nearly 40% of Australia’s dogs being obese or overweight, we want to help Aussie pups regain their health with our insight into healthy raw recipes you can make at home.
Once you’ve gotten the hang of making your dog’s raw homemade food, the task of meal prep becomes much easier. And most importantly, you will begin to see a difference in your dog’s physique and a renewed sense of excitement for life.
Is Raw Food Good For Weight Loss
There are many reasons dog owners switch their doggos to a raw diet, and, yes, weight loss is one of them. But what makes a raw diet a better choice for helping your dog slim down? Let’s take a closer look at how raw diets help dogs (and people) drop pounds and feel great.
What Makes a Raw Dog Diet Better for Weight Loss?
With a homemade raw dog food diet, what you see is what you get. You know exactly what your dog is eating, and you can calculate your dog’s caloric intake more easily. That’s not the only reason raw diets help dogs lose weight, though.
Raw diets have fewer calories than cooked meals of the same volume [1]. This is because cooking requires extra oils and fats both in the cooking process as well as preserving the food to be shelf-stable [2].
When you feed your dog raw dog food, they feel fuller because they can eat a large amount and still remain within their caloric range.
A raw dog diet is also rich in fibre, real protein, and whole plants, so your dog’s body can process their food more effectively giving them more energy to partake in fun (calorie-burning activities).
What Are the Other Benefits of a Raw Dog Food Diet?
The biggest benefits of feeding your dog raw foods include:
- Vibrant energy
- Better sleep
- A shiny coat
- Healthy skin
- Better dental health and fresher breath
- A more muscular build
What You Need to Know About Homemade Dog Food
When it comes to healthy raw dog food recipes designed for weight loss, you have to get the balance of ingredients right in order to ensure your dog’s nutritional needs are met. You also want to ensure that you’re handling and storing your dog’s food safely. Luckily, we know a thing or two about making the best raw dog food.
When making homemade dog food, be sure to follow these guidelines:
Protein and amino acids: Dogs must have protein in their diets. These proteins can be a blend of vegetable protein and real meat protein. This is because dogs require 10 amino acids their bodies cannot produce on their own, and your dog’s body uses the protein’s carbon chains to convert glucose into energy [3].
Your dog’s diet should be 30%-52% calories from protein.
Fats and fatty acids: Fats in a dog’s diet come from animal fats, such as fish oil, and seed oils, such as flaxseed oil. While “fats” may sound like a bad thing, they’re anything but bad in moderation. In fact, your dog’s body cannot pull vitamins from their diet without fats [4]. And fat gives your dog energy to burn.
Your dog’s caloric intake should be 47%-63% fat.
Carbohydrates: Carbs include vegetables, fruit, and nuts. These provide your dog a boost of vitamins, minerals, and fibre.
Vitamins & minerals: Of course vitamins and minerals are important for your dog’s body. They help form strong bones, dense muscles, and aid in blood clotting and brain function.
To tailor your dog’s raw food recipe to their individual needs, you will want to consult your vet. They can give you guidance as to how much caloric restriction your dog needs.
Most dogs should consume the equivalent to about 2% of their body weight daily. You can use our dog food calorie calculator as a great starting point to make the math easier.
3 Simple Raw Dog Food Recipes
Raw Dog Food Recipe 1: A Doggie Meat-and-Three
This recipe offers excellent real meat protein, tasty vegetables, and flavorful fish oil. You can switch out the meat type from time to time since dogs benefit from variety.
Here is the base of the recipe. You can multiply the ingredients to make more to freeze.
Ingredients:
- 300 g ground raw meat, including some organs and bone (up to 33% bone and organ)
- 100 g vegetables and fruits, blended
- 10 g fish oil
- Vitamins and minerals from a supplement
For this recipe, you will want to mix your ground meat with blended vegetables and other ingredients. Separate enough to feed your dog for four days and freeze the rest.
