So What Actually Goes In the Bowl?
Ten ingredient groups. One balanced bowl.
Get five things right, muscle meat, organ, bone, plant, and fat, and a raw diet works. Miss one and it doesn’t, no matter how good the meat is.
Get the Ratios Right and the Rest Takes Care of Itself
Supplements fill in whatever those five groups miss.
What Goes In Each Group?
The full guide at a glance. The breakdown below covers each group in detail.
- Beef, bison, chicken, duck, elk, goat, lamb, pork, turkey, venison
- Other proteins: egg, tripe
- Gizzards from duck, chicken, turkey
- Heart from beef, bison, chicken, duck, lamb, pork, turkey, venison
- Liver from beef, bison, or lamb, for copper
- Kidney from beef, lamb, bison, pork
- Spleen, sweetbreads
Poultry offal runs very low in copper. Lean on it too much and the recipe won’t balance.
- Poultry wings, necks, heads, carcasses (feet don’t carry enough calcium)
- Ribs
Skip weight-bearing bones. Always supervise. Grinding is an option.
- Salmon, mackerel, sardines, smelt, anchovies
Shellfish, oysters and blue mussels, only for dogs who can handle it.
- Broccoli, chard, collard greens, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, gai lan, bok choy, zucchini, green beans, mushrooms
- Yams, sweet potato, pumpkin, acorn or butternut squash
- Ground whole pumpkin seed, ground brown flaxseed, hulled hemp hearts, soaked chia seeds, psyllium husk
- Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, apples, pears, green banana, kiwi
- Mint, parsley, basil, thyme, sage, ceylon cinnamon, cilantro or coriander
Garlic works for every dog except northern breeds and pregnant dogs.
- Ground eggshell or seaweed calcium, fish oil, kefir, raw honey, coconut or MCT oil, nutritional yeast, spirulina
How Do I Actually Put This Together?
Weigh it, portion it, freeze it.
Use the ten groups above and the ratios at the top. Weigh everything on a kitchen scale and portion the mix into containers you can thaw one at a time.
A base mix does the plant, seed, and supplement math for you.
You still need to add the meat, and that takes three numbers, not one guess.
Note: Some links below are affiliate links (Amazon Associates or other programs I participate in). At no charge to you, as an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Add your raw muscle meat plus an omega 3 to any of these, and the meal is ready.
Skip the kitchen. Viva Raw ships it made.
Use code DAILYDOGFOOD at vivarawpets.com/DAILYDOGFOOD for a discount. I feed their PURE formulation. Their other blends carry shellfish, and I skip that for my own dogs.
How to balance the PURE formula.
Want a Ready-Made Recipe to Start With?
This one’s formulated to 1000 kcal in Animal Diet Formulator and checked against both NRC and AAFCO for a boneless beef recipe. It’s a starting point, not a prescription. Your dog’s exact numbers depend on weight, activity, and health.
Save this to your phone, or pin it for later.
Are Raw Bones Actually Safe?
- Dental health: scrapes plaque and tartar off teeth and gums
- Nutrient density: calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals
- Mental stimulation: chewing is genuinely rewarding for a dog
- Digestive support: the fibrous texture helps regulate bowel movements
Obstructions, perforations, and broken teeth. Start with soft bones like chicken necks or wings, supervise every time, and never leave a dog alone with one. Keep water nearby.
Does the Food Need to Be Warm?
The spleen and stomach do better with food at room temperature or warmer, not straight from the fridge. Add a splash of hot water, let it sit out for fifteen minutes, or warm it in a pan for twenty to thirty seconds a side. Skip the microwave, it changes the food’s cellular structure. It doesn’t need to be hot. It just can’t be cold.
How Much Should I Actually Feed?
This depends on weight, age, activity, and whether your dog is spayed or neutered, more variables than a rule of thumb can carry. Use the calculator to get an exact number for your dog.
A Few More Things People Ask
Is homemade actually cheaper?
Usually. Buying in bulk and skipping the pre-made markup brings the cost per pound down, though it depends on your local prices.
What’s the difference between BARF and prey model?
BARF mimics a whole prey animal with a small amount of plant matter included. Prey model feeds whole animal parts, chicken quarters, turkey necks, and skips plant matter entirely, balancing over time instead of meal by meal.
Should I grind it, chunk it, or make patties?
Comes down to your dog’s chewing ability. Puppies and seniors often do better ground. Healthy adults tend to enjoy crunching on chunks or bones.
How do I transition my dog to raw?
Replace 25% of the current diet with raw. Hold there for five to seven days, then add another 25% each week until you’re fully switched. Watch for vomiting, diarrhea, or appetite loss, and slow down if you see it.
How do I know the recipe is actually working?
Ingredient quality, correct ratios, and how your dog looks: energy, coat, digestion. If something’s off, that’s the signal to reevaluate, not push through.
Have a Health Condition to Feed Around?
The ratios above are built for a healthy dog. These four guides cover the ones that don’t fit that mold.
Ready to Build This Around Your Actual Dog?
Raw feeding gets more complicated once a health condition or specific bloodwork enters the picture. I build recipes to NRC and AAFCO standards and layer in TCM Dietetics for your dog’s own constitution, not a generic one.
Hannah Zulueta obtained her Certificate in Canine Nutrition from CASI Institute. She is also studying for her Doctorate in Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Herbalism from the esteemed Pacific College of Health and Medicine. If you’re as keenly interested in health for yourself, visit her website for human health: Satori Acupuncture and Herbs.
She resides in San Diego with her three dogs, Maggie, Orbit, and Mr. Higgins.
She is available for one on one consultations. She develops evidence-based recipes that meet both NRC and AAFCO nutritional standards while integrating the therapeutic food principles of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine into her formulations.
Additionally, you can find her sharing free content on Instagram.