How to switch your dog to raw food

Most dogs make the change without much fuss. Here’s the plan we suggest to new raw feeders, step by step, with the grams for a 20 kg dog worked out for each stage and what to order for the first fortnight.

Before you start

Work out how much your dog will eat once they’re fully on raw. For most adult dogs that’s about 2 to 3% of their body weight a day, depending on how active they are. Our raw dog food calculator gives you a daily amount and tells you how much to order.

Everything we sell at Feed Raw is made to order. You order one week and we deliver the next, so put your first order in about a week before you’d like to start.

If you’re still weighing it up, our guide to is raw food good for dogs covers what owners like about it.

Clear some freezer space while you wait. Our mixes and minces come in 10 kg cartons, cut into blocks so you only thaw what you need. When the food arrives, move a few days’ worth into the fridge to thaw.

What to order for the first fortnight

For the switch itself you only need one protein. A 10 kg box of Chicken Mince comes as blocks of about 500 g in a liner, in a 36 × 27 × 18 cm carton, and lasts a 20 kg dog about three weeks once they’re fully on raw, longer during the switch. Add a carton of bones or a box of Balance Mix with your next order, once your dog is settled.

Delivery is $5 an order whatever the weight, and you can set the order to repeat every 1 to 8 weeks. Most of our customers already fed raw before they came to us, and we don’t expect any issues with your first box. If something isn’t right, get in touch within 14 days of delivery and a normal person will sort it out with you. That’s for your first order with us, once per household.

Step 1: pick one protein to start with

Start with a single, lean protein so you can see how your dog handles it. Chicken is a common first choice. Chicken Mince is 100% NZ chicken, minced with the bone, with no other proteins mixed in.

If your dog can’t have chicken, pick another single protein such as Beef Mince or Veal Mince. The idea is the same: one protein at a time, so if something doesn’t agree with them, you know what it was.

When people ask us to choose for them, we tell them you’re the one who knows your dog. If your dog already loves a particular meat, that’s a good place to begin.

Step 2: fast for half a day

Many raw feeders skip a meal before the first raw one, fasting their dog for half a day up to a full day. Your dog comes to the bowl hungry and is more likely to eat something new. Skip the fast for very small or young dogs and for any dog with a medical condition.

Step 3: replace the old food a little at a time

Swap a small part of the current food for raw, then increase the raw share every couple of days. Over one to two weeks you’ll get to all raw. A rough plan for an adult dog:

• Days 1 to 3: about a quarter raw, three quarters old food
• Days 4 to 6: about half and half
• Days 7 to 9: about three quarters raw
• Day 10 onwards: all raw

Some owners feed the raw and the old food at separate meals rather than in the same bowl. Either way works. Keep the total amount about the same as you go, so you’re swapping food rather than adding it.

Here’s what that looks like for a moderately active 20 kg dog moving from about 280 g of kibble a day (most kibble guides give 250 to 300 g for a dog this size) to about 500 g of raw. Raw food holds a lot more water, so the grams go up even though the meal doesn’t:

For a different weight, scale it: the full raw amount is about 25 g per kilo of your dog a day at a moderate activity level. Weigh the first few meals, then use a scoop you’ve weighed once.

Step 4: watch the stools and adjust

Your dog’s stools are a good guide to how the switch is going. If they go loose along the way, hold at the current mix until things firm up, then carry on more slowly. A sensitive dog might take three weeks to get there, and that’s fine.

Step 5: add bones, organ and other proteins

Once your dog is settled on one protein, start building out the rest of the diet. A common rule of thumb is the 80/10/10 guide: about 80% muscle meat, 10% raw bone and 10% organ. Our guide to raw feeding terms explained covers this and the rest of the jargon.

• Bones: add a raw meaty bone a few times a week. If you’re feeding Chicken Mince, it already has bone through it, so go easy on extra bones. Our guide to which raw bones dogs can eat explains how to match the bone to the protein your dog already eats.
• Organ: most of our blends include offal. Balance Mix is made to mix one part to two parts of a mince.
• More proteins: bring in new proteins one at a time, the same way you started, by mixing a little in with what your dog already eats. Raw eggs can go in the same way, as an extra; our guide to raw eggs for dogs has amounts.

What to expect in the first few weeks

• Stools change. Most owners notice smaller, firmer stools. A loose day or two during the switch is common; hold at the current mix until it settles.
• Keener mealtimes. Many owners notice their dog is a lot more interested in the bowl.
• A different routine. Thawing becomes a habit: each evening, or every second evening, move the next two to three days’ worth from the freezer to the fridge. Thawed food keeps two to three days.

Our guide to portioning raw dog food shows how to split your first box, and our guide to thawing and storing raw food has the routine.

Questions from new raw feeders

Can I switch straight over without a transition?

Some dogs cope fine with a straight swap, but a gradual change is easier on most stomachs, and you lose very little by taking a week or two.

How do I get a reluctant dog interested?

Try a different protein, or let the food sit for 10 to 15 minutes to take the fridge chill off. A spoonful of green tripe stirred through works well for a lot of dogs.

Can I feed raw and kibble together long term?

Plenty of owners feed some of each. If you do, work out the raw part with the calculator as a share of the full amount, so the total stays about right.

How do I switch a puppy to raw?

The same way, one protein at a time over a week or two, at the puppy amounts. Skip the half-day fast. Our guide to how much raw food to feed a puppy has amounts by age.

How do I switch from wet food or dog roll?

The same quarter, half, three quarters plan works. Our guide to dog roll versus raw mince covers moving from a cooked roll.

Can I switch a cat the same way?

Cats need it slower, starting with a teaspoon mixed into their usual food. Our guide to feeding cats raw meat has the steps.