Novel proteins for dogs: goat, horse, venison and alpaca

7 October 20263 min read

Short answer

A novel protein is a meat your dog hasn’t eaten before. For most New Zealand dogs that means anything other than chicken, beef, lamb or fish, such as goat, horse, venison or alpaca. Introduce a new one slowly, over about a week.

A novel protein is a meat your dog hasn’t eaten before. Most dog food is built on a handful of meats, so for most New Zealand dogs that means something other than chicken, beef, lamb or fish: goat, horse, venison or alpaca, for example. Owners use them to add variety, or to feed a dog that needs to avoid the common proteins.

What counts as “novel”

There’s no fixed list. A protein is novel for your dog if they haven’t eaten it before. Chicken, beef and lamb are in most commercial dog food, so for most dogs anything outside those three is new.

Watch for hidden sources. Veal is young beef, and green tripe comes from cattle, so both count as beef. A lot of dog foods and treats also contain chicken even when it isn’t the main meat.

The novel proteins we sell

Goat

Goat Mince is 100% NZ goat, and Goat Bones give you a raw bone from the same animal. Goat sometimes sells out. If it’s out of stock, leave your email on the product page and we’ll let you know when it’s back.

Horse, goat, venison and alpaca together

Wild Mix combines horse, goat, venison and alpaca, with offal. It contains no beef, chicken, lamb or fish, and no tripe. Alpaca is uncommon in pet food.

Horse with beef

Active Dog Mix and Breeders Mix both contain horse alongside beef. They’re a good way to bring horse into the bowl for a dog that already eats beef.

Building a diet without beef or chicken

If your dog needs to stay away from both, keep the whole diet on proteins they can have:

Muscle meat and organ: Wild Mix, which already includes offal, or Goat Mince with some Wild Mix mixed through for the offal
Bone: Goat Bones a few times a week

Balance Mix is one for the chicken and beef eaters. It has always had chicken mince in it for the bone, and it contains green tripe, which counts as beef. The allergen filter in our shop hides anything that contains the proteins you tick.

Introducing a new protein

Go slowly, even if your dog is already raw fed. Mix a little of the new protein in with what they eat now and increase it over a week or so. Change one thing at a time, so if something doesn’t agree with your dog you know what it was. Our guide on switching to raw uses the same approach.

If your vet has suggested an elimination diet, follow their plan for which protein to use and for how long. A novel protein only works for that if your dog eats nothing else, treats included, and a single protein such as Goat Mince is easier to use for it than a blend.

Rotating proteins for variety

Plenty of owners rotate through several meats across the week or month simply for variety. Once your dog is settled on raw, adding goat or Wild Mix to the rotation is easy.

Common questions

Is goat good for dogs?

Goat is a lean red meat and a common choice for owners who want to avoid beef or chicken. Like any protein, introduce it gradually.

Are novel proteins more expensive?

Usually a little. Goat Mince and Wild Mix cost a bit more per kilo than our chicken or beef. The calculator works out how much your dog needs and how many cartons to order.

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