Raw feeding has grown hugely in popularity in the UK, and done thoughtfully it can suit many dogs well, but it takes more planning than opening a tin. This guide covers the basics: how much to feed, how to balance a raw diet, food hygiene, and the pitfalls to watch for. Always speak to your vet before switching, particularly for puppies, older dogs, or dogs with any existing health conditions, since raw feeding needs adjusting for these groups.
Our /raw-feeding-calculator can work out a starting daily amount and ratio for your dog's weight and life stage, and /dog-food-calculator and /dog-body-condition-score are useful for tracking whether the amount you're feeding is keeping your dog at a healthy weight.
How much to feed
As a starting point, adult dogs are generally fed around 2 to 3% of their ideal body weight per day, split across one or two meals. Puppies need considerably more relative to their size to fuel growth, typically starting around 5 to 8% of expected adult weight and gradually reducing as they approach maturity. These are starting figures rather than fixed rules — an individual dog's activity level, metabolism and body condition will mean the right amount varies, so weigh your dog regularly and adjust up or down by small amounts as needed.
The basic ratio
A commonly used balanced ratio for a DIY raw diet is roughly 80% muscle meat, 10% edible bone, and 10% organ meat, with half of that organ portion being liver specifically, since liver provides nutrients that are hard to replace from other ingredients. This ratio is a helpful starting framework, but it does not automatically guarantee a nutritionally complete diet on its own — variety of protein sources and, ideally, input from a vet or veterinary nutritionist, matters for getting the fine details right over the long term.
Complete commercial raw versus DIY
Complete commercial raw diets are formulated to meet recognised nutritional standards, similar in principle to a complete kibble or wet food, and are a more straightforward and lower-risk starting point for beginners than building a diet entirely from scratch. DIY raw diets, made up from meat, bone and offal bought separately, offer more control and can work very well, but studies have repeatedly found that a significant proportion of home-made raw diets are unbalanced, particularly around calcium, phosphorus and certain vitamins, especially when fed long-term without professional input.
Food hygiene and handling raw meat safely
Raw meat carries a real risk of bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, for your dog and for the people in the household, so hygiene deserves the same care as handling raw meat for human meals:
- Wash hands thoroughly before and after preparing or handling raw food
- Use separate chopping boards, bowls and utensils for raw dog food, cleaned separately from household items
- Feed on a surface that can be disinfected, such as a stainless steel bowl or a washable mat
- Take extra care in households with young children, elderly relatives, pregnant women or anyone who is immunocompromised, as they are more vulnerable to food-borne illness
- Dispose of any leftover raw food promptly rather than leaving it out to spoil
Freezing and storage
Most raw diets are bought or prepared in batches and frozen, then thawed as needed, usually in the fridge rather than at room temperature, to limit bacterial growth. Once thawed, raw food should generally be used within 24 to 48 hours and not refrozen. Keep raw food stored separately from other household food, ideally in a dedicated section of the freezer and fridge.
Transitioning slowly
Switch gradually rather than overnight, particularly if moving from a very different diet such as kibble. A common approach is to introduce one new protein at a time over several days, watching stools and appetite before adding the next, and to keep meals simple in the first couple of weeks rather than introducing lots of variety at once. Sudden changes are the most common cause of an upset stomach when starting raw feeding.
Bones: what to feed and what to avoid
Raw, edible bones appropriate to a dog's size can support dental health and provide the calcium portion of the diet, but bones need careful selection. Cooked bones should never be fed, as cooking makes them brittle and far more likely to splinter. Avoid weight-bearing leg bones from larger animals, which are dense enough to fracture teeth, and always supervise a dog eating any bone, adjusting the size to suit your dog so they cannot swallow it whole or bite off large chunks.
Guidance to follow
In the UK, PFMA (the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association) and FEDIAF (the European pet food industry federation) both publish nutritional guidelines that reputable complete raw brands are formulated against. If you are building a DIY diet, cross-checking recipes or a nutritionist's plan against FEDIAF's nutritional guidelines is a sensible way to reduce the risk of long-term deficiencies.
Signs raw feeding isn't suiting your dog
Watch for ongoing loose stools or constipation, vomiting, reluctance to eat, weight loss or gain that doesn't match your feeding amount, or a dull coat over several weeks — these can all suggest the diet needs adjusting, whether that's the ratio, the protein source, or the overall approach. Some dogs simply do better on a different feeding style altogether, and that is a perfectly reasonable outcome after a fair trial.
When to speak to your vet
Speak to your vet before starting raw feeding, and again if your dog shows any of the signs above, loses or gains weight unexpectedly, or has an existing health condition such as kidney disease, pancreatitis, or a compromised immune system, all of which may make raw feeding unsuitable or need a specially adapted approach. The figures and ratios in this guide are a guide to get you started, but your vet's advice always comes first for your individual dog.