This category of dog foods is an outgrowth of the “raw diets for dogs” revolution that was sparked in 1993 with the publication of...

If your dog is licking his paws red and raw, don’t ignore it. The problem is unlikely to go away on its own, but we have some remedies you can try on your own.

America’s most popular dog food is kibble or dry food, which, because it is convenient and affordable, accounts for more than 60% of all...

There are three basic rules to feeding a homemade diet: variety, balance over time, and calcium. The best source of calcium is Raw Meaty Bones. Raw Meaty Bones should make up 30 to 50 percent (one third to one half) of the total diet, or possibly a little more if the parts you feed have a great deal more meat than bone (e.g., whole chickens or rabbits).

Preparing your dog’s meals yourself is not as easy as simply opening a can or pouring kibble out of a bag. However, once you’ve done the initial work of devising the diet and finding sources for the products you will feed, it isn’t terribly time-consuming. The actual preparation is fairly simple; the hardest part is buying products in bulk and then splitting them up into meal-sized portions for feeding. But the rewards can make it all worthwhile.

Organs are an important part of a raw diet. Liver and kidney in particular are nutrient-dense and provide a great deal of nutritional value. These foods should make up about 5 percent of the total diet. Note that they may cause loose stools if too much is fed at one time. It’s better to feed smaller amounts daily or every other day than to feed larger amounts once or twice a week.

Dogs have been stealing eggs for thousands of years, and for good reason. Eggs from chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quail, and other birds are...

but they are anything but equal in terms of safety

Canines have eaten raw for a whole lot longer than they've eaten cooked foods! It's difficult for us to understand, in the face of this one fact, how any dog guardians (much less thousands of veterinarians) could deny that raw food diets are healthful for dogs. But is it really best for ALL dogs? Actually, there are exceptions.

Feeding a raw dog food diet to your dog is quite simple, especially once you have a system in place. Though like anything else new, it can seem very complicated when first starting out. These sample dog food diets should be helpful to dog caretakers who are considering feeding a raw diet. Even those who have been doing it for a while may learn some new tricks to make the process of finding, preparing, and storing home prepared dog food simpler.

Those of you who have ventured into the dried-food aisle (literally or metaphorically) have discovered “dried” diets that are as convenient as kibble (shelf-stable, not requiring freezing or refrigeration) and made with ingredients that are as high in quality as fresh/frozen foods. This rapidly growing category includes diets that blended fresh ingredients and then freeze-dried, dehydrated, or air-dried the result, as well as products that were made by combining already dried ingredients. 

When dog lovers switch their pets from commercial food to a well-balanced, raw diet, they typically report improved health, brighter eyes, a shinier coat, calmer behavior, and easier yard cleanup chores. A puppy's first eight weeks set the stage for a lifetime of health or illness, so it isn't surprising that puppies weaned on raw food grow up to out-perform dogs weaned on kibble or canned food, even if both are fed raw food as adults. Raw-weaned puppies nearly exhaust their breeders' vocabularies, for these are the healthiest / strongest / liveliest / calmest / smartest / most wonderful pups that ever lived.