We’re so excited to help you on your pet’s journey to a healthier lifestyle. We know how daunting it can be to switch your pet to raw, but we’ll try to make it as easy as we can!
Step #1: What will you feed?
Does your Pet Have Allergies?
Many of our clients have pets who have allergies to certain proteins. If your pet has allergies, you’ll need to choose proteins that he/she can have. If your pet doesn’t have allergies, there are many options available for you to try. It is recommended that a raw diet consists of at least 3 different protein sources, 50% red meat, and a fish source.
We carry protein options including: beef, bison, chicken, duck, emu, salmon, mackerel, pheasant, pork, rabbit, quail, turkey, venison
AAFCO vs DIY
AAFCO(The Association of American Feed Control Officials) publishes food component minimum standards that many pet food companies test their products against. This is the easiest way to ensure your pet is getting what they need on a daily basis without trying to create the mix yourself. We carry multiple companies that offer AAFCO compliant diets to make your transition easy.
Want to Do it Yourself?
If your pet isn’t able to use the AAFCO products due to allergies or you’d prefer to source specific ingredients, Raw Rations also continues to add to the variety of DIY products to help you source what you need. Please be sure to do your research if you choose this route as an unbalanced diet can have significant health risks and long term affects.
Product Quality
Just like visiting the grocery store for yourself, there are different levels of raw diet that you can choose to feed your pet. Not all raw diets are created equal, but certainly our needs and budgets definitely differ.
USDA Grade-This term is used when the products are sourced from USDA inspected facilities. Most often this is product that is left over or unused in human grade plants. Raw Rations has many USDA grade products that we offer and this tends to be an affordable to mid-range price point product.
Grass Fed/Cage Free/Free Range-These terms are used for the premium products available in the raw feeding market. Typically these products are sourced local and tend to be a higher priced diet but very high quality. Raw Rations currently carries Raw Bistro that offers this level of product.
Step #2: How much will you feed?
An important detail of what you’ll need to order is how much you’ll feed your pet. Your pet will need approximately 2-3% of it’s target adult body weight, depending on activity level and metabolism. If you have a new puppy or kitten, you’ll want to feed 10% of their current weight until that amount is more than the 2-3% calculation amount for adult weight…then you’ll keep feeding the adult weight.
Remember: this calculation is to be used as a guide. Your pet may need more or less food to maintain a proper weight. We recommend increasing/decreasing by 1oz per feeding for large dogs and 1 oz per day for small dogs/cats until you find the ideal amount.
Step #3: Will you add anything?
The possibilities are endless! We personally like to do a daily regiment of fish oil and FidoVite joint supplement along with a rotation of coconut oil and raw eggs every other day. While many of the AAFCO Compliant products are balanced, we have a lot of items that you can add in if you wish!
Step #4: Do you need any supplies to get started?
Raw feeding requires a little extra prep work! Make sure you’ve got the following items on hand to ensure you’ll be able to get started!
–Scale
–Thawing Containers
-Freezer space for a month supply of food
Step #5: What treats, chews, etc. will be best on a raw diet?
We also take pride in offering a wide variety of high quality non-food items. It is recommended that you select minimally processed and chemical free treats, chews, and snacks.