Raw feeding has a loyal following. Owners say their dogs love the food, and many like knowing exactly what goes in the bowl. Veterinary and public health agencies are much more cautious, and they have real data behind their concerns.
This guide lays out both sides. You will see how raw feeders usually build a meal, how much to feed, how to handle the food safely, and who should not feed raw at all. Nothing here is a recommendation to start, and it is not a substitute for advice from your vet.
What is a raw dog food diet?
A raw diet is uncooked meat, bones and organs, fed either as a commercial product (frozen, freeze-dried or fresh-chilled) or mixed at home. Some people call it BARF or "prey model". If you are curious about the home-prepared kind, our roundup of meat and bone grinders for dog food shows what that setup involves.
The appeal is easy to understand. Owners like the control over ingredients, the simplicity of "real" food and the way many dogs eat it. The next sections cover the part that is harder to see: the risks and the balance problem.
What does the 80/10/5/5 raw feeding ratio mean?
Many raw feeders build meals on the prey model split:
- 80% muscle meat (boneless)
- 10% raw edible bone (the weight of the bone itself, not the whole bony cut)
- 5% liver
- 5% other secreting organ, such as kidney or spleen
This is a convention from the raw feeding community, not a veterinary standard. Following it does not guarantee a balanced diet. Two meals that both follow the split can differ a lot in calcium, fat, vitamins and trace minerals depending on which meats, bones and organs go in. Our raw dog food calculator shows the split for any amount and carries the same caveat.
How much raw food should I feed my dog?
There are two common methods.
Percent of body weight. Raw feeding guides usually start a healthy adult at 2 to 3% of its ideal weight per day. Less active or overweight dogs go lower, and very active ones higher. It is a rule of thumb from the raw feeding community, not a veterinary formula.
Calories. Work out your dog's daily energy needs with the standard formula (70 x kg^0.75, multiplied for life stage and activity) and divide by the calories per kilogram on the food's label. This is the more precise method and the only one the calculator uses for puppies.
Here is the percentage method for adult dogs at their ideal weight:
| Ideal weight | 2% a day | 2.5% a day | 3% a day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lb | 91 g (3.2 oz) | 113 g (4.0 oz) | 136 g (4.8 oz) |
| 30 lb | 272 g (9.6 oz) | 340 g (12.0 oz) | 408 g (14.4 oz) |
| 50 lb | 454 g (16.0 oz) | 567 g (20.0 oz) | 680 g (24.0 oz) |
| 70 lb | 635 g (22.4 oz) | 794 g (28.0 oz) | 953 g (33.6 oz) |
Use the weight your dog should be, not the weight it is. Feeding a percentage of an overweight dog's current weight keeps it overweight.
A worked example at 2.5% for a 50 lb dog: 567 g a day, split 80/10/5/5, is about 454 g muscle meat, 57 g edible bone, 28 g liver and 28 g other organ. Fed as two meals, each is about 284 g.
Small dogs need a bigger percentage than large dogs, because energy needs rise more slowly than body weight. A single percentage can underfeed small dogs or overfeed big ones. This is why the calculator lets you enter your food's calories and compare. Enter your dog's weight and the food's label into the raw dog food calculator, then weigh your dog every couple of weeks and adjust. If you are not sure how many calories your dog needs, the calorie calculator gives the estimate.
Is a raw diet nutritionally balanced?
Not automatically. When researchers in Germany analyzed 95 bone-and-raw-food rations fed to adult dogs, 60% had at least one major imbalance. One in ten supplied less than a quarter of the recommended calcium, about half fell short on iodine, a quarter were low in vitamin A, and more than half supplied less copper and zinc than recommended. The rations that worked typically included extras such as eggshell, seaweed, cod liver oil or a mineral supplement.
So if you want to feed raw, the safer routes are a commercial raw food labeled complete and balanced for your dog's life stage, or a recipe formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist. A recipe from a blog or a forum, including this one, is not enough.
What do the FDA, CDC and veterinary groups say about raw food?
The agencies agree on the main problem: raw meat can carry germs that make dogs and people sick.
- FDA. In a study of commercial raw pet foods, the FDA tested 196 samples. Fifteen were positive for Salmonella and 32 for Listeria monocytogenes. No other type of pet food tested positive. The FDA says owners who feed raw may have a higher risk of infection themselves. It stops short of banning raw feeding but describes a potential health risk for pets and for owners handling the product.
- CDC. The CDC says plainly: "CDC does not recommend feeding raw pet food or treats to dogs and cats." It adds that freeze-drying, dehydrating or freezing only reduces the amount of germs and does not kill them all.
- Veterinary organizations. The Merck Veterinary Manual lists several groups that have issued statements discouraging raw or undercooked animal-source protein for dogs and cats, among them the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the American Animal Hospital Association, the CDC and the FDA. It also warns about other germs in raw meat, such as E. coli O157:H7, protozoa and nematodes, and about broken teeth and blockages when diets include bones.
- Tufts. Veterinary nutritionists at Tufts write that "all forms of raw pet food and treats carry the risk of bacterial, viral, or parasitic contamination" and note that freeze-dried products are typically raw even when the label does not say so.
Our post on raw chicken bones covers the choking and splinter side of that picture.
How do I handle raw dog food safely?
Even if you accept the risk, handling is where you can reduce it. Combining the FDA and CDC advice:
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after handling raw food (the CDC also says to wash before).
- Clean and disinfect every surface, bowl and utensil the food touches.
- Do not rinse raw meat, because the splashes spread bacteria.
- Thaw frozen raw food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
- Store raw food separately from other food, in sealed containers.
- Throw away leftovers that were left out at room temperature.
- Do not let your dog lick your face, especially after a meal.
Who should not feed a raw diet?
The sources are clearest about people. The CDC lists children under 5, adults 65 and older, people with weakened immune systems and pregnant women as higher risk for serious illness from these germs. If any of them live in your home or handle your dog, raw food is a poor fit.
For dogs, puppies are the group with the least room for error. A growing puppy has the highest nutrient needs of its life, and the German study shows how often raw rations miss on calcium. Our calculator says a puppy's raw diet should be formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, and sized by calories rather than a percentage. Tufts also discourages home-cooked diets for pregnant or nursing dogs and growing puppies unless professionally formulated.
Ask your vet before starting if your dog has any health condition or takes medication, since your vet knows your dog's history.
How do I switch my dog to raw food?
Make the change gradually, as you would with any new food. A sudden switch is a common cause of vomiting and diarrhea. The standard approach is to mix the new food into the old over about a week, moving from 10% new food to 100%. Our dog food transition schedule generates a day-by-day plan based on the Tufts 7-day table and has slower 10-day and 14-day versions for sensitive stomachs.
During the change:
- Weigh the new food, rather than eyeballing it.
- Hold at each step if you see loose stool.
- Check your dog's weight and body shape after two to four weeks and adjust.
- Call your vet if your dog has vomiting or diarrhea that lasts more than a day, or is lethargic or feverish.
Does raw meat make dogs aggressive? There is a lot of folklore, which we sort through in a separate post on raw meat and aggression.
Is there a safer middle ground?
Many owners who want fresher food choose cooked home-prepared meals, which avoid the raw pathogen concerns but have the same balance problem. A recipe still needs the right supplement and calories. Our guide to making balanced homemade dog food walks through it, and the homemade dog food calculator handles portions.
If you have the fruit and vegetable question on your mind too, see fruits dogs can eat and vegetables dogs can eat. Remember that raw meat and raw eggs are on the ASPCA's list of foods to avoid because of Salmonella and E. coli, which is part of why this decision deserves a careful look.
The short version
Raw feeders usually feed 2 to 3% of ideal body weight a day using an 80/10/5/5 split, but that is a convention rather than a veterinary standard. The documented problems are bacterial contamination, risk to people in the home, and recipes that miss on nutrients. The CDC does not recommend raw feeding, and the FDA and veterinary groups describe real risks. If you go ahead, choose a complete and balanced product or a formulated recipe, handle it like raw chicken for people, keep it away from households with higher-risk members, and talk to your vet first.
