Our adult dogs eat 2 meals a day; one is raw meaty bones, the other is their 'mush'. They occasionally get a 'junk food' meal - human leftovers. Puppies get 3 meals a day; the third alternates between raw meaty bones and mush. The mush consists of meat, organ meat, vegetables, fruits, eggs, yogurt, salmon oil, kelp and alfalfa. The more variety you can provide in all the components, the better. Different meats have different enzymes, minerals, etc. Be sure to include some red meat.
There are some good quality commercial raw diets - please contact me about them, they are an easy alternative to preparing meals yourself.
The basic proportions of the diet should be:
--60% meat/bone at a 50:50 ratio
--15% vegetables with some fruit
--10% organ meats (liver, kidney, heart)
--5% other (eggs, yogurt, etc.)
Raw Meaty Bones
Raw meaty bones can be from any species, and any part, including whole fish. The goal is 50% meat, 50% bone over time - you don't need to achieve this with every meal. Puppies can consume pieces of poultry, rabbit and fish with bone. The meat in their mush should be a red meat. Adults can have beef, poultry, rabbit, whole fish, pork, veal, etc. - anything goes! Yes, you should just hand your dog the meaty bone! He will know how to proceed.
Mush
We make our mush every few weeks and freeze in containers that hold enough for a few days. Once again, variety is important. Everything is tossed into a blender or food processor and mixed well. Dogs cannot break down the cell walls of vegetables, so it must be well processed. We keep a bag in the freezer where veggies and fruits beginning to 'go' are tossed and saved for mush.
The vegetables should be mainly leafy greens (kale, collards, etc.) with a variety of other different colored veggies. A small proportion of fruit is included - again, variety!
We usually use red meat, as their meaty bones are usually not red.
Organ meats can be from any species - we've found pork liver and kidney to be the cheapest in our area.
Other
Eggs can either be added to the mush, or fed as a meal 2-3 times a week. We prefer to feed them as meals. Remove bedding from your dog's kennel (or put him outside), and give him a whole egg. Some of ours make a small hole and suck out the egg, some eat shell and all. Either way is fine. For puppies you may want to crack the egg. You can add a tub of plain, full-fat yogurt to the mush or just add a blob to the mush meal.
Salmon oil is an extremely important supplement. The Omega-3 fatty acids are important for skin, coat, immune system, joints, and many other things. Your puppy or dog should get 1 gram (1000 mg) a day. It is available in gel caps at any health food store, or in liquid form. Most dogs will take a gel cap as a treat.
Kelp and alfalfa (available in powder at health food stores) can either be sprinkled on mush meals or (easier!) mixed in when you make the mush.
Other supplements are given on an as-needed basis. The diet outlined above has all the vitamins, enzymes, minerals and other nutrients your dog needs.
Click here for a sample diet for puppies; a record of what we fed over a weeks' time.