Question 1

How much raw food should I feed my dog per day?

Accepted Answer

The common guideline for healthy adult dogs is 2–3% of body weight per day, with 2.5% a typical starting point. A 50 lb dog at 2.5% gets about 1.25 lb (roughly 570 g) per day. Less active or overweight dogs sit at the low end, active dogs at the high end. Treat this as a starting point and adjust based on body condition — and confirm the plan with your vet.

Question 2

How much raw food does a puppy need?

Accepted Answer

Puppies eat a much larger share of their body weight because they are growing: roughly 8% at 2–4 months, 6% at 4–6 months, and 4% at 6–12 months, then tapering to adult amounts (2–3%) around maturity. Puppy raw feeding is the case where veterinary guidance matters most — growth requires precisely balanced calcium and phosphorus, so work with your vet.

Question 3

Is raw feeding safe?

Accepted Answer

Raw feeding is debated. The two main risks are hygiene — raw meat can carry bacteria such as Salmonella, so clean surfaces, wash hands, and refrigerate promptly — and nutritional balance, since an unbalanced raw diet can cause deficiencies over time. If you feed raw, follow a complete, balanced recipe and have your vet or a veterinary nutritionist review it, especially for puppies, seniors, and dogs with health conditions.

Question 4

How do I know if I am feeding the right amount?

Accepted Answer

Use body condition, not the scale alone: you should feel your dog's ribs easily under a thin fat layer without seeing them, and see a visible waist from above. Weigh your dog every two weeks after a diet change — if weight drifts up, cut the daily percentage by about 0.5 points; if ribs become prominent, add 0.5. The percentage guideline gets you close; body condition fine-tunes it.

Question 5

What is the BARF ratio?

Accepted Answer

A widely used raw-feeding template splits the daily amount into roughly 70% muscle meat, 10% raw meaty bones, 5% liver, 5% other secreting organ (such as kidney), 7% vegetables, and 3% seeds or fruit. It is a community guideline for variety, not a veterinary standard — balance over weeks matters more than hitting exact percentages every day.

Component	Share	Grams / day	Oz / day
Muscle meat	70 %	397 g	14 oz
Raw meaty bones	10 %	57 g	2 oz
Liver	5 %	28 g	1 oz
Other secreting organ	5 %	28 g	1 oz
Vegetables	7 %	40 g	1.4 oz
Seeds & fruit	3 %	17 g	0.6 oz

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