Raw Feeding Week Day 4: Ratio, DIY or Complete

If you've been following our Raw Feeding Week blogs, you will now know the benefits of raw feeding, you will know how to start adding fresh food to your dog's bowl, and your mind will have been put at ease about any concerns you may have....but help! What does 80:10:10 mean? What are completes? What are RMBs?

Day 4 of Raw Feeding Week is all about the differences between ratio, complete and DIY diets.

80:10:10

The infamous phrase in the world of raw feeding, 80:10:10s are probably the most common type of feeding.

The numbers are percentages that make up the food:

80% muscle meat
10% offal (of which 5% is liver and 5% another secreting organs)
10% bone

The ratio diet comes from the idea that a dog's natural prey is approximately 80% muscle meat, 10% bone and 10% offal.

A ratio diet is not a complete and balanced diet.

"But the packet says complete!"

"But that Facebook group said all my dog needs is an 80:10:10!"

I'll repeat because it is important, an 80:10:10 is not complete and not balanced. Why an 80:10:10 is not enough is a blog in itself (which I will write one day) but here are the main reasons:

• An 80:10:10 does not include the whole animal. Very few premade minces will include, for example, the brains, the eyeball, the fur or feathers.
• Farming methods have changed the composition of farmed meat reducing some nutrients and increasing others.
• Wild prey animals feed on vegetation that has grown in soil depleted of nutrients. That animal is therefore deprived of nutrients so it in itself lacks nutrients. Feed this to a dog and the dog will be lacking nutrients.

80:10:10s do need supplementing. This can be as easy or as complicated as you like but some essential nutrients to add are Omega 3s, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, selenium, manganese. Add oily fish, eggs, mussels, leafy greens, nuts (except macadamia nuts as these are toxic to dogs), seeds, etc to fill in these nutritional gaps. 

Completes

Completes have more than just animal produce. Completes should meet the minimum nutritional requirements for dogs at the age they're sold for (puppies, adults, seniors) which is very difficult to achieve with 80:10:10s. You might see terms like 'made to FEDIAF standard' on the packaging. This means they have all the nutrients in the amounts stipulated by FEDIAF (The European Pet Food Industry Federation). These are the same standards that processed food must meet.

Completes often include animal produce in the same ratio, 80:10:10, but will also include fruit, vegetables and so-called 'superfoods'. Usually they consist of 80% muscle meat, offal and bone, and around 20% plant matter and oils.

If you are feeding completes, you shouldn't have to supplement.

Do It Yourself: Minces, Chunks and RMBs

If you want to be more adventurous, you could try making your own raw food.

The ratio of DIY remains the same - 80:10:10 for animal produce and 10-20% plant matter.

Minces

Some minces are boneless, some have up to 50% bone so do read the packaging carefully.

Chunks

Chunks are usually boneless. Offal and muscle meat can be bought in chunks.

RMBs

RMB stands for Raw Meaty Bones. RMBs need to be added to provide the bone element of the diet. They are also good to give as snacks or to increase bone intake where needed. RMBs will consist of bone and meat.

Just remember, if you are feeding a full raw diet, you must include muscle meat, bone and offal as well as other foods to fill in any nutritional gaps. 

Which should I feed?

It's your choice which method you feed. Choose one that suits you and your dog. As long as you balance over time for adult dogs (puppies need balance daily), the your dog will do well. 

Please don't just pick a food because it's cheap. Think about the actual content and whether that will provide your dog with enough nutrition to thrive.

And no matter which one you choose, variety is key! Tomorrow on Day 5 of Raw Feeding Week, we'll be discussing the idea of variety in more detail.