Many people are beginning to see that diet obviously plays a role and that perhaps the processed foods we have been feeding may be partly responsible. We see many new pet foods on the market today claiming to be grain free (containing rice and oats), this is a reaction to a market whose pets are not doing well on traditional maize and wheat based foods. If the first ingredient listed on your pet food is cereal, then you need to reconsider what you are feeding your dog or cat. This ingredient forms the basis of most commercial pet foods, not because it is appropriate for your pet to eat, but because it is far cheaper than using meat or even meat derivatives. It is a filler, designed to add bulk to the product at very little cost. These foods often only have the minimum requirements in terms of protein and fat, require the addition of synthetic vitamins to increase the nutritional value of the food and are heavily over processed, sometimes even stuffed full of preservatives and colourants.

The Biologically Appropriate Raw Food we distribute from PaleoPet Pure is completely natural and contains only whole food form supplements to boost nutritional content. The food does not contain anything synthetic or chemical in the food, the ingredients are always processed in raw form and immediately frozen. The range does not use battery or cage farmed animals that are fed growth promoters or hormones and the whole food supplements are of the best quality. The Complete Meals contain all the necessary vitamins, minerals and amino acids to suit every type of dog – young or old, healthy or ailing.

Feeding your pet a balanced raw diet made from quality ingredients is the best thing you can do for their health and longevity. They are perfectly equipped and adapted to eating raw food and almost every pet will transition with no trouble at all. Many health issues that are a direct result of eating a species inappropriate commercial diet can be resolved using a natural, raw diet. Dogs that suffer from bad breath, anal gland issues, digestive disorders, skin disorders and allergies, pancreatitis and even epilepsy can benefit tremendously from a natural diet.

Most dogs will happily begin eating the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food we distribute from PaleoPet Pure without a transition period and you can begin feeding them straight away without weaning them off their old food. If your dog has a health issue though, it is sometimes worth transitioning your dog a little more slowly.

Dogs that are addicted to processed “fast foods” may need to be transitioned to a more natural diet from the our range. This simply means that you may have to persist in order to get them to eat initially – the same way you would with a junk food addict faced with a healthy meal! If at first, your pal turns his/her nose up when you place the new food in front of them, take the food away and try again in an hour or two. Keep repeating until he/she gets hungry enough to eat what you put down.

Often our dogs are overfed and not really hungry at all, or are simply fussy eaters. However, a hungry dog will eat eventually and will discover the great tasting meal in his/her bowl! Older dogs that have been on a processed diet for many years may be better transitioned by initially mixing a bit of the raw food in with their old food to begin with – remove a tablespoon or so (depending on your pet’s size) of their old food and replace it with the raw food each meal. Over a period of roughly a week you can gradually decrease the amount of processed food until they are eating only the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.

The best product to begin feeding is the 100% Chicken Mince, it is bland and quite digestible, although some tummy upset and runny stools may be present for a few days to begin with as your dog’s system detoxes and adjusts to the new natural food, don’t be alarmed, this is normal and shouldn’t last long.

Feeding guidelines are dependent on the age, weight and the activity level of your dog! Obviously overweight or couch-loafing dogs need to be fed less daily, while working or very active dogs may need a little more than illustrated on a daily basis. Only you know your dog, so use your discretion and remember that this is dog “Super” Food!

We have a tendency to overfeed our pets (and ourselves), so you might look at your furry friend’s bowl and think that it is not enough food for them – rather underfeed and increase the quantity as needed, you don’t want a dog that is a healthy weight getting fat and if they’re carrying a few extra pounds you’ll want to adjust their food so they lose that spare tyre.

A basic breakdown of how much…

Healthy Dogs – Not Exercising excessively (normal daily dog activity)
Young & Moderate Aged: 2% – 3% of ideal bodyweight per day (divided into 1 or 2 meals)
Older Aged: 1.5% – 2% of ideal bodyweight per day (divided into 1 or 2 meals)

Very Active Dogs – Working, Running, Agility
3% – 6% of bodyweight per day when actually working or active, add slightly more fat to meals
2% – 3% of bodyweight per day when not active or working

Puppies – Small to Medium Breeds
5% – 6% of bodyweight per day (divided into 3 to 4 small meals)

Puppies – Large and Giant Breeds
3% – 5% of bodyweight per day (divided into 3 to 4 meals). It is important to ensure that these puppies grow slowly to ensure that bones and joints form properly and not too rapidly

Pregnant Female Dogs
For the first two thirds of pregnancy, 2% – 3% of bodyweight per day (divided into 1 or 2 meals)
For the last third of pregnancy increase to 3% – 5% of bodyweight per day (divided into 2 or 3 meals)

Lactating Female Dogs
Depending on litter size and the age of the puppies, feed from between 3% and 6% of bodyweight per day (divided into 2 or 3 meals – up to free choice with large litters)

The younger a dog starts eating a natural dog diet, the healthier and happier it will be, and 8 weeks is the perfect age to start your puppy on a raw diet. The 100% chicken mince and complete chicken meals are ideal to start with. We recommend to also include some of our other 100% minces and complete meals (together with the 100% chicken mince and chicken complete meals) to introduce some variety as feeding the same protein every day may lead to food sensitivities. Puppies should consume half to two thirds 100% chicken mince for adequate calcium and one third complete meal until at least six months of age after which the complete meals should be fed primarily. 

Use our handy online Feeding Calculator to calculate the recommended daily portion for your puppy. This daily portion must be divided into two or three meals per day. 

We find taking out from the freezer the required patties for the next day in the evening before and then defrosting it in the fridge overnight until needed works great. Take the patty for next meal out from the fridge and leave it outside for about 20 – 30 minutes before the meal.

Please let us know if you need any help or questions, we would love to assist.

Happy days with your new pup!

Reasons to mix a dry kibble and raw diet may include time constraints (dry kibble is made to be easy) or budget constraints (quality raw dog food diets costs a little more). The short answer is yes, you can follow a half dry kibble and half raw food diet BUT JUST NOT IN THE SAME MEAL. Obviously a complete raw food diet is better but dry kibble can be included for the above reasons.
Feed the dry kibble in the morning and the raw diet in the evening at least 10 hours apart. This will help prevent any digestive problems and at least introduces an improvement in nutrition by feeding half raw over a dry kibble diet only. If your dogs gain too much weight, reduce your kibble. It is very calorie dense and full of carbs which dogs don’t usually need much of. Even the ‘good’ kibble.

The food has a three month shelf life from production kept in a freezer. Defrosted complete meals can be stored safely in the fridge for three days and 100% minces two days.

You can start feeding your 8 week old puppy immediately, providing it weighs more than 500 grams. The younger a dog starts eating a natural dog diet, the healthier and happier it will be. The Chicken Meal and 100% Chicken Mince are the ideal
foods for a growing dog. Puppies should consume half to two thirds (depending on breed and size) 100% Chicken Mince for adequate calcium and one third complete meal until at least six months of age. We recommend puppy food is always fresh and never kept in the fridge for more than a day and is not mixed with kibble or cooked food. This can slow down the digestion of the raw food and may create issues. We don’t recommend dogs under 500 grams in weight begin on raw food, only once they have reached this weight they can begin a raw diet.

The food has been tested for its nutritional adequacy and more than meets the AAFCO dietary recommendations for dogs. Particular attention is paid to the calcium/phosphorous ratio of the foods, most pet foods on the market today are too high in phosphorous which over time can cause kidney issues. Meals which are ‘Complete’ and may be fed every day, are described as such. Products which may not meet this criteria, by being too high in phosphorous or calcium or because they do not contain adequate amounts of certain nutrients, are not labelled ‘Complete’ meals; these are complementary foods that can be fed intermittently and should not form the basis of your dog’s diet (unless you use them to make your own complete food).

DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) is natural omega-3 fatty acid essential in the development of the brain and nervous system in young mammals. Our food contains about 1000 mg of DHA per 1000 Kcal which is more than adequate for a puppy. The phytoplankton listed on the ingredients is DHA.

The Complete Meals are balanced & complete raw meals for dogs sufficient to deliver everything they naturally need. It is made primarily from meat and bone with 20% fresh, raw veggies and fruit and contains Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Phytoplankton based DHA for Omega 3 and Wild Harvested Sea Kelp (Ascophyllum Nosodum). 

The Complementary 100% Minces do not contain any supplements, but serve as a replacement for feeding meaty bones.

Puppies should consume half to two thirds Complementary 100% Mince and one third Complete Meal until at least six months of age after which the complete meals should be fed primarily.

Older dogs may need a longer period of transition from dry pet foods to barf. Gently ease the old guy or gal into the new food regime, keeping an eye on him for any real discomfort while he/she detoxes. If you want to make the change, try starting off with a 90/10 ratio split of old food to new food, over a week gradually decrease the amount of old food as you increase the amount of Biologically Appropriate Raw Food. 

Some breeds that have been fed dry food for an extended period of time may have a “detox” period which is indicated by a runny tummy for 2-3 days. This is normal and is an indication that the intestine and gastro enzymes are readjusting to the natural diet. It is also the body’s way of ridding itself of any gunky intestinal lining that may be present from the dog’s current diet. The runny tummy should clear up after a couple of days.

Some dogs are simply fussy eaters and will take a little longer to transition from their diet of “fast food” to healthy food. However, a hungry dog will eat the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food without hesitation! If your dog turns their nose up at first, simply remove the food for an hour and try again. Keep repeating hourly until they are hungry enough to eat. Very often, dogs fed dry food are overfed and it may take some time for them to feel real hunger. A day or two at the most of not eating will not harm your dog, so do not worry they will not starve. Simply persevere, it’s worth it!

While a valid concern, the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food is made from human grade meat and vegetable ingredients and is produced according to the highest standards of food preparation. All the offal, meat and carcass used is handled with great care, prepared and frozen with this particular threat in mind. The food is regularly send for testing to ensure it is free from this bacteria. In South Africa, if you sell raw pet food to the public, you need to test for E. coli and Salmonella, there is an acceptable range for E. coli, and Salmonella cannot be present. So essentially the raw pet food you purchase for your pet must be free from Salmonella in order to be on the market (and remain on the market). Dogs have a stomach pH of 2, this is extremely acidic and it is highly unlikely that Salmonella or even e-coli will survive in a dog’s digestive system, the Salmonella testing is really done to ease the pet owner’s mind and prevent any occurences of human infection. Research has indicated that some dry foods are much higher in certain more dangerous bacteria than raw food is.

The simple answer is no – as long as the bones are fed to the dog raw and they are too big to swallow whole (if they come from a cow, game animal, sheep or other large mammal). The rule of thumb is that the bone should be larger than the length of the muzzle of the dog. Whole bones that have been swallowed can lead to blockages, perforation of the stomach or colon and ultimately death. Hard bones are good for teeth cleaning and recreation and you should monitor your dog while they eat them, chicken bone is considered soft bone and is a different story. A good starter bone for small and medium breeds is chicken neck. We cannot stress how important it is that your dog is NEVER fed cooked bones, raw bone on the other hand is a necessary component of a healthy dog’s diet. If you have a dog that suffers from Pica or you know cannot digest raw bone, then please do not feed your dog bones.

The Biologically Appropriate Raw Food is a complete, naturally formulated food that will meet the daily nutritional needs of your pet. These are derived from quality raw animal muscle and offal, crushed raw bones, liquidised raw plant and fruit cellulose, essential fats and oils, kelp and Omega 3. However, feeding your dog additional soft, raw meaty bones from time to time and the occasional treat of healthy table scraps (only 5% of daily intake) is not only acceptable, but encouraged.