Getting started
Top Dog Food & Supply celebrates raw feeding for its simple, no-fuss approach to nurturing our pets. When you choose to feed raw, you take the processed out of the process and focus on what matters most. It’s time to unleash the true potential of raw living, by giving your cherished companions exceptionally nutritious food to fuel a healthy and happy lifestyle.
We understand that for some, raw feeding can be intimidating. The internet is a fantastic source of information but can be overwhelming for someone who may be new to feeding raw. Here at Top Dog Food & Supply, we like to stick to the basics - provide variety, feed the way nature intended and have fun doing it! And we make it affordable!
How Do I Start a Species Appropriate Raw Diet for Pets?
There are two main methods used for transitioning your pup to a raw diet. The gradual method, and cold turkey method.
The gradual method is most commonly used. This entails gradually mixing raw food with your pups current diet. Over a week, this could look something like the below:
The alternative method is cold turkey. This is mostly used by people who are confident and experienced with raw feeding. Get rid of the kibble or processed food and fast your pup for 12 to 24 hours. Fasting allows the kibble to be completely removed from the system for a better transition. Then begin!
For more detail on transitioning your dog to raw, we love this guide from Perfectly Rawsome.
Food Sensitivities
Dogs and cats are very sensitive to the high sugar content and insulin spiking ingredients found in dry kibble food. Our pets' guts were not made to eat fillers, synthetic vitamins, minerals or flavorings. Once you pull your pets off processed foods and allow their guts to heal, they should no longer be sensitive to foods. Healthy guts should be able to eat a species-appropriate diet. Get the gut right and food will no longer be an issue.
A great way to repair a damaged gut is by feeding Ground Green Tripe.
How Much to Feed?
Calculate 2.5% of pets best body weight. (2.5% is the amount of food for the whole day). Feed this amount for approximately 2 weeks. If your pup is too thin you can bump up to 3% of body weight or if too heavy bump down to 2% per day. You want an hourglass figure, but no hips or rib bones should be showing – you should be able to feel the ribs but not be able to clearly see them.
Keep in mind, snacks and treats count towards daily intake!
Feeding Chart
| Dog's Weight lbs |
% of Weight |
Amt/Meal ounces |
Amt/Meal grams |
Amt/Day ounces |
Amt/Day grams |
| 5 | 2.5% | 1.00 | 28 | 2.00 | 57 |
| 10 | 2.5% | 2.00 | 57 | 4.00 | 113 |
| 15 | 2.5% | 3.00 | 85 | 6.00 | 170 |
| 20 | 2.5% | 4.00 | 113 | 8.00 | 227 |
| 25 | 2.5% | 5.00 | 142 | 10.00 | 283 |
| 30 | 2.5% | 6.00 | 170 | 12.00 | 340 |
| 35 | 2.5% | 7.00 | 198 | 14.00 | 397 |
| 40 | 2.5% | 8.00 | 227 | 16.00 | 454 |
| 45 | 2.5% | 9.00 | 255 | 18.00 | 510 |
| 50 | 2.5% | 10.00 | 283 | 20.00 | 567 |
| 55 | 2.5% | 11.00 | 312 | 22.00 | 624 |
| 60 | 2.5% | 12.00 | 340 | 24.00 | 680 |
| 65 | 2.5% | 13.00 | 369 | 26.00 | 737 |
| 70 | 2.5% | 14.00 | 397 | 28.00 | 794 |
| 75 | 2.5% | 15.00 | 425 | 30.00 | 850 |
| 80 | 2.5% | 16.00 | 454 | 32.00 | 907 |
| 85 | 2.5% | 17.00 | 482 | 34.00 | 964 |
| 90 | 2.5% | 18.00 | 510 | 36.00 | 1021 |
| 95 | 2.5% | 19.00 | 539 | 38.00 | 1077 |
| 100 | 2.5% | 20.00 | 567 | 40.00 | 1134 |
| 105 | 2.5% | 21.00 | 595 | 42.00 | 1191 |
| 110 | 2.5% | 22.00 | 624 | 44.00 | 1247 |
| 115 | 2.5% | 23.00 | 652 | 46.00 | 1304 |
| 120 | 2.5% | 24.00 | 680 | 48.00 | 1361 |
| 125 | 2.5% | 25.00 | 709 | 50.00 | 1417 |
| 130 | 2.5% | 26.00 | 737 | 52.00 | 1474 |
| 135 | 2.5% | 27.00 | 765 | 54.00 | 1531 |
| 140 | 2.5% | 28.00 | 794 | 56.00 | 1588 |
| 145 | 2.5% | 29.00 | 822 | 58.00 | 1644 |
| 150 | 2.5% | 30.00 | 850 | 60.00 | 1701 |
What should I order?
Any of the blends that have bone and organ included are great for getting started. We have put together a 'starter pack' that we think is perfect for beginning your raw journey. It includes our beef, chicken & turkey Healthy Variety Mixes (HVM).
What is PMR?
Prey Model Raw (PMR) is made up of ground protein, with 12-13% bone and 15% organs. This is a great blend for all dogs and is also the blend that we recommend for puppies. Puppies need extra bone in their diet especially in the first 4-6 months. When you use this blend for puppies, we also recommend you add a few duck feet and sardines for great nutrition.
What is HVM?
Healthy Variety Mix (HVM) is made up of ground protein, bone and organs as well as being 10% fruits and veggies.
Which Should I Feed My Pet?
We recommend feeding both models – PMR and HVM in a rotation of various proteins. Both models have the proteins: Beef, Chicken, Duck, Lamb, Pork and Turkey.
Can I Mix Raw and Kibble?
Not if you want your pet to have good stools and a healthy gut. Kibble is processed and high in inflammatory ingredients and sugar.
If you do mix raw and kibble and your pup has digestive upset – simply pull out the processed food and you will see dramatic improvements. If you want to do this for budgeting reasons, we recommend doing one meal of kibble and another of raw. Please do not mix in same meal.