BARF vs PMR

BARF and PMR are the two ways raw feeders split a dog's daily food. They agree on meat, bone and organ and disagree on one thing: whether 10 percent of the bowl should be vegetables. Here is each model, the ratios, and how to pick.

Updated 31 October 2026
4 min read
Ratios checked against UK complete labels

10% veg and fruit is the only difference

The two models side by side

Both are shown for a 20 kg adult eating 500 g a day. Use the calculator for your own dog.

Component	PMR (80/10/5/5)	BARF (70/10/5/5/10)
Muscle meat	80% (400 g)	70% (350 g)
Raw edible bone	10% (50 g)	10% (50 g)
Liver	5% (25 g)	5% (25 g)
Other secreting organs	5% (25 g)	5% (25 g)
Vegetables, fruit, seeds	None	10% (50 g)

What PMR is

Prey model raw tries to copy the make up of a whole prey animal: roughly 80 percent muscle meat, 10 percent bone and 10 percent organ, half of that liver. No vegetables, no grains, no dairy, no supplements as a rule. Variety comes from feeding 3 or more protein sources over a week (chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, fish, rabbit) and from including whole items such as a chicken quarter, a fish or a rabbit where possible.

"Muscle meat" is wider than it sounds. Heart, tongue, tripe, gizzard and lung all count as muscle. "Other secreting organs" means kidney, spleen, pancreas, brain and testicles. Heart is not an organ in this system even though it is one anatomically.

What BARF is

BARF stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, or Bones and Raw Food. The approach was set out by Australian vet Ian Billinghurst in his 1993 book Give Your Dog a Bone. It keeps the same meat, bone and organ core but replaces 10 percent of the muscle meat with plant matter: about 7 percent vegetables, 2 percent seeds or nuts and 1 percent fruit in the common version. BARF feeders are also more likely to add eggs, a little dairy such as kefir or yoghurt, and supplements like fish oil or kelp.

Vegetables have to be broken down to be digested: blended raw, lightly steamed or fermented. Leafy greens, broccoli, carrots, courgette, squash and berries are the common choices. Onion, grapes and raisins are toxic to dogs and are never used.

Where they differ in practice

	PMR	BARF
Plant matter	None	About 10%
Supplements	Avoided, variety instead	Often fish oil, kelp, eggs
Whole prey items	Encouraged	Optional
Prep time	Less, no blending	More, veg needs blending
Stool size	Smallest	Slightly larger from fibre
UK complete products	DAF 80/10/10 minces	Natures Menu, Nutriment, Bella + Duke
Monthly cost, 20 kg dog, DIY	Same within £3	Same within £3

Which should you choose?

Choose PMR if you want the simplest prep, your dog has a sensitive stomach that reacts to vegetables, or you are feeding whole prey items anyway.
Choose BARF if your dog is prone to constipation on bone, you want a lower calorie bowl for a dog that needs to lose weight, or you are buying UK complete raw, since most of it is BARF style.
Either if you are new. The 80/10/5/5 core is the part that matters for balance. Start with whichever your supplier makes easy and switch later if you want.

Complete raw in both styles

Bella + Duke and Nutriment are BARF style completes with vegetables blended in. Durham Animal Feeds completes are plain 80/10/10 for PMR feeders.

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Points both models agree on

10 percent bone is the target, and it means bone, not bone-in meat. Chicken wings are about 45 percent bone, so 50 g of bone is around 110 g of wings.
Liver is capped at 5 percent because of vitamin A. More than that over time is a problem.
Variety across the week matters more than any single meal being perfect.
Never feed cooked bone. Raw bone bends and crumbles, cooked bone splinters.
Daily amount is 2 to 3 percent of body weight for adults, as set out in how much raw food to feed a dog.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Which is cheaper, BARF or PMR?

They cost about the same. BARF swaps 10 percent of muscle meat for vegetables, and frozen mixed veg at about £1 to £1.50 per kg is cheaper than mince at £2 to £4.50 per kg, so BARF is marginally cheaper per day. For a 20 kg dog the swap is 50 g a day, so the difference is between £1 and £5 a month.

Is 80/10/10 the same as PMR?

Yes. 80/10/10 is shorthand for 80 percent muscle meat, 10 percent bone, 10 percent offal. PMR feeders split that offal into 5 percent liver and 5 percent other secreting organs, which is why you also see it written 80/10/5/5. Many UK complete minces are sold as 80/10/10.

Do dogs need vegetables?

Dogs can digest and use plant matter, but they do not need it to survive if the rest of the diet is balanced. The case for adding it is fibre, some antioxidants and bulk at low cost. The case against is that whole vegetables pass through largely undigested unless blended or steamed. Both camps have fed dogs well for 30 years.

Can I switch between the two?

Yes, at any time. The meat, bone and organ ratios are identical. Adding or removing 10 percent vegetables changes stool bulk for a few days and nothing else. Pick one in the calculator and swap if your dog does better the other way.

Are UK complete raw foods BARF or PMR?

Most are BARF style. Natures Menu and Nutriment completes include vegetables and in some cases added vitamins and minerals. Durham Animal Feeds completes are 80/10/10 with no vegetables, so they are PMR style, and the brand suggests adding veg, fruit and eggs if you want a BARF diet.

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